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Is my diet and amount of physical activity sufficient enough to lose weight?
I'm 6 feet 1 inches tall, about 235 lbs, which is definitely not where I want to be. I've been active all my life, but I have become more active since my transition into college. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I go to the gym to run around the track and do some basketball drills to make sure I don't get rusty. Sometimes I lift weights for my lower body if I have enough time, and I stay at the gym for about 45 minutes. On Tuesday and Thursday, I jump rope, do hundreds of crunches, pushups, and renegades (if you know what those are). I also lift weights for my upper body on those days, and I also do those things for about 45 mintues. Since I'm in college, I walk alot to get to every class, and I walk pretty fast and my campus has billions of slopes and inclines, if that matters. On Saturday or Sunday, I just rest and relax.
Regarding my diet, every morning I eat 1 cup of yougurt, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, a banana (if they have any), egg whites (enough to cover half a plate I guess), and a glass of chocolate milk. For lunch I eat a grilled chicken sandwich with provolone cheese and spinach on wheat bread, a small bowl of vegetables (varies), and a glass of water. For dinner, I eat the same things I ate for lunch. I have stopped eating anything sweet, unless its a fruit. Thus, no cookie, ice cream, etc. Everything I just listed is what I eat every single day. Throughout the day, I drink water and constantly refill my bottle when I get a chance. In additoin, everyday I take a multivitamin, a Biotin supplement, and Raspberry Ketones infused with Green Tea.
Based on my diet and amount of physical activity, am I on the right track to losing weight? How long would it take to get under 200 lbs? Do I need to change my diet in any way or change my physical activity to assist with my goal of weight loss? And is there any advice you have to help me? Thanks so much for reading this and helping! :)
Regarding my diet, every morning I eat 1 cup of yougurt, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, a banana (if they have any), egg whites (enough to cover half a plate I guess), and a glass of chocolate milk. For lunch I eat a grilled chicken sandwich with provolone cheese and spinach on wheat bread, a small bowl of vegetables (varies), and a glass of water. For dinner, I eat the same things I ate for lunch. I have stopped eating anything sweet, unless its a fruit. Thus, no cookie, ice cream, etc. Everything I just listed is what I eat every single day. Throughout the day, I drink water and constantly refill my bottle when I get a chance. In additoin, everyday I take a multivitamin, a Biotin supplement, and Raspberry Ketones infused with Green Tea.
Based on my diet and amount of physical activity, am I on the right track to losing weight? How long would it take to get under 200 lbs? Do I need to change my diet in any way or change my physical activity to assist with my goal of weight loss? And is there any advice you have to help me? Thanks so much for reading this and helping! :)
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hey CONGRATULATIONS........ you're doing great. Keep up the good work. You're inspiring me to get moving. Thanks
Thanks so much for your help and advice. And by the way, I already lost about 5 and a half pounds in the last two weeks, so I guess my routine is working pretty well. :)
COMMUNITY LEADER
Awesome to have skim milk in the morning; but don't give up the chocolate milk completely, or you will end up feeling deprived and won't stay with it.
Sunflower seeds are good for you, so whenever you eat them is fine, whether you use them on salads or eat them for snacks. They work great for both.
Switching out chicken for steak or turkey is great; or other lean meats are just as good.
As for exercise, if you have a schedule that you can't change, you might try changing the intensity of the workout or maybe, add something extra, that you aren't used to, one or two days/week - add/subtract a pound of weights once/week or run a bit further/not as far once or twice/week - anything so you aren't doing exactly the same things every time.
You're on the right track, though, and it sounds like you're willing to do what it takes, and that's the best thing for success.
Sunflower seeds are good for you, so whenever you eat them is fine, whether you use them on salads or eat them for snacks. They work great for both.
Switching out chicken for steak or turkey is great; or other lean meats are just as good.
As for exercise, if you have a schedule that you can't change, you might try changing the intensity of the workout or maybe, add something extra, that you aren't used to, one or two days/week - add/subtract a pound of weights once/week or run a bit further/not as far once or twice/week - anything so you aren't doing exactly the same things every time.
You're on the right track, though, and it sounds like you're willing to do what it takes, and that's the best thing for success.
Okay I'll do better on the veggies. And yes there's a cafeteria in my dorm. They do have sunflower seeds for salads, but I have a cup of them in my room and I eat some every now and then throughout the day. Would it be okay to drink skim milk every morning than chocolate milk? And I have decided that I will switch t up between chicken and steak, and I'll see if they have turkey.
When it comes to working out, I'm not sure how I could switc it up... I run M W F, and jump rope T and Th. I do crunches, pushups, renegades, and upper body weights on T and Th and lower body on M W F. What esle could I do?
When it comes to working out, I'm not sure how I could switc it up... I run M W F, and jump rope T and Th. I do crunches, pushups, renegades, and upper body weights on T and Th and lower body on M W F. What esle could I do?
COMMUNITY LEADER
Sorry, I wasn't on here yesterday.
There are a lot of other veggies that you could eat, such as broccoli, cauliflower, squash, etc. Not to mention others that can be eaten raw, such as carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers. I don't know your financial situation, but if you have access to a refrigerator, you could keep some raw veggies to snack on. Or if you have access to a microwave, you can buy single servings of frozen veggies and cook them in the microwave.
It sounds like you eat mostly cafeteria food. Most cafeterias I've seen have a salad bar, which is always a good place to load your plate. But since salads don't really stick with you a long time, you have to be sure to eat protein with it, since protein helps you feel fuller, longer. Many salad bars have sunflower or other seeds that can sprinkled on salads. If yours doesn't, maybe you could just buy a can of nuts, or bag of sunflower seeds and use them to snack on. About a quarter cup is a serving of most seeds; nuts vary depending on the amount of fat in them, but it's usually just a few nuts at a time, so a can would last a while.
The problem with chocolate milk is that it usually has sugar added, which can sabotage your efforts. Maybe you could switch to white milk and only have chocolate once a week as a "treat".
While chicken is an excellent source of protein, be sure to switch up your diet on a regular basis, because if you eat the same things, every day, in the same amounts, your body gets used to it and weight loss may stall out. Same with exercise. Doing the same thing all the time, allows the body to get used to it and it's no longer a challenge.
There are a lot of other veggies that you could eat, such as broccoli, cauliflower, squash, etc. Not to mention others that can be eaten raw, such as carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers. I don't know your financial situation, but if you have access to a refrigerator, you could keep some raw veggies to snack on. Or if you have access to a microwave, you can buy single servings of frozen veggies and cook them in the microwave.
It sounds like you eat mostly cafeteria food. Most cafeterias I've seen have a salad bar, which is always a good place to load your plate. But since salads don't really stick with you a long time, you have to be sure to eat protein with it, since protein helps you feel fuller, longer. Many salad bars have sunflower or other seeds that can sprinkled on salads. If yours doesn't, maybe you could just buy a can of nuts, or bag of sunflower seeds and use them to snack on. About a quarter cup is a serving of most seeds; nuts vary depending on the amount of fat in them, but it's usually just a few nuts at a time, so a can would last a while.
The problem with chocolate milk is that it usually has sugar added, which can sabotage your efforts. Maybe you could switch to white milk and only have chocolate once a week as a "treat".
While chicken is an excellent source of protein, be sure to switch up your diet on a regular basis, because if you eat the same things, every day, in the same amounts, your body gets used to it and weight loss may stall out. Same with exercise. Doing the same thing all the time, allows the body to get used to it and it's no longer a challenge.
Regarding dairy, I drink chocolate milk everyday. Is that okay? And Ill make sure to cut out the bread a little, at least for dinner. And I don't have any good fats because the place I live doesn't have any seeds or nuts to eat! I eat spinach and mixed vegetables whenever they have it, but what other veggies should I eat? Thanks for your help!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Your exercise sounds good.
Diet wise, if you're having sandwiches for both lunch and dinner, you may be eating too much bread, even though it is whole wheat. Not even whole grain bread is good for you, in too large quantities. Aside from the cheese and yogurt, I don't see any dairy, which contains calcium, vitamin B12 and other nutrients. Go for low/no fat versions. You should have at least 3 full servings/day.
I also don't see any "good" fats, such as those that come from olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, etc.
You should opt for more veggies than anything else, when trying to lose weight. Limit fruits to 1-2 servings/day, which it looks like that's about what you have, since they tend to be high in sugar. Opt for high fiber fruits, like apples, pears, etc and be sure to eat whole fruit not juice.
Safe weight loss it is 1-2 pounds/week, and sometimes, it's slow going. Because of the amount of exercise you do, you probably have a lot of muscle, which is densely packed, so make sure you really need to lose weight. It's always a good idea to take your measurements on a regular basis, too, because sometimes, the scale might not move much, but you do actually get smaller.
Diet wise, if you're having sandwiches for both lunch and dinner, you may be eating too much bread, even though it is whole wheat. Not even whole grain bread is good for you, in too large quantities. Aside from the cheese and yogurt, I don't see any dairy, which contains calcium, vitamin B12 and other nutrients. Go for low/no fat versions. You should have at least 3 full servings/day.
I also don't see any "good" fats, such as those that come from olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, etc.
You should opt for more veggies than anything else, when trying to lose weight. Limit fruits to 1-2 servings/day, which it looks like that's about what you have, since they tend to be high in sugar. Opt for high fiber fruits, like apples, pears, etc and be sure to eat whole fruit not juice.
Safe weight loss it is 1-2 pounds/week, and sometimes, it's slow going. Because of the amount of exercise you do, you probably have a lot of muscle, which is densely packed, so make sure you really need to lose weight. It's always a good idea to take your measurements on a regular basis, too, because sometimes, the scale might not move much, but you do actually get smaller.
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