I am a 54-year old male, 97 kg, 180 cm tall. Can you help examine this typical day I n my life, and tell me if I am doing anything wrong.
Tuesday April 20th
• 6:00 am I drank 1 large cup of coffee, with skim milk and honey
• I walked the dog for 30 minutes.
• I did not eat any breakfast.
• On an empty stomach, I rode the exercise bike for one hour. Semi-Intense (600 calories burned)
• 10:00 am I ate a large salad with 5-6 boiled egg whites. Salad included one pack of Lima, pinto beans…Dressing is my own; tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt, spoon of Dijon mustard.
• 2:30-3:30 pm, I walked the dog for an hour.
• 3:30 pm, I drank one large cup of coffee with skim milk and honey
• 4:30 pm, I ate one bowl of cooked oats.
• 6:15-7:15 pm, I rode the exercise bike for one hour. Semi-Intense (600 calories burned)
• 8:00 pm, I ate two large chicken breasts (boiled) with ketchup.
• Here is my problem! 11:30 pm. I ate one large bowl of rice with natto (Japanese fermented beans). I then had two bowls of cold oatmeal with skim milk. One bowl included a sliced banana.


BigZen

Hi BigZen, I'm no expert but these are my thoughts...

1. Why do you avoid eating in the morning? If it's not b/c eating at that time makes you feel sick, I'd suggest moving one of your night time foods there (or a different food entirely). That may prevent ravenous hunger at 11pm.

2. Your diet looks really low in fat, with just some in the chicken breast and the olive oil in your dressing. I know for me, fat is satiating, so including that helps me eat less calories overall. Avocado, nuts, and nut butters do the trick for me. You could also try replacing your skim milk with low fat, but I think it would be even more helpful to add some more healthy fats too, whichever ones you like best.

I think you've already identified the problem! I'm familiar with natto and it is not at all healthy. If you eat such a large portion before bed, it kind of wipes out alot of your hard work from the rest of the day! Also, if you are skipping breakfast to lose weight, try just a piece of fruit in the morning to give you some vitamins. the nighttime snack is definitly the big issue so if you're really not full enough from your daily food intake, increase each meal just a little instead of taking in excess calories at night!

Dear Snickus and Amateurdieter7213:

Thank you both for your helpful and insightful replies! I avoid eating in the morning since I have been told and read it is better to exercise on an empty stomach to lose weight.

Big Zen

You live in Japan so:

Replace what you are eating (chicken, rice, beans, oats) with fish and all will be good.

Eat breakfast and ditch the late night meal.

Exercising on an empty stomach is good as long as you eat after that.

Also consider ditching the honey. I love honey. But it can be a useful cut.

My gut feeling is that you're a little heavy on the carbs. I don't worry too much about the fat, but for your height/weight, more protein and less carb might be more productive.
For protein you had egg whites and 2 chicken breasts.
For carbs you had milk, honey, associated minimal carbs with salad, tag along carbs with the lima/ pinto beans, milk, honey, milk, honey, oatmeal, sugar in your ketchup, rice, tag along carbs with the fermented soy beans (natto), oatmeal, skim milk, oatmeal, skim milk, banana.
i'd be taking a stronger look at carbs, but that's just me.

Thanks Again to Everyone for the helpful and kind feedback,

I am eating tuna (canned in water), and including it with my salads. Do you suggest I eat fresh fish to replace the chicken...? I do eat after I exercise in the morning. I try to remember to go slow and chew my food 50 times. Yes, the honey, though a small amount, is something I should cut out with my coffee. Regarding the fat. I guess, like so many people, when I think of fat in a diet, it has such negative connotations, so I try to avoid it at all costs.

Not sure what other sources of protein you could suggest. I don't eat pork or red meat. The reason I have cut back on fish here in Japan is because of Fukushima, and the resultant contamination in the Pacific close to Japan.

BZ

I don't eat red meat either. I do eat Chicken and Fish (and I understand why you are eating less fish). Is packaged salmon available. I often eat salmon (canned in water). I make a salad and put salmon in it.

I also do eat other sources of protein. Eggs are great protein (I eat the yolk, not just the egg whites). Also, I eat other forms of protein, such as legumes. Mix some rice with some beans. Or I make a salad with hummus in it, that kind of thing. Some cheese.

Another great snack is nuts. They are high fat, but a good fat. I eat an ounce of pistachios almost every day. Also, sometimes, almonds or walnuts. Again, I put them on a salad.

I wouldn't avoid fat. I haven't avoid it at all and have lost 55 pounds. I do focus on the monosaturated fat such as olive oil.

Hi Koshka,

Thanks for the email. I thought nuts were a no no, at least that is what my wife tells me.

BZ

Hey!

Agree with everyone else that breakfast is really important - exercise before breakfast if you like, but make sure you get a good breakfast! It's also the best time to eat carbs as they'll release energy throughout the day (and you have more hours to burn the calories off).

Also, the late night eating is obviously not ideal. I also have this problem - it's easy enough to say 'just don't do it', but in practice it's hard! What are you doing between eating dinner and going to sleep? For me, now, I try to make this my down time.. read, go through a bed routine etc. because if I spend too long in front of a TV/PC then time flies and I can't sleep and I'm hungry again!

Nuts are very good for you. Yes, they are high fat but they have a lot of health benefits especially nuts like walnuts and almonds. Also, pistachios (what I eat a lot of). You do need to watch your portion control. I measure mine out very strictly and eat only the serving that I've measured out. I've lost 55 pounds and eaten an ounce of nuts virtually every day I've been losing weight.

Here is a link to an article on health benefits of nuts.

Yeah, I agree 100% with Koshka. As long as you watch the portion, eating nuts can be really effective for weight loss because it helps keep blood sugar steady. That prevents out of control hunger that can lead to overeating.

Years ago, I lost the unwanted 40 pounds I was carrying and I easily maintained that loss for about 4 years. During the loss and maintenance, I ate a serving of nuts on most days.

Then in the last year, I stopped watching my diet. In crept too many carbs, and out crept the healthy fats. I ended up eating too many calories and in one year have regained 30 pounds! So now I'm back to doing what I know works for me.

People are wired in their own ways, but I'd suggest giving more fat a try, dropping the carbs, and increasing the protein a little more. You may find those macros decrease your appetite, which makes eating an appropriate amount of calories so much easier.

Well done with the exercise, btw!

Again, you are in Japan. Eat fish. Fresh. You have amazing stuff there.

Yes, Fukushima was a tragedy. But fish is still good, according to everything I read.

I agree nuts are also good but in Japan I would guzzle that fine seafood, lose fat and gain lean muscle.

Fresh seafood is possibly my favorite food. Phenomenal for weight loss too. Jackpot!