Advice for a hopeless Brit PLEASE !!

lozzatao

Hi all !! I see a lot of our cousins from over the pond on this site !! and ALL advice is to be valued !! .. here goes ... after breaking both my ankles and having two ops over the last few years I hit the gym in January .. started with cardio and weights but then picked up a knee injury so now just weights .. the thing is .. even with watching my diet (apart from the odd rampage at the weekend !) .. I have put half a stone ON !! DOH !!!! .... Any and all advice wanted ..

JTick

1. Decide an appropriate calorie goal...if your ticker is accurate, probably TDEE -10%.

2. Start logging everything you eat, even the weekends.

3. Weigh and measure your food.

4. Rinse and repeat.

sijomial

Trying to find a way to dress up this piece of advice but struggling to put it any other way than....

Eat a bit less.

If your knee is out of action for a while you are limited in options of increasing your exercise calorie output, perhaps weight train in a circuit training style or find a gym with one of those arm bikes.

Really though unless you have the diet part nailed down you won't be able to compensate for eating a calorie surplus with exercise while you are injured.

lozzatao

okay .. thanks .. honesty is always best .. although I sometimes think I don't eat enough during the week

editorgrrl

With only 11 lb. to lose, set your goal to .5 lb. and be patient. Log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Weigh your food.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

coffeelauren

Well if you're eating a normal amount, and lifting w/ no cardio, you're probably just gaining muscle

lozzatao

This is all great, thanks ... 11 lb is my first goal .. I have more to lose .. Though @ my first weigh in today I have lost 6 lbs .. !!!! woooooooo hooooooo !!! Bizarre that I am eating more and losing !!! I have heard that muscle is 'heavier' than fat, or is that just a myth ???

DancingJester

Hi all !! I see a lot of our cousins from over the pond on this site !! and ALL advice is to be valued !! .. here goes ... after breaking both my ankles and having two ops over the last few years I hit the gym in January .. started with cardio and weights but then picked up a knee injury so now just weights .. the thing is .. even with watching my diet (apart from the odd rampage at the weekend !) .. I have put half a stone ON !! DOH !!!! .... Any and all advice wanted ..

I've had major knee surgery on my left and are sue to have the second one done on the right in june. (I still can't to a lot of cardio due to having screws sticking out of my bone so it kinda hurts, they wont be removed until 8 months or more after the second one so its a while to wait)
The first 6 weeks I don't diet after surgery but after the recovery had really started I will diet again as I'm doing no exercise what so ever) just eat the 500 to 800 deflect in your calories, work out how much you burn without doing a lot of exercise.
I did this post for someone elce but it still applies (oh and I'm a hopeless brit too)....

I started eating healthy (getting rid of biscuits, fatty pizza and cutting carbs) once I'd started eating a bit more. I don't count how many carbs I eat or the amount of fat I take in, I just count calories and eat clean.
My plan is pretty much:
-Bread a maximum of 3 times a week
-pasta once a week or less (unless its whole grain) I did begin twice a week but found I didn't miss it as much as I thought.
-used only skimmed milk
-only had sweet things if I was out for a meal and even then I would pick puddings that were slightly healthier (like sorbet or apple crumble as opposed to a massive chocolate cake)
-if I wasn't going out I give myself one treat a week (a packet of mentos sweets are good as they are only 10 calories a sweet)
-got a low fat cook book which has a lot of low calorie foods and a lot of them rice based, so if I need carbs I tent to go for rice.
-i try to only have potatoes 2-3 times a week or less.
-Always have your five a day! Its not as hard as you think.
-don't drink juice (or if you have to limit it a lot)
- I still love sweet things but I don't eat processed sugar, if I want sweet things I have low fat yogurt and honey, or fruit

And you're right for a lot of people making a gradual change is the answer. I definitely didn't begin doing this straight away that's for sure.
So good luck (just know that you should do what works for you) xx

eldamiano

Exercise doesnt equal weight loss. Calorie deficit = weight loss.

editorgrrl

I have heard that muscle is 'heavier' than fat, or is that just a myth?

A pound of rocks & a pound of feathers both weigh the same. But a fit person who weighs exactly the same as a flabby person usually looks better and has a smaller waist.

So take photos & measurements, too. And remember that your weight will fluctuate day to day & throughout the day. So celebrate every NSV (non-scale victory).

hmaddpear

I have heard that muscle is 'heavier' than fat, or is that just a myth ???

Muscle is denser than fat. So while a pound is a pound is a pound, a pound of muscle will take up less space than a pound of fat in the same place.

There's quite a few of us Brits here - check out Team UK in the Groups.

lozzatao

This is all great guys .. thanks ! As an aside .. when will my weight loss bar thingy update !?!?!?!?!?!

editorgrrl

When will my weight loss bar thingy update?

Edit your ticker here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker/home

lozzatao

Thanks editorgrrl !!!