[Closed] I'm fat, and I'm going to be honest about it

If u wanna keep fuelled but still lose weight.. Poridge b4 10 am
Then protien for lunch and dinner think chicken, fish with steamed
Veg for 4 weeks then baked potatoes for lunch and just protien
For dinner. Keep riding and exercising and it will drop off
Try to stick with it.. Cutting out booze will also help

Thanks for all the thoughts and encouragement. I'm flattered that people are so interested!

Some answers to points raised:

Why that particular approach to diet? Just because, not claiming it is any better or worse than other approaches, I just think it it achievable for me

Booze: I hardly drink at all so don't regard that as a big contributor to the problem

Exercise. I occasionally run so planning to up that to 3 or 4 times a week, perhaps enter a 1/2 marathon or something to have a target.
I seem to retain fitness quite well. I get round Inners xc or GT black every other week or so and do so in reasonable times without feeling too knackered. Hope to increase frequency in summer but restricted by work and family commitments

BMI etc. I know some people can be my height and weight and not be overweight but I know that I am. I am to fat and flubberly (I think I invented that word but it makes sense to me)

I think a big part of the problem is eating the kids leftovers, their food always seems nicer than mine!

Looking forward to getting on with it, will update you next week.

Thanks again

There is no simpler solution than putting in less calories than you burn.

I reckon I take on around 1500kcals per day atm - 2000 on a pig-out day.

I'm a fat b***ard but not as much as I was a year ago.
Lost 2 stone so far, not going crazy dieting but not riding much either*; gym 2-4 times a week if I can be bothered. mrs_d has just joined so she's making sure I [i]can[/i] be bothered 😉

* I am planning to do something about that. maybe...

My tip - lose the bread. All of it. lunches should be smallish portion of whatever left over from tea plus 2-3 portions of fruit.

tip #2 - try not to develop Type II diabetes.

Any 'diet' that leaves you feeling unsatisfied is going to be an up hill struggle and totally demoralising. The idea of using a 'diet' to reach a weight target will not work, the weight will go back on, usually with interest.

The fact is in this country we over eat on carbs, they are tasty, cheap and convenient, but they will catch up with you. The uncomfortable fact is, you need to change the way you eat permenantly or accept an ever expanding waistline.

I know some on here see the iDave 'diet' as some kind of fascist regime, but it really isn't and it does work. When I first looked at it I thought, no I can't live on beans, but that really isn't the case and with a little forward planning and imagination it is a great way to live. I love my food and as the chef in my house I take pride in serving tasty food to my family. Just make your usual food, but change the high GI carbs for something low GI.

A major issue people have is falling off the wagon, a bad day is a bad day! We all slip up, just get back on it, it's a life thing not a two week thing!

It's not all about going on a diet. The key is to change your diet permanently or you will just join the millions of others that yoyo up and down as they jump from one fad diet to another.
If you are over weight it is a simple fact that you are eating too much or not exercising enough. Going on a diet to reach a target weight is not the answer if you really want to change your weight for good.
Portion control is the key element to keeping the weight off. Eat the "bad" things that you like but only occasionally, cut down on the size of your meals and exercise more.
Losing weight is exactly the same as getting fit, it requires effort, not excuses.

I've lost about 2 1/2 stone since my fat consulting days about 2 years ago. Was 16 stone, now 13.5. Fluctuates quite a lot but always try to stay sub 14 stone

Its not rocket science though. Burn more calories than you take in. When I'm in training for a race, I can pretty much eat what I want. If you're burning 2k calories a day training + whatever other calories you burn, you can have what you like within reason.

That said, I normally don't eat dinner or if I do its a For goodness shakes thing. So don't use me as an example....

I agree with you Matt, but as a nation we have become so reliant on bread, pasta and potatoes and to successfully keep weight off this needs to change.

The iDave lifestyle is not a diet.

flange, it is not as simple as calories in/calories out, it would be much easier if it was.

Bagstard? Really? How so?

I lost a lot of weight by monitoring my calorie intake. I burn more than I eat, I lose weight. I've looked at the iDave diet and whilst it works for a lot of people I really struggled with it.

Different strokes for different folks...

What I would do as well is be careful of what you eat. I would try to buy as many raw ingredient as possible.
Stay far far away from supermarkets when it comes to food and go to a farmer market instead. Try to find a "real" baker that only put flour, salt, yeast and water in his bread. That should makes a massive difference. I would go for the five meals a day but no larger than a handful. And try to dissociate your intakes, making sure you don't have proteins or carbs or fat at the same time.

Good luck to you, feel free to come here from time to times if you need help/support/banter.

Buy a set of kitchen scales, pay attention to food labels and learn what a proper portion actually looks like.

I get annoyed with cereal boxes for example, where it lists a portion on the side which appears to be quite low in calories, however their portion is usually about 40 grams which is a tiny amount, yet people fill the bowl to the brim massively increasing the calorie level but they only think they're having the portion listed on the side of the box.

And try to dissociate your intakes, making sure you don't have proteins or carbs or fat at the same time.

Based on the nutritional advice from my trainer

Protein + (good) fat = ok

Protein + carbs = ok

Carbs + fat = bad

Flange, the effects of one 2000 cal diet will be different to the effects of another 2000 cal diet, it depends on so many variables.
This will affect your metabolism and what any weight lost actually consists of.

So many people go on calorie restricting diets and just end up losing water and muscle with very little fat loss, the result being a slower metabolism and more fat gained.

Just restricting portion size and calories leaves you hungry and more likely to cheat. Fill yourself with good protein, veg and low GI carbs and you will be satisfied, energised and far lesslikely to make poor food choices.

Just restricting portion size and calories leaves you hungry and more likely to cheat. Fill yourself with good protein, veg and low GI carbs and you will be satisfied, energised and far lesslikely to make poor food choices.

We need to get away from thinking we are on 'diets', this suggests a period of time where we will eat a certain way, allowing us to lose body fat. What is needed is a rethink of how and what we eat, week in week out.

the body isn't a simple metabolic chamber where food of a certain calorific value results in weight loss or gain. it's a complex system with multiple feedback loops etc and 2kcal of one food type elicits a different response to 2kcal of another food type. extensive exercise is proven not to be an effective way to lose body fat.

I've got the opposite problem: I find it difficult to gain weight but I'm on a bulk now and it seems to be working. My mate has lost a considerable amount of weight using the the "4 hour body" method which seems to be pretty good. I think one of the main tenets was "Don't eat anything that is, or was, white". Obviously this is a simplification but it means you should limit starchy carbs like potatoes, white rice, pasta, white bread etc and get your carbs instead from veg, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. I'd draw the line at wholewheat pasta though. That's the devil's food.

Any 'diet' that leaves you feeling unsatisfied is going to be an up hill struggle

True, but there's a difference between feeling unsatisfied because you really want something sweet, and feeling unsatisfied because you've used up your body's carb stores and no amount of meat and veg is helping.

Learn to cook, if you don't know at the moment - then rather than a sandwich you could take a tupperware lunchbox in to work with something more filling - you're a lot less likely to feel hungry and end up snacking if you've had a lentil stew for lunch!

6ft, 92kg. (down from 96 before christmas)

I'm as fit now as I've ever been, replacing weight loss through fat loss with muscle gain, but my goal is too lose fat, not weight per se.

I box for an hour once a week, cycle or walk to work every day (its only 2 miles but every little helps) When my knee feels ok, I run.

I try and get out for at least 2 hours of MTB a week and I also try and have a few sessions of weight lifting in the basement gym (mostly just bench press/biceps/triceps/squats etc.). I also have quite a physical job.

Downside is I eat a lot of junk, don't get much sleep, drink too much and make excuses to avoid doing too much exercise as having a physical job means getting the shakes in my arms after a big gym session makes it hard to do my job etc.

The obvious advice is more exercise and eat better, but also try being generally more healthy. Nothing ruins a health kick like a bad cold or injury. Drink plenty of water, get more sleep, have a massage, pamper yourself a bit! Also join a club. Sometimes I cant be arsed going boxing, but I know that it screws th numbers up if I don't go. Even though I'm 8 years older than everyone else and crap, it still helps if I'm there.

good luck!

[i]True, but there's a difference between feeling unsatisfied because you really want something sweet, and feeling unsatisfied because you've used up your body's carb stores and no amount of meat and veg is helping.[/i]

yes. one is a craving and the other would be genuine hunger. Cravings are usually the result of boredom.

Kev

They are sometimes hard to tell apart though. I've eaten truly huge portions of mostly bean stews, and felt immediately.

molgrips, you are talking about being depleted during or after exercise, I'm talking about people who are overweight. To be honest I eat whatever I fancy if I have worked really hard, but eating clean the rest of the time allows for this.

Well yes - on here we don't know if 'a few extra lbs' is denial or truth, and we don't know if one person's 'lots of hard riding' is Cwmcarn every other weekend or 15 hours structured training a week.

Also - being depleted after exercise can last for days and days for me, until I end up eating a very large amount of carbs.

Only read the first post so don't know if anyone has said it but keep a food diary.

I've been using myfitnesspal on my iphone since new year and I've lost 6kg and I'm now just 2kg off my target weight.

There is no way I could have done that without tracking what I'm eating. When you do start taking note of the calories you consume it can be quite a shock - 1 jelly baby 22 calories, I would now eat 5 rather than the whole packet, I'll eat 3 chocolates, around 50 calories each, rather than 10.

I wasn't fat, just under 74kg, but knew I needed to loose a wee bit.

Its also great to add in the exercise you do, just been out for a long walk, over 500 calories used, the days I commute on the bike, 1500 calories used.

It certainly works for me.

Keep positive you will good and bad weeks.

I got to Last March and was 16 stone 1lb and 5'7" not good. When in my mid 20's i was 12 stone and less than 10% body fat, so i have a long way to go. I got back into cycling and bought a mtb, havnt looked back, much fitter now and am slowly loosing weight. Whats not to like!!

Now am 14stone 10 lbs and moving in the right direction.

For me cutting sugar is everything. And slowly dealing with portion control. Its amazing how much you can reduce your portions and still have plenty of energy.

My big target for this year is go get close to 13 stone, but i dont want to set goals that are not attainable.

Good luck and your not the only one who has let things slip over the past 15 years!!

There is no way I could have done that without tracking what I'm eating. When you do start taking note of the calories you consume it can be quite a shock - 1 jelly baby 22 calories, I would now eat 5 rather than the whole packet, I'll eat 3 chocolates, around 50 calories each, rather than 10.

Why don't you just stop eating them altogether and eat something with a bit more nutritional value? I don't mean that in a nasty way, it just seems to make more sense.

I eat mostly shit to be honest but I do stupid amounts of running and often don't eat for days at a time. Good to see that I'm not alone in having rubbish habits. If I'm really really honest I could put on a bit of weight, but it's never going to happen. LOL

If I'm really really honest I could put on a bit of weight, but it's never going to happen. LOL

Until you get 18

[i]I eat mostly shit to be honest[/i]
eeew

molgrips,
I'm not an iDave die hard, but personally find the general guidelines to be a good way to live. This morning I had porridge with whey protein beacause I fancied it. I've always been in pretty good shape, but age and a sweet tooth were putting a little weight on me. I've hardly cycled in the seven weeks I've been on it, but have been doing my four hour long weight sessions a week. Going on past performance I would estimate my body fat to be around 9% and I'm barely trying.

Eating this way means I only get puddings once a week, but after a hearty low GI meal I don't need or crave it. Once I pull my finger out and get back to commuting I should soon be in the best shape of my life, without portion control or denying myself.

Only read the first post so don't know if anyone has said it but keep a food diary.

I've been doing this and it's invaluable. My approach involves iDave, eating every 2 hours, everything I eat is around 200 calories, and making sure I keep a log of everything that I eat including portion size. I'm not purposely counting calories though, but I am tracking my intake.

Personally I wouldn't bother with any kind of fad diet or rushing to suddenly eat loads of fruit and healthy stuff. For me at least, I found that I got sick of the new diet and went back to my old ways. What worked for me is just cutting down the portions, trying to stay under or around 2000 calories a day and not eating really bad stuff like takeaway or loads of fried things. That way it's sustainable. Been doing that for 3-4 years now and I've lost an entire persons weight (was just under 23 stone, now just hovering above 12) and now a size medium instead of xxl...

The only annoying thing is getting addicted to exercise and the feeling good bit afterwards, if I have a day or two off I get itchy and need to go out for a ride or something.

For me, i've completely changed the sport I enjoy, for 20 years I was a rugby prop forward playing at a high level, I did a lot of strength work and was 18 1/2 stone, I could run the length of rugby pitch pretty quick, but had no real staminour.

I bought a mountain bike like many as i thought it would hold my weight and be stress free on a knackered knee and got bitten by the bug. I'm down to 16 1/2 stone now, but have found it a real struggle, essentially i need to change my whole body shape which is hard and i'd like to actually lose upper body muscle mass.

I found that any "diet" can't be a regime, it can only be a sensible guide line, if is near impossible to stick to if you don't enjoy it, what i find is having friday as my "treat day" it is a bit sad, but it is the day i have all those foods i enjoy and a few beers. I have found over time though that even on that day i have started being healthier as I want to be on top form to ride on a saturday.

It's all a mystery to me but thanks to Gary M for that app. Enlightening! I think my brie and bacon lunchtime baguette upset it tho 🙂

Ride loads, eat less. Walk lots with mutt. Core strength and press ups make riding easier (not at the same time obviously), smaller food portions, no beer in the week mostly as it just makes me feel rubbish the next day at work, beer and cake on Fridays like Scud!

5ft11.77k. Happy 🙂

Scud, that the issue i have, years of Rugby and weight training builds big upper body thats a lot of useless weight if you are trying to haul it up a mountain.

You have to really make a drastice reduction in your calorie intake and your body will adjust. You will never be a racing snake clearly you just dont have the body type, but getting inot the 14 stone range will be easily possible.

Thanks Steve, resigned myself to never being a racing snake, but i find i am fine on the flat and downhill, but get dropped on the uphills, i'm getting better, but that is when you really notice hauling my bulk around.

It seems odd to want to lose muscle, but it will be a lot easier buying cycling clothes, recently bought a Howies XL cycling top, i'm not sure what there idea of XL is, but it looks tighter that being wrapped in cling film!

Hey Fat Fans.

I know everyone is on the edge of their seats wanting to know the update.....

95.0kg (down from 97.3kg last week)

I've stuck more or less to my diet, and been out for a couple of runs, it seems to be working.

I'm a little cynical that I have actually lost that much weight so going to introduce stricter weighing discipline. Weigh in will now be first thing Sunday morning, before breakfast, every week. Same scales, weighed three times.

Celebrated today by going to Browns for lunch. Three courses, including a steak and chips and cheesecake 😀

"Celebrated today by going to Browns for lunch. Three courses, including a steak and chips and cheesecake"

So you're not that bothered about losing weight?

It was a special occasion. I am serious about losing weight but I'm not going to become too harsh about it. I'm not daft, I know that having a huge lunch today was not helpful

So you're not that bothered about losing weight?

Dont forget that home made cake has NO calories. FACT!

Dont forget that home made cake has NO calories. FACT!

even better, get a home made cake from someone with very visible and flakey eczema..........that'll ensure that only in the direst of cravings would you think about it

[i]"Celebrated today by going to Browns for lunch. Three courses, including a steak and chips and cheesecake"

[b]So you're not that bothered about losing weight?[/b]
[/i]

There !, consider yourself admonished in person, by the iGod !.

I missed your initial post.
A combination of being banned and having a whole lot of other shit going on in my personal life right now.

Anyway, ref the above comment, consider yourself [i]told[/i]

Going out to celebrate weight loss, by eating stuff that makes you, err, heavier.
Possibly aint the way [i]forward[/i]

[i]I know that having a huge lunch today was not helpful[/i]

Yeah, right. So how come you did that then ?.
Especially when... You could have had a great, [i]Blow out[/i] lunch on food that wouldn't register on the scales.
😉

Can't you see ?, if you get your food choices [i]right[/i]
You can have a great meal, AND avoid weight gain.

In the last 3 months, I've had more Indian restaurant meals than in the preceeding year.
In addition to this, because of injury, I've not been able to get to the gym.
Yet, upon recent weigh-in, I weighed 79Kg.
Just 1Kg above my most recent lowest weight.
So, how is this possible ?.
I chose wisely, when dinning out ! and when eating generally.

Dude. Its a change in your lifestyle, that will bring about a leaner, fitter you.

Standing on some scales, seeing a weight loss.
Then going out to [i]celebrate[/i].
Aint, imo, the [i]future[/i] for Mr Sinatra.

Still, its a funny ole thing.
You know ?, you could pay [b]someone[/b] money for advise.
But, you don't actually get what you paid for, infact you get NOTHING !.
Still, perhaps [b]not getting the service I paid for[/b], [b][u]IS[/u][/b] the lesson.

FS.
Consider yourself lucky that there is now soooo much advise and info on this ere forum for you to succeed in your goal.
So really ?, it should be just a matter of time AND [b]discipline[/b].

Get with it, and you will [i]WIN[/i]