getting back in shape

[jerryh]

well i have been trying to get back in shape for a few weeks and feel i could do with losing a few more pounds. I know my diet is terrible for me regarding not enough of certain things and too much of certain stuff but i just want to know if i were to eat this daily and then go to the gym 4-5 times a week and burn 500-600 calories per session, would i be losing weight?

My diet consists of:

2 cans of coke

can of red bull

8 slices of white bread toast with butter

chicken fillet and chips

bowl of krispies with milk no sugar

2 glasses of whole milk

 

I know its a terrible diet but i just want to know will i see a difference weight wise within a month or two? i have gave up an extra two glasses of milk along with two ham and cheese sandwiches and a bag of crisps?

sorry for annoying and i know my diet is terrible. i used to be in athletics so trying to build back towards that again.

[MalachiX]

This seems like a strange hypothetical. I don't see any reason why your diet has to be that bad and, frankly, I'm not sure if you can't find the will power to ditch your 8 pieces of bred with butter, how you'll actually be able to go the gym 4-5 times a week and burn 500-600 calories.

[FitChick]

You will feel too sick to work out. And gain weight.

[jerryh]

thanks everyone you are right, i have changed my diet and now stands at 1870 calories, too much or too little?

Glass of orange juice and two slices of toast with butter

Chicken fillet and mashed potatoes

1 glass of milk

2 glasses of diluted orange

bowl of krispies

2 slices of toast with butter

one glass of coke

 

I know the coke is bad and will eventually change it to something else.

im going to the gym right now and intend on burning 600 calories, four times a week. should i notice a big difference?

[GeorgiaP]

You have no fruits and vegetables! Also, what is your fiber intake like? Are you getting enough protein? I am not sure I understand why you eat this way, except maybe you don't care to take the time to make real food?

 

Weight loss is 80% diet (meaning the food you eat, not a temporarily calorie restricted eating plan) and 20% fitness. Abs of steel are made in the kitchen.

 

Go to a website like Sparkpeople.com, or myfitnesspal.com, and enter in your vitals and see what calorie range it gives you. Some health and fitness sites will even give you sample menus to help.

[clia]

thanks everyone you are right, i have changed my diet and now stands at 1870 calories, too much or too little?

Glass of orange juice and two slices of toast with butter

Chicken fillet and mashed potatoes

1 glass of milk

2 glasses of diluted orange

bowl of krispies

2 slices of toast with butter

one glass of coke

 

I know the coke is bad and will eventually change it to something else.

im going to the gym right now and intend on burning 600 calories, four times a week. should i notice a big difference?

 

Do you have something against vegetables and fruit? Why all the bread? Do you feel full on this diet or are you hungry?

 

You haven't told us your height or weight, but you are basically netting 1270 calories if you are truly burning off 600 and eating only 1870. I'm a 5'6", 125 lb female and I would be starving if I tried to maintain that, based on the diet you posted above. We can't know how much you should be eating until you at least tell us your height and weight, but what you posted seems really low and frankly, not sustainable.

 

You can use your daily calorie allotment in much wiser manner. You have tons of high calorie food that is not going to keep you full or fueled for any substantial length of time -- bread, potatoes, cereal, butter. Replace those with protein rich foods to stay fuller. The only protein in your diet I see is one chicken filet and the milk. You can get protein into your diet through Greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, nuts, or other meats. Or even add protein powder to your glass of milk.

 

Don't drink your calories -- that's a total waste that you appear to be wasting several hundred calories on each day. Get rid of the orange juice, diluted orange (what is that?), and the Coke. Replace the orange juice with an actual orange if you like oranges so much.

 

I agree with the above poster that you should spend time time on spark people or my fitness pal. The discussion boards on my fitness pal are a great source of information as well.

[Copelandsanity]

This is what you should cut out of your diet:

 

Glass of orange juice and two slices of toast with butter

mashed potatoes

1 glass of milk

2 glasses of diluted orange

bowl of krispies

2 slices of toast with butter

one glass of coke

 

Replace that with:

 

chicken breast, lean ground beef, fish, whey protein

beans

water, green tea

almonds, almond butter, extra virgin olive oil

[joe86]

Weight loss is really simple.

 

You need to burn more calories than you consume

[PogoStick]

This is what you should cut out of your diet:

 

Glass of orange juice and two slices of toast with butter

mashed potatoes

1 glass of milk

2 glasses of diluted orange

bowl of krispies

2 slices of toast with butter

one glass of coke

 

Replace that with:

 

chicken breast, lean ground beef, fish, whey protein

beans

water, green tea

almonds, almond butter, extra virgin olive oil

 

LOL still not a single fruit or veggie. Instead how about you have 1 fruit, 1 veggie, and 1 protein for at least 3 meals per day.

 

Breakfast:

whole grain toast with almond butter

1 orange

glass of milk

 

Lunch:

Grilled chicken breast

6-8 baby carrots

6-8 strawberries

glass of water or unsweetened tea

 

Dinner:

Pan fried fish, canola oil (olive oil doesn't fry well), no flour/breading

1/2 bell pepper, fresh

1 apple

water or unsweetened tea

 

Snacks:

1 banana

1 greek yogurt

 

Add a few nuts or avocado to lunch or dinner if you want a little more fat to keep you feeling full. This adds to maybe 1500 calories. No idea on your size and base metabolism but you can likely have an extra of any of those meals per day (4 meals) if you're exercising 5 days a week.

Edited October 6, 2013 by PogoStick

[lollipopspot]

Mashed potatoes are a vegetable. And potatoes are a great vegetable at that.

 

Jerryh, there are many diets to choose from to maintain health. If you like starches, you can make that the mainstay of your diet:

The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good!: John McDougall, Mary McDougall: 9781623360276: Amazon.com: Books

This is the basis of my diet. I'm vegan with a mostly starch-based (beans, grains, potatoes, corn, etc.) diet.

 

The biggest problem I see is that you have too many empty calories, for the calories you are eating, and are missing nutrients.

 

You probably don't like to cook much. You can eat simply, and well, and mostly avoid cooking (or avoid complicated cooking, beyond cooking some rice or something), if you put a little more thought behind it. You ought best to bring more fruits and vegetables into your diet, use whole grains instead of white, use beans (canned are easy) and nut and seed butters. If you can scrub and bake potatoes, that's very easy and nutritious. It doesn't have to be difficult, and each meal doesn't have to be "balanced" or a big production, you just generally need to get more nutrients in over the course of a day.

[90s kid]

I can tell you from experience that if you focus on eating healthy then you will see a difference in your weight. I've been trying to shed some extra weight for a while and I always failed when I killed myself in the gym every day but kept the same old diet. This summer I decided to focus more on healthy eating (fruits, veggies, lean meats, and whole grains), and I've lost 10 pounds so far. That's with barely any exercise.

 

It's extremely important that you change what you're eating because otherwise, you're just going to gain all the weight back once you stop going to the gym so often.

[HoneyBadgerDontCare]

I eat whatever I want and work out 4 days a week (I do anywhere from 15-30 minutes of cardio within those workouts). I've lost 10 pounds in a few weeks.

 

I know other people that eat extremely healthy and work out more than I do and can't lose weight at all.

 

It depends on the person. See what works for you.

[Maleficent]

For ****'s sake, at least buy a blender and a good meal replacement shake powder...

[KatZee]

I've done the Insanity work out program and when you get the box set it comes with a meal guide and it specifically tells you: 85% of weight loss and muscle gain ISN'T the work out--- it's your diet.

 

The diet you originally posted, and your subsequent "revised" diets are not even remotely decent. They are pretty godawful actually if you want to lose weight.

 

You have a ton of carbs, and processed carbs at that. If you're going to eat bread-- WHEAT. No white bread, and definitely not slathered in butter.

 

NO soda in any way shape or form.

 

Milk should be a 1% or a skim. Milk is very fattening though.

 

Bowl of Krispies? What is that? Rice Krispies? Garbage. Get a cereal high in fiber. I personally eat Kashi Go Lean Crunch. You can do oatmeal. Breakfast should be the biggest meal you eat, it's the most important meal. I never skimp breakfast. I'll do high fiber cereal, or I'll make 2 eggs over easy and a side of beans, along with a protein shake. Protein OD but it's good for muscle I'm trying to put on.

 

Mashed potatoes? Chips? Red Bull? No, no and no.

 

Your diet, if you want to lose weight and gain muscle should be high protein, low fat. You want to limit your carbs to post-work out only so your body will use energy from the carbs.

 

You need nuts, green leafy vegetables, fruits, an incorporated whey protein shake, lots of water, fish, chicken, some red meat is OK.

 

NO junk food at all. No butter, no chips, no red bull or soda, no cookies, cakes, sugary drinks/foods, fried foods are bad... etc etc.

 

A strict food diet is hard at first, especially if you're used to crap but it soon becomes a life style. I eat very well and if I slip and eat junk I'll wind up feeling really disgusting, bloated, and nauseous after the fact.

 

Also someone said it, to lose weight you need to be consuming less calories and working more off. Once you get into a set workout routine though, your body is going to be in overdrive, your metabolism will kickstart and you're going to be consuming smaller meals but more meals throughout the day. I myself have eaten 3 meals today and right now I'm hungry again. :S

 

Meals should be balanced, protein, veg, fruit, and water.

[jlola]

I am faaaar from 50, but always looking for ways to maintain youth and health easily as I tend to be a bit lazy:). I ran across this video and surprised by this man's claim he looks this way at 50 by using weights 5-6 minutes a day! Amazing!!!

 

Markus Triceps, Another Day - Another Muscle - YouTube

[Phoe]

That is a horrific diet.

 

SO MUCH SUGAR. and starch...

 

 

Very little nutrients

[jlola]

I am faaaar from 50, but always looking for ways to maintain youth and health easily as I tend to be a bit lazy:). I ran across this video and surprised by this man's claim he looks this way at 50 by using weights 5-6 minutes a day! Amazing!!!

 

Markus Triceps, Another Day - Another Muscle - YouTube

 

 

Oops, sorry, did not mean to t/j and post here.

[jerryh]

thanks everyone, i have took all your advice on board and added vegetables and fruit to my diet and feel much better, have also rid all the fizzy drinks and cut back hugely on the white bread, while adding yogurts, while eating chicken most days for my protein. I want to lose a stone in 7 weeks so trying to lose 2 pounds a week. my calorie intake is at 1800 and i burn a minimum of 400 calories per day in the gym or walking which should give me a 7000 calorie deficit per week resulting in two pounds lost. my carb intake is below the prescribed minimum to lose 2 pounds a week also. im currently 175 pounds at 5'10 and so want to be around 161 pounds by the start of December. my arms are beginning to look bigger with muscle, my only problem area is my stomach still has a bit of a gut, i aim to give up drink until december so that should help, but any other suggestions?

[thefooloftheyear]

thanks everyone, i have took all your advice on board and added vegetables and fruit to my diet and feel much better, have also rid all the fizzy drinks and cut back hugely on the white bread, while adding yogurts, while eating chicken most days for my protein. I want to lose a stone in 7 weeks so trying to lose 2 pounds a week. my calorie intake is at 1800 and i burn a minimum of 400 calories per day in the gym or walking which should give me a 7000 calorie deficit per week resulting in two pounds lost. my carb intake is below the prescribed minimum to lose 2 pounds a week also. im currently 175 pounds at 5'10 and so want to be around 161 pounds by the start of December. my arms are beginning to look bigger with muscle, my only problem area is my stomach still has a bit of a gut, i aim to give up drink until december so that should help, but any other suggestions?

 

Its hard to imagine how a 5'11" man could weigh 175 and have a gut..Sounds like you can stand to gain a lot of muscle if you can..

 

Diets are always tricky...What works for one wont for another...

 

I will say this...Watch out for fruits and vegetables!! Its the biggest mistake a lot of people make when dieting...Loading up on this stuff will hold you back..You are better off with lean meats and drinking water or skim milk. Get your carbs from more dense and complex souces, (Oatmeal, etc) fruits are mostly simple carbs.

 

The one thing I can say for certain is your current diet sucks..

 

Good luck man.

 

TFY

[Copelandsanity]

thanks everyone, i have took all your advice on board and added vegetables and fruit to my diet and feel much better, have also rid all the fizzy drinks and cut back hugely on the white bread, while adding yogurts, while eating chicken most days for my protein. I want to lose a stone in 7 weeks so trying to lose 2 pounds a week. my calorie intake is at 1800 and i burn a minimum of 400 calories per day in the gym or walking which should give me a 7000 calorie deficit per week resulting in two pounds lost. my carb intake is below the prescribed minimum to lose 2 pounds a week also. im currently 175 pounds at 5'10 and so want to be around 161 pounds by the start of December. my arms are beginning to look bigger with muscle, my only problem area is my stomach still has a bit of a gut, i aim to give up drink until december so that should help, but any other suggestions?

 

1. Be careful with yogurt. It's only good if it's plain. The ones with fruit in it are loaded with added sugar. Ideally, your diet will consist of zero sugar, except for a cheat meal.

 

2. Vegetables are fine. Eat as much as you want. But I would limit my fruit to 1-2 small servings a day. Fructose converts to fat more efficiently than any other carbohydrate.

 

3. Great job on limiting carb intake. That is essentially the key to reducing your body fat. Carbs = fat, and it makes any fat you eat along with it stick to your body. That's why meals with carbs+fat (pizza, burgers, ice cream, pastries, soda+fast food) are so bad for you. You may need to adjust up or down depending on your progress and how much exercise you get.

 

4. If you continue working out at the gym and limiting carb intake, your gut will eventually disappear and quicker than you'd think. Just keep working at it.

[jerryh]

Well everyone thought i would update, iv been dieting and heading to the gym for 5 weeks now and down 10 pounds to 171. I have 6 weeks to Christmas so feel i could make it to 161 which is a weight im comfortable with, i looked my best between 154-161 so will take it from there after christmas. I have cleaned up my diet including veg, fruit and cutting soda, crisps and havent drank in 6 weeks.im burining 1000-1200 calories per day in the gym 4-5 days a week and feel good. just want everyones opinions about an ideal weight for a 5'10 22 year old male? Arms arent massive a small bit of muscle with a wide chest, is 161 pounds a good weight?

[pink_sugar]

well i have been trying to get back in shape for a few weeks and feel i could do with losing a few more pounds. I know my diet is terrible for me regarding not enough of certain things and too much of certain stuff but i just want to know if i were to eat this daily and then go to the gym 4-5 times a week and burn 500-600 calories per session, would i be losing weight?

My diet consists of:

2 cans of coke

can of red bull

8 slices of white bread toast with butter

chicken fillet and chips

bowl of krispies with milk no sugar

2 glasses of whole milk

 

I know its a terrible diet but i just want to know will i see a difference weight wise within a month or two? i have gave up an extra two glasses of milk along with two ham and cheese sandwiches and a bag of crisps?

sorry for annoying and i know my diet is terrible. i used to be in athletics so trying to build back towards that again.

 

You can lose weight merely by cutting calories, doesn't matter what you're eating actually. However, you can be losing weight and not be in-shape or healthy, which is different than just "losing weight". I lost weight and ate what I wanted, but I didn't eat much. However, I wasn't in great shape even though I got thin. I would ditch the coke...that's a diet killer right there. 1 can or bottle of soda each day is linked to several pounds of weight gain over the year because it is pure sugar (high fructose corn syrup). Looks like all you're consuming is carbs. Ditch the white bread and go for multi-grain, whole wheat or rye. Same thing with the cereal. Ditch the chips for apples and peanut butter or a granola bar. If you must drink a beverage, opt for 100% juice and a cup of coffee instead of red bull.

[MuscleCarFan]

One of the best things you can do for your self diet wise is... DUMP THE SODA!

[pink_sugar]

Well everyone thought i would update, iv been dieting and heading to the gym for 5 weeks now and down 10 pounds to 171. I have 6 weeks to Christmas so feel i could make it to 161 which is a weight im comfortable with, i looked my best between 154-161 so will take it from there after christmas. I have cleaned up my diet including veg, fruit and cutting soda, crisps and havent drank in 6 weeks.im burining 1000-1200 calories per day in the gym 4-5 days a week and feel good. just want everyones opinions about an ideal weight for a 5'10 22 year old male? Arms arent massive a small bit of muscle with a wide chest, is 161 pounds a good weight?

 

It really depends on your body type, but 161 sounds pretty healthy for a 5'10" male.

[CharStar]

I think all the advice so far are great and a big step to a healthy diet. It's hard to give someone a full list of diet and tell them to follow it exactly. Take small steps to change your diet and adjust when you are comfortable making another change.

 

In general, your diet should just consists of these things:

- lean meat (protein)

- fiber rich foods. Here are top foods highest in fiber (bran, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, berries, leafy greens, celery, squash, beans, mushrooms, oranges)

- whey protein

- water (LOTS!!!)

 

You should cook your meals either grilled or steamed.

 

Stay away from white carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta).