Improved your diet ?

[TaxiDriver]

Has anyone here radically improved their diet for health reasons ?

 

I've been lectured by the Dr for years about losing weight for all the usual reasons, one of the Dr's at my local surgery asked me if I would consider weight loss surgery and was talking stomach bypass not a gastric band.

More recently I'm coming round to the idea (well more a realisation really) that I've got to turn the tide and get my weight going downwards not ever upwards otherwise I could endup looking like some unfortunate you see on the telly, bedridden, only able to get about on a supsize mobility scooter.

 

I suppose I do a fair degree of 'comfort' or boredom snacking, but also eat alot of junk/fried food, most main evening meals for example will be with chips because.......well what else do you eat if not chips ?

Well, you get the idea............

 

Oh the 18st woman dietician I was refered to a couple of years ago, sat behind her desk on which was a packet of crisps, a kitKat and a can of Fanta and told me I needed to eat less......

[william1]

hi matey try and stop you whitebread and cut your sugar down .i did this and lost a stone in a month a b s trev

 

start on brown less fat in it

[mr who?]

Dieting is easy , its the sticking to it thats the hard part!!

 

It all really comes down to one simple question "How badly do you want it?"

 

A few common mistakes people make are .

 

(1) Not eating all day , then saying "Ive been really good all day , I think Ill treat myself to fish and chips tonight"

 

What happens here is your body thinks it is being starved , So when you do eat , your body will try to store everytnig you eat into fat , So you end up eating the wrong thing , at the wrong time! I.E. a fatty ,high carb meal , right at the end of the day .

 

(2) Trying to lose weight by just dieting .

 

Yes , it can be done , but why make something thats hard to do , even harder? Some light exercise will make all the differance , nothing too mad , just some walking , running , skipping , light weights etc... Basically , you need to burn off more cals than you are taking in , if you do this , you WILL lose weight .

 

(3)Not eating enough , and eating the wrong things .

 

You really want to try to be eating about 4-6 times a day , small and often .

 

(4) Eating because its lunchtime/dinner time , bored etc...

 

If you really only ever eat because your actully hungry , not starving , all weak and shanky etc... but just pass the peckish stage , then you would be amazed at how little you will eat!! dont eat because its lunchtime , nor cause its there in the cupboard , or cause your bored etc... make it a rule that you will only ever eat because you are actually hungry .

 

(5) Having a goal weight .

 

The problem here is your weight go's up down on a daily bases , dont think of this as a "Goal" you are trying to make , think of it more of a "Life style" change , something you are gonig to be doing from now on .

 

(6) Thinking you have failed if you "Fall off the wagon"

 

Allow yourself one "Cheat" meal , or whole day , per week . At least this way you can have something you really want once per week , plus , its also helps to shock your body into being more effective at dieting when you are back on it .

 

(7) Snacking , on the wrong things , at the wrong times .

 

If you feel the need to have a snack , have something healthy . theres plently of stuff out there if you look around the shops for it , the worst thing is eating high carb things , crisps , biscuits , chocolate etc... late in the day . if you must have something high in carbs , try to eat it as early in the day as possible , this way it gives your body a chance to burn it off during the day .

 

I once lost 5 stone of fat , and put on a stone of lean muscle in a year , hard work , but can be done .

 

Anyway , the bottom line is its your choice mate , no one can do it for you , if it was easy , we would all have perfect bodys all the time wouldnt we?

 

Good luck with it anyway mate , I really hope this helps you some?

 

All the very best fellas .

 

Andy .

[highseas]

well i have been trying to shift some weight ive put on just over 4 stone in a year! mainly comfort eating and bordom after me and the e went our ways.

 

i realy want to get back into my suit,hand made italian silk stunning i cant even get my leg in it!

[V8landy]

Before you eat anything, drink some water. More likely thirst than hunger. People do not drink enough water.

[Willxx]

I've switched to eating fruit during the day at work and a regular meal in the evening, tried to cut back on chocolate (my big failing)and generally reduced as much as possible, increased exercise and generally tried to do better - oh and stopped drinking alcohol (mostly - I'm not teetotal by any means)

 

I've seen my weight drop by over a stone but I'm always hungry and if I do eat a big meal ie we went for a curry last weekend it seems to add a disproportionate amount on to what I eat ie we went for a curry at the weekend but it was by no means 5lbs of curry (even with a couple of soft drinks) but my weight jumped up by that much!!

[Budice]

When you do eat, eat slow and stop when you feel full as well. and if you do feel like a snack, eat a piece of fruit

[imissalot]

told i had diabetes massive diet change no sugar salt ,panicked at first then just chilled out, fruit flavored water and was allowed dark chocolate (always loved dark choc)eat small regularly no fissy drinks def no lucozade (was my fav drink) half the bottle is sugar ,lost 3 stone

Edited December 7, 2011 by imissalot

[Thunderbird]

I think that's cracking advice Mr Who? and others.

 

Consciously giving yourself smaller portions (perhaps on a smaller plate) and taking your time eating works quite well.

 

The Thais only eat when they're hungry and don't really have 'mealtimes' like we do. You don't see many fat Thais.

 

Now our little boy is nearly four we're trying to eat with him sometimes at about 5:30 (if I'm home) and that works well, nice and hungry after a day at work and by bedtime we've had a good few hours to digest it.

[Dunkield]

Plenty of good advice there.

IMO you need to identify your weaknesses and deal with them.

I have never been fat, but do watch my weight as I can pack it on in no time at all.

Crisps were my thing, never ordered a pint without a packet of salt and vinegar, and always had them in the cupboard at home, we now have packets of dried mango or similar, so when I get home before Mrs D I just have some of that instead of a packet of crisps.

I would also agree with only eating what you need, rather than just following the routine of stuffing yourself 3 times, or more, a day.

Also get some positive feedback from somewhere. I go to the Wellman clinic at my GP once every 5 years, I went the other day and was told I am 1kg lighter than I was 5 years ago and 3kg lighter than I was 10 years ago which can't be a bad thing. If you feel you are making sacrifices that sort of news can help.

[Mrs Sweepy]

Ever thought about being sponsered to lose weight.

If your doing it for a good cause then your most probley stick to it.

 

Exercise is a good start, over the years i have done most forms of exercise but the one that seems to keep me trim and the weight off is walking.

or if you dont fancy that get the old bike out.

even some of these wii games are good for burning fat and giving the old heart a good pacing

 

Dieting yes you lose the weight but if you have a fair bit too lose do you really want the saggy skin look afterwards.Start exercising with the weight lost and you will notice the differance.

and also it will make you feel a hell alot better about yourself too.

xxxxSuzy

[TaxiDriver]

The exercise thing is part the problem,

Through a history of heavy manual work coupled with poor lifting practices I have degenerative disc problems (accelerated wear and tear basically) leaving me with mobility problems and sciatic nerve impairement.

All of the above is not helped by carrying excess weight, but it's becoming less of a viscious circle and more of a downward spiral.

 

Sponsored weight loss ? now there's an idea

 

I've tried before buying more fruit/salad stuff And all that happened was it ended up going rotten in the bowl/salad drawer, Cous cous is the work of the devil :yp:

[Dunkield]

All of the above is not helped by carrying excess weight, but it's becoming less of a viscious circle and more of a downward spiral.

There is your motivation then

[Thunderbird]

I know not everyone is a fan but the weight watchers points system is not a bad approach to get an initial weight loss going. Before anyone has a go at me I'm not saying buy all their rubbish or even join them, but google their system and it's just based on a combination of measuring calorie/saturated fat/fibre intake, mixed with your current and desired weight, and exercise.

 

Also because of our innate desire for sweet high fat foods make a list of food that just basically ain't worth eating if you're trying to lose weight, like cheese, cream, chocolate etc. There are many many ways to eat really tasty food that doesn't have to be ******* salad and ******* cous cous! The LAST thing you want hen trying to lose weight in the winter is salad!

 

Energy intake < energy expended = weight loss.

[TaxiDriver]

There is your motivation then

Thanks, Yes I appreciate where my motivation is.

But as I said in my initial post

" most main evening meals for example will be with chips because.......well what else do you eat if not chips ?"

It's this sort of thing thats leaving me befuddled and confused.

[Dr W]

How about brown rice, brown pasta, jacket potatoes instead of chips?

[Raja Clavata]

Wholeheartedly agree - some cracking advice here

 

If you aren't into salad and the likes of couscous plus "proper" exercise is out of the question then how about just trying to eat less of your current diet without radically changing anything. If you can walk OK at a reasonable pace then you should be able to buck the trend.

 

Good luck!

[TaxiDriver]

How about brown rice, brown pasta, jacket potatoes instead of chips?

I suppose there must be things that you do to rice to make it edible ? Have tried before and it's never been a success, always bland, or stodgy or both, bland AND stodgy MMM yum.

Jacket spuds are good but done properly in the oven takes time/planning, Microwave is good but not quite the same.

 

it's things like walking into the greengrocery section and looking at all the different fruit & veggies and thinking "I'm not even sure which of those I can eat, or how to prepare/cook them"

 

Thanks for the input so far folks.

[Mrs Sweepy]

If you cant live without the chips.

make homemade ones,Bake in the oven with a spray of fry light(tesco in oil section)

have with bake beans(or veg) and egg.

very filling meal and one that i always follow if i want to fit in my little black number by the end of the week

i also work most evenings and as long as you perpare the chips before you go to work its a quick one too.

Plus thier must be some form of exercise you can do. Theirs always someone at the Doctors who can advise you.

You can be in a wheelchair and still exercise.

I take it you live on your own ?

xxxxSuzy

Edited December 7, 2011 by Mrs Sweepy

[TaxiDriver]

If you cant live without the chips.

make homemade ones,Bake in the oven with a spray of fry light(tesco in oil section)

have with bake beans(or veg) and egg.

very filling meal and one that i always follow if i want to fit in my little black number by the end of the week

i also work most evenings and as long as you perpare the chips before you go to work its a quick one too.

Plus thier must be some form of exercise you can do. Theirs always someone at the Doctors who can advise you.

You can be in a wheelchair and still exercise.

I take it you live on your own ?

xxxxSuzy

 

Agree about doing some exercise, swimming would be good, as would a bit of cycling. Have gotten a little past that at the moment.

Good idea for the healthier chips.

LOL at the Dr's suggestion (sorry) long story but briefly covered in my initial post.

 

No, I don't live on my own (might aswell) and have a 11yr old son, have tried to encourage him to get out, to come walking down the farm with me, and he has a pushbike, but I'd love to take him out to the park for a kick about.

 

Thanks again.

[Thunderbird]

Also remember you can make very healthy tasty and spicy food, no fat or calories in chillies!

 

Fry up some onions, chillies and chicken in a little splash of sesame oil (put a lid on and it won't dry up), add some vegetables if you want or mushrooms, do some noodles (or even brown rice!) on the hob and drain them then chuck them in with a bit of fish sauce and soy sauce.

 

Let is cook for a bit so the flavours combine and hey presto a one bowl special. Really tasty, filling and as spicy as you want. Probably a quarter of the fat and calories of meat pie and chips!

[rimfire4969]

Agree about doing some exercise, swimming would be good, as would a bit of cycling. Have gotten a little past that at the moment.

Good idea for the healthier chips.

LOL at the Dr's suggestion (sorry) long story but briefly covered in my initial post.

 

No, I don't live on my own (might aswell) and have a 11yr old son, have tried to encourage him to get out, to come walking down the farm with me, and he has a pushbike, but I'd love to take him out to the park for a kick about.

 

Thanks again.

please don't take any of this the wrong way.

 

You don't say how over weight you are, do you need to lose 2 stone or 10? Would you say the rest of your family is over weight? If this is something you can do together it will help, I needed to lose a few stone and i had tried many times before the last time my wife done the diet with me, she is a size 8 and it nearly killed her, but I did make it and now just fight to keep it off.

[Gully]

In my house now, we have a tupperware box where I put sunflower seeds, pumpkling seeds, sultanas, almonds, dried cranberries etc.

 

If I or my family are peckish we have some of that and it fills us up. I've lost about a stone since stopping other snacks. It makes a good breakfast too, very slow release of carbs.

[Mrs Sweepy]

Another reason for losing it, your son .

and If he eats the same meals as you.

Then eating more healthy will be a good thing for him to.

Yet us know how you get on

xxxxSuzy

[Dunkield]

I love meat but try replacing meat for veggies from time to time.

Never thought I would say it but I now prefer Aubergine Lasagna to 'the real thing'

 

As an example of balance, I have just had a couple of pints of Firsty Ferret but...

We walked a mile, really quickly, to the pub and back to have them