Dieting and stuff
 

I'm looking for some fairly general advice from the guys on here who are into diet / lifestyle / health. (I know there's a specific section but seems to be very quiet so thought I'd post in here)

Basically I want to lose a few inches from my stomach. I've done a bit of reading about it and have a basic idea of what I need to do, but wanted to refine things a bit with help from some of you guys.

I'm quite healthy, but due to my current diet, I have stomach fat I wanna shift, and so I think I need to go onto a low sugar, low carb diet. I normally eat a large bag of sweets and 2 / 3 choc bars per day as well as sandwiches.

The problem I have, I think, is that my job is both physically and mentally demanding, and I have to be functioning at 100% from start to finish. My concern is that if I'm not taking in carbs or sugar during my working day, I'll quickly lose concentration and not be anywhere near 100%.

Then I thought maybe I could use some form of protein shake or similar as a replacement for the sugar. It would need to be high fibre or high protein or something, but low or no sugar (.I'm diabetic).

Sooo, is there some sort of drink I can buy in powder form to make up before work everyday, to replace carbs and sugar, that'll be part of a weight-loss diet?

I'm not looking at losing the fat quickly, just over time but it'll only happen if I can reduce my carb / sugar intake.

There is a lot on info out there but most of it is simply rubbish. The one basic you probably know but I will say it is first is fuel in vs fuel spend. If you eat more calories than you use your body will try and store it as fat. By the sound of it your simply eating to many calories. The sugar is basically pure calories. Cut down your calories or start a sport like swimming and you will start to loose weight.

As for you having a physically and mentally demanding job sugar also harms you there. You will be up and down like a yoyo. You should be looking at eating longer chain cabs to get the energy you require. It will make it a lot easier for you. Well once you kick the sugar addiction that you probably have.

The high protein diets that cut out carbs/sugar you see are not good for people who are actually doing activities. Your body does require protein but to get energy out of it is far from ideal.

Yes balanced diet with all the carbs, fibre, protein and minerals you require is ideal.

But saying that if you are diabetic you should consult your doctor as a radical change in your diet could be very dangerous for you.

Eat more filling foods than sandwiches, cook yourself pasta instead, have a look at more healthy snack foods and consider eating less in one portion, but more regularly through the day. Also substitute chocolate for something like fruit.
You really dont need to have any protein shake, just control your eating and keep active and the weight will naturally strip off.

Change your meals, like for brekkie have porridge, then for lunch a salad and then for dinner I have chicken, spicy rice and veg both from steam bags.

I've lost weight and actually got some gains since I've been eating right and hitting the gym.

Not sure how you can be 100% when eating that daily amount of crap, that's definitely not healthy. Learn how to cook and take sealed boxes of cooked foodstuffs to work with you.

Last time I did a diet to shed fat, I went fruit & veg only for 3 weeks.

I have a similar problem. I went through a period last year where I was leading a massively demanding project at work, trying to write a dissertation for uni, and preparing for a baby. All of which were due within a weeks period of each other. I was working 12+ hours days most days, drinking 4 cans of RedBull to stay mentally engaged, then going home late in the evening, sorting things out there and cracking open a beer to help me relax. I just ate shit because it was more convenient to nip to McDonalds on the way home, or order in a Dominoes. I got a bit of a belly and I never recovered.

This is the best thing you can do. Eat better and cut out shit.

I weighed myself last night, and measured my stomach, so I can keep a record of it and see if I can make any progress.

Then today I've eaten one sandwich, two bananas and drunk a litre of water. Gonna have a reasonable (not too big) dinner tonight.

I've taken the decision to cut out all the sweets and chocolate I've been snacking on (my diabetic nurse will be pleased!) and I haven't missed it. Don't know if I'm addicted to sugar. I guess that will show in time.

I know it's gonna be a slow process, but making a start towards it is a step in the right direction.

Thanks, guys, for the advice. It's all welcome, I know I could google random stuff but you never know what to trust on t'internet.

Any more ideas are very welcome.

As said the sugar doesn't help as it'll perk you up but then you crash!

I'm a baked potato man, which works for me but I'm not bothered about boring food.

bread is loaded with sugar and hard to process carbs, ideally you want your carbs to come from rice as it is a more neutral food compared to pasta. sweet potato is another good source as are whole peppers, lentils etc.

If you want to drop weight and tone up then something like insanity is a sure fire way to get yourself into shape in a matter of weeks, combined with a good diet then your onto a winner.

I did it 2 years ago after a army injury where i ballooned p to 14.4 stone. Diet change and a full course of insanity and i dropped down to 11.6 stone in 9 weeks. Change in appearance and more importantly general health was amazing. I got my dieting info off a steroid forum as they're the guys who actually know what they're talking about.

Keep an eye on portion size. Eat less but more often .. To much food in one go is where people tend to go wrong .

I'm trying to cut portion sizes down. I'm 2weeks into it and I'm hoping that in another 2 weeks, when I'll weigh myself again, I'll have lost something. Might not be a lot but anything would be good.

I've had one very small bag of sweets since I started, so I think I'm doing ok considering how much sugar I was eating. Not found that part difficult either. I'm just much more conscious of my sticky-out belly now!

The most important thing to do for a good diet is to find a good source of motivation.

Captain Obvious has entered Saxperience.