Hi Looking for some help with my diet. My next competition is in April and I want to lose a bit of weight before then. At the moment I trail twice a week and go running 4 days a week, normally around 4 miles, sometimes further. I don't really like seafood at all and don't eat excessively, though I probably eat the wrong things. I don't drink alchohol during the week, only at weekends. I am looking for ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinners. Any help appreciated
Cut out processed carbohydrates, focus on high intensity interval training rather than long slow jogs. Lift weights.
If you are running four times a week then I suggest you vary your routine. High intensity interval training is great for improving your cardio, and I believe its one of the best things for losing weight too. But if you are looking to improve your running as well then a good plan is to do HIIT on one session, a long fairly gentle run on another, and a medium-length quicker run on a third. (Take your pick what you do with the fourth one!)
what do you mean by don't eat excessively? how much alcohol do you drink on the weekends? you're working out a lot. running quite a bit. in order to maintain your weight, you must be eating a lot more calories than you think. running that much should afford you no issues if you eat normally and exercise that much. the formula is pretty simple actually. just consume less calories than you need to drop weight. sure you can cut out certain foods to make your life easier. but at the end of the day, you can have a diet of only burgers and chips and still lose weight if you're in a caloric deficit.
I like using the app my fitness pal to help monitor what I am eating and give me a rough idea of calroies etc. The app has its drawbacks but as long as you are aware of them it should help. Are you looking to loose a lot? What are you fighting in?
Advice about particular training methods aside (though I can't strongly recommend HIIT as a basic training principle enough): It might be worth getting yourself a really good blender (like a NutriBullet blender). I got myself one before Christmas and I've been using it almost a month to cram in a lot more fruit & veg into my diet and I can honestly say it's already started to make a big difference to my energy levels and my cardio. I've also slimmed down a touch since as I find I don't need to snack so much between meals. That aside, highly processed carbs like crisps and the like are generally a real no-go. What competition are you aiming to go into?
When I need to strip weight I run high fat-low carb weekdays (carbs under 30g/day), track caloric intake, and split into small meals so I'm continually feeding throughout the day. Usually I make things like chili, tuna avocado wraps (wrapped in sushi seaweed), bacon & eggs, heavy soups, mixed nuts & cheese, etc. I find I can strip weight and maintain lbm fairly easily this way. For caloric intake it helps if you've tailored down your maintenance levels for your bodyweight prior to this using the basic formulas and a bit of trial and error.
Thanks for the replys guys. I managed to lose a lot of weight last year, and it has pretty much come to a standstill, and with the overindulgance at xmas I put a little on. I have looked at what I eat and am cutting back on the carbs, started having 2 poached eggs for breakfast, and a salad for lunch instead of a roll/sandwich. I am trying to cut down on the potions I eat for dinner, as I think they may be too big. The biggie for me I think is Alchohol, I like to have a few drinks at the weekend, normally 7-8 cans on a Friday night, same again on a Saturday and a couple on Sunday. I know that I need to cut that down straight away, so I will start making inroads with that starting this Friday! Two of my runs this week I have done using the HIT principle, I give myself some time to warm up, usually 3/4 mile then start sprinting between points, I try for at least 3 a mile, is this enough? I have some weight and a weight bench in the garage from a few years ago, I shall get it dusted off and back into action. The competion is Kickboxing, niot full contact though, padded up. I just feel that although I am reasonably fit, I could do with losing probably about another 1 - 1 1/2 stone.
Just make sure you're not dropping too low below the total calories you're burning in a day (maintenance + exercise). Starving your body can actually cause it to retain more fat. You have a couple of months so you have plenty of time to drop weight. Make sure your protein is at adequate levels and if you're cutting the carbs get the dietary fat up so your body has an energy supply and carb up on the weekends. You have to replenish your body's glycogen stores.
If you weren't putting weight on before Christmas, then just by cutting out alcohol you will probably lose about a pound a week (my guess is you are consuming about 3000 calories a week in alcohol!). I don't believe there is any need to cut out carbs or eat high-fat, or do anything else unsustainable to lose weight. Far better to follow a healthy diet with an emphasis on balance. The NHS website is very good: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/Pages/Loseweighthome.aspx
well, at least you've identified where a lot of your calories are coming from: a case of beer per week, minimum. that's not a "few". that's a considerable amount. i think i drink that much per year, and you do it in one weekend. i don't have a problem with it, i used to drink that much too--probably more. but if you're looking to drop stone...well there you go.
What sort of beer do you drink? Some can be healthier than others if you want to cut down rather than stop all together. As for diet just eat sensibly we all know what is good and what is bad.
You drink beer from a can? Just kiddin', of course. But I'd think, given everything else, there's your answer. I'm not really a drinker at all but I've seen people put on paunch with it. My wife is Asian - who are usually thin to begin with - she, her mum and da are considered thin and tall even for them. She does drink beer; however, and consequently has a belly for her indulgence. I think even if you kept everything else equal at this point and just got rid of the beer, you'd find the excessive weight/flag disappearing as well.
If by inroads you mean stop, then that will help. Drinking alcohol and losing weight are diametrically opposed. It is literally a waste of time to try to do both.
HAHA Being Scottish and living in Birmingham I have an stereotype to uphold! :whistle: But yes, I think that cutting out the beer is probably the key, much as it pains me. Looking like a (mostly :wowdry few months ahead. Not a bad thing in all honestly!! Thanks for all the replys guys.
