Starting over again.

davemahon927
davemahon927 Posts: 22 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Whilst I have had a very succesful year to date, going from 227lbs to 193lbs, the late summer festivities and long, hard hours at work have seen my successes somewhat curtailed since mid August. I have put back on around 6-7lbs since the stated date and have an initial target of 175 lbs with a bmi of 22.5.

My hardest area is motivation between meals and exercise.

1. Between meals I can snack. Not in huge quantites (well, I am telling myself this) but a couple of biscuits here, a chocolate bar between another and boiled sweets. I believe in have some snacks but the consumption is worrying as it completely defies my fantastic meals which are well balanced and bloody fantastic. Thanks to the Mrs there!!!

2. Exercise. Never been good at it, find it a a chore. Have a treadmill at home and find a 30 minute run more soul destroying than those soaps that occupy our TV screens each and every day. Any advice? I do go for walk during my breaks at work for about 15-20 minutes a day, just to clear my head and get some fresh air.

3. On a positive I have reduced my alcohol consumption from 3/4 days a week to an absolute max of 2 days where the norm is just 1 day, consuming 5 or 6 beers.

4.Weight lose was due to looking like a somewhat obscure balloon, with no real definition to note. Those 38 inch waists, now are around 34 inch waist but the belly, ah the belly.

Any thoughts to my rambling, any basic tips, good old motivation would be most welcome.

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Exercise wise find something you enjoy. Try running outside I can't think of anything more mind numbing than running on a treadmill. If you don't enjoy it you won't keep it up. I still have the odd biscuit I just make sure it's within my goals.
  • kellster111
    kellster111 Posts: 113 Member
    Find an exercise you like/enjoy, no one is motivated to do something they hate. If you like running but hate the treadmill then go outside to run, if you have a bike try cycling, swimming etc.

    Snacking between meals is a real issue for me too, some people have said don't have the naughty stuff in the house but that is easier said than done. All I can say is that you need to find some self control from somewhere or make sure that you log the snacks and work it into your daily allowance.
  • davemahon927
    davemahon927 Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks Kellster and fatdoob. Your both looking great, so motivation in itself is there to start.

    The only real exercise I enjoyed was football but age and being useless has not helped there. Kellster, you have hit a nerve with the bike! Unbelievable but i didn't think of that even though I used to enjoy it loads when my son was younger. In the words of Homer, Doh!!!!
    Now to find the dosh. That will have to wait till after Chrimbo.
  • lightinfl
    lightinfl Posts: 229 Member
    I like to think of my meal plan as a bank account... containing calories that I spend. Log your foods in advance- plan them out and include snacks. You have a limited number of calories available to "spend" for each day, when you have reached that number in your logging, you are done. Don't let yourself go overdrawn...stick to it and only eat what you have logged. If you need more calories in your account, then you have to work for them... and you earn them by exercise. Want that extra beer? Extra snack? How many calories will it cost you and do you have enough in the bank? Eat something you shouldn't have and find yourself "overdrawn"? Look in the exercise/activity list, find something you are willing to do and then work until you have paid off the treat you allowed yourself. You either will pay for it now or pay for it later...
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  • davemahon927
    davemahon927 Posts: 22 Member
    what is a dosh and chrimbo?

    The money I never have enough at Christmas!
  • davemahon927
    davemahon927 Posts: 22 Member
    I like to think of my meal plan as a bank account... containing calories that I spend. Log your foods in advance- plan them out and include snacks. You have a limited number of calories available to "spend" for each day, when you have reached that number in your logging, you are done. Don't let yourself go overdrawn...stick to it and only eat what you have logged. If you need more calories in your account, then you have to work for them... and you earn them by exercise. Want that extra beer? Extra snack? How many calories will it cost you and do you have enough in the bank? Eat something you shouldn't have and find yourself "overdrawn"? Look in the exercise/activity list, find something you are willing to do and then work until you have paid off the treat you allowed yourself. You either will pay for it now or pay for it later...

    Interesting way of thinking. I actually like it. Just a slight tweak to my current thinking but actually, yeah I like the thinking.
  • nataliea683
    nataliea683 Posts: 64 Member
    i used to struggle with snacking..i would always have biscuits/chocolate/ general crap have you tried having a selection of fruit or some veg i.e. carrot, celery, cucumber just for when those hunger pangs pop up. i have found bringing fruit to work so much of a help because it's right there next to me instead of having to go to the shop for a chocolate bar, although i would try to justify that i had to walk downstairs to go to the shop so was actually burning calories before eating it!

    today i have brought to work a small apple 83g (40cal), a satsuma 68g (32 cal), 55g seedless green grapes (36cal) and 62g strawberries (19cal) so my snacks for the day only work out at 127cal!

    i had a cup of tea and 2 digestive biscuits (to get the sugar pang over with!) for breakfast 151cal

    i'm having salad and savoury rice for my lunch which works out at 268cal plus a yoghurt if i want it which is 70something calories leaving me quite a few calories for my tea when i get home from work!

    i really dont like exercising either, i love swimming but at nearly £5 a session that's something i cant afford at the moment try
    i do count my walking to and from work to the train station maybe try adding your walking if you dont already

    i'm not an expert at any of this and dont take MFP too seriously if i put on a lb i will just be better with my food choices the following week.

    you have done great so far 24lb is an amazing achievement!! Well done :) x
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Exercise wise find something you enjoy. Try running outside I can't think of anything more mind numbing than running on a treadmill. If you don't enjoy it you won't keep it up. I still have the odd biscuit I just make sure it's within my goals.

    ^This! I used to hate running and thought outdoor running was the worst! In 2011 I dd Couch to 5K and, up until I had to stop running about a year ago due to issues with my pregnancy, I ran all the time! Now I am waiting for my baby to be old enough for the jogging stroller so I can get back at it!

    Also, back in 2011 I fell in love with Spinning. Maybe give that a try (and keep in mind that you will be sore in an unpleasant place for the first 2-3 classes). There are tons of ways to get a good workout in. Just find something you love (or at worst, tolerate), and stick with it!

    Cheers to starting over! I lost 82 lbs after my first son, and now in back to do it all over again after my second :)
  • JMedic79
    JMedic79 Posts: 1 Member
    Hello,
    I am too starting over again fresh this Monday. I have lost 4 more pounds this month even though I haven't checked in at all which is exciting. Nice to meet everyone.
  • davemahon927
    davemahon927 Posts: 22 Member

    i'm having salad and savoury rice for my lunch which works out at 268cal plus a yoghurt if i want it which is 70something calories leaving me quite a few calories for my tea when i get home from work!

    maybe try adding your walking if you dont already


    you have done great so far 24lb is an amazing achievement!! Well done :) x

    Thankyou for the encouragement. Never thought of adding the daily walks as I just saw them as part of every day life.

    Well done you on the well balanced foods, enjoy your tea!!!
  • judy49650
    judy49650 Posts: 19 Member
    Try drinking a glass of water & waiting 10mins before you eat anything. I have managed to give up the snacks by making myself a really tasty meal in the evening so I am on 3 meals a day. It took some getting used to at first but I think it's better for me. What about switching the beer to gin & tonic?
  • songdogshooter41
    songdogshooter41 Posts: 39 Member
    I pre log everything before I start eating. That way, I know what I have and what I should leave out. I usually try to save 500 or so cal. a day for my evening beer. :)

    I am a hunter, so in the wintertime, when everyone else is inside, I am outside walking and finding the query of the season. I don't like to log my exercise, because lets face it, everyone burns calories at a different rate. I just log my intake, and try to make sure I don't go over too much.

    There are some great Apps for smart phones to help with the running issue. I hate running as well, even when I was in the Army, I didn't like it. Now, I am trying to get into shape, (not just loose weight) I understand the importance of it. I am trying some things out and I will let you know how it goes.

    Best of Luck!!
  • Matt_C_195
    Matt_C_195 Posts: 72 Member
    It sounds by your profile that you are dedicated to logging your food, which is great - that's half the equation. Be honest with yourself though and log ALL of it!
    Do try and log your exercise too, that's the only way you can accurately measure what is going in versus what you are burning. A good pedometer ( I like my Fitbit ) is great for tracking your daily walking, and a heart rate monitor will more accurately measure your expenditure.
    DO try some different exercises until you find one that you like. If you don't enjoy it you will soon find excuses not to do it! Spinning is a good suggestion, that's a great burner. I don't care much for running as I start getting bored after about 5k, but I tried Insanity and that was it for me!

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