menu advise - please give me your opinion!

[karenm11]

What a great web site!
Have been reading the great support and advice you all have been given and was hoping some one could look at a typical day of food for me and give me opinion.
I am hoping to lose about 7kg and go to aerobics/gym 4-5 times a week - Am defo getting more toned but not losing any weight! am 25 and 5ft 6

Breakfast
oats - simple, 20 gram(s) (75 cal)
protein plus cereal, 35 gram (134 cal)
100ML EXTRA LOW FAT MILK (WORK), 50 ml (21cal)

Snack
Banana, fresh, 1 extra small (less than 6" long) (75cal)

Lunch
Chicken Breast, no skin, 100 grams (110cal)
Sesame Oil, 0.3 tbsp (36cal)
Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
Iceberg Lettuce (salad), 150 grams (21cal)
Cucumber (with peel), 85 grams (11cal)
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 5 cherry (18)
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 85 grams (69)

Snack
Prunes, dried, 5 prune (101cal)
Blissull fromage frais, 1 serving (135cal)

Dinner (from a premade batch of meals i made)
Carrots, cooked, 68 grams (24cal)
Onions, raw, 20 grams (8)
Butternut Squash, 77 grams (31)
Chicken Breast, no skin, 65 grams (72cal)
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 30 grams (24cal)
TINNED TOMATOES, 100 gram(s) (58cal)
chickpeas - coles home brand, 36 gram(s) (42cal)
Lemon Juice, 1 wedge yields
spaghetti - 33.3 gram(s) (118cal)

Extras
100ML EXTRA LOW FAT MILK (WORK), 100 gram (42) - for coffee
staminade 35ml, 1 serving (37) for at the gym
Satsuma 35cal - post gym

I eat like this (or pretty similar) around six days a week and then have a slightly slacker day that may involve wine and eating out.

Please tell me what you think!

[swanso5]

1 - cut aerobics back and start doing wts 3/week

2 - add a protein siurce to meal 2 (and every meal that doesn't have it such as meal 4)

3 - don't worry about counting cal's

4 - take pasta out of dinner meal

5 - maybe add a protein only meal before bed

6 - is "satsuma" protein?? if not replace it with a protein shae as soon as you finish your workout

[Boss Man]

What a great web site!
Have been reading the great support and advice you all have been given and was hoping some one could look at a typical day of food for me and give me opinion.
I am hoping to lose about 7kg and go to aerobics/gym 4-5 times a week - Am defo getting more toned but not losing any weight! am 25 and 5ft 6

Well if you're replacing Fat with Muscle, that can happen, so that's not a problem

Breakfast
oats - simple, 20 gram(s) (75 cal)
protein plus cereal, 35 gram (134 cal)
100ML EXTRA LOW FAT MILK (WORK), 50 ml (21cal)

Not bad.

Snack
Banana, fresh, 1 extra small (less than 6" long) (75cal)

Eat a larger Banana, with about 28g Carbs in, instead of roughly 18g, so you get about 112 calories, then add a Protein source in there. Calories are too low.

Lunch
Chicken Breast, no skin, 100 grams (110cal)
Sesame Oil, 0.3 tbsp (36cal)
Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
Iceberg Lettuce (salad), 150 grams (21cal)
Cucumber (with peel), 85 grams (11cal)
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 5 cherry (18)
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 85 grams (69)

That's fine

Snack
Prunes, dried, 5 prune (101cal)
Blissull fromage frais, 1 serving (135cal)

Be careful about the Fat in Fromage Frais, if there is a Fat free version, or lower Fat version, use that instead, and substitute the lost Calories for something like Almonds, or Low Salt Nuts, so as not to reduce your calories, as they're a bit low anyway on a daily basis.

Dinner (from a premade batch of meals i made)
Carrots, cooked, 68 grams (24cal)
Onions, raw, 20 grams (8)
Butternut Squash, 77 grams (31)
Chicken Breast, no skin, 65 grams (72cal)
Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, 30 grams (24cal)
TINNED TOMATOES, 100 gram(s) (58cal)
chickpeas - coles home brand, 36 gram(s) (42cal)
Lemon Juice, 1 wedge yields
spaghetti - 33.3 gram(s) (118cal)

Seems fine.

Extras
100ML EXTRA LOW FAT MILK (WORK), 100 gram (42) - for coffee
staminade 35ml, 1 serving (37) for at the gym
Satsuma 35cal - post gym

Needs more Protein after workouts.

Overall calories are almost 1,300, now with modifications I.E. two added Protein sources (25g each), and a larger Banana, you're talking about 240 calories, which is 1,540.

Allowing for your activity levels I still think this is a bit low.

So the easy thing would be, add about another 1/4 cup Almonds, to your Breakfast, and maybe some more Almonds, or low Salt Nuts, like Hazelnuts or Walnuts for example, to your mid morning snack, to boost daily healthy Fats intake.

You could also change the Satsuma, for say an Apple post-workout, which would increase Carbs from about 9 to 19, giving you an extra 40 calories.

You should then be able to further increase your Calories, to around 1,750-1,800.

This is more beneficial, as your calories aren't quite right now, and the figure I just mentioned above, will work better for you I think.

[karenm11]

Hi,

Thanks for the advise - just a couple of questions...

with regard to the number of calories - I have recently increased calories from 1200 to 1400 having realised it way too low for the ammount of exercise i was doing. In addition I have only just reintroduced carbs in to diet (at the same time) as was worried about burning muscle instead of fat - both done in repsonse to the research I have been doing on the net. Anyway, I am concerned about adding more calories as I dont want to risk putting on weight!
Can I confirm that I should be aiming for 1750 calories per day and increasing protein intake?
Thanks

[swanso5]

depends what your wt is

basically start at 14 calories per pound of bodyweight (so if 150pds you'd start at 2100) and if not decreasing wt increase activity...if 1 week later you haven't lost again than decrease a little...play this up and down game until you do lose than stick with it until you don't and start again

[Boss Man]

Well one thing to bear in mind is, when you're adding the calories in, your Metabolism is going to be used to a certain amount, so there is a possibility, the Metabolism is going to view some of those calories as excess, and convert them to Fat.

This should hopefully be a very short process, maybe around 2-3 weeks, (if it happens), so the Metabolism should adjust, and your body will allow itself to use the calories.

[karenm11]

Once again, thanks for tips...

What is your opinion of changing the calories consumed per day in order to shock the body and depending on what exercise I am doing. Have read that when doing weights I should consume more calories, for example I could eat 2000cal when doing a body pump class and then going down to 1700 when just doing cardio..

[Boss Man]

You can do that. Most people attempt that in the form of what's known as Carb Cycling.

So if you take for example someone using a Protein / Carb / Fat split of say 30 / 50 / 20, that might include 30g Protein, 40g Carbs, 9g Fat, so that's 360 calories a meal, 2,160 calories a day.

If someone cycles the Carbs, they could say cut Carbs down, by 20g a meal, (Low Carb Day), 80 calories Carbs a meal, 480 calories a day.

Then have a moderate day, with 30g Carbs a meal, 120 calories, 720 a day.

Then your 40g a meal one, as a high day.

This is how you might cycle them.

Day 1 High

Day 2. Low

Day 3. Moderate.

Day 4. Low

Day 5. High

Day 6. Moderate

Day 7. Low

That's an example, and then you'd play around with that to see what works best.

That is the best way to do it if you were going to, as you wouldn't want to cut Fats too much, and certainly not Protein, incase you cut Protein enough to deprive yourself of enough Amino Acids, for a day or two.

I would say this cycling method, is not something I praise or denounce. I wouldn't personally say it's necessary for anyone, but I wouldn't say don't do it.

[swanso5]

cycling cal's can be a bitch from all the counting and it just weighs you down

if diet is proper than that would mean you'd be having a high carb post training meal...on non training days you wouldn't have it so your basically cycling cal's there...on non training days (no cardio or wts) apart from breakfast only consume carbs from fruit, veg and salad

saves all the counting

[Boss Man]

apart from breakfast only consume carbs from fruit, veg and salad

I would have to include things like Whole-grain Wheatbread, Brown Rice, and Legumes in there too. Even if they are not considered high up on a Carb list, with Fruit and Veg, they provide very good Carb sources, and particualrly things like Soybeans, (for protein too), which are high in Isoflavones, so those things can be in there too.

Even things like Pasta and White Rice, just now and again are okay.

[swanso5]

these are only non training days so she won't neccesarily need them

[SarahPT]

Hi Karen,
I know I am a bit late in responding. You are clearly making some good food choices. If you have just increased calories and just added carbs back you will need to be a bit patient in waiting for your metabolism to adjust. It will be a great thing for your metabolism int he long run, but it does take time. I know how hard patience is when you want to burn fat off!

I think you could alter your exercise routine. Resistance training and structured cardio designed to burn fat would be helpful.

For your eating I agree on more balance. Your food choices are decent...I like that fruit, veggies and lean meats you've got in there. But balancing each meal alittle bit more in terms of size and nutritional make up might be helpful to further enhance your fat loss.

Please let me know if I can help more.

Sarah

[Boss Man]

But balancing each meal alittle bit more in terms of size and nutritional make up might be helpful to further enhance your fat loss.

Couldn't agree more. I've seen evidence here and elsewhere of people eatign healthy foods badly.

A worst case example I've seen being, someone eating 1 Egg as a snack, and then sometimes swapping it for an Apple.

I'm not trrying ot put someone down by that, but it highlights a need to take healthy eating, beyond the less junk more natural approach.

[karenm11]

Hi, thanks again guys

I am taking on board (or at least trying!) your advice. I'm aware that counting calories is probably not the way to move forward but having lost quite a bit of weight (down from 95kg to 66kg) it is difficult to get out of the habit!
I am trying to focus more on fitness than on weight loss but with with starting target weight only a few kilos away its hard not to obsess about the calorie thing (also sparked by recently giving up smoking)

Sarah - currently go to fitness first gym so doing les mils classes,
last week looked like this:
Mon - Body combat (45 mins) and body pump (45mins)
Tues - 15 mins warm up on treadmill RPM 45mins
Weds - Body pump (1 hour) and body balance (1 hour)
Thurs - Abs class (1/2hr) and rpm 45 mins
Fri - Body attach - 45 mins and body balance (45mins)
Nothing but a brisk walk over the weekend!

Would love to hear your opinion for fat burning potential...

[swanso5]

you must have been real strict on diet without an actual wts program...simply by starting on you should easily be able to get to your goal wt...i would schedule you like this

mon - wts
tue - rpm
wed - wts
thu - off
fri - wts
sat - sprints
sun - off

you may enjoy the clsses though but 2 in 1 day isn't the ebst idea