[ Change of plans ]

[Mattyboy]

Lately, my exercise regime has turned into 1 set of 5 bench presses every few days, which to be honest i think is pretty appalling. My energy levels are so low i get up for work at 7am, get back at 5pm then usually spend the rest of the night in bed. Even on my weekends off i usually spend the entire day in my room. Its unhealthy and i hate myself for it.

So my only exercise goal from now on is going to be ; 30 minutes of walking a day

No weights and just 1 multivitamin and 1 cod liver oil capsule a day. Reduce the amount of crappy foods i eat, but hopefully with them 30 minutes of walking it wont be so bad if i eat the occasional one.

Im stopping the weights because my man-boobs (See my pictures under my profile please to be sure) only seem to be bulking out a bit, and im tired of seeing my boobs and stomach outline im my white polo shirt everytime i walk past something like a window at work. I feel sad because of this.

I feel so slow at work (Im an apprentice painter) and i really feel that if i was healthier i would be faster and wouldnt struggle in this hot weather as much.

My goal is to reduce my fat percentage, and increase my energy levels. Ive never really done any cardio before so i fele its going to be a big struggle.

Please post comments, advice on nutrition and is it a good idea to have a double protein shake as breakfast? How much should i have in a day? My statistics are all in my profile.

[dope540]

it all comes down to your diet mate. the change is up to you to you.

the questions you must ask yourself are:
how bad do you want it?
are you willing to work hard to achieve it?

yes, teh change will be hard and you will get the support and encouragement from the forums, but it is down to you to do it.

it's a endless cycle in a way, bad foods- low energy- no desire to workout- therefore skip workouts- feel bad- comfort eat- feel even worse- energy is lower- etc.


doesn't matter how many protein shakes or what protein shakes you have. if your diet aint sorted, it will have little effect. they aint magic powders.

[Mattyboy]

What sort of meals should i be looking at then?

I start work at 07:30am, have a break at 09:30am, 12:30pm and 03:00pm then home at about 05:00pm. That is in general, some times i miss breaks or finish early. Im a painter and decorator so im not exactly motionless through out the day.

Ive got a real love for chicken at the moment, but my mum has a thing about the meat, vedge, gravy and potatoes thing, which i now ignore. I dont eat potatoes.

I just feel so tired all the time, at work i slow down so much and i dont know why.

[dope540]

post up your current diet or as close to it as you can.

[Mattyboy]

I wouldnt really call it a diet, but here you go anyway.


06:00am - Bowl of cereal or double protein shake - Prefer the protein shake and felt less tired and hungry when i was taking this. I have currently run out though. I always feel the cereal is full of sugar and i dont really enjoy it.

09:30am - 1 or 2 sandwhiches (Tescos "lovely" White bread, with anything like Tuna / Ham and mustard / Rarely chicken / Ham and lettuce)

12.30 pm - Same as above, but normally only 1 round of sandhiches.

03:00pm - Usually nothing

05:00pm - Absolutely anything at all. Ive asked for just salads for a while with some form of protein. Meals sometimes include pizza and chips, where as others day it might be a curry, a fry up - As you can see theres really no structure.

I basically need a meal plan thats going to provide me with energy through out the day but not add on more pounds. I think i have way to much bread during the week, i mean if you add it up - 3 sandwhiches a day, 5 times a week - [ 15 sandwhiches ]. The thing is i need something manageable, for example i cant carry a toaster or grill around with me. It just seems practical to have sandwhiches as its easy to manage, holds all the food together etc.

As i said above, its not really a diet - More of a "pick n' mix"

[dope540]

have a search of the forums, stickies and the MP homepage for meal plans and ideas from teh recipe section.

keep the foods natural, unprocessed.

for example, swap the cereal for porridge at breakky. add some scrambled eggs or omelette as well.

[Mattyboy]

Ok ive had a look, but to be honest nutrition is defintly not my strong part and therefore im not entirely sure what im looking for. A lot of the information is for bulking where as i want foods that prove me with energy but not at the exprense of gaining pounds.

Ive got an idea, lets pretend i have no food in the house, bearing in my mind my food structure for work and my energy requirements, i will be going shopping today at Asda

What should i buy and why? A weeks supply of food is what i am aiming for.

[dope540]

porridge and eggs is a good start to the day. non of these ready brek or instant porridge sachets malarkey.

snacks can be tinned fish, meat salads, nuts, homemade sandwiches.

meals, check the recipe section for ideas. unprocessed meats, good, natural complex carbs, fats, fruit and veg.

[Mattyboy]

I always got the impression that lots of bread was bad for you? Is my meal plan with regards to all my sandwiches ok then? Was i wrong about the bread then?

Are scrambled eggs ok? E.G. bit of milk, butter and salt mixed with 2 eggs, then microwaved and put onto 3 bits of toast?

Is there a Asda or tesco brand of porridge that you recommend?

Did you mean eggs AND porridge? or separality, sorry if im being stupid

[Nicholars]

Quote

porridge and eggs is a good start to the day. non of these ready brek or instant porridge sachets malarkey.

snacks can be tinned fish, meat salads, nuts, homemade sandwiches.

meals, check the recipe section for ideas. unprocessed meats, good, natural complex carbs, fats, fruit and veg.

Tbh I would say that eating bread is worse than eating ready brek... ready brek is pretty good considering it actually tastes nice ( i dont drink milk) and bread is pretty bad as most of it is really high GI and makes you look bloated...