I need a bit of help shifting a bit of weight

[Jay]

I am just starting to try and lose a bit of weight

I am trying to lose about 1.5 - 2.0 stone and drop my cholesterol from 5.1

Currently I do about 30 to 45 minutes of intense cardio 4 - 5 times a week the issue I have is what to eat

Currently I am eating a small breakfast of 30g wholemeal cereal with a splash of semi-skimmed milk (can't drink full skimmed)

I am moving my main meal to midday - I have 150g of mixed uncooked veg (red cabbage, iceberg, carrot strips and some uncooked mushrooms) and a bit of grilled chicken breast

For my tea I have vegetable soup (sometimes I have beans on toast (two slices of dry wholemeal bread with half a can of beans) and throughout the day I drink 2L of water.

I don't have anything like cola (apart from a treat of a can of diet Coke every now and then), beer, fatty foods, white bread, snacks etc.

Currently my total calorie intake is 693 a day 7 days a week, is this too low? Is there any advice you could give me? Should I be doing this 7 days a week or is a small cheat once a week ok?

thanks

[PeteSmith]

Originally Posted by Jay

Currently my total calorie intake is 693 a day 7 days a week, is this too low?

I would say so, yes. I read somewhere eating to little is as bad, if not worse as eating too much of the wrong food. It looks like you have a good idea of whats good to eat, but if your calculations are accurate, and you are only consuming only 693 calories a day your body may run the risk of entering starvation mode. I think you have the right idea in changing your diet, but if your working out you do still need to feed your body.

Also you need to be able to keep to this diet, so you will need some treats every so often.

[Jay]

looking into it that looks like it could be pretty bad to stay at such a low calorie count! I need to be taking in about 1500 a day.

This has me a bit stumped on what to do really.

[Jay]

I put a tiny amount on today (less than 1 pound) It looks like maybe I need to do more cardio, I may up it to 60 mins 5 times a week. Its going to be tough to find 60 minutes though.

[Jace007]

nah you need to eat more than what your eating now at the moment your count is way too low to be of any good for you it should be around 900ish. And your work sessions idealy for cardio should be 1Hr with the right Heart rate after the 40Mins that's when ur body starts to break things down and not before.

[Jay]

I have upped my intake to 900 but I will get more cardio done and see if that helps.

[sp3n]

Originally Posted by Jay

I have upped my intake to 900 but I will get more cardio done and see if that helps.

you are not helping anything here mate - infact you are only making it harder for yourself.
you may lose a little weight on such a low calorie diet, but it will be mostly muscle - as mentioned above by PeteSmith, your body WILL enter a starvation mode when you do not eat enough, making your body keep hold of its stores of fat which im sure you do not want.


when are you doing your cardio? and what is it exactly?

there is no way i would recommend eating any less than 1800 cals a day especially as you are doing cardio exercise. move your midday meal back to your main meal and have something substantial for lunch, perhaps a baked pototo with tuna or have your beans on toast at this time

to be blunt you are going about this almost completly in the wrong way.
a very effective way to lose weight (fat) is to start weight training - controversially more effective than cardio alone

[Jay]

The problems I have is that I can't find food that gives me the cal count I need that is also healthy. I do the cardio after work at either 4:00pm or 7:00pm (I work shifts) Cardio is normally 10 mins of warm up (use the step thing on Wii Fit) then 30 mins of jogging with 5 mins of HIIT at the end and a small warm down.

I have already moved my main meal to midday.

Weights is going to be an issue, I don't have any, I don't have the $££$£ for the Gym and there is no space to store a bench press.

[b0redom]

If you have showers at, and live a reasonable distance from work, start cycling. My current work is about 10 miles from home, and I can now eat and drink whatever I like and the weight drops off. It also gives me the added advantage that I don't have to go out again to exercise when I get home - which I don't really have time for.

[sp3n]

Originally Posted by Jay

The problems I have is that I can't find food that gives me the cal count I need that is also healthy.

Breakfast:
*Porridge
*Wholegrain cereal
*Scrambled eggs + wholegrain toast
+
Piece of fruit or fruit juice/smoothie

Lunch:
*Baked potato with tuna
*Wholegrain pasta/rice with Chicken/Turkey/Salmon
*Beans on toast
+
Low fat yoghurt

Dinner:
*Grilled Chicken/Turkey/Salmon + Steamed/Boiled Vegetables

Originally Posted by Jay

I have already moved my main meal to midday.

I said to move it BACK to being your main meal, you are better off having those carbs midday than at your main meal

Originally Posted by Jay

Weights is going to be an issue, I don't have any, I don't have the $££$£ for the Gym and there is no space to store a bench press.

You can train at home, using your own body weight, lots of example exercises here: http://www.rosstraining.com/

[Jay]

thanks for that! I'll make the changes needed

[sp3n]

good to hear. most importantly - dont skimp on the calories, at least 1800 as you are an adult male.
the 900~ that you were having is never going to help losing fat and over a prolonged period of time will make you quite ill.

crash dieting will always cause you to put the weight back on as soon as the diet is over.
a healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise is the way forward

[Paulm@scan]

Originally Posted by Jay

Currently my total calorie intake is 693 a day 7 days a week, is this too low? Is there any advice you could give me? Should I be doing this 7 days a week or is a small cheat once a week ok?

thanks

Way too low especially with the amount of exercise you are doing, you could double that and do the exercise your doing and still loose weight safely.

All you need to do to loose weight is burn more calories than you eat effectively but this should be done sensibly, although your diet is important I would say planned exercise with a good heathy diet would be a better combination.

[daniel_owen_uk]

Cycling to work is brilliant, gives you fresh air in the morning, gives excercise time everyday, saves you fuel, you can be smug about being green (whilst not really caring).

As long as you have somewhere safe to keep a bike and washing facilities.

[Jay]

I drive over 50 miles a day to work so a bike would be a bit tough for me

[MadduckUK]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMwrP...eature=related