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09-07-2005, 01:25 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1
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Need help eating right.
Hello all. I am a 30yr old 6ft. male. I am pushing around 230lbs and it mostly in my gut. I want to drop down to around 200 or so. Anyways, about 3 months ago I started a very rigurous job that rarely gives me time to eat. The last time I had weighed myself around 6 months ago, I was at 243. I started the job 3 months ago and was working basically 10 hour days and didnt really get a chance to eat till closer to dinner time. (I have never been a breakfast person). I basically get up around 5 am and get to work before 6 am. I am constantly moving around and working and dont get home till 5pm on some days. I will mostly drink water and every once and a while grab a snack like chips or something. Well, byt the time I get home, I am extremely hungry and will just mow down some junk food from Wendy's or order a Pizza or something because I am so tired I dont really want to cook or anything like that. Well, when I weighed myself after working there for a month, I had dropped around 5 lbs or so. Weeks later I dropped another 8 lbs or so, putting me at 230lbs now. I have been stuck at this weight now for the last month without a drop in weight. I know its probably because my body is doing some kind of stabalizing or something and it will stay the same. I think that if I snack right and do what I need to do I can lose more weight. I guess my question is,what should I be snacking on? When should I be snacking or actually eating a breakfast and lunch. Any suggestions or comments or even criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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09-07-2005, 11:54 AM
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#2 (permalink)
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Posts: 17
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Grab and go snacks
With the schedule and eating pattern you have it's no wonder you are too tired to cook and ravenous when you come in from work - it's quite tough on your body.
If you really want to change the way you eat to lose weight (because you seem to be getting plenty of general exercise in your job) then you'll need to do a bit of planning ahead.
Have lots of healthy snacks available to keep you going during the day - simple stuff you literally just grab like bananas, apples, ready-prepared carrot sticks, small boxes raisins or 5 or 6 almonds. You can have these spread out through the day.
When you get in from work tired and hungry, sit down, put your feet up and eat a small snack - maybe a couple of crackers with a spoonful of peanut butter, a cup of tea and a square of chocolate (just one!) or a bowl of yogurt with chopped up fruit and take a breather while you get your energy back a little. The key is to take the edge off your appetite before you decide you have to call out for dinner. Then prepare yourself something healthy and quick - all the better if you've decided in advance what you'll have that evening - less hassle having to think.
Keep your cupboards and fridge stocked with easy to prepare foods - pasta with home-made tomato sauce and cheese - you can make this in 10 minutes and easily cook enough for a few meals at the same time so you have something in the freezer to defrost. Or an omlette and salad with wholemeal toast. Or a stir fry. And if you really don't like to cook choose the healthiest ready meals and soups and always eat with plenty of vegetables or salad. Baked potatoes are good too if you have a microwave.
Hope this helps
Janice
http://www.SimplySlimming.com
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09-17-2005, 10:37 AM
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#3 (permalink)
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 3
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Energy in = Energy Out = no weight change
Energy in > Energy Out = weight gain
Energy in < Energy Out = weight loss
Energy In = protein, carbohydrates, and fats [all foods and many drinks "good" and "bad" break down to these]
protein = 4 Calories
carbohydrates = 4 Calories
fats = 9 Calories
alcohol = 7 Calories
Energy Out -
Basal Metabolism: based on bodyweight (muscle, fat, and the rest), age, gender, genetics, etc...usually about 60-70% of total energy out (as you lose weight, bodyweight goes down, so less energy out. Muscle weight is very metabolically active, so you want to keep that and lose the fat
Physical Activity: It takes energy to move (depends - but usually ~15-30 total energy out for most folks)
Thermic Effect of Food: It takes energy to metabolize food you eat (~10% total energy out)
3500 Calories in a pound of fat. So to lose 10 pounds of fat, that equates to 35,000 Stored Calories/ stored energy that needs to be expended. I mile of walking = ~100 Calories. Thus diet plays an important role. You must eat less than you need each day by about 500 Calories plus you must become more physically active. This must be done for a very long time to lose substantial pounds. Just figure out the math. If you eat 500 Calories less every single day than you need, you will lose 1 pound in 1 week. As you lose weight (become less metabolically active), you need to adjust the amount of Calories you need or increase the amount of exercise you do or increase muscle mass in order to maintain the 500 Calorie deficit.
Weight loss is nothing more than a scientific and mathematical problem. It can be accomplished efficiently by understanding the math. The composition of the diet and the "foods you choose" are only relevent to weight loss as they relate to Calories and much less so as they relate to satiety, desire for foods, when to eat, what to eat or other pyschological factors. These factors can help to keep you consistent with the primary goal which is energy in < energy out.
Hope this helps...
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