Healthy Eating

Peter_Griffin

chickadee wrote:

You rneighbour is right really. You have to make sure that your calories burned are greater than your calorie intake. That way you will lose weight.

I think the best thing to do is to make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. If you fill up on the healthy stuff you will be less likely to eat too much of the fatty/sugary stuff. Remember, fat contains loads of calories so that is why it makes you put weight on.

Why not try a bit of both, eating better and doing a little more exercise. If you find something that you like doing, whatever it is, salsa dancing, swimming, roller skating, if it raises your heart rate it will do you good. You don't need to do long sessions. 20-30 mins is good to start with and is achievable.

Have a look in your library. I borrowed a brilliant weightwatchers cook book a while ago. I don't really need to lose weight but some of the recipes just looked really tasty.

Good luck!

i don't really understand this point everyone makes about burning more calories than you consume. Is this actually possible in the long run, they say that marathon runners 'hit the wall' when they have no energy left from food so have to burn fat, if you burn more calories than you consume regularly won't this occur, or have i misunderstood this!!! me thinks i may have

se999

Hi,

For a start you have to think of calories as a counter of energy.

Quick energy comes mainly from burning carbohydrates, it's called quick because it's very quickly available. That's why exercise drinks have lots of glucose in them which is an easily digestible form of sugar, so it's the quickest way to get an energy burst.

The body can only store so much quick energy before it runs out, then it has to burn up the fat - basically our bodies are old fashioned, when there's lots of food they put the excess into the 'savings bank' as fat, to use when there is a shortage, but it isn't quick energy to get to, so I think this is where we get your example of the wall for running a marathon.

People put on weight for various reasons but it does come down to eating more calories than you use, e.g. someone normally doesn't put on weight, but
is in hospital in bed, continues eating their normal food/quantities, they put on weight.

So to lose weight long term you have to consume less calories than you use long term, which can be done by reducing the calories eaten &/or increasing the calories used by exercise.

If you have a diet with quick energy sources in it you will still have energy to do things and the body will gradually reduce it's 'savings bank' of body fat. e.g. Fruit is a source of fructose, which is a sugar, so you don't need to go for the highly processed approach to get your carbohydrates.

People in a normal day have times when they are very active & times when they're not, so the body has plenty of time to access the fat it's stored, it's not usual to run marathons every day

Hope this makes sense, I've learnt this as I've dieted, but I'm a dieter not a medic!

tr3mor

I find the best way to lose weight is to only eat at mealtimes, don't buy any chocolate, crisps, or other things to snack on during the day. Have a smallish breakfast and lunch then a reasonably decent sized dinner, after a couple of days your stomach will be used to not eating as much and will be much less stretched and bloated, meaning it takes much less to make you feel full.

Other than that, exercise, exercise, EXERCISE. I found when i went to the gym everyday for 2 weeks i lost a whole stone. Not exactly a huge loss considering i was 19st anyway, I'm around 18st still now, and need to lose more weight (Not THAT much considering i'm a 6'2" man, my ideal weight would be around 14st).

ms_london

Im 5ft 11, and weigh just under 13 stone. I would like to get down to 10 stone ideally, but 11 stone will probably be ok too.

I have a holiday booked, I go in 3 weeks (today actually!!). So for the past 3 weeks I have been going to the gym 4/5 times a week, 2 x 1 hour of Bodypump, and 2/3 x 1 hour of cardio.

The annoying thing is, last weekend on my parents scales I was down to 12 1/2 stone, the gym scales this morning say im at 13 stone (they havent changed since ive been using them!!). Grrrrrrr!! I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but since im mixing it with cardio I thought this was the way to do it. Im also eating healthier and have had no junk food.

I think I will start religiously writing my points down (weightwatchers), just in case I have been overeating (I doubt it though). I just want the weight to shift!! Ive been working my bum off (literally) at the gym so deserve it :0)

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

xx

calleyw

ms_london wrote:

I have a holiday booked, I go in 3 weeks (today actually!!). So for the past 3 weeks I have been going to the gym 4/5 times a week, 2 x 1 hour of Bodypump, and 2/3 x 1 hour of cardio.

The annoying thing is, last weekend on my parents scales I was down to 12 1/2 stone, the gym scales this morning say im at 13 stone (they havent changed since ive been using them!!). Grrrrrrr!! I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but since im mixing it with cardio I thought this was the way to do it. Im also eating healthier and have had no junk food.

Muscle does weight more than fat but your shape should change. Your muscles become more defined. And your clothes fit you better.

Might be better to measure yourself rather than go weight alone.

The more muscle you have the more calories you burn.

Yours

Calley

ms_london

calleyw wrote:

Muscle does weight more than fat but your shape should change. Your muscles become more defined. And your clothes fit you better.

Might be better to measure yourself rather than go weight alone.

The more muscle you have the more calories you burn.

Yours

Calley

I think I will measure myself this weekend, which areas should I measure? Hips, waist, top of arms & legs?

I suppose I just want to see quicker results (especially with the holiday looming). I will quite happily wear a bikini anyway, but would just like to be thin. Because im tall I carry it well, but would like to strut around not worrying about my wobbly bits :0)

Its just the sticking to it thats hard!!!!

Thanks for the advice Calley.

xx

blue-kat

just wanted to say that it is possible to lose weight even if you can't exercise.

I can't walk much, just potter around the house, to the car, or use wheelchair, but have managed to lose 5 + stones by healthy eating, and not counting calroies/points/syns/carbs/whatever.

I got a bit stuck over past 6 months but have got my head straight with help from Paul McKenna 'I can make you thin' mind-programming method,and have lost 8.6lbs in last month without being on a diet.

and no diet club fees

SomersetPrincess

tr3mor wrote:

I find the best way to lose weight is to only eat at mealtimes, don't buy any chocolate, crisps, or other things to snack on during the day. Have a smallish breakfast and lunch then a reasonably decent sized dinner, after a couple of days your stomach will be used to not eating as much and will be much less stretched and bloated, meaning it takes much less to make you feel full.

I agree with tr3mor - I started having smaller breakfasts (cereal instead of toast) and lunch (small amounts of pasta or homemade bread sarnie) and a decent sized dinner - my stomach seems to have realised I am not giving it loads now and I feel less hungry all the time now and dont feel the need to snack. I am doing Weight Watchers online and have lost 8 lb so far - 5 in the last 3 weeks

ms_london

I blame it on my underactive thyroid :0)

Unfortunately for me exercise is the only way I can lose weight, but its also good for my state of mind & wellbeing too so I dont mind doing it, ive actually quite enjoyed it and dont hate it as much.

I just wish it didnt take such a blimmin long time.

Youve all done really well, well done :0)

crazyhazy

ms_london wrote:

I blame it on my underactive thyroid :0)

Unfortunately for me exercise is the only way I can lose weight, but its also good for my state of mind & wellbeing too so I dont mind doing it, ive actually quite enjoyed it and dont hate it as much.

I just wish it didnt take such a blimmin long time.

Youve all done really well, well done :0)

just a small point the chances are you will always weight differently on 2 different sets of scales as they are unlikely to be the same. try to only use one set. your parents scales could be underweighing you or the gym ones overweighing, or a bit of both, giving you the big difference.