So, I am still 70kg and need to drop to 60kg.
And, need to reduce my wasit from 34" to 32".
I am thinking of only having mango slices from M&S for lunch from now on. Is this a good idea ?
( My breakfast is Special K+semi-skimmed milk , dinner is 1/2 plate rice with chicken curry and fried vegetables, snack is usually dry biscuit )
Just have a balanced diet,do enough exercise and be happy.
Erm ..... "fried" vegetables as part of a plan to lose weight? A bit counter-productive, surely?
I'm no dietician, but I have a couple of comments on that.
First, if you're going to fry veg, may I suggest the Chinese stir-fry approach .... get the pan, and hence the oil, VERY hot. Most veg, if kept in small pieces and stir-fried at very high temperatures, is relatively healthy, because the very hot oil seals the veg, and cooking for only a couple if minutes helps stop them absorbing too much oil.
Second, how do you do the chicken curry? Not, I hope, out of a packet?
One approach there is a slow cooker.
There is a bit of an art to slow cookers, but mainly, you keep whatever you put in initially (say, chicken pieces) all of a similar size so they cook at the same rate.
Then, dense vegetables (say, carrots) need to be of a similar size. Vegetables which cook quickly can either be a bit bigger, or better yet, go in much later.
I do a slow-cook chicken curry. Chopped chicken thighs go in. A few veg, according to taste, go in. That may be carrots, turnip, swede, perhaps broccoli (see note below) go in. Add a flavour base, which I expect to largely dissolve in cooking, like onions, celery, etc. can of chopped tomatoes, and a curry powder mix.
The easy way to do the curry powder is to buy a mix ready made, like Swartz, etc, but more satisfying is to blend your own, from cumin, coriander, onion, ginger, whatever suits you, and to taste. There's plenty of recipes, and it's dead easy. Then, chicken stock to cover it all, and slow-cook for about 8 hours. If need be, put the slow cooker on a timer before you go out to work, timed to finish about 30 mins (or more if you like) AFTER you get home.
That 30 mins allows you to bung fast cooking (low density) veg in immediately you get home. That might include mushrooms, maybe broccoli florets, etc.
Next, rice. Basmati works well in my experience. Get a pan hot, bung in a measure of rice, and immediately cover with two measures of BOILING water. Salt to taste, cover and fast simmer. 10 minutes later, rice is cooked. Remove lid, stit to fluff it a bit. Serve. So total time for rice = about 15 minutes, including boiling the kettle.
Optionally, jazz up the rice. Add a bit of saffron before covering, or a handful of peas, sweetcorn, whatever suits. Vary it a bit.
Finally, no more than 5 mins before serving, add a couple of handfuls of spinach (I use about half a 270g packet, for two of us, but you could use a lot more) to the curry, just to wilt it. It doesn't need more than that. Just realise that the wilted bulk will be about a quarter of the bulk when you first add.
Do that recipe, and you have carrots, onions, celery, tomato, mushhroons, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, pasnip, turnip, swede, celeriac, spinach, or whatever combination suits you.
And not a fried vegetable in sight.
Other advantages. First, other than a bit of chopping at the start (or the night before), there's naff-all effort involved.
Second, it's slow cooked and a curry, so ideal for getting rid of veg that's past it's best in the fridge.
Third, it reheats easily, either in the slow cooker (just kerp fluid level up), or simply microwave to reheat .... but add the spinach right at the end. i.e. rmicrowave the curry, then add spinach and let stand for a couple of minytes before serving.
Fourth, again without the spinach, it freezes perfectly well, so slow cook a big batch, use some on day one, another lot next day, then portion up and freeze the rest.
It's easy, pretty cheap, really tasty, easy to vary and adapt, uses oddments from the fridge, requires minimal time from you, and freezes for very busy days.
Note: I mentioned broccoli. What I do is to take the larger bits of broccoli stalks out, and add early as part of that flavour base. The florets cook quickly, so they go in at the 30min-from-end point.
Note 2: Ideally, let the broccoli and spinach sit close to the top, and serve it all on the first use. Then, on day 2, add a bit more and use it.
So .... before adding these, stir the rest around to mix, then add the broccoli and try to not get it too mixed in, but close to the top. Then, when you add the spinach, either just add in under the lid and let the heat wilt it down, or my preferred method is to just gently push it down into the very top of the curry. Done that way, even people not keen on things like broccoli or spinach may well eat it. I'm not normally any fan of either, but done this way, I love it.
And .... NO FRYING!
Regarding the mango, it's primarily just sugar, so although it might be healthy, it's not really conducive to losing weight. If you're replacing mayo laden sandwiches, or chocolate, then I guess it's a step up, but I'm not sure it's really a route to losing weight.
Ultimately, it's all about energy. Main supplies of energy are sugar and fats, and of course starch ends up being broken down into sugar. You've got starch and sugar in the cereal, fat and sugar in the milk (lactose), then for lunch you're planning to add more sugar to the mix? I'd be inclined to opt for some low-fat protein personally, although I appreciate that might be tough if you're following it up with chicken in the evenings (which is a pretty good shout, although naturally the rice means more starch).
I've an idea. Share a sarnie of anything with me, catch the virulent stomach bug that's had me bedridden for nearly four days (when not in bed, in the loo), and bingo, there's at least 6 kg lost !
Feeling better now thanks
Cheers, David
CAT-THE-FIFTH (16-03-2013)
Bowl of cheap mushy peas. Healthy, filling & tasty, until you get fed up of them.
This. Take in fewer calories than you burn and you'll lose weight, it's really not rocket science. Keeping the diet balanced will help you stay healthy.Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH
There's nothing wrong with fat. It is the best energy source around
A study some years ago found the average Chinese diet was 15% heavier in fats than the average American diet. One could argue what KIND of fats but that's not really the point. Recent studies are pointing to all forms of fat being helpful, when combined with good exercise.
High carb diet, on the other hand, is not such a good idea, especially if refined carbs/processed stuff. Go for carbs low on the Glycemic Index for less of a sugar rush, and consequently less rush of insulin production. Insulin inhibits fat-burning. With a small amount of effort, you can turn your body into a fat-burning machine, instead of carb-burning. [Carbs are good for high speed, high intensity, shorter duration exercise.]
e.g. this morning I went for a 10 mile run (in the lovely rain, wot) with some friends. We went slowly, so we took almost 2hrs, but it was very muddy/slippery in the woods etc. Point is, my only food beforehand was some normal (high?) fat yoghurt. Didn't drink, didn't eat anything else, didn't get hungry. Nowadays, when I run long distance (ie up to 50 miles), I tend not to eat anything for at least the first 2 hrs, and then slowly snack on the odd nuts/seeds/jelly baby (the latter is for emotional support, not energy). Can run for 10hrs and hardly eat anything > fat burning machine
Then, in terms of exercise, whether you're in the gym or not, one of the best exercises to burn fat is fast walking. Not fast enough to get out of breath, or your heart rate too high, since that would start using carbs for energy. Just walk at a good pace, and combined with a higher fat/lower carb intake, watch the weight fall off. Simples.
One can never stop saying Thank You
merdat (20-03-2013)
In addition to my earlier comments about curry, a comment directly on mangos. Is fruit a good idea? Yes, generally, though as said, as part of a balanced diet.
But "only" mangos, or solely from M&S? Not in my view, no.
First, buy fresh fruit. Second, mix and match. Do a fruit salad one day, a normal salad with some fruit the next.
Vary this, change it around, and from time to time, pimp your salad. Add a bit of cheese, or an oil-based dressing. Not loads of cheese or oil, but enough to step the taste up. If you start out with plain and "boring" salad items, it's astonishing jow much variety you can get with a bit of dressing with maybe a little garlic, or chili, lemon or lime juice, tomato, a few other bits and pieces .... and 30 seconds with a blender.
Make the dressing, keep it in a separate airtight container, and dress the salad just before you eat it.
You can make the world of difference to all sorts of things with a dressing, or a bit of pimpin up with nuts, or cheese, or seeds, or raisins, or .... well, the sky's the limit really.
The key, IMHO, is taste. Make it nice, and make it varied. If you just have sliced mango, it won't be long before you come to detest the things. Variety and taste is key. And it takes a little effort on your part, but once you work out what to do (and the net is floating in dressing recipes, including healthy ones) it needs remarkably little effort. And believe me, your taste buds will thank you for the effort.
It's much, much easier to control weigh via diet than trying to exercise it off. It takes about 7 hours of brisk walking to burn a pound of fat, which is some serious walking.Then, in terms of exercise, whether you're in the gym or not, one of the best exercises to burn fat is fast walking. Not fast enough to get out of breath, or your heart rate too high, since that would start using carbs for energy. Just walk at a good pace, and combined with a higher fat/lower carb intake, watch the weight fall off. Simples.
Also 60Kg ??!! Are you a jockey ?
Society's to blame,
Or possibly Atari.
Or you could move to China..I've an idea. Share a sarnie of anything with me, catch the virulent stomach bug that's had me bedridden for nearly four days (when not in bed, in the loo), and bingo, there's at least 6 kg lost !
Feeling better now thanks
60kg isn't jockey likeI'm about that but my 174cm is distinctly too tall for a jockey
(and I don't eat mangoes)
its a dilemma , I see what he means about being bigger but not rotund .
Im not sure what I would do , but as far as losing weight id start by not thinking about it all , do without doing and changing your lifestyle or brain chemistry so you see yourself differently ( not purely in terms of size ) so your comparing yourself all the time.
I think its this judging and comparing , thats is killing you , even with your diet your here comparing what you eat to others , its a bad habit . IMO
No, its not easy to stop I know - society is full of egomaniacs on and offline comparing , and you might want to distance yourself from that , or at least control it if you can...
m
Last edited by melon; 19-03-2013 at 12:10 PM.
Great Vid. melon, -(must eat more fish
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