Help with a diet

[lipsy]

I want to lose some weight and I need a bit fo advice about my diet. I think I eat ok in the day when I'm at work but wanted to know if it can be improved.
This is what I generally eat:

I don't eat breakfast anymore. I never have since starting my new job 3 months ago as i was too busy at first and now I just cant be bothered. I have a cereal bar at about 10.30 (about 90 cals i think), then a banana, sandwich for lunch, packet of walkers baked crisps (4g of fat) then maybe another banana or yoghurt or maybe nothing until I get home and have my dinner.

Does that sound ok?

I think my downfall is my dinner at night, and although I don't eat takeaways it probably isn't that healthy and I think I need to make the portion smaller and have a side salad or veg. Also drinking at the weekend.

I've started doing more walking but only half an hour fast walk on my way home from work. Will that beenfit me or am I kidding myself? I'm gonna start doing some squats and lunges too. I don't have a gym membershp nor want one.

[Tweety]

If you dont eat breakfast you arent kick starting your motabalism and your body will think you are starving it so will store the next thing you eat.
Personally i would dump the crisps and have something else like i dunno raisins.

[lipsy]

If you dont eat breakfast you arent kick starting your motabalism and your body will think you are starving it so will store the next thing you eat.
Personally i would dump the crisps and have something else like i dunno raisins.

HMM but I don't feel hungry til about 10.30 though. I know they say you should eat breakfast.. might consider it.

yeh I would like to stop eating the crisps but they are low in fat so I didn't think they were too bad. I need something filling though.

[piecesofme]

Breakfast doesn't have to be anything big it could be a yogurt or even a smoothie, but it is good to eat breakfast as like Tweety said it kick starts your metabolism.

Walking is good especially if it is quite fast paced, aslo little things like stairs instead of the lift and getting off the bus 2 stops early. How about running? I am rubbish at running and hate running on the treadmills at the gym but I've just started doing it around a local park and found I actually quite like it and you only need to do it a couple of times a week.

[lipsy]

Why is it important to kick start my metabolism though? Is it really doing me any harm by eating a couple of hours later? Genuinely interested to know :)

[jamelia]

I know what you mean, it's confusing as to why everyone is so adamant that breakfast is essential. I am prepared to believe they are right, if that's what the medical evidence shows! But then, some approaches to weight loss and diets tell you to only eat when you are hungry, and I don't usually get hungry till mid morning. Breakfast is usually a chore for me, but I eat it because it's meant to be essential. I'm sure it is, but I too would like to know why!

[piecesofme]

I remember a dietician saying that you should try and eat something within an hour of waking up.

If you eat at about 7.30 the night before you can be going 10 - 12 hours without food. Obviously your energy reserves are low and your body and brain need fuel.

If you miss breakfast you are much more likely to get hungry mid morning and end up grabbing a snack that is high in calories and fat but low in nutrients and fibre. Supposedly people who eat breakfast cereals more than five times a week weighed less, had a smaller waist size and lower blood sugar levels than those who rarely ate cereal. Research has been done that shows people who eat breakfast are more likely to be within the ideal weight range than people who skip breakfast.

[lipsy]

Hmm, but what if the snack I grab is healthy?

I think part of me likes that I don't eat breakfast as it's one less meal, so less calories. When I used to eat breakfast at home I would be starving by the time I got to work and need to eat again.

[Eddish]

I think the general line of thinking is that if you keep your metabolism going (regular meals, at least 3 a day) then your body will perform as it should - i.e. burning up calories at a steady rate (obviously dependant on what you're doing)

I've done the same as you before (and doing it now) - forsaking breakfast. If I don't, I have to get up earlier (and 5.45 is early enough), so I wait until I get to work and have something then.
However that's about 2 - 3 hours later, at which point I've been driving and working and I then over-eat to compensate for feeling completely wasted.
That then has a knock-on effect throughout the day.

If I eat breakfast, I get hungry for a snack at around 10/11 (apple or something), then eat a reasonable lunch and then dinner when I get home. I found my weight was certainly more stable when I was doing that, than the skipping-breakfast thing.

If you just make sure that what you eat is healthy, and perhaps introduce some more exercise, you should start to see some results.

^The above is just my personal experience, YMMV

[Eddish]

O yeah, I totally get not being hungry at 'breakfast time'.
I actually hate eating when I wake up that early, but I found even just a piece of toast was enough to make me feel OK.

[blah blah blah]

lol - your diet sounds almost identical to mine! i have a cereal bar & piece of fruit in the morning, a sandwich & walkers baked crisps for lunch then another piece of fruit in the afternoon! what i have for tea varies because i live with the boyfriend now so i usually have whatever he is making/wants.

all i can suggest is more exercise. do you have a bike? maybe you could go cycling for 30 minutes or so after work. what about an exercise dvd? the pump it up ones are really good :yes: they leave me out of breath and hurting the next day!

[lipsy]

Yeh my mate has one of those dvds and she likes it. Might give it a try..

I am trying to exercise more and walk 30mins on my way home from work instead of getting the bus.

[Eddish]

Yeh my mate has one of those dvds and she likes it. Might give it a try..

I am trying to exercise more and walk 30mins on my way home from work instead of getting the bus.

A friend of mine used to walk about that distance (with plenty of inclines) home from work for months, but she said it didn't really make any difference. Then again her diet/eating habits weren't exactly great, which could be a big contributing factor.

[lipsy]

A friend of mine used to walk about that distance (with plenty of inclines) home from work for months, but she said it didn't really make any difference. Then again her diet/eating habits weren't exactly great, which could be a big contributing factor.

lol that's not good! It probably isn't enough.. better than nothing though I suppose..

[Eddish]

lol that's not good! It probably isn't enough.. better than nothing though I suppose..

Definitely better than nothing! I walk out my house, into the car, drive 95 miles, walk out of the car, into work, sit down. Repeat in reverse at the end of the day >.<

Cycling is really good, or maybe try and tailor your route home to ensure that it takes in plenty of changes of inclines and so on.
I'm not the best person to advise on exercise, the last time I used my gym card was well over two years ago :o

[lipsy]

I'm not the best person to advise on exercise, the last time I used my gym card was well over two years ago :o

I hope you're not still paying for that :p

[Eddish]

I hope you're not still paying for that :p

Hehe, I did for a whole year, convincing myself that I would go, but I always found excuses not to (mainly work).
£300 down the drain. I am an idiot ... a lazy one! ;)

[SuzyCreamcheese]

i think making sure your sandwich is a healthy one, ie no cheese or mayonnaise, and then making sure your dinner is healthy and not huge either.
"a sandwich" could vary between 300 and 700 calories depending on the filling.

Its also very easy to overeat at dinner time

[blah blah blah]

i think making sure your sandwich is a healthy one, ie no cheese or mayonnaise, and then making sure your dinner is healthy and not huge either.
"a sandwich" could vary between 300 and 700 calories depending on the filling.

Its also very easy to overeat at dinner time

:yes: i work my sandwiches to be about 240-250 calories. i get little wholemeal rolls (180 cals) and use a few slices of turkey/chicken/ham with salad (no dressing or butter) so with the crisps, my lunch is about 350 calories so with my cereal bar and fruit in the day, i eat about 600 calories :) my tea is usually about 400-600 calories. i should make my tea time meals smaller actually :/

[Scary Monster]

Also, don't fall into the trap that eating tiny amounts of food through the day is always a good plan.

Your body metabolises what you eat much better when you're awake than when you're sleeping.

Having more for lunch and less for tea is a better plan than making your lunch tinier and tinier and then being really hungry at tea time.

Also, cereal bars really aren't as great as the ads try and crack them up to be. Real cereal or toast is much better for you. Check out how much sugar is in most cereal bars.

[piecesofme]

Having more for lunch and less for tea is a better plan than making your lunch tinier and tinier and then being really hungry at tea time.




If you can maybe have your main big meal at lunch time. That way you have more time through the day to digest it and have more time to burn off the calories than you would having your main meal at night.

[blah blah blah]

If you can maybe have your main big meal at lunch time. That way you have more time through the day to digest it and have more time to burn off the calories than you would having your main meal at night.

if you exercise in the evening though (like i do), its not that bad. i can't exercise throughout the day as i am in work so i exercise after eating my tea.

it can't be that bad because i have lost weight using this approach since christmas :)

[**helen**]

if you exercise in the evening though (like i do), its not that bad. i can't exercise throughout the day as i am in work so i exercise after eating my tea.

it can't be that bad because i have lost weight using this approach since christmas :)

That's fair enough, no one can argue with you on that one if you've proven it to work. However, what I would say is that it doesn't necessarily sound sustainable or healthy for your body in the long-term. Also, I think people need to find what works best for them. If I was to exercise after tea for instance, I'd probably either puke up or get really bad cramps - I'm much better off if I eat a decent lunch and then eat a healthy tea afterwards. But as I say, I guess it's all about the individual. :)

Lipsy, TheSite.org's article on breakfast (http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/fitnessanddiet/healthyeating/agoodbreakfast) might be worth a read, although you may well have heard it all before. :)

The other thing is to think about something exercise related that you really enjoy. It's great you're not forcing yourself to go to the gym if you really don't want to - but is there anything else that's likely to motivate you - something like dancing or cycling for instance?

[SuzyCreamcheese]

if breakfast is such a wonderful weightloss aid, how come im always more hungry midmorning if i eat first thing, than if i dont eat at all.
If ive had breakfast, it takes all my willpower not to eat all morning afterwards, whereas if i dont have breakfast, i can go till 10 or 11 before I eat something and it doesnt make me eat extra

[Scary Monster]

I don't understand the metabolic chemistry in the slighest (as proved by my bio engineering exam tomorrow that is going to go horribly wrong) however the feeling hungry mid morning after breakfast is to do with the metabolism thing.

[kangoo]

if breakfast is such a wonderful weightloss aid, how come im always more hungry midmorning if i eat first thing, than if i dont eat at all.
If ive had breakfast, it takes all my willpower not to eat all morning afterwards, whereas if i dont have breakfast, i can go till 10 or 11 before I eat something and it doesnt make me eat extra

:yes: Me too :(

[Skive]

I find cereal in the morning is a great way to put off hunger till lunch. I eat cereal daily for breakfast even though I'm never hungry in the morning. Trick is to get up a bit earlier so you have time to wake up properly before eating.

And if you want to lose wait quickly and safely, stop drinking alcohol. You'd be suprised how much drinkign contributes to weight gain.

[lea_uk]

I think a lot of people forget that alcoholic drinks have calories.

[piecesofme]

I think a lot of people forget that alcoholic drinks have calories.

:yes: and things like hidden sugar and salt in food can hinder weight loss!

[**helen**]

I don't understand the metabolic chemistry in the slighest (as proved by my bio engineering exam tomorrow that is going to go horribly wrong) however the feeling hungry mid morning after breakfast is to do with the metabolism thing.

I'm wondering whether it relates to whether or not you eat enough for breakfast - so, if as Skive says you have a decent nutritional breakfast then it probably will mean you can keep going until lunch. However, if you just have a little something for breakfast then that will only serve the purpose of kickstarting your metabolism and not fulfill your hunger. :chin:

[Tweety]

if breakfast is such a wonderful weightloss aid, how come im always more hungry midmorning if i eat first thing, than if i dont eat at all.
If ive had breakfast, it takes all my willpower not to eat all morning afterwards, whereas if i dont have breakfast, i can go till 10 or 11 before I eat something and it doesnt make me eat extra

Try porridge, its the only thing that stops me snacking/being hungry.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

From thesites thing about breakfast -start the day with a light meal such as cereal with milk, followed by some wholemeal toast and fruit or pure fruit juice

is that a normal breakfast then because that sounds like a lot to me, not a light meal.

[**helen**]

From thesites thing about breakfast -

is that a normal breakfast then because that sounds like a lot to me, not a light meal.

Yep, I'd say that's the kind of breakfast that would mean you're not snacking mid morning. :)

[g_angel]

Yep, I'd say that's the kind of breakfast that would mean you're not snacking mid morning. :)

Agreed. I'd usually recommend shoving down a healthy but filling breakfast in order to keep you full. It kickstarts the metablism (hence why if you have a smaller breakfast, you'll feel hungry mid-morning) for the day, whereas not having breakfast will effectively keep your body fasting - slowe metab, and you're more likely to want to snack then.

[ShyBoy]

My dentist told me to have breakfast for the metabolism thing as I kept getting hungry especially through the day and kept snacking on sweets and yoghurts. I did find following her advice helped a lot.

Though as of the past two days, back in my old ways :p

[Carolina]

I've found that since i swapped to eating scrambled egg on toast/pitta bread (usually wholemeal) every morning i've started to not want to eat anything until lunchtime unlike before where i was either eating nothing or a piece of white toast and then snacking or craving sugar halfway through the morning.
I just stick with the everything in moderation theme and it does me just fine. I eat three meals a day with the odd snack inbetween. I do eat the odd bit of junk food but to be fair i'm always on the go as have horses and a dog so i guess i burn things quicker than others.

[lipsy]

Well I tried breakfast this morning and had a boiled egg on 2pc of toast and it did fill me up but come 11am I was hungry again. So all it did was serve to make me eat more calories over the course of the day and I was still starving come tea time and had a normal amount.
Yesterday I tried to have a smaller portioned dinner of chicken salad and 2 croquettes but I was unsatisfied and hungry for the rest of the night :(

So I think the only thing for me is more exercise.

[princessamy]

what about an exercise dvd? the pump it up ones are really good :yes: they leave me out of breath and hurting the next day!
:yes: Agreed.

This one in particular I highly recommend - http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/509701/Ministry-Of-Sound-Pump-It-Up-The-Ultimate-Dance-Workout/Product.html

Fitness dvd's are a great route to weight loss if you don't want to be going the gym - I'd recommend you try to build up a collection however; you will tire of a dvd fast if you haven't got a number of others to alternate with.

[my name]

Theres an exercise/fitness tv program in our cable for free. It has lots of different current fitness videos, and some flat out weird ones that you can watch whenever, just like it were a dvd. Perhaps your tv has something similar?

[piecesofme]

Theres an exercise/fitness tv program in our cable for free. It has lots of different current fitness videos, and some flat out weird ones that you can watch whenever, just like it were a dvd. Perhaps your tv has something similar?

I know on my sky I have a channel that has yoga on but nothing really yo get your heart pumping.

[chan-chan]

I've done the same as you before (and doing it now) - forsaking breakfast. If I don't, I have to get up earlier (and 5.45 is early enough), so I wait until I get to work and have something then.
However that's about 2 - 3 hours later, at which point I've been driving and working and I then over-eat to compensate for feeling completely wasted.
That then has a knock-on effect throughout the day.


I have to say, that eating breakfast in the morning is much better than going without. Im also up at about 5:00 so i get the whole thing of having to wake up earlier, but by the time I get into work at 8:00am, Im ready and alert and I last through the day better. I usually have a bowl of fruit n fibre.

This week though, I have gone without breakfast and yesterday I felt sick and tired.