advice on diet request

qb101

Hi,

I'm 31 and my weight is slowly creepy up to a level im very unhappy with.

I don't fool myself by thinking I'm perfect and doing everything I can but I def' eat a healthier diet than most.
I'm attempting to up my exercise, as time allows, Iw ork long days during the week and am renovating a house iwth my OH at the weekends.

What I am looking for help is some helpful tips and ways to improve my weightloss, that are realistic and easy to adapt to.

A typical day for me would be:

Get up at 6.30am, shower, dress and drink about 2 pints of water as I find it hard to eat when I first wake up
I tend to drink about 6 - 8 pints of water a day, easily if not more
(I don't drink fizzy drinks, tea or coffee - very rarely i'd have a soya latte, no sugar or a green tea)

Travel to work (mix of walking and tube)
have a banana or apple, with natural yoghurt and some seeds/nuts,
am based at my desk for most of the day but try and get out for a walk at lunch (15min)

lunch is normally a selection of raw veg salads, lentils or some falafel
maybe a grilled chicken salad or a halloumi and falafel wrap
a satsuma/apple

Leave work around 7pm, get home for 8pm, after tube/walk combo

I might snack on some fresh olives
typical dinner would be a big mix of veggies, maybe some quinoa with fish or chicken, sometimes with addition of some tahini, hummus or fava dip and chopped veggies or healthy crackers
No dessert

I spend time doing chores, chatting with my OH or having friends over, I'm not just slumped in front of a TV

Alcohol wise, I might have 1-2 small glass of red wine with dinner like twice a week maximum

i rarely eat bread, maybe once a weekend for some toast - normally if I fancy scrambled eggs
Don't do chocolate
I love things like crisps, cheese and savoury snacks but really restrict what I eat and if I do have some, I wil opt for the healthier option

If and when I eat out, i will have only a stater and a main or main and dessert - dont go the whole hog.
i try and select the healthier options, with removal of any dressings on salads and what not.

I dont have any medical conditions that I'm aware of, have good readings on blood pressure and cholesterol.
The only thing I can link to my continual weight gain was having may appendics out 4/5 years ago.

We have a take away maybe one a fortnight and then its tikka chicken with lentils, and wholemeal bread, or miso soup with veg and soba noodles, once in a blue moon (3 months?) would we get pizza and thens its veggie not like the ones covered in processed meat.

I'm just starting to feel very disheartened and dont know what else I can do - any advice much appreciated

snowchj

Hi qb101,

Your choices are fine, worst thing on your list is "healthy crackers." If you want to lose weight, eat less.

Or exercise more. Or both.

misscristie

It's just your age. Us old geezers metabolisms slow down, so you just need to adjust. Can you add an extra hour of briskly walking a few days a week? Can you join a gym or go to a local rec center for a group class a couple of evenings a week?

harrietlg

you actually eat pretty well! how many calories does that add up to though there is such thing as having too much of a good thing! maybe you just need to add a bit more exercise in.

EquineRVT

It is possible that you are consuming too few calories and your body is in starvation mode. This will cause your body to "latch on to calories" and store fat because it thinks it is starving. If you are truely serious go to an MD and have a metabolic test completed. This will tell you how many calories you need to consume per day to maintain your body. From there you can then be vigilant about tracking your calories and make certain you are not consuming either too many nor too few calories per day.
Also - read your labels - packaging can be very deceiving - you may find those "healthy crackers" to have far too many carbs, fats or not as much fiber as you think.

Erstrace

At 31, you are just hitting your prime! Get up an hour early and workout to boost your metabolism and melt the goo that you don't want to carry around! I didn't think I had the time, but made it when it became important enough to me to do something about it. You can do it! Your diet sounds fine. You didn't mention your weight or BMI, but my guess is you are quite trim & may just need to tone up a bit...in which case additional cardio & resistance exercises 5 to 6 times per week will work magic for you. Best wishes and good luck!

mayerel

As others have said, while you may be eating healthy, you may either be eating too much or too little. How many calories are you consuming per day?

Also- try factoring in an additional 15-30 minutes of exercise a day, then up it if you can in a few weeks. Find your routine! And if it's toning you need (God knows I do!), get some smaller weights and do a few reps when you wake up and a few when you go to bed, it's easy and only a few minutes a day!

Spanaval

It's possible that you're eating all the right things, just too much of it.
It's possible that you're eating all the right things and too little of it.
It's possible that your metabolism has slowed down (age related, possibly).

bathsheba_c

It's possible that you're eating all the right things, just too much of it.
It's possible that you're eating all the right things and too little of it.
It's possible that your metabolism has slowed down (age related, possibly).

This. Would you be willing to open up your diary to us so we can see? Also, how often do you eat out (restaurant food is almost always less healthy than homecooked, even for the same exact items)? And is it possible you are tricking yourself by underestimating how much you eat, or not writing everything down even though its often the small things that make or break the diet?

qb101

OK, I will do a food diary for the next 2 weeks and show you guys, so you can get a full understanding of what I eat.
I've not really tracked my calories yet, but will do so.
I'm 5' 7 tall, 31, in good physical order apart from my weight - which trust me is not trim and def needs toning up as I get bigger, (size 16/18 UK clothes .

I need to lose 3 stone/42lbs to be back in shape

I have already signed up to the gym as I'm serious about this and want toinclude cardio, swim and pilates into my life, as I'm determined not to get any bigger.