Advice - support and help

If your BMR is 2709, then 1500 calories is way, way too few calories for you (you need enough to keep your metabolism running properly). And those kinds of meals are usually loaded up with salt (so very bad for you in the long run) and not very filling. I seriously recommend cooking your own food (it's much cheaper too). Personally- and I'm a girl and much lighter than you- I would be starving to death and bored out of my skull on a meal plan like that.

I reckon, with your BMR, you should be pitching at about 2250-2500 calories a day (sedentary maintenance minus 750-1000 calories), more if you go back to exercise (take your BMR, multiply by 1.2 if you're sedentary, 1.375 for light exercise, 1.55 for moderate exercise, then reduce by between 500 and 1000 for a goal calorie allowance).

I'm not in favour of meal plans. I sort of make up what I'm doing as I go along. I do end up eating the same sorts of things most days (I've had porridge for breakfast every day- except one, but that was a blowout day- since I started this diet; and I eat a lot of the same fruits and veg over and over), because they work for me, but I don't consciously plan anything. I sort of have an idea in my head of how many calories I can "spend" on meals and what impact that has on other meals (when I started out I figured out what that might be using my calorie counting program and the net, now I sort of know it intuitively). The big problem with meal plans is that they're boring and monotonous, and one of the things that keeps me on my diet is variety. If you're doing this with your parents' help- especially if they're eating the same meals as you to support you/ because they don't want too many different meals being cooked in the kitchen- they'll probably get pretty jack of it too.

Think about how many calories you've got to play with, and divide them into 4-5. Taking your lowest value- 2250- and dividing by 5, that gives you 4 450 calorie blocks. Try having 3 meals of about 450 calories each, give yourself 450 calories worth of snacks, and 450 calories for something else (e.g. dessert). Have a look around Google ("calories (item you're interested in)"), recipe websites (BBC Good Food allows you to search by calorie range), or the diaries here (I list my food) and see what other people are doing and how you can adjust it. You may find 450 is too much for breakfast- make it 300 and make dinner 600, for example. (for example, I tend to eat 600-650 calories before dinner and blow the rest on my last meal or meals of the day- as I'm used to eating my heaviest meal last thing at night, and I like dessert)

I've also started a thread for posting ideas for recipes- the ones I've posted all fit in my plan, so they'll definitely fit into yours. Feel free to steal them. http://weight-loss.fitness.com/club/48894-omnivore-cooking-recipe-club.html

Empty gyms are good- that comes down to an economic question which I can't answer for you.
 
What equipment do you have at home already ? so I can suggest a basic routine with what you have, no equipment doesn't mean that you cant work your whole body. Bodyweight exercises combined with a little equipment can be effective.
 
Trusylver said:
What equipment do you have at home already ? so I can suggest a basic routine with what you have, no equipment doesn't mean that you cant work your whole body. Bodyweight exercises combined with a little equipment can be effective.
Click to expand...

I just have two dumbbells and a bar, with changing weights, the weights are;
6 x 1.25kg.
6 x 2.5kg.
 
Warmup

gentle jog in place

Legs – Quadriceps

Dumbbell Squat – targets quadriceps and to a lesser extent works the hamstrings and the glutes, also activates the whole core.

or

If to easy then Single Leg Squat (pistol) is a great alternative to work up to.

Legs – Hamstrings

SLDL's Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift care should be taken if you have flexibility issues.

Legs – Calves

Single Leg Calf Raise can be done with or without DB

Chest and anterior Delts

Wide hand position pushups – place feet on chair to increase dificulty

Back and Posterior Delts

Inverted Row secure your bar through 2 kitchen chairs if possible so it can support your weight.

Triceps

Bench Dips (use a chair instead of a bench)

or

Close Hand Position Pushups

Biceps

Curl of your choice (bicep, hammer, concentration etc)

Abs - Core

Planks 3 X 1 minute
Side Planks 2 X 30 seconds on each side (slowly increase time)

Stretching

Gentle stretch to improve flexibility, never stretch cold muscles.


Then do cardio of your choice - take the dog for a walk without parents so you can change pace and intensity to suit you.
 
Wow, thank you!

I'll definitely be trying all of them out :)

i've always looked for a routine like that on the internet, but never found one that was actually clear instead it was just paragraphs of stuff, and then they still never told you :<.

thanks again:).

I'm starting tomorrow to eat better and try start calorie counting, breakfast being bran flakes + skimmed milk, will start my first mini-diary. thanks guys
 
Hi Steven,

This is my first post here, I joined specifically to make it.

I want to wish you the best of luck. What you're trying to do is very difficult and at your age, is even more difficult. But, you seem to have the right attitude and are saying all the right things. I said it is difficult but, it is achievable. Millions of people do it every day and you can too.

That said, I'd like to offer a few tips which you might find of benefit:-

1. YOU CAN DO IT!

2. The first week or so is fairly easy. The 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks are about the most difficult(the novelty is wearing off by now!). Push yourself through these and things WILL get easier.

3. If you slip off the rails, all is not lost. Dust yourself down, and continue where you left off.

4. Someone of your size will find excercising difficult. Don't panic. Start with a little and build it up slowly. Walking is a great way to start. Initially, the distance doesn't matter. Just get used to doing something every day. Find an amount you can do and don't change it for a week. Then up it by about 20% each week (your tollerence to excercising will increase massively in the first 2-3 weeks).

5. DO NOT UNDER-EAT. I'll say it again DO NOT UNDER-EAT. This is fatal. You MUST eat plenty in order to lose weight. But, you must eat the right foods.

6. If you ever feel hungry, eat something. Just make it something good for you. It is best to eat plenty so you don't get hungry in the first place.

7. If you are using a calorie controlled diet, NEVER eat anything unless you KNOW how many calories it contains. Do not assume that one brand of sausage(for example) contains the same amount of calories as another brand.

8. DO NOT UNDER-EAT. I'll say it again DO NOT UNDER-EAT.

9. Drink as much water per day as you can.

10. Use skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed.

11. Eat brown bread instead of white but, check the calorie/fat content. Brown is often higher that white.

12. Eat as much friut and veg as you can every day. And yes, I mean AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

13. If you are having a bad day and you want to get stuck into something you shouldn't, talk to someone about it. Someone here will do but, face to face is better.

14. DO NOT UNDER-EAT. I'll say it again DO NOT UNDER-EAT.

15. Do not assume that the 'low calorie' version of a food is ok. Check the label. Some 'low calorie' stuff (including WW) has more calories than you might think.

These are just some tips I hope will help you on your way. You will find that changing your eating habits isn't half as bad as you thought once you get used to it. Eating the wrong foods is as much a habit as anything else.

I wish you well.
 
Just to add.......there's a lot you can do with push ups. Search on youtube for some variations.

Some days I force myself to do 2x25 pushups before I eat everytime and so knock up 400 over the day. Of course I can feel my triceps for 2 days afterwards. But in a good way.
 
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I dont find exercising difficult i know, and before you say something on the lines of "you're not trying hard enough" etc, i was pushing myself. Its weird but 3years ago i was eating as well as i am now, maybe a bit more and i was doing a P.E course which was 4hours a week and then i did rugby training which was another 4hours a week, and i still never lost weight.

(sorry if that post makes me sound like im whining or i cant think of the word but being quite hostile, sorry if i sound that way)

Also; I've swapped to skimmed milk.

My breakfast is a bowl of bran flake with skimmed milk,
for lunch i'll have soup or a sandwich, like today i had a homemade vegetable soup.
for tea my parents ususlally make somthing using chicken and a powder mix/sauce sachet, i havent started calorie counting properly yet but i've reduced my portion size, reduced the amount of potatoes i eat, which was alot.
 
It sounds like you've made a good start. I'd recommend working out the calories as best you can on what you're eating (if you're making it yourself it should be easy, should be ok with what your parents are making, depending on what's in it. Also, depending on the calories, not necessarily any need to cut down portions. Boiled potatoes as a starch are pretty good. Although watch the salt on sauce sachets, it can be horrific. Is it possible to try making something more from scratch?) I'd guess you're not getting enough calories there- I'd suggest working it out and don't undereat, it'll do more harm than good in the long run.

I'm with you on the exercise. Well, I used to be. It does get easier (I was the kind of kid even the sports/ gym/ PE teachers laughed at when I was at school). Do what you can manage and build up- the advice you're getting here is for your own good.
 
Just been reading through the packet mixes, they're pretty much all really high in salt, 46% for alot of them, some just higher and just lower.

:x
 
How much, will that amount of salt, affect my weightloss?, i'm not sure how salt affects it in general, i know its bad, but i dont know to what extent
 
I don't know. Within limits isn't going to hurt. I think for the purposes of weight loss (you also need to think about health, never forget that angle) it causes water retention so the scale will read higher.
 
Salt, NaCl.

Sodium is a very oxophillic cation and attracts water. Essentially when you're eating a lot of salty foods you'll retain more water thus increasing your scale weight.
 
Having difficulties recently on making my lunch, i've had a TERRIBLE sleep pattern this week that i've had off of school, not getting to sleep till around 3am, waking up between 11am-12pm, so i've been having no breakfast and just having 2 slices of toast for my lunch.

Tommorow(monday) i'm starting school again for my final week, and i'm going to be getting up earlier, 9:30-10, since i dont really have lessons untill 11 most days.

So my question is, whats a quick easy lunch i can make, somthing that doesnt require me to cook, such as pasta. We have heinz soups and various tinned spaghetti's but i'd rather not eat that my lunch, i'm not so sure on calories salt etc..

I was thinking of just making sandwiches, i do love Tuna and a little mayo ;<.

How good is tuna for you?, i know about mercury etc etc and fish is good for you, just curious how good tinned tuna+some mayo is, + asda's chicken slices in some Wholemeal bread:)

thanks, ^, i pretty much answered my own question, but i'd still love some feedback, thanks!
 
Have a look online- I say this not because I don't want to help, but because at some stage you're going to have to figure this out without people like us around (ever heard the expression "if you give a man a fish, he'll be fed for a day, teach a man to fish, and he'll be fed for the rest of his life"?).

All I do with this sort of thing is Google it. You want to do a couple of things- work out the calories, then think about the nutrition. So google "tuna nutritional information" or something like that, or look on the back of a pack, or look it up for the specific product (some supermarket websites have nutrition, or mysupermarket.co.uk, or google the specific product). Then for something like tuna, where there are limits to how much you can eat, have a poke around online and look for that. For the nutrition, think about your aims- how much protein, carbs, fat, sodium, etc do you want in your diet? Also consider the GI rating- how full is this going to keep you?

On a practical note, if you're going to do something like that, put some vegetables into the sandwich- somehting that won't go soggy, like lettuce or cucumber (not tomato), and take some fruit (that won't get crushed in your bag or locker) with you.
 
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