Diet...

[MS1COYS]

Well the poll says it all really. My starting weight was 280lbs and my goal weight is 249lbs. I'm 6' 3" and have a bmi of 26.

I'm sticking to a sub 1800 calorie daily intake. Max 50g of carbs. Min 120g of protein. Max sat fats 20g.

An average day would start with oats and raisins or fruit for breakfast. Something and salad for lunch, mostly chicken, tuna or salmon. And dinner would be again chicken, turkey, tuna, swordfish, salmon with spinach, green leaves or seasonal veg.

I'm trying to limit myself to one beer a night or a vodka with a diet mixer.....it's f**king difficult!

As far as exercise goes, I walk and jog between 3 and 5 miles a session, at least 3 times a week. I do 3 sets of 12 reps of planks, squats, push ups and crunches at least twice a week and usually do some light upper body weights, biceps, triceps, traps, shoulders etc.

Any tips would be welcomed. Looking forward to the banter too 

[MS1COYS]

What bastard voted for me to have the breaking strain of a soggy biscuit? Cmon own up ya bastard 

[barrym381]

What fatherless son voted for me to have the breaking strain of a soggy biscuit? Cmon own up ya fatherless son 

me try doing more running if you want to lose weight worked on a fat mate 
and com friday i will be askin you to make sure u havent been chocolate munchin 

[MS1COYS]

What fatherless son voted for me to have the breaking strain of a soggy biscuit? Cmon own up ya fatherless son 

me try doing more running if you want to lose weight worked on a fat mate 

My ankles and knees won't take much more than 12-15 miles a week. I'm 20 stone dude. I wish I could run like a Kenyan, but I wouldn't last the year. I'd be the only nob in the country to have a hip replacement before the age of 30 

[barrym381]

What fatherless son voted for me to have the breaking strain of a soggy biscuit? Cmon own up ya fatherless son 

me try doing more running if you want to lose weight worked on a fat mate 

My ankles and knees won't take much more than 12-15 miles a week. I'm 20 stone dude. I wish I could run like a Kenyan, but I wouldn't last the year. I'd be the only nob in the country to have a hip replacement before the age of 30 

cut some of the chicken out an im sure an extra mile a day wont hurt if you cut out the other exercise 

[Khare]

Cut alcohol completely. It may be hard but it's the best thing you could do (not just for health but for the wallet too).

Regarding calories....Eat how ever many you want, it's about burning up more than you put in. Don't go on a low carb diet either, you sound like my mum. Just make sure you don't eat carbs past 7pm or so and make sure you stick to complex carbs.

You can always drink oat shakes for some quick energy (I have them for breakfast, they're great). You have oats for breakky anyway so that's covered.

Mix up between meat and fish for dinner. A proper steak will have loads of protein. Buy a load of  tins of tuna (buy cheap if you eat a lot). Great quick snacks and again loads of protein and little fat (get in brine rather than oil).

As for exercise, running won't do that much alone, you need to combine it with other stuff or do interval training. Swimming is the best cardio sport as well as cycling IMO. On a road bike you'll eat up miles in no time. Before you know it you've racked up 40 miles in the time you'd do 10 miles running. Seeing the amount of miles you're getting through is much more motivating, it'll keep you going.

Drop the whole 3 sets of 12 reps thing. Do reps till fail. When you do fail, go down a weight and go till fail again. Also it's important to remember to rest. Get good nights sleep and make sure you don't overtrain.

Most importantly of all though, remember to keep at it. Don't let slow progress halt you. It takes time to lose weight and gain lean muscle.

[MS1COYS]

Cut alcohol completely. It may be hard but it's the best thing you could do (not just for health but for the wallet too).

Regarding calories....Eat how ever many you want, it's about burning up more than you put in. Don't go on a low carb diet either, you sound like my mum. Just make sure you don't eat carbs past 7pm or so and make sure you stick to complex carbs.

You can always drink oat shakes for some quick energy (I have them for breakfast, they're great). You have oats for breakky anyway so that's covered.

Mix up between meat and fish for dinner. A proper steak will have loads of protein. Buy a load of  tins of tuna (buy cheap if you eat a lot). Great quick snacks and again loads of protein and little fat (get in brine rather than oil).

As for exercise, running won't do that much alone, you need to combine it with other stuff or do interval training. Swimming is the best cardio sport as well as cycling IMO. On a road bike you'll eat up miles in no time. Before you know it you've racked up 40 miles in the time you'd do 10 miles running. Seeing the amount of miles you're getting through is much more motivating, it'll keep you going.

Drop the whole 3 sets of 12 reps thing. Do reps till fail. When you do fail, go down a weight and go till fail again. Also it's important to remember to rest. Get good nights sleep and make sure you don't overtrain.

Most importantly of all though, remember to keep at it. Don't let slow progress halt you. It takes time to lose weight and gain lean muscle.

Cheers for the heads up Khare. I'll run with the rep till fail and see how I get on with it. To be honest on biceps I'm failing at around 12 to 15 reps, with a comfortable weight for me being 20k's. I know I'd be better off loading up 10k's and repping 40-50 times, but I don't have the time to work 100 plus reps of each exercise into my routine.

I won't lose heart mate, if at first you don't succeed and all that...I'm after a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. I just need the challenge as an incentive.

I doubt I'll be able to knock booze on the head, so I'm not going to sit here and bullsh!t you 

[Shady Pioneer]

I'm a gurt fatty too. 3 years ago I was about 12 stone, now I'm border-lining 16!!! I know why but it's just too easy eating crap!

Hardly drink really, very few occasions I go out but when I do I do it properly!

Need to start varying my diet to really.

Don't do any exercise, and I really don't want to go to the gym, can't justify the £30+ a month, not yet anyway. Ideas? Oh and I don't have a bike as I have nowhere to store it.

[MS1COYS]

I'm a gurt fatty too. 3 years ago I was about 12 stone, now I'm border-lining 16!!! I know why but it's just too easy eating crap!

Hardly drink really, very few occasions I go out but when I do I do it properly!

Need to start varying my diet to really.

Don't do any exercise, and I really don't want to go to the gym, can't justify the £30+ a month, not yet anyway. Ideas? Oh and I don't have a bike as I have nowhere to store it.

Resistance training exercises. Planks, weighted squats, weighted lunges, crunches, push ups, sit ups etc. Get your heartbeat up between 120-150 bpm and workout for 15-20 minute periods. Four times a week and an intake of less than 2500 cals a day should see you lose weight. Brisk walking every day, even if it's only for 15 minutes, is really good too because your muscles remember the cycle and remembers to burn fat reseves, increasing your metabolism in the process....bonus!

Low carbs diet is good and healthy fats such as mono and poly unsaturates are good on a daily basis. You can find them in most fish, especially oily fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds etc. Lean meats such as chicken and turkey are a good replacement for fatty cuts of red meats. As far as carbs go, stick to wholegrain rices, pastas etc and consume them earlier in the day. Oats are fantastic too, great bulky breakfast, with slow releasing carbs for your days energy. They also help lower LDl or bad cholesterol. Change your milk to skimmed if you consume a lot, it's less than 0.1% fat and yet contains more calcium than full fat 'blue' milk.

Golden rule, try to stick to meal times, even if it is little and often, in fact this is usually better as it also increases metabolism. Snacking is the devil, if you have to do it, try some rabbit food, like carrot sticks and dip them in hummus.

Now if only I could heed my own advice ha!

[Britman]

i didnt drink for like 5 yrs. I been a steady 9.5-10.5 stone. Been eating same if not less but drank last 8 months a few times a week mainly weekend and now 12.5 and slightly overweight. I rekon if had no booze at all id loose it all. it scary how i put on 2 stone in 6 months seam sat at this weight for 3 months. I 5ft8 . youd be suprised how much calories in vodka i swear was as many if not more than beer for amounts of vodka some drink like 9 doubles in sitting or night out. Was lookin at calories in stuff in my mums weight watchers guide books some stuff well bad you wouldnt think is