Geovicsha's Diary - New Years Resolution.

Hi! I'm glad you're increasing your calorie intake. Have you tried calculating your bmr?

And I agree with what was said a few posts ago, when in doubt ask Steve. :D

I bought a new scale as my old one has been around since I was a baby and is inaccurate. Once I get that, THEN I can calculate! :)
 
Saturday, January 12, 2008

Diet

It seems I like sticking to what I know, as I'm scared of improvising and eating things I'm not meant to. I'm still not knowledgeable in a varied diet, however I read an article (if I find online I'll post it up for you all) that gives me some ideas.

Breakfast
Oat meal - 130 cals
1/2 glass of non-fat milk - 39 cals
One banana - 138 cals
Total: 307 cals

Lunch
Two lettuce, tomato and margarine sandwich, wholegrain bread - 350 cals
Total: 350 cals
Note: I made two sandwiches but after I ate the first I was too full so put it in the fridge and ate it two hours later, thus separating the 175 cals.

Snacks
One apple - 74 cals
4 strawberries - 180
Total: 254 cals


Water
Roughly about 2.5 litres thus far.

About to go to a friends birthday and dinner will be salad. Going to buy some lean chicken in the next couple of days.

I'm considering having a couple of low-carb beers, all in moderation of course, I'll let you know how I go.
 
Thanks!

I've basically had the same breakfast, snacks and lunch again. Is this a problem for weight loss sticking with things you know that won't harm you? Or is variation essential to weight loss (excluding the fact of getting sick of things).

I just don't have much money to purchase a variation of things until I get my University scholarship, and I enjoy sticking to what I know is good for me.

Also, is 1500 cal's going to result in starvation mode?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm very new to all of the knowledge in calories.
 
Sunday, January 13, 2008

Hey everyone, I think I went fine today. I'm actually looking forward going to Uni so I can join a gym and fix my sleeping patterns up. Perhaps waking up and walking/jogging before will give me that boost of energy that I need ?My pedometer and working scales should arrive tomorrow so I can have a more accurate with both my weight and cardio.

Diet

Once again little improvising, and I presume that will continue until I gain more money in about a week. I'm enjoying what I eat though, which is a plus.

The main difference tonight is prawns, which are extremely healthy for you and high in fibre. I had 8 of them, very small, but very nice. :)

Breakfast
Oat meal - 130 cals
1/2 glass of non-fat milk - 39 cals
One banana - 138 cals
Total: 307 cals

Lunch
Two lettuce, tomato and margarine sandwich, wholegrain bread - 350 cals
Total: 350 cals

Snacks
One apple - 75 cals
4 strawberries - 225 cals
Total: 300 cals

Dinner
Lettuce - 12 cals
Tomato (4 slices)- 30 cals
Onion - 30 cals
Cucumber (4 slices) - 32 cals
Crabmeat - 240 cals
Prawns - 100 cals
Mozzarella Cheese - 75 cals
Egg (no yolk) - 200 cals
Total: 719 cals

Water
3.25 litres. Whooo.

Grand Total: 1676 calories.


Exercise


Did a lovely power walk which worked up quite a sweat. Although official recordings won't start until I get my pedometer, I walked a fair pace for about 45 minutes until I bumped into a jogging friend.

I just can't wait until I join the gym, get my scales and get my pedometer. :)

Advice and comments would be fantastic.

All the best guys,
Shannon/Geovicsha
 
Hi Shannon

You have visited my diary so I thought that I would pop over to yours and see what you were up to.

I can certainly understand given your family history why you would prefer to lose weight. You have not got a serious weight problem - your BMI appears to have been 27.56 as you started your diary - which is right in the middle of the "overweight" category. I am at the top end of that range and I think that it was Kellye (maverick) that suggested that there is nothing with the bottom end of that range (25) if your body looks fine when you get there.

I think that your decisions to invest in a pedometer and bathroom scales are very wise. They are the best two things that I bought last year. Wear your pedometer all the time - not just for exercise walks. Put it on as you get up in the morning and wear until bedtime. Experts all agree that we would all be healthier if we did 10,000 steps. I do a lot more steps than that - but I am a bit of a special case in that I have a lot of weight to lose and have medical issues which means that I find it extra hard to lose weight. If you wear your pedometer all the time you will see how your daily activity needs to be modified so that you do 10,000 steps as a lifestyle behaviour which should not only get you fitter - but keep you there too.

It is a good idea to use a tape measure in order to take measurements so that you see your body change in inches as well as in pounds. Sometimes we see a change in inches but not on the scales and sometimes it is the other way around. It is nice to be rewarded for your efforts by seeing some positive change. It helps to keep us on track.

I think that you should let your father know that you are trying to lose a little weight - but that you want to do so in a healthy manner.

You can show him that your BMI is "overweight" at


I am sure that he will want to be very supportive of you and proud of you for making such a responsible decision.

You ask whether there is any problem with having a repetitive diet. I see no problem in it - in fact I have a very repetitive diet myself. Everything that I have eaten since late September is recorded in my diary and if you can be bothered to plough through it you would see that I tend to be so repetitive it is silly.

As far as I am concerned the main thing to do (which you so far appear to be doing) is to make sure that each day you have cereal, skimmed milk, protein, five portions of fruit or veg and at least 2 litres water. In addition a very small amount of fat occasionally. That is the main rules that I apply for me.

I also try and do some exercise every day and encourage you to do so too.

In my opinion you will be fine on your birthday. The main thing is that if you happen to splurge (we are all led astray by friends or make less than ideal decisions), dont worry, forgive yourself immediately and get straight back on track. I have given up on loads of diets after a splurge and in fact they have minimal impact if you get straight back on track. The Krinse put on 10 pounds over Christmas and has taken it all back off already - and loads of other people put on quite a bit and have lost it all.

Good luck.

Take care
Best wishes
Margaret
 
Hi Shannon

You have visited my diary so I thought that I would pop over to yours and see what you were up to.

Thanks Margaret. :)

I can certainly understand given your family history why you would prefer to lose weight. You have not got a serious weight problem - your BMI appears to have been 27.56 as you started your diary - which is right in the middle of the "overweight" category. I am at the top end of that range and I think that it was Kellye (maverick) that suggested that there is nothing with the bottom end of that range (25) if your body looks fine when you get there.

My initial post of my weight and height were rough guesses only, I measured myself and I am shorter than as I expected and I would expect I weigh more too. I won't make any judgments until I get my proper scales. :)

I think I'll aim for a 22-25 BMI, seems good and healthy to me. :)

I think that your decisions to invest in a pedometer and bathroom scales are very wise. They are the best two things that I bought last year. Wear your pedometer all the time - not just for exercise walks. Put it on as you get up in the morning and wear until bedtime. Experts all agree that we would all be healthier if we did 10,000 steps. I do a lot more steps than that - but I am a bit of a special case in that I have a lot of weight to lose and have medical issues which means that I find it extra hard to lose weight. If you wear your pedometer all the time you will see how your daily activity needs to be modified so that you do 10,000 steps as a lifestyle behaviour which should not only get you fitter - but keep you there too.

Do I need a thing that counts my heart too? I forget what that is called? Yep, I'll wear it 24/7 and report back daily with the steps I have taken. I wouldn't be surprised if I have been doing over 10,000 steps, not only in exercising, but I walk around town a lot too.

Sometimes I fear I'm going to find it extra hard to lose the weight soon, I have a doctor's appointment soon which should get me on the right track.

It is a good idea to use a tape measure in order to take measurements so that you see your body change in inches as well as in pounds. Sometimes we see a change in inches but not on the scales and sometimes it is the other way around. It is nice to be rewarded for your efforts by seeing some positive change. It helps to keep us on track.

I used a tape measure the other day. My waist is 113cm or 44.49 inches, I think? I don't know if I measured it correctly or not. And yep, seeing the figures decrease is a reward of its own!

I think that you should let your father know that you are trying to lose a little weight - but that you want to do so in a healthy manner.

You can show him that your BMI is "overweight" at

He already knows now, and although he is feeding me healthy things such as salad and seafood and lean meat, sometimes the helpings are still big. The important thing is he now knows and supportive.

Moving away from home again this year for University shall help as well, unlike last year where I just ate junk every night.

You ask whether there is any problem with having a repetitive diet. I see no problem in it - in fact I have a very repetitive diet myself. Everything that I have eaten since late September is recorded in my diary and if you can be bothered to plough through it you would see that I tend to be so repetitive it is silly.

Excellent for reassuring me on that. I have looked through some pages of your diary and also notice the repetition, so I am not alone! :)

As far as I am concerned the main thing to do (which you so far appear to be doing) is to make sure that each day you have cereal, skimmed milk, protein, five portions of fruit or veg and at least 2 litres water. In addition a very small amount of fat occasionally. That is the main rules that I apply for me.

Thanks. I think as well as calories I might start recording my fibre and perhaps carb's and protein too. I have two questions.

1) Why are you aiming for 25g each day?
2) How much carbs and protein would be sufficient enough? (Or is this a question best left to my doctor)

I also try and do some exercise every day and encourage you to do so too.

Right now I am power walking, as soon as I get my pedometer it will give me something to aim for more, and once I return to Uni I am joining the gym. :)

In my opinion you will be fine on your birthday. The main thing is that if you happen to splurge (we are all led astray by friends or make less than ideal decisions), dont worry, forgive yourself immediately and get straight back on track. I have given up on loads of diets after a splurge and in fact they have minimal impact if you get straight back on track. The Krinse put on 10 pounds over Christmas and has taken it all back off already - and loads of other people put on quite a bit and have lost it all.

Thank you for that. I think I'll be fine with the food intake, although I am having a birthday dinner, my excessive beer intake was what I was worrying about. But I guess it IS my birthday.

Good luck.

And to you too. :)

Shannon.
 
Hi Shannon

Just a couple of points from your reply:

When you get your scales you can weigh yourself and look up your BMI on the website that I mentioned. Then you will know where you are and can make an initial estimate of how much you want to lose.

Aiming for a BMI in the 22 to 25 sounds good because as Kellye said - toning up can make a huge difference to what a weight looks like. Steve is quite an expert and often gives a lot of very helpful advice.

I am counting fibre this week because I am taking part in a challenge - the biggest loser challenge. I get bonus points as the week 2 bonus if my fibre is over 25. This is quite easy for me as my fibre is always higher than this. This is one beauty of a repetitive diet. Various challenges are listed in the "challenges" section and they can be useful. The biggest loser is a team based challenge and is therefore closed to new entrants (indeed people with lower scores are eliminated on a weekly basis).

The rule for protein is half your pound weight in grams. So if when you weigh yourself you find that your weight is 180 pounds - you would therefore want your daily protein to be at least 90 grams. This is not as difficult as it sounds. You get protein from things like meat, fish, milk, beans, pulses, and cereal. It is often written on packaging and you can find values on the internet.

I havent got a heart rate monitor. I really dont think that you need one. I havent got one and have successfully used exercise to lose quite a lot of weight. People only seem to use them if they find that they are not losing weight with the exercise that they are doing - in order to see if they are raising their heartbeat to the fat-burning rate. I would give your walking and exercise plans a chance and would be surprised if you need one.

I am sure that you are going to be successful and lose your surplus weight. All it takes is effort.

You would be amazed at how much healthy food you can eat and lose weight - especially fruit and vegetables. Last night for my main meal I had

roast chicken breast, 120g carrots 3.56g fibre, 75g swede 1.43g fibre, 70g onion 0.96g fibre, 105g celery 1.66g fibre, 230g cauliflower 5.75g fibre, 65g broccoli 1.70g fibre, 90g brussels sprouts 3.38g fibre, gravy = 18.44g fibre

Next time you are having roast chicken and veg - weigh out that amount of veg if you like. You will see that there was a ton of it. A real plateful. This morning - my weight was less than yesterday morning. You will see that I do not have small portions.

You can have an absolutely huge salad as far as standard salad veg goes. It is things like dressings that could add on the calories - and you can buy a lot of low calorie salad dressings. Lean meat tends to be fine in moderation. I have heard it said that a reasonable portion of meat is about the size of a pack of playing cards. Beware of things like quiche, pork pies and similar with salads as they can be high in calories.

I am of the opinion that we should all be allowed some alcoholic drinks if we are out with our friends on our birthday. Calories can be earnt through exercise so it neednt even damage your weight loss project. All things are fine in moderation - and if you try and be too strict on yourself you will just find things too restrictive and give up. Be aware that they are empty calories and enjoy them just the same if you want to. Dont have too much though as it just makes you forget what you did or have a bad time the next morning.

Take care
Best wishes
Margaret
 
I got the scales today and I was weighing into be 91.8kg, which is 202.38lb. :(

It's good to see an accurate reading and I was expecting this, but I thought I'd be high 80's. Unless when I first started out I was 93kg or something? I wish I knew of some improvement. :(

Now I'm weighing again and it's saying 91.0, 0.8 off the initial reading.... Eh?
 
Hey a few notes :)

First, outlawing foods is usually a bad idea. That goes for alcohol too. Everything is fine in moderation. Its when we overdo it that we have problems. Learn what makes you overdo it and watch out for that. My favorite saying is that its not how well you stay on the wagon that counts in the long haul, its how good you are at getting back on. We all have lapses. Healthy weight people have them too. They just usually don't look at it as a bad thing. They reallize they overdid it and go back to eating healthy.

Secondly, its actually a good thing to be heavier than you look. The extra wegight is caused by one of two thing--water which is easiest to lose and muscle which means you'll look great at a higher goal weight. Keep plugging along--its not a sprint, but a marathon you're on :)
 
prawns, which are extremely healthy for you and high in fibre.

4 strawberries - 225 cals

Egg (no yolk) - 200 cals

I don't know what kind of food you get there in Australia, but...

- if a prawn is what I'd call a shrimp (little crustacean thing that curls up and turns pink when you cook it), it has absolutely no fiber.

- 4 *cups* of strawberries doesn't even get you 200 calories. 4 individual strawberries is more like 22 calories.

- One egg white is less than 20 calories.
 
Cannon 2006: Thanks for that. I agree, moderation is the key. Outlawing things entirely will only deprive of us what we love and result in overindulging in it. Saying that, I plan to lay off the coke, McDonald's and chips for a LONG while.

I probably look 90kg or whatever, it's just that my old 20 year something scales are a lying piece of crap. Haha.


allyphoe:
Haha that's sort've my bad, I didn't mean high in fibre I meant high in protein. I'm getting the information !

As for the eggs? Are you sure? Oh wait, I think I set the size for too large. Thanks for that!

It says for strawberries that they are 46 calories each. 46 * 5 = 230??

Am I doing this wrong?
 
As far as your scales go - make sure that you have them on a hard surface. Generally they dont operate very well on carpet. Also try and put them in the same position every time you use them. My bathroom floor is tiled and so I align two sides with one particular tile so that I know that I have them in the same place.

I dont get that kind of variation - but it does sometimes waver within a fifth of a pound so I do tend to get on 3 times and take the most likely reading from that.

Phoebe is right. I wouldnt spot that because I do not count calories. I find that counting makes me question what I know to be healthy and reasonable. I have counted before for challenges (e.g. in November) - and my diet is so repetitive I can say that my calories were then at an acceptable level so that is highly likely to be so now.

Most people find that counting calories is the definite way to go about sorting what food should be in a healthy diet for weight loss - so do not be influenced by me in this matter.

I think that you are looking up strawberries wrongly.



Strawberries, Fresh, Raw
Calories in 100g of strawberries
Calories............25.7kcal
Carbohydrate......5.7g
Protein...............0.8g
Fat....................0.1g
Fibre..................1.0g
Alcohol...............0.0g
Calories in a serving of strawberries (28g): 7kcal

Pretty much all fruit and veg are so low in calories it is silly (exception avacado pears). If a website indicates a high value - double check it on another website.

When you know what you are looking for you should be able to see where you went wrong on the first website.

I seem to remember that egg yolk is the higher calorie part of an egg.
 
Well I'm getting a steady 90.0 now without any clothes on, so I'm going to go with that. Soon I'll be below 90 :)
 
Margaret, that fruit calorie site looks the most accurate.

And yeah, the yolk has the most calories. I might eat that again, or is the yolk unhealthy?

Maybe my calories might be a bit off in the total count, but I know I'm not in starvation mode. In fact, I haven't felt like this in years, not feeling so hungry throughout the day and thus not having such a big meal at dinner.

It feels great. Currently eating an apple and drinking a bottle of water before I go on my walk. I've been walking around town all day today.
 
Hi Shannon

You will most certainly soon be below 90.

I am not the best person to ask about eggs. I know that part of an egg can not be so good from a cholesterol perspective. I know that I have seen suggested not to have more than 3 eggs a week. Whether that is because of the yolk - I could not say. You could maybe do a search on the internet or someone else who visits your diary may be able to help.

A lot of people dont have enough fruit or veg and then find that they are hungry. They overeat and are malnourished at the same time. I used to do that. You just eat more bad foods.

It is great how much healthy food you can eat and still lose weight.

You may find this website interesting as you want to make sure that you get at least 5 portions of fruit / veg a day.



I have a lot more than 5 portions though.

I am proud of you - walking lots, drinking water and eating an apple. I am sure that your father will be so pleased with the healthy way that you are doing this.

Take care
Best wishes
Margaret
 
I think I'm having my five portions, if not even more.

Calories in a serving of strawberries (28g): 7kcal

Looks like I'm miscalculating that like a bitch. Eek! Ah well, we learn from our mistakes. I'm going for my walk now, thanks for all your help so far Margaret!
 
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