Seeking advice/criticisms of diet/exercise. Lost 14 pounds so far.

[shadow9d9]

I am 6 feet tall and weighed 211 pounds after my vacation in December. Over the next 3.5 weeks i have lost 14 pounds. I am now losing weight quite a bit slower. I was wondering if anyone could give some advice/criticism on my routine.

Up until now I have been eating the following:
Breakfast: 4 eggs, 3 of which are egg whites only
Lunch: Small bowl of sliced portabella mushrooms and tomatoes with lite italian(25 calories a serving)
Dinner: 4 thinly sliced chicken breast(estimated on carton at 80 calories each), cooked in half a can's worth of cream of mushroom campbell's soup, with the rest water. The soup is 70 calories a serving.
Chicken is served without any of the cooking soup, with 5 calorie per serving honey mustard.

Drinking for the day is all PUR filtered water.

Every day I do 45-60 minutes of cardio. For the first 3 weeks I used the elliptical at level 4-6, at a pace of 5-6.5 RPM for a total of 4-6 miles. On every other day I would add 40 minutes of weight lifting focused on my triceps, biceps, chest, lower back, and hips.

A week ago I switched to using the stairmaster, due to warnings from others that the body will start to get used to the same exercise every day.

When my body gets too worn out, I take a day off the exercise.

Does the same go for food? Can my body get used to the same food every day(Yes, I am eating the exact same meal every day)?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Edit: In the last few days I have reduced my eggs in the morning to 3 eggs, 2 of which are egg whites. Also of note is that until now my exercising has been done around 11AM-1PM and I have tried to eat my mushrooms/tomato right when I get back to keep metabolism up. Tonight I did my workout at 4-6 PM in order to see if the change of time of day helps more.

P.S. My immediate goal is 190, eventually getting down to 180 in the distant future. I am currently 197.

 

[Alone]

You'll get bored of eating the same food constantly. Try to look for different ways to prepare the same foods. The great thing about chicken is that there's a lot of things you can do with it to keep it from becoming bland.

Also, by only eating the egg whites you're losing out on the majority of the protein the egg has to offer. Not a great idea, in my opinion.

Also, as far as your servings go...make sure you notice how much you're actually eating. I've noticed that these so called "servings" on pre-packages/canned foods are much lower than what an actual serving should be. It's best to keep track with TheDailyPlate.com.

As for taking days off from your workout plan, well, usually you should work in a couple rest days through out your routine in order to let your body recover. Check out Starting Strength or 5x5 Strong Lifts for a good full body routing that should work for you.

Worry less about how much you weigh and how much you want to weigh. Instead looks towards BF% as that's the only number that truly matters.

 

[shadow9d9]

Also, I thought I should mention that in between my salad and chicken, I sometimes have up to 200 calories of either turkey meatballs or veggie meatballs.

As for the servings amount, I eat very little. Just 5 6x2 slices of thin chicken, the small bowl of the salad, and the eggs. For the cooking, I only use half the can of the soup.

I could do the full eggs.

Another problem is that I generally have stomach problems, and do not tolerate most fruits and vegetables. Even steak seems to sit in my stomach, giving me nausea. This is one of the reasons I have stuck to this incredibly boring and plain diet.

 

[Alone]

If your stomach can't tolerate fruit or vegetables you'll want to get that checked out.

 

[shadow9d9]

If your stomach can't tolerate fruit or vegetables you'll want to get that checked out.

I have, story of my life. I have "IBS", which means they have no clue what is wrong. I can tolerate a handful, just not many.

 

[Alone]

Then eat small handfuls often throughout the day.

 

[brikis98]

Have you read the fat loss sticky? Are you actually tracking your food intake (on paper, thedailyplate.com, fitday.com) and including every single snack, soda, drink, etc? If you are, post the numbers (calories, carbs, protein, fat) and we might be able to say more. If not, you should be.

 

[shadow9d9]

Have you read the fat loss sticky? Are you actually tracking your food intake (on paper, thedailyplate.com, fitday.com) and including every single snack, soda, drink, etc? If you are, post the numbers (calories, carbs, protein, fat) and we might be able to say more. If not, you should be.

I just listed everything I eat. That is literally every single thing I eat.

Breakfast: 4 eggs, 3 of which are egg whites only(now only 3 eggs, normal, not white) 70 calories per egg
Lunch: Small bowl of sliced portabella mushrooms and tomatoes with lite italian(25 calories a serving)
Dinner: 4 thinly sliced chicken breast(estimated on carton at 80 calories each), cooked in half a can's worth of cream of mushroom campbell's soup, with the rest water. The soup is 70 calories a serving(i cook with one serving, and 1.5 cups of water.
Chicken is served without any of the cooking soup, with 5 calorie per serving honey mustard.

Drinking for the day is all PUR filtered water.

The one snack I sometimes have is up to 200 calories of either turkey meatballs or veggie meatballs.

 

[Alone]

How many calories does that work out to be? Doesn't look like much food at all..

 

[shadow9d9]

How many calories does that work out to be? Doesn't look like much food at all..

800-1000 calories from my estimations.

 

[shadow9d9]

Have you read the fat loss sticky? Are you actually tracking your food intake (on paper, thedailyplate.com, fitday.com) and including every single snack, soda, drink, etc? If you are, post the numbers (calories, carbs, protein, fat) and we might be able to say more. If not, you should be.

According to that, I should be getting over 2000 calories a day, or else my metabolism will crash.

I don't see how I could possibly lose weight by doing that. Maybe I could try that.

The other day, for example, I cheated, and went out to dinner with my wife. I ate my normal first half of the day meals, exercised with my usual cardio, but at night, I ate penne with vodka sauce and half of a french onion soup. I gained 2 pounds the next morning and after a day of exercising and this diet, I was still .4 pounds up.

 

[brikis98]

800-1000 calories from my estimations.

1. Don't estimate. Weigh your food and plug the numbers into something like thedailyplate.com or fitday.com.

2. If you actually are eating 800-1000 calories that is WAY too little. For a ~195lbs male doing 60+ minutes of exercise per day, that is literally a starvation ratio. Keep it up too long and the results will be unpleasant: drastic drop in metabolism, loss of muscle mass, problems with hunger and energy levels, and so on. I find it hard to believe you are actually eating that little, but if you are, you'll end up miserable, unhealthy and most ironic of all, your weight loss will likely stall as your body goes into "starvation mode" to preserve itself.

Take 20 minutes and read the fat loss sticky. Your caloric intake should typically be above BMR (~2000 calories/day for someone of your size) and maintain a moderate caloric deficit (~500-750 calories/day) to lose 1-1.5lbs per week. For reference, I'm 5'11" and a couple years ago, I dropped my weight from 223lbs to 180lbs in ~8 months. During that time, I was exercising 3-5 days per week, eating ~2500 calories per day, and still losing ~1lb per week.

 

[shadow9d9]

1. Don't estimate. Weigh your food and plug the numbers into something like thedailyplate.com or fitday.com.

2. If you actually are eating 800-1000 calories that is WAY too little. For a ~195lbs male doing 60+ minutes of exercise per day, that is literally a starvation ratio. Keep it up too long and the results will be unpleasant: drastic drop in metabolism, loss of muscle mass, problems with hunger and energy levels, and so on. I find it hard to believe you are actually eating that little, but if you are, you'll end up miserable, unhealthy and most ironic of all, your weight loss will likely stall as your body goes into "starvation mode" to preserve itself.

Take 20 minutes and read the fat loss sticky. Your caloric intake should typically be above BMR (~2000 calories/day for someone of your size) and maintain a moderate caloric deficit (~500-750 calories/day) to lose 1-1.5lbs per week. For reference, I'm 5'11" and a couple years ago, I dropped my weight from 223lbs to 180lbs in ~8 months. During that time, I was exercising 3-5 days per week, eating ~2500 calories per day, and still losing ~1lb per week.

That is why I came here for advice.

My next question is, does it matter what time of day I eat what? I never have had much of an appetite during the morning/afternoon, but have a big one at night. If I wanted to have a large meal at night, meaning 7-8 PM, would this negatively affect me? Should I exercise just prior?

Also, I read that link and had a few questions.

I typed caloric maintenance calculator into google and it says that for my age(28.75) and weight, 2500 is maintenance with 5 days of exercise. So, I have to be perfectly in between the 2? Seems like a narrow margin.

Also, for the High GI rating, it says that brown rice is low. However, looking it up in the link provided shows that it is medium, and only 3 GI away from white rice. Is white rice ok for a diet?

Also, the GI rating shows most pastas as low... is this really correct?

 

[brikis98]

I gained 2 pounds the next morning and after a day of exercising and this diet, I was still .4 pounds up.

Your bodyweight can easily fluctuate ~5lbs over the course of the day. This typically has nothing to do with actual weight loss but rather about how much water you are retaining, food being processed in your bowels, and so on. You should weigh yourself daily under the same conditions (ie, right after waking up) but only pay attention to your bodyweight's trend over a week or two. Over a 7-14 day period, the daily fluctuations will average out and you'll have a better idea if you are actually losing weight.

 

[brikis98]

My next question is, does it matter what time of day I eat what? I never have had much of an appetite during the morning/afternoon, but have a big one at night. If I wanted to have a large meal at night, meaning 7-8 PM, would this negatively affect me? Should I exercise just prior?

There are many diet myths regarding meal timing, including the idea that eating many small meals per day magically "boosts" your metabolism or that eating at night will make you fat or that you can only process 30g of protein per sitting. Just about all of this is false and contradicted by research. As long as your total caloric intake and macro-nutrient intake is appropriate, exactly when you eat does not make much of a difference to weight loss.

Of course, personal preference does play a role here: for example, some people find hunger a problem while trying to lose weight and eating many small meals makes them feel fuller throughout the day so they do a better job of adhering to their diet. Other people find the opposite - eating frequently makes them hungry all the time. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.

 

[shadow9d9]

There are many diet myths regarding meal timing, including the idea that eating many small meals per day magically "boosts" your metabolism or that eating at night will make you fat or that you can only process 30g of protein per sitting. Just about all of this is false and contradicted by research. As long as your total caloric intake and macro-nutrient intake is appropriate, exactly when you eat does not make much of a difference to weight loss.

Of course, personal preference does play a role here: for example, some people find hunger a problem while trying to lose weight and eating many small meals makes them feel fuller throughout the day so they do a better job of adhering to their diet. Other people find the opposite - eating frequently makes them hungry all the time. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.

Sorry, edited in these questions after the fact:

I typed caloric maintenance calculator into google and it says that for my age(28.75) and weight, 2500 is maintenance with 5 days of exercise. So, I have to be perfectly in between the 2? Seems like a narrow margin.

Also, for the High GI rating, it says that brown rice is low. However, looking it up in the link provided shows that it is medium, and only 3 GI away from white rice. Is white rice ok for a diet?

The GI rating shows most pastas as low... is this really correct?

From the link to the anandtech post, he recommends whole wheat pasta, but the GI chart showed all pastas as low. Is there anything in particular that makes whole grain pasta better?

 

[brikis98]

I typed caloric maintenance calculator into google and it says that for my age(28.75) and weight, 2500 is maintenance with 5 days of exercise. So, I have to be perfectly in between the 2? Seems like a narrow margin.

You need to remember that tracking calories is entirely based on estimates. You cannot measure your caloric expenditure (except in a lab setting), so you are always guessing. However, you can measure your bodyweight. If you track your bodyweight and on a weekly basis you are losing weight at an appropriate rate, that means your caloric estimates are fairly accurate. If not, you'll have to go back and adjust the numbers (eat/exercise more/less) until you get it right. It takes some trial and error, but most people can get it pretty accurately in a few weeks.

The calculators online provide a good starting point. Lets say that your BMR (how many calories you burn if you stayed in bed all day) is roughly 2000 calories and your caloric maintenance (BMR + all activities in a day) is roughly 2500 calories. So if you eat 2000 calories per day, you'll be above BMR, but still in 500 calorie deficit. Try it out and watch your weight for 2-3 weeks - it should drop ~1lb per week. If it's not dropping or going up, try to eat a little less or exercise more. If it's dropping more than 1lb a week, eat a little more.

Also, for the High GI rating, it says that brown rice is low. However, looking it up in the link provided shows that it is medium, and only 3 GI away from white rice. Is white rice ok for a diet?

Also, the GI rating shows most pastas as low... is this really correct?

GI will vary quite a bit depending on the exact ingredients and preparation methods. For example, home made, whole wheat pasta will probably have a lower GI than hyper processed store bought pasta.

In general though, I wouldn't pay attention to GI as much as the type of food you are eating. If you stick with foods that are mostly whole/raw/unprocessed (vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, whole grains, lean meats, fish, etc) and avoid hyper-processed "food products" (candy, soda, cereal, white flour, most things that come in a box), you'll generally end up eating healthier foods that naturally have a lower GI. Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food is a great read on the topic of eating "real" food.

 

[shadow9d9]

Fair enough.

How many times a week would pasta from the store be ok?

Once or twice ok?

 

[Alone]

As often as your diet allows. It's a real simple process. Find out how many calories you want to consume per day to lose the desired fat, and stay below that. If that means you can get your pasta in once a week and still stay under that mark then why not? Eat the food you want, don't deprive yourself of it. Just realise that it could set you back slightly (though, probably worth it).

Track what you eat religiously or you'll get it wrong (I tried guessing and I was short about 450cal/day, which is massive).

Most importantly, make sure you're getting ENOUGH food. As mentioned above, eating too little can have the opposite of desired effect and would probably be the leading cause of a failed diet (ie. giving up because it sucks).

Personally I can't eat in the morning either, so I usually don't. But if you can get a banana or something small in (which isn't too hard) or a glass of milk you'll be alright. As far as the rest of the day, 6 small meals or 3 large ones are all about preference. I'd prefer many small so I can space it out and feel like I'm getting more than I really am, so I don't break and pig out because I haven't had anything in hours.

Find what works for you and slowly chip at it until it meets your goals.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

That is why I came here for advice.

My next question is, does it matter what time of day I eat what? I never have had much of an appetite during the morning/afternoon, but have a big one at night. If I wanted to have a large meal at night, meaning 7-8 PM, would this negatively affect me? Should I exercise just prior?

Also, I read that link and had a few questions.

I typed caloric maintenance calculator into google and it says that for my age(28.75) and weight, 2500 is maintenance with 5 days of exercise. So, I have to be perfectly in between the 2? Seems like a narrow margin.

No, timing doesn't matter much at all. The overall composition of what you eat and how much you eat has a much greater effect.

Also I specifically mention in the fat loss sticky NOT to use the caloric maintenance calculator since they tend to vary quite a bit. However, BMR calculators are all very, very similar. You need to get at least that amount of calories. Read the fat loss sticky in detail. Most of these questions (except the ones about food timing) are already answered.

 

[shadow9d9]

As often as your diet allows. It's a real simple process. Find out how many calories you want to consume per day to lose the desired fat, and stay below that. If that means you can get your pasta in once a week and still stay under that mark then why not? Eat the food you want, don't deprive yourself of it. Just realise that it could set you back slightly (though, probably worth it).

Track what you eat religiously or you'll get it wrong (I tried guessing and I was short about 450cal/day, which is massive).

Most importantly, make sure you're getting ENOUGH food. As mentioned above, eating too little can have the opposite of desired effect and would probably be the leading cause of a failed diet (ie. giving up because it sucks).

Personally I can't eat in the morning either, so I usually don't. But if you can get a banana or something small in (which isn't too hard) or a glass of milk you'll be alright. As far as the rest of the day, 6 small meals or 3 large ones are all about preference. I'd prefer many small so I can space it out and feel like I'm getting more than I really am, so I don't break and pig out because I haven't had anything in hours.

Find what works for you and slowly chip at it until it meets your goals.

How do you really go about measuring/estimating calories when eating out? Take the example of the other night at the restaurant. French Onion soup and penne vodka. How in the world would I figure out the calories there?

 

[Alone]

How do you really go about measuring/estimating calories when eating out? Take the example of the other night at the restaurant. French Onion soup and penne vodka. How in the world would I figure out the calories there?

You'd have to avoid restaurants. That's the bitch of it.

I prepare my own food and figure the nutritional value based on weight. If I happen to eat out, and I can't find the information, I just guess a bit high then consider that my cheat meal for the week, or whatever.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

How do you really go about measuring/estimating calories when eating out? Take the example of the other night at the restaurant. French Onion soup and penne vodka. How in the world would I figure out the calories there?

Solution: you stop ordering out much during your weight-loss endeavor. You can't control the calories put into a meal/drink, even if it's labeled on a menu. Depending on the state, the restaurant may have a nutritional info packet that you can grab the data from. However, it's likely not entirely accurate since every meal varies considerably.

 

[KoolDrew]

There's nothing wrong with going out to eat every once in a while, even while trying to lose weight. Just consider it your "cheat" meal for the week. Don't go all out, but have a few things you normally wouldn't have and enjoy yourself.

I'd probably avoid all cheat meals during the first few weeks though. By being strict for the first few weeks, you'll get a better idea of how many calories you need to eat to lose at an appreciable rate. Once you've figured this out, start incorporating free meals to keep you sane.

 

[Texashiker]

, cooked in half a can's worth of cream of mushroom campbell's soup, with the rest water. The soup is 70 calories a serving.

Check the sodium content of that soup, a lot of soups are loaded with salt.

Awhile back I watched a video on youtube about the 10 worst foods you can eat, an soup was #1 - mainly due to the sodium content.

Last night my wife and I were at wal-mart and we just happened to be on the soup isle. I picked up a random can of soup, checked the label, and there was 800mg of sodium in in single serving can.