Hello,

I'm just looking for a little advice. I've been overweight for the last 5-6 years of my life. It's not something that i've ever had a problem with but i've decided to do something about it. I'm 26 years old, 6ft1 and currently weigh 17 stone. Up until now i've had a pretty awful diet. No fruit and veg. At lunch i'd usually buy a big sandwich (usually something like cornation chicken), a muffin, a mars bar, and a packet of crisps. Throughout the day i'd eat up to another two chocolate bars. At night time i'd have a big dinner, usually a big plate of chips with a microwavable curry or something. I'd also eat more sweets and crisps throughout the night. On top of that i'd drink 2L of fizzy juice (non diet) a day. Also i'd have take-away food up to 3 nights a week, usually something like a large pizza and three side orders. Add to that pretty much zero exercise and you can see a pretty unhealthy lifestyle.


Even though I ate all that my food my weight pretty much stayed at 17stone for the last 5 years.


A week ago I decided it was time to change. I've adopted a set eating patern and have managed to stick to it so far.

For lunch I have one bowl of soup (usually veg/broth) and one white unbuttered roll.
For dinner I have one bowl of soup and two pieces of unbuttered wholemeal bread. During the day I'll also eat two bowls of peas/sweetcorn or peas/rice. This is just boiled, nothing added. I'll also eat several apples, up to 8 a day and am drinking up to 2L of juice. (No added Sugar Diluting Juice). I've also started walking to work, so i'm doing at least one hours worth of extra walking a day. Sometimes up to two.



I've been doing this for a week now, I dont want to get obsessed with weighing myself so have chosen not to check the scales until the 4 week mark. I just wanted to check that i'm not missing out on anything vital in my diet and if i'm likely to loose weight.

Hi JLon,

It is great that you have decided to change your eating habits, I have found this to be the most difficult step when trying to lose weight. I highly recommend that at the begining of your diet you track what you eat using a calorie counter aid. Not only will you know how much you should eat, you will also learn the ratio of carbs/fat/protein you are eating as well as the different vitamins and nutrients you may be deficient in.

Looking at your proposed diet, it seems to me that you are on the right track. However, I think you are eating a high proportion of carbs and not enough protein and fat. I have found that by increasing protein and fat I sucessfully curb my apetite. I also noticed that you don`t seem to have breakfast. You should try gradually adding some morning food. At first you can start with an apple and cheese, and slowly build up to about 200-300 calories. In the past, you were eating a lot of candy bars. These will make you gain weight. If ever you feel a strong craving for one, you can try eating a protein bar instead. Ones that I like are the luna bars and the kashi bars.

Websites that help track calories include fitday. I have had a lot of success using a software called Diet Power. Lastly, you can simply buy a calorie counter book at the bookstore.

Best of luck,

Helen

Greetings, JLon! And greetings, nxelln!

Helen has said exactly what I would say! You do need to have more protein--that's what helps maintain your muscle. Fish is a good source, or lean meats and chicken. Dairy products also have protein, but they can also be high in carbs and fats, so if you eat full-fat cheese, it's good to limit it to a couple of ounces per meal or snack.

Good luck! You can do it!

Jay

Cheers both for your advice. I dont really have problems with craving food or problems with hunger. I've had no problems this last week and haven't found myself tempted at all so dont need things to fill me up. As for the no protein, my problem is i'm a fussy eater. I dont like a lot of foods but what I think i'll start doing it just buying chicken breast and eating it with soup at night time instead of the bread. I really dont know how much protein I should have but just checked the soup and i'm getting about 6grams of protein a serving from it, that's along with 170 calories, 26grams of carbs and 4 grams of fat. I'm having two servings of that a day.

I was going to say the same thing: more protein!

With all that soup, how's your sodium intake? I always dilute the broths if I don't make them myself.

Cottage cheese is my friend for a high protein alternative. You can mix it with pudding in a blender and it's awesome! You can also make dips and such for your veggies by adding ranch flavorings, etc., from dry soup packets, or dressing packets. I use low-sod cottage cheese, and sometimes add a bit of light sour cream and a bit of the packets.

Welcome and hooray for you to make changes for a healthier you!

The soup has 1g of sodium per serving so that's 2g from that a day. I bought grilled chicken which contains 1g of sodium. The chicken I think I'll eat over two days so we're talking 2.5grams of sodium a day.

Jlon I want to repeat that I think you are doing a great job with your new diet. I'm glad that you aren't having cravings and you feel full!

It is recomended that women eat about 60g of protein per day (I'm not sure of the recommendation for men). Apart from filling you up, proteins are the building blocks for muscles and other tissues. Adding protein to your diet isn't really that hard. JayEll and aymster have some great suggestions for increasing your protein intake. I can also suggest getting protein from vegetable sources such as chickpeas and edamame.

Keep us posted,

Helen

Thanks again. From the soup and the chicken looks like i'll be getting atleast 40grams of protein per day.

Even though it's only been a week I feel good. These four weeks are just a trial period. I'm going to stick to this exact diet for the four weeks and then see about adding in more or varied stuff once that's up. I think if I manage to stop myself from eating all my normal crap for the next for weeks then i'll be less likely to jump in to it. It's also worth noting i've given up drinking for these four weeks too. I'm a pretty bad binge drinker and would usually have 15 beers, 3/4 of a bottle of Jack Daniels and numerous shots over a weekend.

I've never paid any attention to my weight and have no idea how much i'd expect to lose so it will be interesting to see once these next three weeks are done.

Man o' man, that much alcohol has a ton of calories! That alone should help you lose.

Jay

Wow, congratulations -- sounds as if you're taking some very positive steps. I'm excited for you! Good luck!

Hey!

I suggest that you eat a lean protein (skinless chicken breast, eggwhites, tuna and other fish, non or lowfat dairy products, whey protein, etc.), a source of complex carbs (oats, potatoes, beans, rice, low-sugar dry cereal, etc.), and a healthy fat source (nuts and seeds, olive oil, flax seed oil, fats from your healthy protein and carb sources) with every meal.

Try to eat a small meal every 2-3 hours, and include fruits and/or veggies in 2-3 of your daily meals.

As mentioned, eat breakfast and make it your largest meal, and slowly taper down meal size as the day progresses.

Hope these few tips help! PM me if you have anymore questions or concerns.

Good luck,

Tim