New Starter - Seeking advice.

nihkasilma · January 2016

Hi all,

I am about to start my journey to a healthier lifestyle and could do with some assistance / advice on the habits I now have and whether there is any potential room for improvement that you can help me with.

I am a 28 y/o male, approx. 5'9 and weighing 14.5 stone, approx. 203lbs. As I'm sure a lot of people, I really have over indulged in the festive period and I am now concerned about my health.

A little about me: I am an insurance broker and therefore spend 99% of my day sitting down. I leave my home at 7.30am daily and often return at 7:00 in the PM - my nearest streetlight is 15 minutes away by car & gym is 25 minutes away from home by car (I will be visiting on Sat & Sun mornings)

I never eat breakfast, have not done so since I was 14 - I simply don't have a hunger pang / urge.

Historically - I used to eat a Tesco's premade sandwich with a pack of crisps and a can of Cola or the equivalent.

Dinner times was unhealthy - chicken & chips, lasagne with garlic bread, Lamb, pork scrathcings, Mcdonalds takeaways etc. Not all the time but often

Recently as my waist expanded, I changed my Lunch time eating habits (as I was reluctant to stop eating what I wanted for dinner) I changed my lunch to: 1x250g pack of wholemeal rice with 1 x chicken breast and some sweet chilli sauce dip and initially it seemed to be working however now my weight has gone nuclear (an extra stone in 6-7 weeks) and drastic changes have been made.

Now: Still no breakfast, lunchtimes consist of some lettuce, peppers & sweetcorn with 1/2 a chicken breast and some no fat dressing, homemade salad.

Dinners have now been changed to pretty much no Carbs (I think) no potato's or rice. I am also starting 30 day shred in the evening (started last night, god's it is harder than I remembered) and my fiancée has obtained recipes from the diet book "The hairy dieters" for me - as we like the meals the "Hairy Bikers" produce on TV.

Do you think I will be able to have 2 "Cheat evening meals" where we visit respective family's for the evening and still see any potential improvement?

Or anything else you are able to advise me to help me lose weight? I am looking to lose approx. 30ish pounds - Does that sound reasonable for someone like me? (Really am a novice)

nihkasilma · January 2016

I have bought apples to snack on during the day incase I get hungry (Historically I have never been a snacker) Are apples a good snack?

ransaka · January 2016

Hello and welcome to MFP!
If you've not read these threads yet then I heartily recommend them as they are a gold mine of useful, honest, no BS information regarding how to go about losing fat. If you follow Sidesteel's recommendations in the Guide to your Sexy Pants thread you can't go wrong. Have a read of them, they'll all arm you with the information you need to take control of how to eat and how and when to work out.
Feel free to give me a shout if you need any help

Sweetiepiestef · January 2016

Definitely read the threads as @ransaka advised. It should clear up a lot of stuff for you. I would recommend trying to eat breakfast or even just drink a protein drink in the am on your way to work it is supposed to help rev up the metabolism. Some people recommend 5-6 small snack size meals a day while others are doing the regular 3 meals but it is all about CICO (Calories in Calories out). Do get a scale and weigh everything to make sure you are eating at the calorie amount you have allotted by MFP for the day things can definitely be off if you just eye ball them. Good luck on your journey!

juliet3455 · January 2016

@nihkasilma Apples are a great snack.
3 balanced meals + 3 small snacks was the key to my success. So have a banana ( fruit of your choice ) and yogurt in the morning as a start and make slow changes adjustments.
I would suggest doing some reading of the Stickied Posts ( announcements ) at the start of most of the message boards.
Most Helpful Posts - Getting Started.
Most helpful posts- General Diet And Weight Loss Help Must Reads
The-10-most-common-exercise-excuses-squashed/

_mr_b · January 2016

It seems like all your calories are crammed into one meal, it's probably better to spread them out a bit - maybe even branching out to a bit of breakfast?

Best thing you can do is to read up on nutrition, use protein and fibre to keep you feeling full from smaller portion sizes. This also is how I learned that your immune system runs on carbs.

Talking of carbs, don't cut them (or anything else) out if you intend eating them again. Make changes to your eating that are sustainable in the long term, use all that knowledge from reading about nutrition to balance your meals and get the most out of the calories you are eating. Besides if you're doing a load of exercise you'll need them to keep your energy up, it takes time to train your body to burn fat instead of glycogen and that's through low-intensity cardio rather than something like the 30-day shred.

It's a long journey so don't expect the weight to drop off, in fact it's better for you to lose weight gradually - the faster it comes off, the faster it goes back on!

The internet's full of people offering advice, don't take one person's word for it, research all you need to, knowledge really is power where weight-loss is concerned.

Yes, you can have a couple of cheat days, it's your journey and you can do it however you want to. Just do an extra workout or two, eat a little less on the other days or do nothing different and accept it'll take a little longer to hit your goal.

You'll be able to lose 30lbs, will probably take 6-7 months but you can definitely do it! Or if you're like me it'll be a little longer but that doesn't really matter as it's all about doing it right and keeping it off and if that means it takes a little longer then so be it.

ljones27uk · January 2016

welcome aboard! I was in a similar position to you 15 months ago. Im 5'8, weighed 14.5 stone, do a desk based office job...
I found MFP and its been an absolute saviour for me. the friends ive made on mfp and the support/advice available has been incredible. I have lost 3 stone and have never been fitter, healthier and happier than I am now. Its been a life changer. I found running was a huge help, I went being able to run for 2 minutes, to completing a marathon in october 2015. ( my knees and hips are shot now, but thats a different story) :-)) You dont need to exercise to lose weight, but if you do, you will either lose quicker, or you can eat more! I wanted the latter, and thats part of what spurred me on...

any how.. to try and reply to your post....

You can have 'cheat meals' as you call them, but you need to make sure you are in calorie deficit.(Ie burn more calories than you consume) For me the only way of ensuring that was the case, was to WEIGH everything I ate (unless it was pre-packaged and had calorie details on the packet). No good estimating .i.e a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes could be anywhere between 150 and 450 calories.. if you dont weigh it it is so easy to get it wrong.
I too often have lunch in Tesco, i usually opt for the sushi, low fat, relatively low calorie count, but i normally find it filling.
I would suggest eating breakfast. Something high in protein (eggs for example). Its a great way to keep you feeling full until lunchtime and help you avoid snacking.
You mention chicken and chips as a 'bad meal'.. but this is actually one of my go to 'healthy' meals. I have chicken breast, spiced up with chilli paste or sauce (counting the calories of course), and I have it with Mccain crispy fries. its not the healthiest meal out there of course, BUT, if you have a craving for that type of thing, the chicken breast is perfectly healthy, and high protein, and the fries are low fat, as they are oven-baked, and I can make it fit within my allowances.
The hairy dieters book is great. I think there are two or three out now, and every recipe Ive tried has been great.

By logging everything, you can see exactly where you stand in terms of the weight loss (ie takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1lb), and if you have a big day coming up (maybe a birthday meal out for example) you can always do some, or more, exercise to earn those calories before you eat them.

For whats it worth.. here my top tips;

1) weigh and track everything (including cheat meals, they could easily eat up any deficit youve created in the week if you arent careful), dont snack, or grab the odd biscuit here or there.. it adds up really quickly
2) try and eat high protein food at some point to help those urges to snack disappear
3) try and get out for a walk during work breaks ( i started walking to my local subway to buy my salad at lunchtime) - I bought a fitbit to track my movement and measure my calorie burn.. a great gadget for me.
4) try and get an exercise regime to aid weight loss and overall fitness and well-being.
5) Rest assured you absolutely can do this!! 30lbs weight loss is definitley something you can achieve... keep the faith and keep pushing, the scales will fluctuate, but over time, if you stick to it, the weight will come down!

Happy to hook up as a friend if you think I can help further...

You are in the right place! Good luck

ChristerHaugsoen · January 2016

Your liver switches modes as you sleep and the function is to not digest foods. I start every morning with a protein bar no matter how I feel. Some days I'm in the mood for fruit, oatmeal or yogurt but usually I'm not hungry in the morning. I know it's important to get my liver into its' digestive mode so I eat that bar every morning. Since starting this I've noticed I have more positive energy in the mornings. I also noticed I am satisfied with a lean lunch because I'm not in starvation mode from not eating.

Do what you feel comfortable with. The most important thing in changing your lifestyle is to be happy. If you're not you won't stick with it. Are you logging all your foods even snacks? Eating lean portions and for me, cutting down on allowed carbs has led me to a more filling diet. You can change your Carbs, Protein and Fats in the goal section. I put my carbs at 20% and I don't miss them at all.

nihkasilma · January 2016

Thank you all for your responses. It is appreciated.

A little bit of good news. The original scales I used was not correct (It was my Nan's I used over Christmas which shocked me) I have bought a new fancy "Smart BMI etc" set and I have lost "Half a stone" to 13.99 stone.

It seems the general message is to log everything - I find the App frustrating. For instance, I buy a whole chicken, roast it and take perhaps 1/2 a breast with a salad consisting of lettuce & peppers for lunch. I attempted to find something similar to 1/2 a breast of roast chicken & gave up in the end - also, what quantifies a 1/4 of a lettuce or handful of red peppers? Surely this lunch cannot be over 350 calories based on the calorie stats for 2 breasts!

I must admit - I am slightly shocked about the amount of calories my daily target is - 1510 that seems extremely low to me if as an example an apple according to this website is 72 calories.

So far today - 1 x apple and 5 x cups of coffee - 2 caffeinated 3 de-caf with milk (How do you quantify the amount of skimmed milk you put in a cup when it is a 'splash'?) 1/2 a roast chicken breast without skin with one 1/4 of a lettuce and a handful of peppers.

Feeling pretty deflated by that target if I am honest.

ljones27uk · January 2016

you need to weigh the food... one chicken breast can be twice the size of anothers breast, and therefore double in calorie content. re the milk, you could pour say 30ml into a cup, and see how many 'splashes' you get from it.. I used to be that particular when I first started out but if you are more relaxed, call it 10ml and move on..
I dont know your particular stats, ie. height, weight etc, and how much you are trying lose per week, so cant say for sure if 1510 is extremely low or not, but when i started out at 14.5 stone, 5'8 and trying to lose 2lbs a week I was eating around 1300 cals a day and losing over 2lbs a week.
dont lose the faith, stick at it for two weeks or so and you willnotice the difference

donnaleedowd · January 2016

Try not to drink anything for about 1 hour after you eat. You will stay full longer. I'm new to this also. Stay positive and my the force be with you. Good luck

New Starter - Seeking advice.

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