You know it's time to diet when...!

WantToBeSE

Hi.
Ii have lost 1st since the beginning of the year. Not fast, i admit, but slow and steady wins the race.
I've not been 'dieting', but just eating more healthily. I cut back on the junk food, wine and chocolate mainly.
I have 1 more stone to lose, and am happy to join in with you!

I am a self-employed cleaner and work a minimum of 3 hours a day, scrubbing, hoovering etc. It may not sound strenuous but it really is, and i count that as my exercise. It's just the food that needs attention.

paulineb_2

30 day shred is also on youtube, you'll find tabata workouts on there as well.

I like my carbs, but I try and eat wholemeal versions. Portion sizes, its amazing the amount of cals you can consume and still think you are eating healthily.

I eat more veg than fruit as its often cheaper. I dont tend to drink 8 glasses of water a day but I drink as much water as I can.

Avoid foods that are marked low fat, they can be full of hidden nasties.
Cook from scratch as much as you can. Soup is cheap and filling and it can also be v low cal.

And aim for 30 mins of cardio at least 3 times a week, I try and do 5 if I can.

And also be aware that its possible to lose inches and not a lot of weight, dont be disheartened if the scales dont move for a while, its natural for weight to fluctuate

My fitness pal and similar sites are good for tracking cals

Alcohol, Id say avoid wine, beers and cider unless very occasionally, gin and vodka are carb free.

RobGuggle

I was 3 or 4 of stone over weight a year ago and i've now lost it all and i'm pretty fit and healthy. I actually found that i was becoming addicted to sugar and fatty foods. I wouldn't plan my meals, i'd grab the nearest, quickest and tastiest thing when i got hungry and i did no exercise. I actually sympathise with some people who are over weight as i really did have a problem with my eating. I consider myself a smart and youngish man, yet i couldn't make intelligent eating decisions, in fact the complete opposite and i was almost powerless to stop it. I didn't want to be eating something and knew it was bad for me but i still ate it. I was in a pretty dangerous routine and had to tackle it head on.

I saw a Dr and he told em the more sugar and fatty foods i consumed the more my brain craved them. He also did a blood test and i was dangerously close to being type 2 diabetic. He told me to cut all sugar out of my diet and start eating healthier and doing daily exercise. I have to admit that i needed something to focus on to give me the strength and make me do stick with it. I think my son may have saved me from a life of illness and obesity without him knowing it.

What i do now is:


- Eating protein with every meal, especially at breakfast
- Eating 4 small meals per day, 9am, 12, 3 and 6
- Eating nothing after dinner at 6
- No processed foods at all
- I make my own veggie/fruit juice every day, often with breakfast
- No bread, pasta, fizzy drinks, cereal, anything loaded with sugar (everything)
- Do at least some exercise 5 days a week. Whatever you can do and make sure you keep upping it every week. If you can't run 5km, then walk it quickly but end with a 50m or 100m sprint.
- Drink plenty of water and green tea
- I eat what ever i like when i'm on holiday and when we go out for dinner, i stick to me healthy eating at all other times.

The very best fat loss / fitness plan i have ever done is Insanity. It's quite expensive at £100, but when compared to gym membership and how good it is, how good the DVD's are it's worth every penny.
Search for Insanity Ultimate Workout Fitness Programme in Google.

I did my research and so many fitness professionals and trainers recommend the Insanity.

Be warned, it's tough, very tough !

RobGuggle

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

A higher protein diet can be really helpful. Not necessarily crazy high protein and I'm not saying cut out carbs but just making a point of getting a good amount of protein at every meal. It stabilises your blood sugar so you don't get hungry as fast and you don't get the same sugar cravings etc. Works for me anyway.

Exercise is great and is very helpful for keeping you in the right mindset but there's no question that losing weight is 80% about your diet.

The advice i have had is to avoid protein drinks and supplements unless you are weight training. A high protein diet where the protein comes from eggs, fish and meat for example is very good for you and keeps your metabolism high. You then get your nutrients, fibre etc from fuit, veg and seeds !

Completely agree about diet being at least 80% of the factor in losing weight !

~Chameleon~

Dominykassmith wrote: »

there is no magic to get in to a shape .. in fact it is a process you have to follow constantly .. and it all falls upon having a healthy lifestyle formed with the productive activities .. like having sleep of due duration, remain active for the whole day period and go to bed with a happy mind .. and yes, most importantly having nutritious diet at apt intervals in between

I'm glad you mentioned sleep as people are often unaware of the impact poor sleep hygiene has on our bodies and can be responsible for storing a lot of fat around the middle, as well as internally. This is due to the hormonal changes as stress and lack of sleep raises cortisol levels which in turn suppresses insulin production which is what helps to metabolise the glucose in our bodies. This eventually leads to insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome and ultimately fat storage. Chronically high levels of cortisol also leads to muscle loss so it really is important to get a decent night's sleep and reduce stress levels where possible.

A healthy diet excluding all processed foods and including good natural protein sources (fish, meat, eggs, poultry, greek yoghurt etc) healthy fats (full-fat dairy, nuts, avocado, olive oil, oily fish etc) lots of vegetables (leafy greens and all the colours of the rainbow) a small amount of fruit (berries & tree fruit are best) and oats, potatoes, couscous, rice etc for carbs. Cut out bread and pasta.

And regular varied exercise. Mix it up so you do some cardio based (spinning, running, cross trainer etc) to weight based (kettlebell classes and body pump is very popular amongst women) and high intensity body weight stuff such as the 30-day shred that has been mentioned or circuit training or a local outdoor bootcamp are all great fun and great forms of exercise

BugglyB

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I'm glad you mentioned sleep as people are often unaware of the impact poor sleep hygiene has on our bodies and can be responsible for storing a lot of fat around the middle, as well as internally. This is due to the hormonal changes as stress and lack of sleep raises cortisol levels which in turn suppresses insulin production which is what helps to metabolise the glucose in our bodies. This eventually leads to insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome and ultimately fat storage. Chronically high levels of cortisol also leads to muscle loss so it really is important to get a decent night's sleep and reduce stress levels where possible.

A healthy diet excluding all processed foods and including good natural protein sources (fish, meat, eggs, poultry, greek yoghurt etc) healthy fats (full-fat dairy, nuts, avocado, olive oil, oily fish etc) lots of vegetables (leafy greens and all the colours of the rainbow) a small amount of fruit (berries & tree fruit are best) and oats, potatoes, couscous, rice etc for carbs. Cut out bread and pasta.

And regular varied exercise. Mix it up so you do some cardio based (spinning, running, cross trainer etc) to weight based (kettlebell classes and body pump is very popular amongst women) and high intensity body weight stuff such as the 30-day shred that has been mentioned or circuit training or a local outdoor bootcamp are all great fun and great forms of exercise

I'm interested that you say that about sleep.

I have good diet and exercise a lot but my sleep patterns are terrible - I am always tired and staying up til 2am wasting time online. I've always known its not good for me but didn't realise it had weight/muscle implications too. I'm trying to get stronger at the moment so maybe will try and get a bit better at going to bed early.

madlyn

interesting stuff on here. i've put about a stone on over the last couple of months. gone from an active job to an unactive one.
just started using my fitness app and i was shocked at what i thought was healthy food.
but i'm a bit confused. my brekki is either a bowl of porridge or a bowl of bran flakes as they tend to keep me full until my break. then i tend to take pasta with a bit of pesto sauce, again, as it fills me up. i only have a half hour break so a filling brekki and a filling lunch is amust for me.
but are these bad things to eat?

heartbreak_star

WAY too many carbs, madlyn. Your insulin will be up and down like a yo-yo leading to mid afternoon slump.

Have protein instead - meat, eggs, tuna etc.

HBS x

madlyn

so do i cut both the cereal and pasta out altogether?
but i do want something filling or i just head for the chocolate.
any suggestions on books/magazines that can advise me on this sort of thing?

madlyn

been looking at the atkins and dukan diet, perhaps buying the book to use a guide as i dont really want to follow a diet. just want to know how much of what i can eat and start to shift the weight.