Looking for a little bit of help

Ginger

Hi

Only spotted this forum yesterday for the first time. And I am already asking for something

Recently I have moved country and have to some extent changed diet to go inline with the country and also the eating habits of the locals. I now start work at 8am and finish at 4pm as compared to the usual 9 to 5 in Ireland. So whats the question...

Well I am back training for rugby and I am using it as a good way to get fitter and meet other lunatics.

I am just wondering about my diet and what I may need to improve. Mainly to loose fat rather than weight, because I know i will prolly get a little lighter but not much due to muscle.

First off the facts...

I am a 29yr old male, 6'1" about 115 to 120 Kgs (rugby forward). Have a bit of a belly but its not like its escaping over my belt. Most of the excess fat I have is centered around my mid section. BMI says I am obese.. oh well.

I do land lockey (unihoc) for an hour on Tuesdays straight after work, 2 hours of rugby fitness training (sprints etc) and skills on Wednesday and 1 hour of unihoc again on a Thursday. Also there is weights on a Monday or Saturday depending on whatever is going on, but this is irregular at the moment untill the new year when i get a plan for training together. Rugby training will switch to mondays and wednesdays when the season starts again in Feb or March and will be contacts as well as fitness.

My main diet is routine on a mon to fri and semi routine on a sat sun.

Mon to Fri, its usually up at 6:30 a large glass of water and a multi vit tablet, then about 15 mins later, its a large mug of sweet tea with a splash of low fat milk, 2 slices of wholegrain bread with either peanut butter, low sugar chocolate spread or cheese.

At work, lunch is normally at 11, and it can be anything from fish, lamb, beef, or pølse (like hotdog sausages) with rice or potatoes. And I will nearly always have a portion of salad made mostly of mixed lettuce leaves, tomatoes, sweetcorn and carrots with maybe some croutons (if i feel like a treat) and some dressing. Dont get fizzy drinks because they actually dont sell them in the company and there is no vending machine for sweets! So water with lunch.

Around 2 its usually a cup of hot chocolate or mocha.

In between, I will snack on fresh fruit or veg usually granny smiths, grapes, cherry tomatoes, snow peas or carrots. We get a fruit basket delivered every Mon and Wed and its right beside my desk.

Coffee is drank throughout the day, usually 2 or 3 cups (rather than mugs) with no milk or sugar.

Dinner is usually around 5 or 6, and it varies from pitta bread with salad, tacos and fajitas, homemade pizza (dough as well), pasta bake, steak, fish, pork, chicken or lamb. And nearly always with something starchy like rice, pasta or potatoes and a leafy salad with usually a homemade olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Normally drink something like low sugar cordial with water or just water. With rugby training on a wednesday, I need something quick so its usually something with eggs and some wholemeal or full grain bread and a couple of glasses of water at around 4/4:30 with training at 6 to 8 and something when i get home depending on how i feel.

If i am hungry later in the evening, i might treat myself to a handful of chilli nuts, or a piece of milk chocolate with nuts. Or dried fruit or crisps. Usually only a small amount.

Bed around 10:30

On a Saturday, Sunday usually breakfast is a bit later like 10am with the vit tablet and followed by 2 slices of bread with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cheese and a medium boiled egg on each. Bit of mayo as well and the large mug of tea.

Usually have a mid afternoon lunch thing, depending and its usually a sandwich or something similar with coffee. And normally some snacks in between, like fruit or nuts.

Dinner is usually a bit later, and can anything similar to what is had during the week. Sometimes it will be with a glass or two or red wine.

Main vices.. I dont smoke and the main one is .. alcohol. I dont drink during the week and if I do, its limited to either 1 or 2 glasses during the week or 1 decent measure of whiskey with nothing in it. (wine more often than the whiskey!). Try not to have many fizzy drinks but partial to the odd glass of coke with some lemon juice in it.

Weekends, can be usually a mix of 5 or 6cans of cider, some wine with dinner and some whiskey. And that will also lead to some chips, dips, chilli nuts and general fatty snacks like that. This will probably be over the course of a night from say 8 to say 1 or 2, but there can be exceptions depending on the occasion. But the above would be the norm. Normally its only 1 night in the week but some weeks can be 2.

So after all that, looking at what I should increase, decrease, cut out, add in etc. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post!

ali.c

hmm loads of information there.

Now two things kinda stood out when i read through it. One chocolate spread on toast whether low sugar or not, is not an ideal breakfast. The peanut butter and cheese are better options, though make sure the peanut butter is 100% peanuts or close too.

The other thing that struck me is the hot chocolate/mocha. Nothing inherently wrong with either of this BUT you are consuming liquid calories. Might switching to a skinny version (with low fat milk be an option?)

Now I have a few questions. Firstly how long have you been eating training like this? and are you seeing results? If its not broken and all the rest. Also it seems pretty okay, though are you watching your portion size?

On the alcohol thing, well some people find it affects there weightloss more than others. though i'd imagine the food is nt gonna to help much. I usually try to keep the eating out to a minimum when i am boozing and if i am starving when i get home I make myself something relatively healthy to eat (like a sandwich).

Ginger

The training and eating is since the start of October. Its a stepped idea. Start nice and slow like i did, 1 training period per week for 3 weeks, add another for 4 weeks and then add another. Rather than trying to go hell for leather from the start.

Not weight loss per se, but definately a bit slimmer. I am effectively the same weight, but bulkier. Main thing I have noticed is probably a bounce of energy and looking better. I am not really worried about my weight, just the fat which could be lessened. Because my main sport is rugby the bulk is handy.

The portions are quite slim, but i am usually full after them. I try to eat small and regular. Because we have a canteen at work, the portion sizes are set and quite sufficient, you would be full, but not to the point that you would be overfull if you get me. Normal sized plate, not overflowing at all. Again i supplement any dish with salad normally if required.

The hot chocolate is made with water, but i think I will switch to water or else black coffee instead of it. Its not too hard to cut that out.

The choccie for brekkie can be done too, again not too hard, do it more out of habit really. Prefer the peanut butter myself, tho the cheese here is quite good as well.

I think i was looking for is ok or do you think I need to add something. Mainly its an exercise in loosing fat and tone and bulk up a bit.

ali.c

Ginger wrote: »

I think i was looking for is ok or do you think I need to add something. Mainly its an exercise in loosing fat and tone and bulk up a bit.

Eh tbh its hard to say, a big failing point for a lot of people myself included btw is portion size. Like this morning i measured out my cereal (i have done this many times) but every time i am still surprised at how little 30g of museli is. If the results are not going the way you want I would recommend cutting down on the starchy carbs (pasta, rice potatos) in the evening times to begin with and see how it goes.

Personally I tweak my diet every now and then, i look at the foods i have eaten and how i am progessing and see if there is somethings that i can change.

Ginger

I try to say that there is no limit on salad only on the dressing.

Portion size is a bugger alright. But finding the training and diet is now going in the right direction. Looking slimmer at least. I am weighing the same, but thats probably coming from the weights and strength training that i am doing.

Thanks for your input mate, muchos gracias

ali.c

Ginger wrote: »

I try to say that there is no limit on salad only on the dressing.

Thats a good plan, I have never heard of someone getting fat from eating too many vegetables!

Good Luck with it !