Losing Weight

[Gangster]

Hey guys,

Right to sum it all up in a sentence,...I feel miserable and fat.

I really want to loose weight, and hopefully have a good figure for the summer.

I have been asking around and quite a few people say "Eat the right food, and cardio."

My question is, what is 'the right food' and what foods do i need to completley cut out to make sure im getting the right food all the time?

Im 5 foot 4, weigh 150lbs.

I've tried:

• WeightWatchers: I just go up and down like a yoyo, most I lost was 6 pounds over a month, then i stop, then go back up weight then back down etc.

• Atkins: Went on that for two weeks, ended up feeling depressed, tired all the time but i did loose 7 pounds in two weeks which i was really impressed with (but not surprised considering all the stuff I cut out.)

So guys, what would YOU people reccomend as the best thing I do?

I would really appricaite your input into this thread.

Thanks,
Gangster.

 

[Gangster]

Wow - thanks for the reply so far guys, really appriciate it!!

I have read the body building thread ages ago though, and that gave me the idea of going onto the Atkins which I did last summer - however i was unsucessful and really miserable, as well as being tired.

Every morning I walk approximatley 30 mins fairly briskly, and I do so in the afternoons too.

I did start running around the block a few times, but after getting really out of breath I stopped after 4 days (went every night) because I got out of breath a lot and I feel that if i loose weight it would make it easier for me to run?

I have been talking to MarkLP and I think I will follow his footsteps - eating less than I normally would, but what I want. It sounds as if its the best method for me!

Normal Day:
Breakfast - bowl of special k with skimmed milk
Afternoon - 2 sandwiches of chicken & mayo / cheese / cheese & pickle
Dinner - Pasta with sauce / lasagne / bolognese / pizza (3 slices max) / sunday roast etc

I rarely snack. Based on the advice from MarkLP he suggested to just reduce portion sizes which I think is the best method for me as I will not pack it in as i will be eating what I what just less of it.

It sounds like a good method, anyone else agree?

 

[Gangster]

Sounds like you're getting on the right track. I would watch out for what you are eating though. Make sure those sandwiches are on whole meal or whole grain bread, the mayo is light not full fat and your pasta should be whole meal as well. I've stopped eating pizza all together!

Cheese is another funny one, I've heard the softer the cheese the less fat in it, so maybe go with Bree rather than Cheddar...

The other thing you could try is start eating 5-6 small meals a day to boost your metabolism.

Panzer

Yup they're whole meal bread, the mayonaise is light - the pasta i've been eating isn't wholemeal but im going to start eating a lot less of it - aiming for 1/2 as what i used to eat.

Im no expert of losing weight and Im actually trying to lose weight myself so have read various forums about this and some people say thats its better to have many sort of mini portions of food throughout the day, like 6 portions instead of the 3 that you have outlined.

The reason they gave was that this would keep your metabolism up and you wouldnt feel so hungry inbetween meal times. Ive not yet discovered how Im going to attempt this but Ive tried to cut down on the foods I do eat and trying to include much more fruit and veg. Still need to work on my exercise though!

Sounds like a good idea, I will try and eat 6 small portions daily - i'll have to put some sort of alarm on to remember to eat frequently though.

i've just begun some HIIT and do it daily...it's been almost 2 weeks and I've already noticed that i've been getting slimmer.

I also lift with dumbbells and drink protein/creatine shakes.

Yes eventually when I loose all this weight I will start lifting dumbells along with protein shakes. I do a light excercise of dumbells - just lifting 5kg dumbells on each arm, 25 reps per arm so nothing major.

I'm going to start doing situps - nothing heavy maybe just 25 for now just to get used to it again (long time since i've done them!).

I appricaite your input into this thread guys, if you have anymore information I would appriciate your input a lot!

Thanks,
Gangster

 

[Gangster]

Ive lost two stone in two months now.

My tips are as follows

Exercise 5 out of 7 days a week.

Cut out 95% of Chocolate and crisps.

Cut portions of main meals, i found i was happy with half a dinner, so thats what i have.

All drinks no added sugar and much less beer.

And just being aware of calories, just reading packets will put you in the direction of the right foods i find.

Great sucess!! I really would like to loose 2 stone - would make me feel so much better.

I was really surprised, tonight I had Chicken Korma. Usually I have a big plate - and tonight I had a bowl (cereal size) and worked out that I could fit roughly just 4 bowls up with the amount that I used to have on the plate... tonight I had just one bowl (so cut it back by 1/4) and was full!

You will find that after the first week or two of keeping an alarm (I just watched the clock knowing that I had to eat once every 3 hours) that you don't need to do it any more, you just get hungry at the right times

Panzer

Ok cool, sounds like a good idea My plan would have to be something like:
-Eat 7
-Eat 10
-Eat 12
-Eat 4
-Eat 8 (if im hungry)

What happens if im not even hungry? Have food or dont?


Thanks for your help!!

G

 

[Gangster]

Thanks Panzer!

I had lunch, normally I ate 3/4 slices of cheese on toast and I halfed it and ate 2 pieces. Surprisingly I was full just after the two, so I think that I can now start begin to see the reason why I am overweight as I was just eating food I didnt need.

I've never done this before, even though its the most common thing to do its really easy to stick to rather than something like WeightWatchers - where I'd have to restrict myself away from foods and countdown the seconds to eat! Now eating the food I enjoy, but smaller portions really helps

Thanks a lot guys, I shall update you with my progress over the next week.

Details:
Currently weigh: 10st 10 Pounds
Target: Under 9st 7 Pounds (A Big target, but its what I want - or there abouts)