[~~diz~~]

Hi there

I am looking for some general idea on what type of foods i should be eating when exercising.

At the moment i am going to the gym 5-6 days a week for 90-120 minutes each time.
My problem is is that i am not sure if i am eating enough.

Breakfast i struggle with as i find it really hard to stomach anything more than a yoghurt before 10.30am and then i find that i am hungry and so eat fruit.

For lunch i usually have a cheese and tomato sandwich on wholegrain bread and either another yoghurt or an apple.

Dinner i usually either have grilled chicken or steak with either salad or vegies.

I only drink water and i have 1 cup of coffee in the morning.

Now my problem is i don't think that i am eating enough but i'm not really all that hungry either. The only time i am really hungry is after i have finished at the gym. What other kinds of foods can i be snacking on.

What has got me beat is that in the 4 weeks i have started at the gym i have only really lost 3 kilo's. Does this sound about right.

Also would going to the gym twice a day be too much.


Thank you

[Soprano-Cat]

Losing weight is more about food than anything else. Doing gym twice a day is definitely overkill and you will probably end up tearing something.

What kind of yoghurt are you eating? If it's not very very tart and unflavoured, swap it out for a natural / greek yoghurt that makes your tongue curl, it's a healthier option.

Instead of eating fruit, try cheese and crackers. Don't be scared of cheese, it's not demon food. It's got protein from the milks, and glucose for energy and cell regeneration from the lactose.

Snacks - whatever your preferred nut is. Packed full of fibre.

If your diet is as low-sugar as it sounds, you won't be hungry unless you ARE hungry. So just have a handful of nuts after gym if you need to. Don't go forcing yourself to eat more food than your body is asking for.

I lose about 500g a week, and I'm not exercising. At all. It's all about not eating sugars for me. If you're building muscle through your exercise, it might be slower for you.

[Ianthe]

I have two ideas for you-firstly go to my fitness pal and log your calories. I am on 1200 a day and that works well for me. It also tells you what perccentage is protein/fat/ carbs and what your daily percentage of things is.

Secondly have you taken your measurements? Are your clothes fitting better? With that much exercise you must be building muscle so the results may not be showing on the scales.

[mama2carysbailei...]

I think 3kg in 4 weeks is perfect, my pt said you shouldn't loose any more than 1 kg a week anything more than that and your loosing more than just fat, which isn't healthy.

[amoral lemur]

Given your body would also be toning up / building muscle I would have thought 3 kilos was brilliant. That is 36 kilos a year if you continue at that rate.

[Molondy]

As the pps have said the weight loss is perfect. After the gym eat something with carbs & protein within about 20 minutes if possible. This aids in muscle recovery.
A small low fat chocolate milk is supposed to be perfect. So is toast with egg or a smallish handful of nuts and dried fruit.

I would definitely put more protein in your diet overall but if you aren't too hungry overall but don't stress too much... e.g. a tuna or egg with your cheese & tomato sandwich. Nuts for snacks ...

This post has been edited by Molondy: 13/03/2012, 07:49 PM

[~~diz~~]

Thank you for all your replies.
The yoghurts are the forme ones. Usually just the plain or sometimes i get the flavoured ones to mix it up a bit.
Will definately get the nuts and mixed fruit. I do occasionally eat those little cheese and cracker snack packs but stopped as i wasn't sure how good they were. Will definately get more though as i found them the perfect size.
My clothes are fitting a lot better and everyone says they have noticed a difference in the way i look. I guess looking at myself i don't really see a difference yet.
I have signed up to my fitness pal so will definately start keeping logs.
It's good to know that i am doing ok and seem the norm. I was starting to worry that it wasn't going to get anywhere lol.

[Molondy]

OP I've lost at least 10 - closer to 15kg since my DS was born 3.5 years ago and there are still days I look in the mirror and don't see any difference! (only when I"m naked though - clothed I can tell...)