Need dieting advice asap?

[bubbles-09]

need dieting advice such as what to eat on a morning, afternoon and night, also I would like to do cardio training, but I'm not signing up to a gym.. any advice would be great! x

[roxygirlskier]

I like an hour of cardio and then I do weights plus stretching, 30 pushups in sets of 10 and 125-200 crunches in sets of 25. definitely stay within your target cardio heart rate while exercising though.

in terms of dieting food. go on caloriecount.about.com and calculate your bmr (basal metabolic rate) they have lots of tools on that website that you can use for dieting. my caloric intake (I'm SUPER short) is about 1600 calories a day so I tried to eat somewhere around 1200 calories. 1200 is the least amount of calories a female should eat per day. so once you figure out your bmr you can get an idea of what foods you should be eating. stick with things high in protein like yoghurt, chicken, soy beans etc. it will help balance out your metabolism since the sugar reuptake will be a lot slower.

yanno that awful feeling you get after you eat a ton of candy? that's because your body took up sugar too quickly... sticking with food high in protein will prevent that feeling. also, don't forget the fruits and veges. I generally try to eat veges at every meal... like peas or corn or brocoli. doesn't have to be special. lettuce doesn't really have much in it other than water fyi. . also, one piece of fruit at lunch and dinner is great... like an apple, orange, appricot (sp). lastly, don't leave out the carbs.. those are what you need for energy! stay away from pasta (it's SO hard) and stick with one or two pieces of low-fat, low-calorie wheat bread per day. I've lost 20 pounds by following this.. My meals have been a bit boring since I stick with fresh vegetables and fruits. I don't really ever put sauces on things unless it's chicken. It works though! I also went to the gym 3-6 days per week.

link

That's the link for the site I used. It's free! and it gives you a chart and tells you how far off you are in certain food categories. it's very helpful for planning your next meal if you chart things. that takes extra time, but it's realllly helpful.

my basic day of food for several months looked something like this:

breakfast: luna protein bar for breakfast (180 calories)

lunch: one bun (bread) with two pieces of turkey, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and one slice of cheese (cheese has tons of calories so def be careful... I found pickles worked to replace the taste of cheese on a sandwich. also, I usually ate peas along with this and I threw in an orange. maybe a 50 calorie cup of soup

dinner: chicken of some sort, more peas or corn or broccoli (totally fresh, maybe steamed, no toppings) banana or something sugary. (I have a major sweet tooth, so I generally threw in some cereal at the end of my meal... yes, SUGARY cereal... just about 4 ounces will do it, sometimes 6 or 8.

remember, every once and a while you need to reward yourself. at least once a week worked for me. don't follow traditional meals, snack, eat cereal for desert. enjoy

[sarahh_12]

First off, let's start with your diet, you need 10-15% of your caloric intake to be protein; 20-30% fats, but make sure they are unsaturated fats, unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats; and 40-60% from carbs. If you're shooting to lose weight your calorie intake each day has to be less than your loss. Fruits and vegetables are great for snacks. You need about six "meals" each day. Breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day, it sets up the way your body's going to function for the day and makes a big difference on metabolism, it should be something like oatmeal with berries; a snack about 2-3 hours later, something like fruit and yogurt or cheese or even a V8 (the regular one not the sweet one, it contains more unnecessary sugars); lunch, nothing too big, but make sure it's a meal with protein, your body needs this energy for your workout; another snack, nuts and cheese or something just like before; dinner, if it's within thirty minutes of the end of your workout you will greatly benefit from protein seeing as your body will still be working hard and it'll take up the protein; and another snack, just like the ones before, you have to make sure your snacks aren't large. A typical snack for me would be a V8 and a string cheese (the string cheese typically has 9 grams of protein in each), or some nuts or something like that.

Now for cardio running is a really great way of shaping up, toning up, and losing weight. It works every part of your body if you run with correct form. However, you need to match up your cardio with resistance training. Maybe get some free weights to use for upper body and you can do regular floor exercises for legs and abs. People don't realize that wtih the right diet and exercise getting in shape and staying in shape isn't that hard of a task.

Good luck! If you have any other questions feel free to ask! :)

[joshuadwa]

everything here seems to be good adivce, except I just had one question. I am a male that does heavy weight training, so my macro nutritiant break down is 40% of calories from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fats.

Does the different macro needs come in to effect because gender differences or more so goal differences?

[sarahh_12]

It's more so for goal differences. I'm guessing you like to be built and and big which is why you need not only more calories each day, but more calories in different areas. The above is mostly for a female that wants to maintain and live a healthy and fit lifestyle.

[Moros]

If you want to do some cardio, you can do it at home. Jump rope is good if you have enough room indoors and even something as basic as jumping jacks will get your heart rate going. Jogging in place is also good cardio and works your calves. What I do for cardio is jumping jacks, then jogging in place as a break, then back to jumping jacks and so on. Simple but effective. It is only effective if you take minimal breaks. If you have to stop, then do so, but do not take too long of a break or you won't get much cardio out of it.

When it comes to meals, eat the most nutrient dense foods available. For example I try to eat the healthiest cereal available in the house in the morning. For me its about the sugar. The less sugar in a cereal the better. That's at about 7 AM. At 10 am I eat something like a banana, strawberries, orange, or just 1 slice of whole wheat bread(not white whole wheat). Any one of those for that 10 am snack. At 12 pm it varies depending on what's available in the house. I do some grocery shopping, but everything I buy seems to disappear within the week. Fruits are great for a snack, but you also need a source of protein. Sometimes during lunch I'll have a cup of black beans which contain plenty of fiber and protein in one. Maybe a chicken breast as well to go along with it during lunch. Then around 3 pm break, I'll have, again, banana, strawberries, orange, or slice of whole wheat bread. Again, depending on what you have available. Then for dinner, my mom usually cooks, so I eat what she makes.

Which leads me to portion control.

I understand it is a very hard thing to do. I struggle with it myself. I like to eat, but I don't like to eat a lot in one sitting. That results in bloating. In order to stay slim, I eat something small by looking at the typical serving size on a food label and such of what I'm eating. For example, when eating cereal you might be tempted to get the largest bowl you can find and fill it up with a lot of cereal and milk. You might be having 2-3 servings of cereal and 2 serving of milk in one sitting. So look for the serving size and measure your portions to keep it under control. Also, do no eat until you are full. Only eat enough to get you through the 2 or 3 hours until your next small meal. And one more thing, do not eat anything 3 hours before bed time. I sleep at 10 PM so my last meal would be between 6-7 PM. After 7 do not eat anything at all. This way your metabolism works more efficiently at night while you sleep. Instead of digesting the food in your sleep your metabolism will focus on maintaining normal body functions.

And that's it. This is all off the top of my head. If you have anymore questions, ask, and if I come up with anything else I'll post it.

[Moros]

One last things, do not drink and sugared beverages. Only things I drink are water and maybe 2 servings of whole milk a day.

[joshuadwa]

there is moe saturated fat in a serving of milk than in a thing if french fries.milk is designed for babies. A babies entire purpose is to get big... Milk helps you get big. I drunk agallon a day when bulking. just under 3000 cals... In one gallon... Soda doesn'thave that many cals

[Moros]

Hence why I said maybe 2 servings a day. 150 calories per serving. And milk is more beneficial than having empty calories in a can of soda if you ask me.

[somnambulated]

Almond milk anyone? It's so delicious and it tends to have more calcium than regular milk. It has no cholesterol and only nut fat. I buy unsweetened original Almond Breeze. :)

[Manolis]

I so agree with you :)

[WeaponZero]

Every meal should include a source of whole grains and a source of protein as well as a fruit/vegetable. Calculate your needed calorie intake via an online calorie calculator. Eat 5 meals a day, each meal totalling about 300 or so calories if you are the minimum.

I'll show you an example of mine.

For breakfast:

Breakfast parfait made from lowfat cottage cheese, mixed fruits, honey, and Bear Naked Peak Protein granola with slice of whole wheat toast.

AM snack is a protein bar (I use high calorie ones due to my caloric needs, but there are low calorie ones)

Lunch is a Morningstar Farms veggie burger with ketchup, mustard, a slice of lowfat cheese on a whole grain bun with a small container of steamed mixed vegetables.

PM snack is another protein bar

Dinner is a flatbread sandwich wrap made with boneless skinless chicken breast baked and seasoned, baby spinach leaves, olives, minced garlic, tomato, pesto sauce, and feta cheese.

I also have a post workout protein shake which I sometimes add peanut butter to and make into a smoothie. That's a typical day in my nutrition plan.

Best form of pure cardio is jumping rope. It far beats any form of running or jogging. But really you should add some sort of resistance training in there too. Depending on what your goals are, pure cardio may not be enough.

I've learned a lot about this sort of thing as I have pretty much gone through a total transformation, lost 115 lbs so far and only a little bit left to go. Feel free to add me for more info on this sort of thing.

[joshuadwa]

Listen to this guy. I have known him a while and he has lost an entire person. I would say 6 meals though. Most people think eating 6 meals is a bad idea. But it actually elevates your metabolism and helps burn more calories.

[joshuadwa]

I have to say that a 15 mile run with 90 pounds if gear is the best cardio personally. I have done it a few times and it's killer. But if you are sane jumping rope is good. Hiit is AWESOME look it up. Normal cardio burns calories while you exercise. Hiit makes you burn calories at an elevated rate up to 4 hours after you stop exercising

[joshuadwa]

I also recommend weight training. It will help you get a good tone look. And muscle is awesome. It burns calories chilling there. I have to eat about 4500 cals a day to maintain muscle. Ieat so much but still am skinny because my muscle mass

[tigerlily9938]

I'm 18 and I've lost 55lbs by eating EVERYTHING ... such as steak ,boiled eggs , oatmeal.,fruit , cottage cheese , veggies ( raw and cooked)etc etc. I don't eat junk food . Also don't drink stuff with fake sugar. It causes your insulin to spike and you store belly fat. Also I would say jump rope is an amazing cardio workout. I swim 1.5 miles everyday now at my local Y. If you can, I would join your local YMCA . Oh yeah , cut all oils out of your life such as butter and vegtable oil Instead use olive oil.

This is my usual day:

Breakfast:

Oatmeal ( Not that instant crap)

coffee 0r green tea

1 glass whole milk ( divide half for the oatmeal and the other half drink: note if you take calcium supplements , take them with your milk. The body absorbs it much better that way)

1 Tbsp of walnuts( sprinkled on oatmeal)

1/2 tsp honey ( a natural sweetener which is filled with antioxidants)

1 apple ( cut and mix into oatmeal or bite into it with your teeth :P )

Snack:

1 boiled egg

Lunch:

1 serving tuna

1 stalk celery

1/2 bell pepper

pepper

salt

1 Tbsp regular mayo

Chop and combine celery ,tuna. Season with salt + pepper , and put it all on your pepper half.

Snack:

piece of fruit

Dinner: fill 3/4 of your dinner plate with veggies

eat 3 0z or any protein ( as long as it's not kentucky fried chicken)

Beverages: drink green tea and water.

Good luck

P.S. : take an hour walk outside. You burn more calories than on a treadmill.

[Anonymous]

advice from someone who used to be fat...

loosing weight is just basic maths: burn more calories than you put in.

ignore every fad diet that was ever invented. don't try to completely cut out any food group from your diet.

having said that, if you find you crave one food type more than others, make rules for yourself, eg, I love carbs, my rule is, I can eat any carb a want but only for one meal per day. rermember crash diets don't work, EVER even if you loose five kilos in the first week, no amount of will power can override your bodies conviction that you re starving yourself, and need to eat.

the only way you will ever succeed is the slow way

when it comes to food you need to find a strategy that works for you personally, its important you don't feel constantly starved, bored or that you re torturing yourself, find healthy foods that you actually enjoy, hunt out and invent new recipes.

excercise is your friend, it plays a huge role in weight loss, being fit will give you energy, muscle will burn calories faster and if you are constantly active it won't matter so much if you fall of the wagon once in a while with the food.,

you can train yourself to love excercise. if you tell yourself you re really looking forward to your run after work, pretty soon you will find that you really do look forward to it. assuming you re relatively young, you will get fit very quickly,

[Anonymous]

Don't cut back too much on any nutrient (including carbs and fat). Keep to your daily nutritional needs.

E.g lots of fruit & veg, some dairy, meat, fish twice a week, grains, carbs, starches etc.

I count dairy as fats (milk, yogurt and cheese) and usually count grains as carbs because wholemeal bread is both. Also, breakfast cereal is grains.

Starches are things like pasta and potato.

Do all this, but within your calorie allowance. If you cut down on a nutrient too much (even fat), your body will not be as efficient in absorbing certain mierals/vits.

Keep your diet balanced, but work out your daily calorie goals. If you're trying to eat healthily, you probably won't be going over it as these foods tend to be more filling.

[pbima]

in a nutshell: cut back on your calories from fat, and sugar content. check labels to learn about which foods are high in these areas (all junk food, sweets, etc.)

one of the best forms of cardio that you can do also happens to be the cheapest one: jumping rope

[madmisskelly]

try to have a bit of protein, fruit, and veggie at each meal along with whole grain here and there

Breakfast- 3 egg white omelet, slice of whole wheat toast, straw berries

lunch- 1 can of tuna with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, spicy dill pickle, green olive, pepper, garlic, italian seasonings, and 1 tbs of mediterranean hummus (optional). Steamed veggies, green apple

dinner- 5oz any lean protein (turkey, chicken, lean beef), green salad with 2tbsp light balsalmic dressing, and steamed veggies.

[AmberChick]

I'm not going to tell you exactly what to eat, but you should just eat about 2000 calories per day, and include carbs, protein, fruit, vegetables, and some sugar. Sign up for a gym for exercise and you'll feel great.

[smexygal89]

I have been watching what I eat on calorieking.com you put in what youve eaten and excercised and it records everything. Also look up bodybuilding.com. heaps of great articles.

[itshayley]

Drink plenty of water (: What I've been doing is running on my treadmill, riding bike, and using weights just to tone body.

[Anonymous]

go to the website myfitnesspal.com its great it helps you map out like what you eat and how much you exercise and it has foods like from all the popular places too so its easy to do and its FREE and depending on your phone you can get it on there

[kikimarra]

High protein low carb! Atkins diet to b exact, I've lost 7lbs in a week!

[dx021]

eat a lot throughout the day, eat lean and organic. its pretty easy

[Anonymous]

Eat lots of donuts and French Fries and do no exercise.

[kellie208]

Jumping rope is a kick ass cardio workout and its fun!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but this is a horrible site for that...

[bubbles-09]

oh whys that?