[Sun!]

Hi

Im a guy, but im quite (read really) short lol. I weigh 9st 13 and have a bmi of 23.
The problem is I feel I am quite fat- eg I have noticeable man boobs and hold nearly all my weight on the front of my stomach. I also have comparatively a large rib cage which doesn't help with the moob's.

Anyway, hoping to lose weight I have a plan for the summer. I don't want a strict diet or calorie counting as it will only put me off. Also the gym is out of the question due to cost.

My plan is for food-
Breakfast- Porridge Oats cooked in water with a tablespoon of honey and 1 serving of fruit (eg banana, strawberries etc)
Lunch- Alternate between ham salad sandwich, a ham/chicken salad, jacket potato and beans, egg with corned beef and salad, Homemade soup (But thats rare :P). With a piece of fruit or other healthy snack.
Dinner- Varies what we have at home but Spag Bol, Stir Fry, Fajitas, Chicken Salad with wedges, Curries with rice. Lamb/Chicken with potatoes and vegetables and similar home cooked meals. (I will though cut down on portion size)
Evening snack/Supper- Piece of fruit.
To drink- 250ml of Orange Juice plus at least 8 glasses of water. Some tea, but drink it black with no sugar. Also a multi-vitamin and a Calcium supplement.

For exercise
- 20 minutes on the cross trainer at home everyday.
- Go for at least 3 20 minute walks per week.
- We have some dumb bells at home but I wouldn't have a clue how to use them. They are 3 and 5kg ones. I could have a go I suppose
This compares to nearly zero today, though I do a bit of walking- say 90 minutes per week to lectures.


Do you think I could lose say, 6 or 7 pounds by August?

Thanks

[Vixen47]

Just by fixing up your diet you could lose 6/7lbs in about a month or two. If you don't wanna go down the calorie counting route then I suppose it's fine because your diet seems pretty low calorie anyway. Well, actually, it seems to me that you're barely touching 1200cal which is the recommended minimum for women! I'm not entirely sure about men. Substitute the water for milk when you have oats. This should be more beneficial to your diet than the water. Leave out the 8 glasses - that's a total myth. Drink enough water to stay hydrated. Or keep one of those 1.5-2l bottles on you and drink that throughout the day. The water in your meal contributes to the mythical 8 glasses.

As for exercise, opt for HIIT. If you can't go gym then try running. C25K is a brilliant program. Do this instead of the walking. As for the other two, I don't know enough about them to comment on them.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Sun!)
Hi

Im a guy, but im quite (read really) short lol. I weigh 9st 13 and have a bmi of 23.
The problem is I feel I am quite fat- eg I have noticeable man boobs and hold nearly all my weight on the front of my stomach. I also have comparatively a large rib cage which doesn't help with the moob's.

Anyway, hoping to lose weight I have a plan for the summer. I don't want a strict diet or calorie counting as it will only put me off. Also the gym is out of the question due to cost.

My plan is for food-
Breakfast- Porridge Oats cooked in water with a tablespoon of honey and 1 serving of fruit (eg banana, strawberries etc)
Lunch- Alternate between ham salad sandwich, a ham/chicken salad, jacket potato and beans, egg with corned beef and salad, Homemade soup (But thats rare :P). With a piece of fruit or other healthy snack.
Dinner- Varies what we have at home but Spag Bol, Stir Fry, Fajitas, Chicken Salad with wedges, Curries with rice. Lamb/Chicken with potatoes and vegetables and similar home cooked meals. (I will though cut down on portion size)
Evening snack/Supper- Piece of fruit.
To drink- 250ml of Orange Juice plus at least 8 glasses of water. Some tea, but drink it black with no sugar. Also a multi-vitamin and a Calcium supplement.

For exercise
- 20 minutes on the cross trainer at home everyday.
- Go for at least 3 20 minute walks per week.
- We have some dumb bells at home but I wouldn't have a clue how to use them. They are 3 and 5kg ones. I could have a go I suppose
This compares to nearly zero today, though I do a bit of walking- say 90 minutes per week to lectures.


Do you think I could lose say, 6 or 7 pounds by August?

Thanks

So you basically want to lose fat without dieting or doing any appreciable amount of exercise?

The stricter you are with your diet the better the results will be, 'strict' doesn't mean you have to starve yourself, but cut out pointless calories. Don't drink your calories (juice), 250ml of orange juice has 120 calories, table spoon of honey has 20 or so. Doesn't seem much but over say 2months it's the equivalent amount of calories in 2lbs of fat. Either cut it out, lose an additional 2lbs, or replace it with protein.

Also, do some proper exercise. The cross trainer and walking is fine, but if you add in some additional cardio, something like C25K, you will make a lot more progress and be a lot healthier in general. Also, join a gym. It's like £15 a month, don't buy the orange juice^^ and you have your £15. Do some proper resistance training and avoid becoming skinny fat.

[Daviant]

(Original post by Sun!)
Hi

Im a guy, but im quite (read really) short lol. I weigh 9st 13 and have a bmi of 23.
The problem is I feel I am quite fat- eg I have noticeable man boobs and hold nearly all my weight on the front of my stomach. I also have comparatively a large rib cage which doesn't help with the moob's.

Anyway, hoping to lose weight I have a plan for the summer. I don't want a strict diet or calorie counting as it will only put me off. Also the gym is out of the question due to cost.

My plan is for food-
Breakfast- Porridge Oats cooked in water with a tablespoon of honey and 1 serving of fruit (eg banana, strawberries etc)
Lunch- Alternate between ham salad sandwich, a ham/chicken salad, jacket potato and beans, egg with corned beef and salad, Homemade soup (But thats rare :P). With a piece of fruit or other healthy snack.
Dinner- Varies what we have at home but Spag Bol, Stir Fry, Fajitas, Chicken Salad with wedges, Curries with rice. Lamb/Chicken with potatoes and vegetables and similar home cooked meals. (I will though cut down on portion size)
Evening snack/Supper- Piece of fruit.
To drink- 250ml of Orange Juice plus at least 8 glasses of water. Some tea, but drink it black with no sugar. Also a multi-vitamin and a Calcium supplement.

For exercise
- 20 minutes on the cross trainer at home everyday.
- Go for at least 3 20 minute walks per week.
- We have some dumb bells at home but I wouldn't have a clue how to use them. They are 3 and 5kg ones. I could have a go I suppose
This compares to nearly zero today, though I do a bit of walking- say 90 minutes per week to lectures.


Do you think I could lose say, 6 or 7 pounds by August?

Thanks

Work out your BMR, work out how much you burn during the day. Add them together and eat less calories than that number. Done.

[Sun!]

Thanks for the advice guys!

Vixen- I guesstimated that this diet was around 1500 calories per day. A friend advised this if you want to lose weight.
I have looked into HIIT but a family friend is a doctor and he highly advised not to do it in the past and now my parents will be like no lol :P Apparently its very bad for your joints, and does lasting lifelong damage and has been linked to arthritis.

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)
So you basically want to lose fat without dieting or doing any appreciable amount of exercise?

The meal plan is quite a bit healthier compared to what I currently eat, so in that sense it is a diet. By strict diet I meant people I know that went on the 2-4-6-8 diet. 200-800 calories a day doesn't really appeal, though to be fair they did lose quite a bit of weight.
On the gym front I agree it is cheaper than I thought- it costs £23.15 for the council gym. Although I live a fair bit from the gym and its a 40 minute walk each way; you could say thats part of the exercise, but somehow I can see myself as one of those people who buys a monthly pass and never goes.
I sound like someone making excuses already!

I will try the C25K it looks very interesting and a good way to increase your cardio to be able to jog regularly.

Work out your BMR, work out how much you burn during the day. Add them together and eat less calories than that number. Done.

My BMR varies depending on source but most say in 1460 per day (One said it was 2100, but I highly doubt that lol). 1460 was what I was aiming for with my diet.

[Denny Crane]

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)
So you basically want to lose fat without dieting or doing any appreciable amount of exercise?

The stricter you are with your diet the better the results will be, 'strict' doesn't mean you have to starve yourself, but cut out pointless calories. Don't drink your calories (juice), 250ml of orange juice has 120 calories, table spoon of honey has 20 or so. Doesn't seem much but over say 2months it's the equivalent amount of calories in 2lbs of fat. Either cut it out, lose an additional 2lbs, or replace it with protein.

Also, do some proper exercise. The cross trainer and walking is fine, but if you add in some additional cardio, something like C25K, you will make a lot more progress and be a lot healthier in general. Also, join a gym. It's like £15 a month, don't buy the orange juice^^ and you have your £15. Do some proper resistance training and avoid becoming skinny fat.

The bit in bold is incredibly stupid advice. A glass of orange juice once or twice, even three times a week isn't going to make you gain 2lbs of fat over two months even though a daily 250ml serving is equal to 2lbs of fat. Its not that simple. If it was then everything you eat will make you fat over xx amount of time. This is a very unhealthy way of looking at food. The only way he can gain 2lbs of fat from orange juice is if the OP was already eating 2000 cal per day. even then its still unlikely as those extra calories would be worked off by just doing daily tasks.

Don't understand why people like you keep given others unsustainable dietary advice when you clearly dont know what youre talking about.

OP That being said, your problem is dinner and your potion sizes. you really dont need to cut anything out of your diet to lose the weight. A balanced, unrestrictive diet with a good amount of exercise and rest is all you need... Cut Back on the sandwhices and the junk food, learn to cook, learn what to measure your ingredients, learn a lot of different cardio and strenght excercise. You'll be a lot more successful if you do what you enjoy because Its ultimately a lifestyle change.

If you dont want to go the gym. Look on YouTube for exercises you can do at home using dumbells, your body weight and cheap affordable equipment. If not impossible to get a good body by not going to the gym if youre willing to put in the work.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
The bit in bold is incredibly stupid advice. A glass of orange juice once or twice, even three times a week isn't going to make you gain 2lbs of fat over two months even though a daily 250ml serving is equal to 2lbs of fat. Its not that simple. If it was then everything you eat will make you fat over xx amount of time. This is a very unhealthy way of looking at food. The only way he can gain 2lbs of fat from orange juice is if the OP was already eating 2000 cal per day. even then its still unlikely as those extra calories would be worked off by just doing daily tasks.

I didn't say he would gain 2lbs of fat though did I. I simply said over a 2month period it equals the equivalent amount of calories in 2lbs of fat, and as it serves no purpose what so ever, if cut out completely it would allow the OP to lose more, or he could replace it with something far more beneficial both from a nutritional and a satiety point of view, such as protein.

[Old School]

(Original post by Sun!)
Thanks for the advice guys!

Vixen- I guesstimated that this diet was around 1500 calories per day. A friend advised this if you want to lose weight.
I have looked into HIIT but a family friend is a doctor and he highly advised not to do it in the past and now my parents will be like no lol :P Apparently its very bad for your joints, and does lasting lifelong damage and has been linked to arthritis.



The meal plan is quite a bit healthier compared to what I currently eat, so in that sense it is a diet. By strict diet I meant people I know that went on the2-4-6-8 diet. 200-800 calories a day doesn't really appeal, though to be fair they did lose quite a bit of weight.
On the gym front I agree it is cheaper than I thought- it costs £23.15 for the council gym. Although I live a fair bit from the gym and its a 40 minute walk each way; you could say thats part of the exercise, but somehow I can see myself as one of those people who buys a monthly pass and never goes.
I sound like someone making excuses already!

I will try the C25K it looks very interesting and a good way to increase your cardio to be able to jog regularly.



My BMR varies depending on source but most say in 1460 per day (One said it was 2100, but I highly doubt that lol). 1460 was what I was aiming for with my diet.

Medical professionals generally don't know anything about fitness. They fix sick people. If you aren't sick then you have no business consulting a doctor about you fitness regime. HIIT has not been linked to arthritis and is not bad for your joints. If you want to argue provide evidence.

Your idea of a 'diet' isn't a diet. It's just plain retarded.

This isn't personal but you sound like someone who is more than happy to play the victim and make as many excuses as you can to not do anything remotely hard to improve yourself physically.

You won't make any noticeable progress through what you're suggesting. Correct advice has been given in this thread which you have chosen to ignore.

[Denny Crane]

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)
I didn't say he would gain 2lbs of fat though did I. I simply said over a 2month period it equals the equivalent amount of calories in 2lbs of fat, and as it serves no purpose what so ever, if cut out completely it would allow the OP to lose more, or he could replace it with something far more beneficial both from a nutritional and a satiety point of view, such as protein.

you didn't need to as it is implied. By saying cut it out would make you lose 2lbs, one would naturally assume that drinking it would have the opposite effect. There really is nothing wrong with a glass of orange juice. Your body needs other nutrients than just protien. Instead of saying cut out orange juice, the better advice would be to cut back or have freshly squeezed/ no added sugar if you must, which is lower In calories and high in vitamin c, which the body needs. The jacket potato, rice, sandwhices and even a serving or baked beans which can have up to 25% of your RDA Of sugar are better right? Sigh ....

[Old School]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
you didn't need to as it is implied. By saying cut it out would make you lose 2lbs, one would naturally assume that drinking it would have the opposite effect. There really is nothing wrong with a glass of orange juice. Your body needs other nutrients than just protien. Instead of saying cut out orange juice, the better advice would be to cut back or have freshly squeezed/ no added sugar if you must, which is lower In calories and high in vitamin c, which the body needs. The jacket potato, rice, sandwhices and even a serving or baked beans which can have up to 25% of your RDA Of sugar are better right? Sigh ....

Unless you actually physically squeeze the oranges/fruits yourself fruit juices are nutritionally pointless.

If you eat your veggies you get more than enough vitamin c.

Also no-one was suggesting eating any of the things you were suggesting. They're all pretty nutritionally void.

[Denny Crane]

(Original post by Old School)
Unless you actually physically squeeze the oranges/fruits yourself fruit juices are nutritionally pointless.

If you eat your veggies you get more than enough vitamin c.

Also no-one was suggesting eating any of the things you were suggesting. They're all pretty nutritionally void.

Okay if you say so...... But there's are some places which sells really good fruit juices. Bits and all.

Its obvious you just joined in for the sake of joining in. Those things are what the OP said he's going to eat.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
Okay if you say so...... But there's are some places which sells really good fruit juices. Bits and all.

Its obvious you just joined in for the sake of joining in. Those things are what the OP said he's going to eat.

You seem to be missing the point completely. The point is, and I prefaced my original statement with it: Don't drink your calories. Drinking your calories when trying to lose weight is retarded. Liquid calories provide zero satiety, which is the last thing you want when on an already calorie restricted diet. Also, as the OP states at the beginning he doesn't want a strict diet because he will come off the wagon so to speak, it's quite clear maximum satiety is going to be extremely important. Drinking orange juice therefore is stupid, zero satiety for pretty much zero beneficial nutrition.

This isn't a thread about orange juice being good or bad. It's a thread on losing weight/dieting, and orange juice should form no part of a proper weight loss diet.

[Denny Crane]

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)
You seem to be missing the point completely. The point is, and I prefaced my original statement with it: Don't drink your calories. Drinking your calories when trying to lose weight is retarded. Liquid calories provide zero satiety, which is the last thing you want when on an already calorie restricted diet. Also, as the OP states at the beginning he doesn't want a strict diet because he will come off the wagon so to speak, it's quite clear maximum satiety is going to be extremely important. Drinking orange juice therefore is stupid, zero satiety for pretty much zero beneficial nutrition.

This isn't a thread about orange juice being good or bad. It's a thread on losing weight/dieting, and orange juice should form no part of a proper weight loss diet.

loooooool.... that's just....wow! I've lost 50lbs over the last year and still have orange juice, apple juice, coke, Pepsi. So I dont know where you got that from. Go over to myfitnesspal or sparkpeople and many people have the same results. Like I said before you dont need to cut anything out of your diet to lose weight. A calorie deficit along with A healthy diet and excerice is recommended as its more sustainable in the long term, when you start telling people about talking about stuff like satiety youre just making it more complicated than it needs to be.

[TooEasy123]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
loooooool.... that's just....wow! I've lost 50lbs over the last year and still have orange juice, apple juice, coke, Pepsi. So I dont know where you got that from. Go over to myfitnesspal or sparkpeople and many people have the same results. Like I said before you dont need to cut anything out of your diet to lose weight. A calorie deficit along with A healthy diet and excerice is recommended as its more sustainable in the long term, when you start telling people about talking about stuff like satiety youre just making it more complicated than it needs to be.

You're missing the point again.

He isn't saying you can't drink your calories if you want to lose weight. He's saying that it will help if you replace liquid calories with foods that are more filling, hence you'll less likely crave or eat as much throughout day, hence losing fat easier.

Well done if you were able to fit liquid calories in. Some people may not have as good will power as you or may get fuller/hungrier depending on how they consume their calories.

It's like the argument that smaller meals boosts metabolism. Who cares if it does or doesn't. The point is that eating spread out through the day is likely to reduce cravings so you won't eat as much. Sure, some people may be able to eat 1 huge meal per day and it might suit them, but likely not for most people.

[Denny Crane]

(Original post by TooEasy123)
You're missing the point again.

He isn't saying you can't drink your calories if you want to lose weight. He's saying that it will help if you replace liquid calories with foods that are more filling, hence you'll less likely crave or eat as much throughout day, hence losing fat easier.

Well done if you were able to fit liquid calories in. Some people may not have as good will power as you or may get fuller/hungrier depending on how they consume their calories.

It's like the argument that smaller meals boosts metabolism. Who cares if it does or doesn't. The point is that eating spread out through the day is likely to reduce cravings so you won't eat as much. Sure, some people may be able to eat 1 huge meal per day and it might suit them, but likely not for most people.

"The point is, and I prefaced my original statement with it: Don't drink your calories. Drinking your calories when trying to lose weight is retarded."

Is it me or did he clearly not say do not drink calories if you want to lose weight?
I just think its unwise to go around telling someone dont drink their calories. What youre bascially saying is dont Drink anything that has calories. Stupid. what im trying to advocate is a healthy relationship with food and body image, that will last many years from now. I dont try to fit anything in. If I want something ill have it because i know its not going to make me fat even if its over my calorie allowance by a bit.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
"The point is, and I prefaced my original statement with it: Don't drink your calories. Drinking your calories when trying to lose weight is retarded."

Is it me or did he clearly not say do not drink calories if you want to lose weight?
I just think its unwise to go around telling someone dont drink their calories. What youre bascially saying is dont Drink anything that has calories. Stupid. what im trying to advocate is a healthy relationship with food and body image, that will last many years from now. I dont try to fit anything in. If I want something ill have it because i know its not going to make me fat even if its over my calorie allowance by a bit.

It isn't a case of 'if you drink a calorie you will remain fat forever' there is nothing wrong with drinking calories generally, that would be a pretty boring life. However getting a little stricter when trying to shift some weight is different. See the HNYCFL thread to see how long it takes to lose 6/7 lbs when you don't get at least somewhat 'strict' with your diet. 'Strict' being simple things such as not snacking on a yoghurt just because it says 'low fat' or drinking juice with breakfast just because it tastes nice.

The point isn't/wasn't you should never drink a calorie, that would be silly. It's if dieting for a shortish period of time drinking calories is not a particularly good idea, especially if you state how hard you are going to find a diet to begin with. Obviously there are a few exceptions when it comes to liquid calories for purely nutritional reasons, whey being a notable one. Orange juice could fall into this category after a workout as well, for some sugar. However this wasn't the case.

Is the odd glass of juice going to realistically impact his diet, no not in the slightest. Is building a glass of juice and a tablespoon of honey a day into his diet, yes(over time, which was my original point)

[Classical Liberal]

(Original post by Denny Crane)
"The point is, and I prefaced my original statement with it: Don't drink your calories. Drinking your calories when trying to lose weight is retarded."

It is.

Is it me or did he clearly not say do not drink calories if you want to lose weight?
I just think its unwise to go around telling someone dont drink their calories. What youre bascially saying is dont Drink anything that has calories. Stupid. what im trying to advocate is a healthy relationship with food and body image, that will last many years from now. I dont try to fit anything in. If I want something ill have it because i know its not going to make me fat even if its over my calorie allowance by a bit.

The problem with drinking calories for weight loss is the insulin spike that drinking calories causes. When you drink say 300 calories it is very easy for the body to digest this and get all of the sugar into the blood steam. It gets lots of sugar into your bloody very quickly. This gives you lots of energy, temporarily, and it also spikes your insulin levels. This spike in insulin levels lasts much longer than the spike in your blood sugar levels. Which means that you are left with a lot of insulin in your blood stream and little blood sugar.

When you have a lot of insulin in your blood stream your body finds it much harder to convert fat into energy. Which means you need to get your energy from food. Hence you get really hungry because your body needs to be given food to top up its blood sugar levels, rather than using fat for energy (which is what you want if you are trying to lose fat).

Drinking your calories is akin to injecting sugar straight into your blood stream. Which is great if you want a sudden increase in energy, but terrible if you want to allow your body to burn fat continuously.

If you are trying to lose weight you really need to avoid that sensation of suddenly being really hungry and having no energy. You can avoid this by holding down your insulin levels by consuming things that take a long time to digest.

[c471]

(Original post by Sun!)
Hi

Im a guy, but im quite (read really) short lol. I weigh 9st 13 and have a bmi of 23.
The problem is I feel I am quite fat- eg I have noticeable man boobs and hold nearly all my weight on the front of my stomach. I also have comparatively a large rib cage which doesn't help with the moob's.

Anyway, hoping to lose weight I have a plan for the summer. I don't want a strict diet or calorie counting as it will only put me off. Also the gym is out of the question due to cost.




For exercise
- 20 minutes on the cross trainer at home everyday.
- Go for at least 3 20 minute walks per week.
- We have some dumb bells at home but I wouldn't have a clue how to use them. They are 3 and 5kg ones. I could have a go I suppose
This compares to nearly zero today, though I do a bit of walking- say 90 minutes per week to lectures.


Do you think I could lose say, 6 or 7 pounds by August?

Thanks

hey OP, I have this super duper new system for losing weight. you could lose double what you wanted, you will be more healthy for it and it will be longer lasting.

Dont get anal about your diet, eat a balanced diet, in sensible portions. eat cake if you want every now and then.
Get out and start running. Exercise and a sensible diet is pretty much the only safe effective and proven way to lose weight and keep it off.
Just controlling your diet is hardly a long term solution, you will need to watch it for the next 20 years.
Dont worry about arthritis just yet. Worry about keeling over at 45 from a heart attack. Exercise will help you lose weight and will improve your health far more.

Either man up and do some hard work, or accept you will not get to where you want to be. quit making excuses, get some running trainers on and get puking.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Classical Liberal)

The problem with drinking calories for weight loss is the insulin spike that drinking calories causes.

I was waiting for you and the insulin comment

[Classical Liberal]

(Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo)
I was waiting for you and the insulin comment

Thank you for leaving it to me