In desperate need of advice regarding weight loss.

aylithuk

No, it's whey protein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein

however I would say I only use it as meal 2 because it's easy to get protein into me while I am at work. Otherwise I'd have another food source of protein.

Just helps my body recover after working out

Jox

How much weight do you want to lose, the last stone or 10 pounds can be the hardest to lose.

When you're at the gym can you see how many calories are burned on the machines, perhaps aim to burn 400 / 500 calories each visit? Do you build up a sweat or take it easy on the machines?

Do you use the weights as well? Some gyms have exercises you can do with the weights pinned up on the walls, maybe copy some of these, muscle burns fat so work on building up your muscles, this will also give you more energy on the cardio machines as well.

I have about a stone to lose, starting the gym on 2nd Jan!

~Chameleon~

Hi, don't have time for in depth advice at mo but the first thing I'd do is throw away the scales and stop weighing yourself. How do your clothes feel? looser? have you lost inches?

The reason I say this is because people become far too hung up on weight when this is the least important and most variable factor. Two people of the same height/stature can weigh the same yet one could be two dress sizes smaller.

Why? Because they have more muscle mass and are more toned than the other due to working out in the gym. You say you've been doing resistance and interval work which is great and the more you increase your muscle mass, the higher your metabolism will become.

I also don't think you're eating anywhere near enough, especially protein based foods and good fats (avocados, nuts, seeds etc), both essential for good health especially if working out at the gym regularly. You appear to be eating a lot of high sugar stuff which is bad for you (all low-fat products/cereals etc are high in sugar.) Limit fruit too as they're still high in sugar albeit natural, and eat more veggies, especially colourful beetroots, peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens etc.


Hope this helps for now and I'll check back tomorrow when I'm less tired. Good luck

Sharon87

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Hi, don't have time for in depth advice at mo but the first thing I'd do is throw away the scales and stop weighing yourself. How do your clothes feel? looser? have you lost inches?

The reason I say this is because people become far too hung up on weight when this is the least important and most variable factor. Two people of the same height/stature can weigh the same yet one could be two dress sizes smaller.

Why? Because they have more muscle mass and are more toned than the other due to working out in the gym. You say you've been doing resistance and interval work which is great and the more you increase your muscle mass, the higher your metabolism will become.

I also don't think you're eating anywhere near enough, especially protein based foods and good fats (avocados, nuts, seeds etc), both essential for good health especially if working out at the gym regularly. You appear to be eating a lot of high sugar stuff which is bad for you (all low-fat products/cereals etc are high in sugar.) Limit fruit too as they're still high in sugar albeit natural, and eat more veggies, especially colourful beetroots, peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens etc.


Hope this helps for now and I'll check back tomorrow when I'm less tired. Good luck

Agree completely. You may not be losing total weight, but you may be losing fat and gaining muscle. When I diet I take into account what the scales says and what the tape measure says.

I would also agree, eat more fresh veg, restrict the Quorn and replace it with things like chick peas if you like them or mushrooms, aubergine. So instead of spag bol with Quorn mince have spaghetti or any pasta with a can of chopped tomatoes with herbs, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of salt and pepper with lots of veg, like carrots, peppers, mushrooms, onion, spinach. I have this sometimes when I want a quick meal.

Try and cook from scratch so you know what goes in your meals.

Good luck!

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Wow..thank you for all the really good advice

I think your right about ditching the scales. I have certainly noticed improvement in my body tone & clothes which used to fit are quite baggy on me now. I guess I have been so obsessive over weighing myself because losing weight on the scales gets thrown down your throat and that it's more important for the scales to show weight loss as opposed to whether you've lost inches/dropped dress size.

When I go shopping, I'll make a point of spending more time in the veg isle. I pretty much love any veg, so shouldn't be too hard to fill my cupboards.

I still need to lose, ideally, two stones, however, I will be more inclined to get the tape measure out now.

I do use the weight machines at the gym & have recently started to incorporate them into my workout. The gym equipment does give calories burned, so I will try to keep more of a record. Although interval training burns more after the exercise?

I'm back at the gym tomorrow, so will see how things go.

stormCat99

Hi,

I'm far from an expert however having recently read up on low carb diets in depth, I decided to take the plunge. I did it for health reasons not weight loss (cardiac) but actually have lost just over a stone in just a month. I know that fast weight loss can be considered unhealthy, but this is normal at the start of this way of eating and it then starts to stabilise. And if you continue eating like this permanently the weight will stay off.

I have felt SO much healthier since eating low carb, I don't ever want to go back to my old way of eating with lots of carbs every day.

I am also vegetarian and love this way of eating, as I get to eat all the things that I love, and in fact each much tastier food that I did before!

Exercise wise all I've been doing is swimming a mile twice a week (ideally would go 3 times but struggle to fit it in). So it's definitely the eating habits which have made the difference for me - and I should say that I never used to eat lots of junk before, I used to eat lots of fresh healthy food. It is solely cutting out the carbs which has made the difference.

It's not for everyone but if you're interested there's an ongoing thread over here with lots of support:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1567335

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

ca55ie

I've always found a food diary to be helpful - although you do need to be brutally honest about everything you eat, snack on etc. The thought of having to write it in the diary (and own up to it) often stops me snacking on the naughty but tasty foods.
I saw you like eating fruit but too much fruit is not healthy because of the amount of sugar it contains. Also bread - even wholemeal- should be eaten with caution if you are trying to lose weight. I have found that both low-carb and GI eating plans are a good, healthy way of eating.

Good luck - I'm sure with all the good advice being offered on this site you'll crack it and discover what works for you.

surfsister

good luck we're all with you!!

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Started my..eat little & often regime today & also bought fresh veg instead of quorn.

Lets see how I get on & thanks for the well wishes xx

Jox

Good luck!

I've been to the gym 3 times this week and the scales have gone down by 2lbs, not had quite so many chocs in the past few days!