# Help with diet..



## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Afternoon all.

I gave up smoking two years ago and put on 2 stone. Started the gym in Feb and when I got married in August, I had lost 3 stone. Now I looked quite ill so I stopped the gym for a month or so and stupidly stuffed my face. I have only put on 2 kg's but I re started the gym this week, but with no diet. Just eating what I want.

Can anyone give me some advice on sensible eating where I won't put on weight, but won't lose it either??

As an example of my pre wedding diet, I was eating no breakfast and for lunch a small tin of tuna, some salad and a banana. Evening was some kind of meat (Steak or meatballs etc) and salad.

Now I know this was a bad diet. any idea on sensible eating please?

Thanks,
Nick


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## Ben_ZS (Sep 28, 2008)

Skipping meals is really bad for you, especially if you a excerising. Are you turning your excess fat into muscle or are you just cardio training? 

Toning your muscles won't make you look 'ill' when you've lost weight. 

Tuna is very good as it's packed with protein, too hard to expain diet ATM as I'm on my iPhone


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Ben_ZS said:


> Skipping meals is really bad for you, especially if you a excerising. Are you turning your excess fat into muscle or are you just cardio training?
> 
> Toning your muscles won't make you look 'ill' when you've lost weight.
> 
> Tuna is very good as it's packed with protein, too hard to expain diet ATM as I'm on my iPhone


Thanks for the quick reply.

I basically want to tone up. I WAS skipping meals and I know now how bad that is.
For example, a normal day now will be porridge in the morning, pasta and salad for lunch with a banana and jacket potato and beans and or salad in the evening.

I'm 6.1 and 14.4 stone


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

There is so much advice out there, however here is what I would do and I struggle with my weight:

Go for 6 smaller meals a day to keep the metabolism up and stop your body from storing excess fat, reduce the carbs and increase the protein. An example of what I eat would be:-

Breakfast:

2x Poached Eggs on a Single slice of Brown Toast
Protein Shake

Snack:

3x Oat Cakes with Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Apple
Green Tea

Lunch:

Turkey Salad Sandwich on Brown
Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt
Orange

Snack:

Mixed Nuts
Banana
Green Tea

_Work out followed by Protein Shake._

Dinner (Several examples):

Brown Rice and Tuna
2x Chicken Breasts with Broccoli and Carrots
2x Salmon Fillets with Broccoli and Carrots

I try to keep the carbs low in the evening.

There are so many other things though like Porridge, Tuna Steak, Baked Potato and try to keep the carbs low GI.

Grab a copy of Mens Health or Mens Fitness and read there guides and meal plans. You also need to work out your ideal calorie intake.

HTHs :thumb:


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

All this talk of eating lots of small meals a day, what food, etc, etc is in my experience all rubbish, as well as the talk of keeping your metabolism going.

If you want to lose weight simply eat less and put up with the hunger pains. 

It's a simple formula eat less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight.


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> All this talk of eating lots of small meals a day, what food, etc, etc is in my experience all rubbish, as well as the talk of keeping your metabolism going.
> 
> If you want to lose weight simply eat less and put up with the hunger pains.
> 
> It's a simple formula eat less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight.


It's not so much losing weight, as not putting it back on.. Mor a lifestyle (Foodwise) change I think


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> All this talk of eating lots of small meals a day, what food, etc, etc is in my experience all rubbish, as well as the talk of keeping your metabolism going.
> 
> If you want to lose weight simply eat less and put up with the hunger pains.
> 
> It's a simple formula eat less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight.


Sorry, but that is total rubbish. Do you know anything about human metabolism and food science?

You really dont need to put up with cravings at all. Move to a lower GI diet and very quickly your body stops craving sugar and the cravings for snacks quickly stop.

Small frequent meals ARE important as large meals create rapid increases in blood sugar which creates spikes in insulin production as your body tries to deal with the sugar. The body creates too much insulin, as its not perfect at judging how much is needed to deal with a meal, which then causes blood sugar to drop too much, and that is what causes cravings. Smaller, more frequent and lower GI meals eliminate the spikes and crashes and makes it much easier to consume the required number of calories.

It is important to keep calories slightly lower than you are burning through exercise (about 10% less). Exercise and its impact on the metabolism IS important as it directly impacts the number of calories you burn during the day. Not all types of exercise sessions will have the same effect on your metabolism, but programmes like circuits etc where there are short periods of high intensity activity are very successful in this way. For that reason many people suggest 2 shorter exercise periods a day as you maintain higher metabolism effects twice per day to give greater calorie consumption. Dont underestimate the power of a daily 30 min walk in burning calories very effectively as well as any 'proper' exercise session.

There is a HUGE amount available to read about diet and exercise that will help you. As with most things there is a large amount of BS about (as posted above) so do your research, keep away from obvious fad diet plans and stick to well proven principles that make SENSE


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Bigpikle said:


> Sorry, but that is total rubbish. Do you know anything about human metabolism and food science?
> 
> You really dont need to put up with cravings at all. Move to a lower GI diet and very quickly your body stops craving sugar and the cravings for snacks quickly stop.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the detailed reply mate.
I'll have a look online and see what I can garner re GI diets :thumb:


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

+ one for low GI

Post up roughly your diet at the moment, then we can give avice on small tweaks as big changes can be hard


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

rich-hill said:


> + one for low GI
> 
> Post up roughly your diet at the moment, then we can give avice on small tweaks as big changes can be hard


Hi mate.

Ok, it's (Roughly)

1 bowl of porridge in the morning, followed by tuna and salad or pasta with a banana for lunch and the meatballs or steak or fish with salad or veg for the evening. I'm currently working out Tues/Thurs/Fri/SunWeekdays are running and weights with Sunday being a 45 minute spinning class (What a killer that is!!)


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

My advice would be to add 2x snacks in there say mid morning and mid afternoon, and I would ditch the Meatballs and save the Steak for the odd occasion. Try replacing it with Chicken :thumb:


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

ahaydock said:


> My advice would be to add 2x snacks in there say mid morning and mod afternoon, and I would ditch the Meatballs and save the Steak for the odd occasion. Try replacing it with Chicken :thumb:


What kind of snacks? protein bars? and only on the days I train I presume?

Point taken on the meatballs. Even though they are fresh, they're loaded with fat


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

My diet is something like this (and has been for the 15 odd years that I have been training)

Although it works for me, everyone is different, so may work for you, or maybe not....

Breakfast:

Smoothie (fruit - berries, banana, milk, honey, porridge, cinnamon)

Mid morning:

Snack - bit of fruit

Lunch:

Rolls with different fillings (ham & cheese, egg, tuna)
or
Handful of pasta with chicken

Mid afternoon:

Protein drink, bit of fruit, or handful of nuts

Dinner:

Portion of meat, veg / rice / noodles

I also have at least 2 litres of water per day, and at least 3 cups of green tea.

I do have 1 day off a week, where I eat whatever I want with no feelings of guilt!!!

I have studied lots into the human body, diets, exercise and I believe that having small meals throughout the day is far better for you than 3 big meals...

Humans were designed to graze, not stuff ourselves full, and then wait for hours before repeating.....

Trying to keep your BSL (blood sugar level) as constant as possible is the name of the game!

Just think about a baby, they need feeding (grazing) every few hours...your body does not change the way it needs fuelled just because you grow up and get a job!

and, think about after you have a massive meal, then you get all tired, but seem to be hungry a few hours later......

Your BSL has an upper and lower range which it functions, too low and you go after any old crap to fill you up (sweets and crisps), too high and you get tired as your body shuts down and starts to work overtime to try and deal with it....

I know quite a few 'fit' people, a handful of professional athletes (football, boxing), and loads of experienced martial artists, all of which graze, and go no-where near the 3 meals a day.

HTH



:thumb:


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

The Cueball said:


> My diet is something like this (and has been for the 15 odd years that I have been training)
> 
> Although it works for me, everyone is different, so may work for you, or maybe not....
> 
> ...


Cheers for that!
I especially like the sound of the smoothie. Do you have a recipe?

Nick


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

NickTB said:


> Cheers for that!
> I especially like the sound of the smoothie. Do you have a recipe?
> 
> Nick


Small handful of frozen fruit/berries - in microwave to defrost

while they are 'melting', put the following into the blender:

1 activia yogurt
1 actimel drink
tea spoon(ish) of cinnamon
table spoon of peanut butter (I forgot about that in the last post )

Then add the fruit, and put the porridge (with milk) into the micro

when thats done, add some honey

mix these two up, then add to the blender, then blend!!

Make a lovely, warm drink for 2.....but you should try out some different combos to see what you like....

:thumb:


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Cor mate that's making my mouth water!


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

dont be afraid of some healthy polyunsaturated fats in there as well. They are GOOD for you, despite the anti-fat culture we live in, although they do contain about 3x the calories per gram than protein and carbs, so watch the overall intake. The other advantage of healthy fats is they slow down the absorption of sugars by the body, reducing the blood sugar spikes I mentioned above. 

For example, bread on its own is a high GI food, so can contribute to the blood sugar spikes. Bread dipped in a little olive oil lowers the GI rating of the meal, slows down absorption of the sugars and reduces the spike. It does of course give you more calories so be careful, but as we are all becoming more aware, fats like those in olive oil also provide other cholesterol lowering benefits as well :thumb: That's not a open invitation to stuff burgers and rubbish down your neck, as saturated fats in junk food, sweets and confectionery, most processed meals and sacks etc is both very BAD for you AND high in calories. Its lean meat and fish oils that are key, as well as a few vegetable sources like olive oil and flaxseed etc.

A few (think 1 dessert spoon max) nuts (cashew, brazil, walnut are best IIRC) are a great snackfood as they contain fat and some of them some low grade protein. A Protein has the same GI lowering effect as fats, so things like a boiled egg make a great snackfood that prevents cravings, as well as being an ideal boost to a breakfast of cereals etc which are typically high GI. The other thing to look for is high fibre foods, as fibre also offers the same benefits in lowering the GI. Avoid dried fruit as that is high GI generally.

I like snacks of nuts, low fat cheese triangles, boiled eggs, fresh fruit and veg mostly. I travel a huge amount and live in hotels where its often hard to eat what you want when you want, so things like a few nuts and a cheese triangle in a small tupperware pot make an ideal portable snack. 

If you eat a balanced diet of lean meat/fish and lots of fruit and veg you really dont need protein bars and all that other processed rubbish. They can serve a particular purpose when fuelling/recovering from particular types of exercise but for 99% of the people who use them they are simply adding high GI calories they dont need IMHO. I use a carb/protein sports drink on LONG exercise sessions, but that is only 1hr+ runs and 90min+ bike rides where I'm typically covering 30-50 miles non-stop, when the body needs quick calories to feed itself and maintain training performance. otherwise they just arent necessary and an egg after a training session will do as much or more


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Bigpikle said:


> Sorry, but that is total rubbish. Do you know anything about human metabolism and food science?
> 
> You really dont need to put up with cravings at all. Move to a lower GI diet and very quickly your body stops craving sugar and the cravings for snacks quickly stop.
> 
> ...


Like i said mate, in my experience it doesn't work. I know all about the technical side of it, all the diets, etc. It just doesn't work for me - if it does other then i envy them!

If i need to lose weight i just dramatically reduce my calorie intake increase my daily exercise and put up with the cravings.

For maintaining a certain weight then what you say works.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> Like i said mate, in my experience it doesn't work. I know all about the technical side of it, all the diets, etc. It just doesn't work for me - if it does other then i envy them!
> 
> If i need to lose weight i just dramatically reduce my calorie intake increase my daily exercise and put up with the cravings.
> 
> For maintaining a certain weight then what you say works.


fair enough if its a personal experience... I'm always stunned how quickly sugar cravings come back when I slip from the wagon. A few days eating rubbish in a hotel and I struggle badly. As soon as I get back to a lower GI diet they simply disappear and the weight falls off.

ultimately it is all about calorie deficit in 1 form or another :thumb:


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

I found that by having 6 meals a day I managed to loose weight and never went hungry - I just had to eat the right stuff.



NickTB said:


> What kind of snacks? protein bars? and only on the days I train I presume?
> 
> Point taken on the meatballs. Even though they are fresh, they're loaded with fat


Protein bars are a good start, but I would suggest the low carb ones as they can be high in calories and carbs.

Other snacks I go for are fruit, mixed nuts and seeds or oat cakes with low fat cottage cheese :thumb:


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

I'm now eating a much more varied diet, and as a result felt great on Friday. So good I managed 2 miles on the treadmill. To say I was proud as an ex smoker of 30 a day for 30 years is an understatement!

So thanks all for your advice


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

NickTB said:


> I'm now eating a much more varied diet, and as a result felt great on Friday. So good I managed 2 miles on the treadmill. To say I was proud as an ex smoker of 30 a day for 30 years is an understatement!
> 
> So thanks all for your advice


thats really good to hear :thumb:

Consuming a higher % of your calories from fruit and veg has another benefit. The amount of nutrients (vitamins, minerals etc) in fruit and veg is many times higher than in junk foods or processed foods like pasta etc. You will be consuming MANY times higher amounts of important beneficial nutrients without consuming any more calories, or needing supplements, so over time this will keep you feeling and living healthier.

Variety is the key here. Try and get yourself into the mindset of a healthy 'diet' rather than healthy foods. You need to think about all the foods you consume over a week, and how you get a good balance of all the important elements from a variety of sources eg lean meat, fish, fruit, veg.

Hope you continue to feel good. Adding in exercise will quickly increase your energy levels, but remember to take it easy, ease back into it and always allow time for recovery between exercise sessions. Dont go mad and end up injured, fed up and back to square one


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