Need nutrition and exercise critque for weight loss

[feelin-great]

Hi there! I am new to this site and it seems there are some very knowledgeable people that are more than willing to help so I am glad I found the site! I am trying to lose weight, and so far I have been successful. I started at 165 pounds on January 3rd, and I am currently at 150.2, so I think I am doing alright. biggest concern is that I am going to plateau.

Here is what a typical day is like for food and exercise:

Breakfast
Protein shake

Morning Snack
1 cup grapes

Lunch
1 cup Dannon Light and Fit yogurt with 1/2 cup blueberries/raspberries and 1/8 cup kashi nuggets cereal

Afternoon Snack
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh cucumber, carrots and red pepper

After work
protein shake or low fat string cheese

Workout
20 minutes elliptical set at level 3 (levels go to 8 max) set to random
plus
20 minutes recumbent bike level 4 intervals

OR

Jillian Michael's Banish Fat Boost Metabolism DVD or Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVD

Dinner
I generally just eat a Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones meal

I know, the dinner is embarrassing and horrible, but I live alone and by the time I get home from an 11 hour work day and pick up dog and then workout and shower, I am so exhausted I can't stand the thought of cooking and having to clean up!

I welcome any tips and critiques! goal is to ultimately get down to around 125-130 pounds (I am 5'4"). I have yo-yo'd with weight for the past seven years and I just want to get to a lifestyle that I can maintain.

Thanks for the help!

[Nokie173]

Hi,

I have similar goals too… but short terms & long termsI’ve been stuck but I’m still working on it. Keep in mind, this is a life style you will have to change your eating habits and so forth. Yes, you try hard now and if you stop… You can and just might gain it back. Your health should be important to you and you can make time for it!!!

Trust me about working long hours!!! At the moment, I am working from 5AM-9PM!!!
How many hours is that??? Trust me, I’m butt tired b/c I work 7 days a week (until April 15!!!! YAY!!!) But after April 15… work hours are from 6:30AM-9PM 5 days a week…
Work will always be work but if I don’t make time to take care of health..
Who will… work? Nah, I don’t think so!

This is input and I know many more will have theirs too.

Breaky – Add some carbs… Maybe oatmeal? High fiber cereal?
(I like to have a little bigger meal for breaky to boost metabolism)

Snack#1 – Add protein in here… Like string cheese? Turkey deli? Almond nuts?
Eat your fruits 15mins before... just to help your digestive system.

Lunch – I personally like the light to non fat plain yogurt because they have little sugar/carbs.
Although some yogurt say it’s light in calories… It’s pretty darn high in sugar.
Have some grilled chicken breast or steam fish and steam veggie or grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegar dressing.

Snack#2 – Have some proteins…

After workout – Protein shake and follow by some complex carbs if you like?
Like sweet potatoes… Oh yum..

Dinner – Nothing really wrong with frozen dinner.. It’s just VERY high in sodium tho. But I prefer to have a salad or steam veggies with some lean protein.

If I’m still hungry… I’ll have scramble eggs or protein shake or cottage cheese. I try to stay away from carbs at night… but really don’t want to go to sleep starving.

As for your workout. It’s good you have cardio… maybe try some weights?

I know it’s hard to have time when you’re so busy… But you can make time for it. On Sunday after work, I go out and buy food and make them for the following week!
Cut up veggies… sometimes, I get frozen ones and warm it up at work. I buy a stack of eggs and egg whites… I boil eggs to have hard boiled eggs handy incase I get hungry and would stop me from snacking on junk food! I buy some lean mean super clean chicken breast, turkey/turkey breast, lean beef… Sometimes deli, sometimes frozen sometimes raw and cook them up for the week! Preparing and packing your food is the best… ok, that’s just little input.

[feelin-great]

Trust me about working long hours!!!

OK, so I know that is just an excuse for me - although I am exhausted and it is late by the time I get around to cooking. The hardest part for me is cooking for one added to the fact that I really, really hate to cook and have to clean up after

Snack#1 – Add protein in here… Like string cheese? Turkey deli? Almond nuts?
Eat your fruits 15mins before... just to help your digestive system.

I have never heard of this? I would normally have eaten the fruit last because I always like to eat the sweet stuff at the end.

Lunch – I personally like the light to non fat plain yogurt because they have little sugar/carbs.
Although some yogurt say it’s light in calories… It’s pretty darn high in sugar.
Have some grilled chicken breast or steam fish and steam veggie or grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegar dressing.

Problem with eating chicken/fish/steamed veggies, etc at lunch - I don't have the means to heat food up so whatever I bring has to be cold.

Dinner – Nothing really wrong with frozen dinner.. It’s just VERY high in sodium tho. But I prefer to have a salad or steam veggies with some lean protein.

The sodium is why I was embarrassed to admit about the frozen dinners - I just really, really hate to cook... But I guess I could start adding a fresh salad.

As for your workout. It’s good you have cardio… maybe try some weights?

I can't afford to join a gym right now and I am at a complete loss as to what to do at home!!!! I wouldn't mind using free weights and such at home, I just don't really know where to begin!

I know it’s hard to have time when you’re so busy… But you can make time for it. On Sunday after work, I go out and buy food and make them for the following week!

You know, this is always on "to do" list but by the time I get around to going to the grocery store on Sundays I just don't feel like trudging out in this crummy Wisconsin weather! It is so much easier to stop on way home from work - I know I need to get over it and just do it!

Thanks for the input!

[feelin-great]

Another thing I am confused about - according to this site I should be getting about 1,768 calories a day to get to goal. That seems like a lot. I used to do Weight Watchers several years ago and based on the point system they use I didn't come anywhere near that many calories a day, it was closer to 1,100 to 1,200. I had success with this so the 1,768 seems really high to me. I don't really feel like I could lose weight at the rate I want with that many calories. How accurate is that in terms of goal calories?

[fitoverforty]

You can do bodyweight exercises at home. I'm sure the Jillian video has some BW exercises in it, yes? If you can do a regular pushup then you are lifting 65 to 80% of your own weight. Your body doesn't know the difference between BW lifts and barbell lifts if the weight is the same, see? Pullups are even better, with you "lifting" all of your weight.
I know that is is hard to imagine losing weight with the calories at over 1700, but it does work with a good strength/cardio workout plan. You want to have something that will be a eating and workout program that you can follow for your normal routine, not just a temporary diet that only works for a while.
There are several of us who post what our daily diets are (Nokie's is one of the best! she has lost close to 40+lbs.) as well as Brentyboy's diet journal..although you may have to go back a few pages in his to see, but his is excellent. Lots of fresh veggies, fruit, lean proteins, low carbs.
Just want to encourage you to eat healthy, I know it is hard in the beginning, and you are doing great! As you read the forums here, you will learn SO much about the benefits of clean, healthy, wholesome eating, and get some great ideas and tips on exercise.

[feelin-great]

Good point, I wasn't working out then. But now I am scared to add calories because I have been working out and eating around 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day and have lost an average of 2.1 pounds per week - if I add 500 or so calories per day I won't lose as quickly But I guess it will be easier to maintain that regimen so I it's worth a try! Maybe I will start posting diet journal so I can get help when needed! How do I go about doing that, do I just post it as a new topic???

[fitoverforty]

You can start your own thread in the "Diet Journals" forum. That's where some of the ones I suggested to you are at.

[Carlos1980]

I think the biggest difference can come through your training.

See if you can implement resistsnce traiing to your regimin. Try building some muscle and that cou;d be your ticket to permanent fat loss