Fitness question

[3-off-the-tee]

I think diet is probably the reason I have plateaued. I eat reasonably well, no snacks and only alcohol at weekends so cutting the amount and /or working more in the gym should kick start the weight loss. I don’t believe in diets as I feel you just bounce back into bad habits and weight gain so think a lifestyle change is better.

Thanks for the encouragement and help ??

I think this is your issue mate, don’t think of it as a diet but a lifestyle change.
I lost a lot of weight a few years ago after a total lifestyle change for a few years, it was the fittest and happiest I’ve been within myself.

I’ve slowly put a lot of the weight back on after falling into bad habits and stopping running/football during lockdown, but I’m currently losing it again doing the same things I did before.

If your calories in is less than your calories out then you will lose weight. I found the best way was to use a TDEE calculator such as the below...

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calculate-your-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee.html

Calculate your daily total and then operate at a calorie deficit. For me I restricted myself to between 1500 and 1800 calories a day but was running a lot as well and the weight fell off me.

Learn to track your macros using an app, I use the Samsung health app.

Weigh your food and don’t cheat with amounts, it’s amazing how many people don’t know how many calories are in some foods that are deemed to be healthy.

The thing that made it easier for me was not being massively strict. I read online about the 80/20 rule whereby a lot of people are strict for 80% of the time.. the remaining 20% they would indulge a little or have a little treat.


Everyone is different but this worked for me. Good luck with it ?

 

[hovis]

Fitness apps are excellent. But to do this accurately you must weigh some food too. How do you know what 200g of cooked chicken looks like? Or how much bacon are you putting on a sandwich. When I get clients to do this they initially moan and say its a ball ache!!! It literally takes an extra 10 seconds to weigh your food and people can't be bothered. But they'll spend 2 hours a day on Facebook!!!

Oh and when it comes to cutting calories you should stay above your weight I pounds times ten. I am 195lb so 19500 calories minimum. The rest should come from activity

 

[3-off-the-tee]

Fitness apps are excellent. But to do this accurately you must weigh some food too. How do you know what 200g of cooked chicken looks like? Or how much bacon are you putting on a sandwich. When I get clients to do this they initially moan and say its a ball ache!!! It literally takes an extra 10 seconds to weigh your food and people can't be bothered. But they'll spend 2 hours a day on Facebook!!!

Once you’ve weighed it out for a few days/weeks you start to get the idea of how much it is. I can pretty accurately say how much a handful of pasta is for example after previously tracking my macros.

 

[Rooter]

Once you’ve weighed it out for a few days/weeks you start to get the idea of how much it is. I can pretty accurately say how much a handful of pasta is for example after previously tracking my macros.

Yup same, I am pretty good at eyeballing food and knowing what the calories, carbs and fats are now! Maybe there is a gameshow we could go on!

 

[YandaB]

Yup same, I am pretty good at eyeballing food and knowing what the calories, carbs and fats are now! Maybe there is a gameshow we could go on!

Play your carbs right?

 

[Rooter]

Play your carbs right?

Oh Bravo!!!

 

[Orikoru]

I find it way too difficult now I'm in my mid-thirties. Last few months we've been playing tennis and badminton a few times a week, I have golf on Saturdays, football on Sundays and Wednesdays, we only eat home-cooked stuff since my wife took up cooking more in lockdown - stir fries, stuffed mushrooms, chicken, rice, normal stuff that shouldn't be too bad. Have one takeaway on the weekend and that's it, put on a pound that week. It's so annoying.

 

[Rooter]

I find it way too difficult now I'm in my mid-thirties. Last few months we've been playing tennis and badminton a few times a week, I have golf on Saturdays, football on Sundays and Wednesdays, we only eat home-cooked stuff since my wife took up cooking more in lockdown - stir fries, stuffed mushrooms, chicken, rice, normal stuff that shouldn't be too bad. Have one takeaway on the weekend and that's it, put on a pound that week. It's so annoying.

My money would first be on portion sizes are too big.

No snacks i assume? booze?

 

[Orikoru]

My money would first be on portion sizes are too big.

No snacks i assume? booze?

They don't feel massive to me but then I'm always hungry! I only drink about two or three pints each weekend, after the golf or footy. It's not like I'm fat in the first place though so it is obviously more difficult. I weigh about 12 stone 9 on average and I'd just like to be nearer 12 (I'm 183cm tall).

 

[Hacker Khan]

I find it way too difficult now I'm in my mid-thirties. Last few months we've been playing tennis and badminton a few times a week, I have golf on Saturdays, football on Sundays and Wednesdays, we only eat home-cooked stuff since my wife took up cooking more in lockdown - stir fries, stuffed mushrooms, chicken, rice, normal stuff that shouldn't be too bad. Have one takeaway on the weekend and that's it, put on a pound that week. It's so annoying.

You should try it in your 50s.....

It sounds like you are doing a decent amount of exercise so just make sure your heart rate is being raised. As from playing a bit of badminton I know that some games you don't actually break out into much of a sweat at all if you are just tippy tapping it back and forth. Where as I got put with some ex county players the other week in club night and after 10 points I was blowing hard and gasping for breath. As Rooter says, it could depend what you are stuffing the mushrooms with and how big the portions sizes are. Portion size was my biggest issue as whilst the stuff I used to eat was not that unhealthy as I freshly cooked most things and did a fair share of veg and lean meat, looking back I was often putting 2 portion sizes on my plate. If you eat out in the US you'll quickly see why there is such an obesity crisis over there.

 

[hovis]

They don't feel massive to me but then I'm always hungry! I only drink about two or three pints each weekend, after the golf or footy. It's not like I'm fat in the first place though so it is obviously more difficult. I weigh about 12 stone 9 on average and I'd just like to be nearer 12 (I'm 183cm tall).

The biggest secret to eating less is you have to choose low calorie high volume foods. For eg, a chicken sandwich with salad and mayo is about 600cals. For that you can have 2 chicken and salad wraps with salad dressing for the same calories. When you look at them side by side the difference is staggering. Or I challenge you to eat 600 calories of water Mellon and strawberries!!!! 600 calories fills a mixing bowl.
If you eat high volume low calorie food you are always full.

 

[Orikoru]

You should try it in your 50s.....

It sounds like you are doing a decent amount of exercise so just make sure your heart rate is being raised. As from playing a bit of badminton I know that some games you don't actually break out into much of a sweat at all if you are just tippy tapping it back and forth. Where as I got put with some ex county players the other week in club night and after 10 points I was blowing hard and gasping. As Rooter says, it could depend what you are stuffing the mushrooms with and how big the portions sizes are. Portion size was my biggest issue as whilst the stuff I used to eat was not that unhealthy as I freshly cooked most things and did a fair share of veg and lean meat, looking back I was often putting 2 portion sizes on my plate.

We only stuff the mushrooms with lard, should be ok right? Haha I'm just kidding, it's like diced peppers and onion. I do sometimes have to complain to the wife about portion size, things like a salad where she cuts up a whole lettuce, whole cucumber, whole red onion etc for the two of us which for me feels like a lot, but I just won't always finish it.

At badminton we normally do two hours worth and try and do competitive doubles matches. I do work up a sweat eventually because we mix up the teams and one of our friends is pretty useless, she just stands there while you do all the running about.

 

[Orikoru]

The biggest secret to eating less is you have to choose low calorie high volume foods. For eg, a chicken sandwich with salad and mayo is about 600cals. For that you can have 2 chicken and salad wraps with salad dressing for the same calories. When you look at them side by side the difference is staggering. Or I challenge you to eat 600 calories of water Mellon and strawberries!!!! 600 calories fills a mixing bowl.
If you eat high volume low calorie food you are always full.

The problem is, calories are what makes it taste nice.

 

[hovis]

The problem is, calories are what makes it taste nice.

This is the truth I'm afraid. It doesn't take long to adjust though. There are plenty of tasty options. My favourite is bbq'd chicken breast with seasoning, mixed with salad and hot sauce and crammed into a pitta bread. It's a massive meal for 450 cals. Meanwhile my mates sit next to me a destroy a dominos pizza each 2200 cals.

 

[3-off-the-tee]

They don't feel massive to me but then I'm always hungry! I only drink about two or three pints each weekend, after the golf or footy. It's not like I'm fat in the first place though so it is obviously more difficult. I weigh about 12 stone 9 on average and I'd just like to be nearer 12 (I'm 183cm tall).

If you aren’t fat really in the first place then why get caught up on weight? It is just a number after all.

Putting on or losing a pound in a week can be down to so many variables, I would try to look at the bigger picture overall rather than getting caught up on a weekly loss or gain.

 

[Orikoru]

If you aren’t fat really in the first place then why get caught up on weight? It is just a number after all.

Putting on or losing a pound in a week can be down to so many variables, I would try to look at the bigger picture overall rather than getting caught up on a weekly loss or gain.

Well it's mainly because I still have the belly. That seems to be where it's all gone.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

On OP quandary re stalled weight loss. I've been doing the 5:2 diet for about 5weeks with only an increase in our evening walks on the exercise front. I do not gym-type exercise or running whatsoever. I've lost just over a stone.

Basically just diet having cut out carbs and chocolate/sweets/cakes almost completely across the week (allowing myself a little on the carbs front on some of my 5 days - but really cut down). Not been under 14st for yonks and will keep going until under 13st. Might be difficult as my weight loss is bind to slow down after the quick start.

And a fair amount is coming off the belly - where my wife says that it MUST.

 

[Rooter]

Well it's mainly because I still have the belly. That seems to be where it's all gone.

Belly is probably the hardest, and not saying you want a full on 6 pack, but these are not easy to get and are 80% kitchen 20% sweat.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Well it's mainly because I still have the belly. That seems to be where it's all gone.

Hey you are 12 stone 9 in your mid 30s. Many of us on here will happily swap places.

 

[Orikoru]

Hey you are 12 stone 9 in your mid 30s. Many of us on here will happily swap places.

Thanks, I needed that today.