Advise on Weight Loss please!

Hi all.

Ive recently been commuting to work via bicycle (been doing it for a month)
and really want to try and lose some weight.

Currently im 6ft 1 (ish) and 16 stone (ish).

The total length of my daily ride is approx. 15.5 miles. I dont seem to be
losing much weight although my body is re-shaping itself (and i suppose it
knows what it is doing!)

My question is this, what should i be eating to lose weight bearing in mind
the above exercise program.

I dont really eat an ENORMOUS amout - i just feel that I am eating either
the wrong things!?

At work i tend to have either a beef, turkey or chicken roll with 2 packets
of crisps (one in the AM and one with my lunch). When I get home at night
(depending if g/f is working or not) I tend to have either Pasta bake, a
"hot" sandwhich (sausage, bacon, cheese etc.), Chips(oven) with something
(either beefsteak thing - frozen, chicken fillet, etc. etc.) and nothing
else.

I drink a lot of tea (2 sugars) whilst at work, when at home I tend to have
coke or orange juice..

Where am i going wrong? Can you suggest a nice (easy) plan to lose me some
weight?

Lee

"Lee" gnippernospampleasemuchly@nospampleasemuchlyverym uch.btinternet.com
wrote in message ...
Hi all.

Ive recently been commuting to work via bicycle (been doing it for a
month)
and really want to try and lose some weight.

Currently im 6ft 1 (ish) and 16 stone (ish).

The total length of my daily ride is approx. 15.5 miles. I dont seem to
be
losing much weight although my body is re-shaping itself (and i suppose it
knows what it is doing!)

My question is this, what should i be eating to lose weight bearing in
mind
the above exercise program.

I dont really eat an ENORMOUS amout - i just feel that I am eating either
the wrong things!?

At work i tend to have either a beef, turkey or chicken roll with 2
packets
of crisps (one in the AM and one with my lunch). When I get home at night
(depending if g/f is working or not) I tend to have either Pasta bake, a
"hot" sandwhich (sausage, bacon, cheese etc.), Chips(oven) with something
(either beefsteak thing - frozen, chicken fillet, etc. etc.) and nothing
else.

I drink a lot of tea (2 sugars) whilst at work, when at home I tend to
have
coke or orange juice..

Where am i going wrong? Can you suggest a nice (easy) plan to lose me
some
weight?

Lee

Sounds like you need to cut down on the red meat, add fiber, fruits and
veggies, substitute the sugar in your tea for Equal, drink more water
instead of Coke, and cut out fried foods.

"~Debby~" wrote in message
s.com...

Sounds like you need to cut down on the red meat, add fiber, fruits and
veggies, substitute the sugar in your tea for Equal, drink more water
instead of Coke, and cut out fried foods.



mmm, i think i have to agree with you there, although i DO tend to drink as
much water as I do tea at work now-a-days.

Not very often i have fried food at all, i tend to oven cook 99% of my food
(the remaining 1% is down to good old George Foreman!)

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 13:56:16 +0100, "Lee"
gnippernospampleasemuchly@nospampleasemuchlyverym uch.btinternet.com

Not very often i have fried food at all, i tend to oven cook 99% of my food
(the remaining 1% is down to good old George Foreman!)

I don't know exactly what you are baking (oven cooking) but if it is
frozen foods, such as fries (potatoes) then know this and this applies
to other frozen foods as well.

A lot of food is fried in grease/oil and then frozen. When you bake
them you are just taking them from their frozen state and getting them
back to an eating temperature. But the bottom line they are "fried"
foods even if you bake them.

Monte

"Montgomery Hounchell" wrote in message
...

I don't know exactly what you are baking (oven cooking) but if it is
frozen foods, such as fries (potatoes) then know this and this applies
to other frozen foods as well.

A lot of food is fried in grease/oil and then frozen. When you bake
them you are just taking them from their frozen state and getting them
back to an eating temperature. But the bottom line they are "fried"
foods even if you bake them.

Monte


Ahhhh, i see, in that case, the previous poster is correct!

At work i tend to have either a beef, turkey or chicken roll with 2
packets
of crisps (one in the AM and one with my lunch). When I get home at night
(depending if g/f is working or not) I tend to have either Pasta bake, a
"hot" sandwhich (sausage, bacon, cheese etc.), Chips(oven) with something
(either beefsteak thing - frozen, chicken fillet, etc. etc.) and nothing
else.

I drink a lot of tea (2 sugars) whilst at work, when at home I tend to
have
coke or orange juice..


Right Lee, I am very similar to you. I am a little shorter, but I am a
young man with what sounds like a similar lifestyle. I don't commute to
work on my bike, but I do try to get out at least three times a week. So,
here are some pointers to get you on your way. There are plenty of things
you can do to improve your diet.

Make sure your bread is wholemeal (not brown). Use margarine instead of
butter. Don't use mayonnaise - if you really must have something on it,
choose a low fat salad cream. Make your rolls at home - store-bought rolls
are often high in fat.

Cut out the crisps completely. Even if you feel that you are hungry, you
should have another sandwich. It's the number of calories that are the main
thing. Crisps can have as much as 150 calories in a normal 25g bag. That's
as much as 3 slices of bread. What would fill you up more? If you REALLY
have to have crisps (and I would discourage you from having them every day)
buy the low fat version. I promise you that you cannot taste the
difference.

Your pasta bake is good - but try to use tomato or vegetable based sauces
instead of cream or cheese based sauces. Don't stuff yourself until you
can't eat any more. Leave the table a little hungry, and if you wait for
the food to hit your stomach, you'll find that you're not hungry any more.
If you are, then you can always go back. You never want to be hungry.
Personally this was a big thing for me - I am able to eat a huge amount,
probably four times what I would need.

The oven chips are a lot better than frying, but you would still be better
having plain potatoes. There is a lot less fat in them - fat being the
biggest source of calories in most Europeans and Americans. Frozen foods
can also contain a lot of fat - so it is better to stay away from those
grillsteak things altogether. Get yourself a nice bit of chicken from the
fresh meat counter. It takes no longer to cook and tastes a lot better.
Try to add some vegetables to your meal too.

Your hot sandwich sounds very tasty, but you really have to watch the fat
content of what you're putting in it. I still think you should eat what you
enjoy - but some simple changes can make all the difference. Do you grill
your sausage/bacon? How much cheese do you add? Cheese has a LOT of fat in
it, and you should be careful with the amount you're eating. I could eat it
forever - especially melted onto a bit of bacon. Make a point to always
grill and drain, and think about trimming off the fat before you begin.

The tea is a big problem with you. I don't know how much tea you drink, but
your sugar accounts for 35 calories per cup. You probably add milk too,
which takes another 15 calories (depending on what type of milk you choose
and how much you put in). So at 50 calories a cup, you may want to make
some changes there.

My calorie intake per day is about 1800 (yours will be higher, because you
are bigger than me, do more exercise, and are not currently on a weight-loss
diet) at the moment, and I too drink a lot of hot drinks, although I prefer
coffee. I can drink 6 - 8 cups of coffee in a day, and if this were to make
300-400 of my calories, I would be annoyed. I take milk, and no sugar - so
it's not a bad thing for me, but you should give some consideration to
either giving up or reducing sugar in your tea, or using a sweetner. To get
your tea to the same sweetness with sweeteners, you would be talking 2
calories per cup. It's a big difference.

Again, when you're at home you drink cola and orange juice. Do these
things. Replace all your sugary drinks with light versions (takes a little
getting used to but is worth it in the end). A glass of cola is 145
calories. A glass of diet cola is only 3 calories.

Surprisingly, orange juice is just as high in the calorie scale. Make sure
you are buying juice that has no added sugar, and cut down on the amount you
drink, while making sure you are getting enough vitamins. Drink more water.
Water actually tastes great when you keep a jug in the fridge.

Do you drink alcohol? You haven't mentioned it, so I will assume it's not a
problem with you. A shot of whisky has the same amount of calories as an
egg. Drink beer instead - it lasts longer. And try not to drink at all
during the week.

You say that you don't seem to be losing much weight, so I'll assume that
you're not gaining either. I think that if you keep up your exercise régime
and follow these rules, you'll find that the weight will drop off you. AND
you'll never be hungry.

So there's your plan. What do you think?

MadJock

"Lee" gnippernospampleasemuchly@nospampleasemuchlyverym uch.btinternet.com
wrote in message ...

"~Debby~" wrote in message
s.com...

Sounds like you need to cut down on the red meat, add fiber, fruits and
veggies, substitute the sugar in your tea for Equal, drink more water
instead of Coke, and cut out fried foods.



mmm, i think i have to agree with you there, although i DO tend to drink
as
much water as I do tea at work now-a-days.

Not very often i have fried food at all, i tend to oven cook 99% of my
food
(the remaining 1% is down to good old George Foreman!)

I have yet to try the George Forman grill, I have heard some good things
about it though.

"Ignoramus3739" wrote in message
...
In article , Lee wrote:
Hi all.

Ive recently been commuting to work via bicycle (been doing it for a
month)
and really want to try and lose some weight.

Currently im 6ft 1 (ish) and 16 stone (ish).

I think I remember your earlier posts.

Excellent exercise plan. What is your weight and height and age?

The total length of my daily ride is approx. 15.5 miles. I dont seem to
be
losing much weight although my body is re-shaping itself (and i suppose
it
knows what it is doing!)

My question is this, what should i be eating to lose weight bearing in
mind
the above exercise program.

You can eat more or less anything, except that in my case I feel
strongly that sugar and prepackaged foods are bad for me. But, the
catch is, you have to eat less food than required to maintain your
weight. Within that limit, I would let your taste do the picking.

You can count calories, which is tedious, or use some other method,
to limit how many calories you consume.

I dont really eat an ENORMOUS amout - i just feel that I am eating
either
the wrong things!?

that's too subjective...

At work i tend to have either a beef, turkey or chicken roll with 2
packets
of crisps (one in the AM and one with my lunch). When I get home at
night
(depending if g/f is working or not) I tend to have either Pasta bake, a
"hot" sandwhich (sausage, bacon, cheese etc.), Chips(oven) with
something
(either beefsteak thing - frozen, chicken fillet, etc. etc.) and nothing
else.

hard to guess the quantity. Try entering all that food into a
nutrition calculator once.

I drink a lot of tea (2 sugars) whilst at work, when at home I tend to
have
coke or orange juice..

lots of calories there...

Where am i going wrong? Can you suggest a nice (easy) plan to lose me
some
weight?

What you are doing right now is great. Regardless of your weight
loss. I am not saying that you should not lose weight, but do not
abandon what you are doing as "not working". Just make sure that you
eat just enough food to lose weight and not starve yourself in the
process.

The general idea is that you (a man, I suppose) can eat about 10x
calories your weight in pounds to lose weight steadily, 8x to lose it
faster. So if, say, you weigh 200 lbs, you need 2000 calories, 0r 1600
for more rapid weight loss. Anything less and you are starving.

If you like the metric system, you need 22000 kcal per kilogram of
your weight, or 18,000 for faster weight loss. As you are spending
quite a few calories biking (try www.caloriesperhour.com), the higher
amount of kcal per day should be good for you. It is difficult to get
yourself properly supplied with nutrients on starvation diets, that's
why starving dieters succumb to cravings.

Also, you also need to work on your upper body strength, that way you
will have bigger muscles and muscles tend to burn a little more
energy. Do do those calisthenics -- pushups, pullups, situps etc.

i
223/177/180

Thanks for the advise (and apologies for not snipping!) I think basically
that I need to keep going for a few months more and see if there is any
difference!

Thing is, i do feel a lot healthier for doing the cycling etc. and i am
starting (very slowly) to lose my tummy. I havent lost much weight (if any)
but i did practically no exercise before the cycling (save a month or 2 at a
local gym).

FYI im 25 years old!

"Lee" gnippernospampleasemuchly@nospampleasemuchlyverym uch.btinternet.com
wrote in message ...

"Ignoramus3739" wrote in message
...
In article , Lee wrote:
Hi all.

Ive recently been commuting to work via bicycle (been doing it for a
month)
and really want to try and lose some weight.

Currently im 6ft 1 (ish) and 16 stone (ish).

I think I remember your earlier posts.

Excellent exercise plan. What is your weight and height and age?

The total length of my daily ride is approx. 15.5 miles. I dont seem
to
be
losing much weight although my body is re-shaping itself (and i
suppose
it
knows what it is doing!)

My question is this, what should i be eating to lose weight bearing in
mind
the above exercise program.

You can eat more or less anything, except that in my case I feel
strongly that sugar and prepackaged foods are bad for me. But, the
catch is, you have to eat less food than required to maintain your
weight. Within that limit, I would let your taste do the picking.

You can count calories, which is tedious, or use some other method,
to limit how many calories you consume.

I dont really eat an ENORMOUS amout - i just feel that I am eating
either
the wrong things!?

that's too subjective...

At work i tend to have either a beef, turkey or chicken roll with 2
packets
of crisps (one in the AM and one with my lunch). When I get home at
night
(depending if g/f is working or not) I tend to have either Pasta bake,
a
"hot" sandwhich (sausage, bacon, cheese etc.), Chips(oven) with
something
(either beefsteak thing - frozen, chicken fillet, etc. etc.) and
nothing
else.

hard to guess the quantity. Try entering all that food into a
nutrition calculator once.

I drink a lot of tea (2 sugars) whilst at work, when at home I tend to
have
coke or orange juice..

lots of calories there...

Where am i going wrong? Can you suggest a nice (easy) plan to lose me
some
weight?

What you are doing right now is great. Regardless of your weight
loss. I am not saying that you should not lose weight, but do not
abandon what you are doing as "not working". Just make sure that you
eat just enough food to lose weight and not starve yourself in the
process.

The general idea is that you (a man, I suppose) can eat about 10x
calories your weight in pounds to lose weight steadily, 8x to lose it
faster. So if, say, you weigh 200 lbs, you need 2000 calories, 0r 1600
for more rapid weight loss. Anything less and you are starving.

If you like the metric system, you need 22000 kcal per kilogram of
your weight, or 18,000 for faster weight loss. As you are spending
quite a few calories biking (try www.caloriesperhour.com), the higher
amount of kcal per day should be good for you. It is difficult to get
yourself properly supplied with nutrients on starvation diets, that's
why starving dieters succumb to cravings.

Also, you also need to work on your upper body strength, that way you
will have bigger muscles and muscles tend to burn a little more
energy. Do do those calisthenics -- pushups, pullups, situps etc.

i
223/177/180

Thanks for the advise (and apologies for not snipping!) I think basically
that I need to keep going for a few months more and see if there is any
difference!

Thing is, i do feel a lot healthier for doing the cycling etc. and i am
starting (very slowly) to lose my tummy. I havent lost much weight (if
any)
but i did practically no exercise before the cycling (save a month or 2 at
a
local gym).

FYI im 25 years old!

Sounds like the you are building up some muscle there, which would account
for the trimming up of the tummy and the non-weight loss. All in all, you
are on the right track, I've heard that the longer it takes to take the
weight off, the longer it stays off.

and how tall are you and how much do you weigh?

i

Currently im 6ft 1 (ish) and 16 stone (ish)
From original post

MadJock