Calorie counting

SLITHER99

Who else has done this?

So far, I'm planning to 1200-1400 calories per day. I have a target of reaching 75kg by the end of this year - I'm 100kg now. I also exercise 3 times a week at the gym.

I think I have my diet down to a very modest collection of good stuffs:
Breakfast: 50g of Jordans Muesli, Alpro soya milk and a plain black coffee - approx 300cals
Lunch: Either tin of tuna in salad and Jif lemon juice as dressing or a can of Heinz soup - approx 150-200 cals
Snack: Nature Valley bar - approx 200 cals
At least 3 pieces of fruit, apple oranges, etc. - approx 60 cals
On workout days, one slice of wholemeal toast in the afternoons: approx 150 cals
Dinner: Either Heinz Soup or a chicken breast with salad - approx 200-400 cals

I've ditched normal tea for Green tea and Camomile tea. Also, post-workout, I have a whey protein sci-mx shake which is approx 160 cals.

My workout plan is about 70 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes around the various weight machines.

So far, I've plateaud a little. I started at 130kg and gotten down to 100kg over a year or so. I was finding it hard to get under 100kg, so I've ditched things like tea, the odd biscuit, etc. I may also add in a morning jog at weekends, see if I can't get something going.

Any ideas or pointers appreciated. I'm not sure if I should be using the protein shake or not; nobody's ever really said whether I should or shouldn't. I do notice I feel less dead after a workout, which I guess is good. But if it's putting on weight then it can easily go.

Lagoon

I also used to calorie count. My thought is that you could be eating too little. Women should eat a minimum of 1200 calories. Men should eat more.

When you exercise, you should aim to eat that back so that you're not eating too little. You're doing quite a bit of exercise, and potentially not fuelling it properly. Also remember that as you work out, you should pay attention to your energy levels, health and body shape rather than your weight. You can be healthier without losing the weight, as you build muscle, though 'building muscle' isn't something that happens immediately.

SLITHER99

Well, when I get done on the cardio machines, I think I usually total about 700 odd calories being burnt. Though how accurate those things are, who knows.

There_Goes_Trouble

I've ditched the nature valley bars recently (much as I love them) as they're very high in sugar.

You should eat back what you burn from what I've read. Your 1200 (which is possibly too low for you) should be a net intake, so you offset what you eat against what you burn and should have an overall intake if 1200-1400. Your body needs calories just to stay alive. If you starve it it will not work properly. Where did you get your figures from? I exercise quite a lot and I'd be starving on your diet!!

SLITHER99

The actual calorific values I've calculated from the nutritional information on the bags and weighing them out.

The calories of what I burn I read of the machines.

The diet plan I invented myself... I call it the Derp Diet

VfM4meplse

Ditch the Heinz soup - far too much salt - and make your own veggie soup. If you don't add carbs or cream, it should be even lower calorie, and will taste a lot better. Plus you could eat unlimited amounts, as it would literally be just vegetables, water and seasoning.

Sharon87

I would definitely ditch the soup for dinner, especially if you have it for lunch as well!

When I'm on a diet I have to eat around 1200-1400 calories to lose weight. I'm female and only 4 foot 11 and only a couple stone overweight, so its possible you may be eating too little if you're taller.

heartbreak_star

Definitely make your own soup. Better for you and cheaper!

Also, you're eating too many carbs and not enough protein. Try a couple of scrambled eggs for breakfast or lunch.

Ditch the weight machines and do free weights instead better calorie burn and means you don't lose the strength in your stabiliser muscles.

HBS x

SLITHER99

Excellent! Cheers for the responses.

Just to ask, which foods in my diet are causing me to have too much carbs?

sammyjammy

I understand that's just a sample but you should really broaden your diet a little, boredom is one of the biggest reasons people give up dieting, you need to get more vegetables than just salad into your diet, lots of different coloured veggies, fresh fish etc. Let yourself have a treat now and then, doesn't have to be something high fat and/or sugar.

Sounds like you're doing great so fr with the actual loss. Maybe consider seeing a trainer at your gym to check on your programme, mix it up a little. Your body gets used to it's food and exercise which might be why your weight loss has slowed down.
Best of luck!

sammyjammy

SLITHER99 wrote: »

Excellent! Cheers for the responses.

Just to ask, which foods in my diet are causing me to have too much carbs?

Personally I think your carb intake is fine particularly for someone who exercises quite a bit, maybe a more protein based breakfast would be better. You could put your average daily intake into a programme such as my fitness pal, it breaks down your food into all the main food types including Vit C and fibre and play around with it.