Diet Suggestions

[Monkey]

Hi All,

So I need to lose about 25 pounds. I am 31 years old and weight about 220 pounds. 6 feet tall. Sedentary and stressful day job (well sometimes stressful). Exercising on a daily basis for at least 30/40 minutes, varying intensitys.

For health I need a low salt/low fat diet so no chance of going Atkins. Typical days eating will be.

Breakfast

Oatmeal and Allbran with Skimmed Milk.
Glass of Orange Juice.
Handful Nuts (Almonds 20 or so)

Mid Morning Snack

Piece of Fruit.


Lunch

Wholemeal Breadcake with reduced fat cheese/tomato
NutriGrain Bar (or similar)
Orange Juice


Dinner

Chicken and vegetables (with either pasta, rice or potatoes).
Low Fat Yoghurt Dessert

More fruit later in evening.

Trying to drink at least 2 litres of water as well as taking multi vitamin daily.

Any tips etc.

Monkey

[Jay76]

Did a doctor tell you to eat low salt/fat?? curious.

[humilispuer]

If you are already set on low fat/low salt, there really isnt much for us to say. Eat low fat low density foods and watch the calories. I am also curious as to why you feel the need to follow a low fat/salt regimen. If it is for health reasons, please share, if you wish. By doing so you will allow us to paint a much clearer picture of where you are at.

-Humilis

OK - so if I guess you have high BP and the doc has told you low salt/low fat. I don't argue with any Doc's advice on-line, but you should read up and argue yourself.

That said - if you drink 2 glasses of OJ and have a what amounts to a sugar bar at lunch and a sugar yougart at night you will remain fat.

Even following your docs advice stick with water and no cal drinks. Snack on unsalted nuts, although since your carbing be careful of the calories. Protien bars or even Power or Cliff bars that at least have some protien to blunt the sugar rush.

Very curious as to your docs reasons - if you care to share.

[Monkey]

hi Guys,

Short answer, hypertension blood presure of 140/90.

Suspected TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack).

Taken note on the orange juice... are raw oranges ok... low fat yoghurt is about 100 cals....

ATb

Monkey

[Connie Brown]

Hi Monkey, I also had high BP which I brought down with diet and 2 CST sessions morning and evening. As I lose more weight I expect it will go down more. And I am also low-sodium (under 1500 mg per day) which I accomplish by not eating packaged foods, sigh. There is SO MUCH sodium everywhere.

I think you da man to attack diet. so many people just want a pill because it takes so much energy to change how you eat.

IMHO your typical day will not allow you to lose fat, the way it is. Too high a proportion of "fast" carbs and not enough protein, fiber, and good fat to slow it down.

Did your doc send you to a nutritionist for a food plan? If not, I bet you can make a deal with the doc to make incremental changes. Tell him you are reducing bad trans fats (that's an easy one) as a first step. [And then when you get good results you never have to go lower in the good fats, ha ha]

In your place I would make these changes. If it seems too much at once, just fix one meal at a time:

Breakfast

Oatmeal and Allbran with Skimmed Milk.
--- is the oatmeal instant? switch to steel cut.
--- skim milk is has really fast carbs. If you must, use 1%.
--- or try it with cut-up apple instead (like 2 slices)

Glass of Orange Juice.
--- If you must have fruit as well as the oatmeal (I wouldn't)
--- switch to 1/2 real orange.

Handful Nuts (Almonds 20 or so)
--- can you find another source of morning lean protein?
--- protein powder in the oatmeal?
--- this low of protein would leave me hungry.

Mid Morning Snack

Piece of Fruit.
--- 1/2 serving of berries and 1 oz nuts. This will keep your insulin down.

Lunch

Wholemeal Breadcake with reduced fat cheese/tomato
--- switch to Orowheat 100% wholemeal Lite or a similar bread if you have bread
NutriGrain Bar (or similar)
--- no effing way. First ingredient is high fructose corn syrup.
--- goes direct to fat.
--- try a 3-bean salad for fiber and what not
Orange Juice
--- nope, way too much sugar for now
--- more protein! even boneless skinless chicken, gack
--- if you need to feed the sweet tooth at lunch, hmm
--- more fruit?


Dinner

Chicken and vegetables (with either pasta, rice or potatoes).
--- no more than 1/2 cup on the starches,
--- and make that wholemeal pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with skins
--- No fat in the meal! can you get away with
--- dark meat chicken, or adding almond slivers?
--- if you don't have enough good fat you will be hungry
--- plus the other good stuff doesn't digest as well
--- avocado or olives?
Low Fat Yoghurt Dessert
--- how many grams of sugar in this?
--- are you fond of dessert? can you move to whole-fruit dessert instead?
--- like a baked apple

More fruit later in evening.
--- same as midmorning snack if you must; but I would just make
--- my dinner big enough to last.

Trying to drink at least 2 litres of water as well as taking multi vitamin daily.

--- 5 litres for your size.

[Monkey]

5 litres of water! Holy.

Take the point about the sugar guys, especially the nutragrain... jeez like so much sugar. Consider it cut.

Is there a limit on fruit ? Though we were mant to eat 5 poriions a day.

The oatmeal I just put it in the bowl and add the milk. Skimmed milk is really low fat but would soy milk be a better replcement for protein? Or should I make the oatmeal with water?

Orange juice I will just cut complete.

I have a sweet tooth... in case anyone wondered.


Thanks for the good input so far.

ATB

Monkey

Agree with that menu 100%

Show it to your doctor -I assure he won't have a problem with it. It's 10x better, under the same rules, then what you planned.

Bill

[David Whitley, RKC]

if you absolutely must go low fat, i highly reccomend Clarence Bass' book "Lean for Life". It's well written & easy to understand. I personally believe that he knows more about the low-fat approach than anyone.

http://www.cbass.com/ is his website.

[Monkey]

Thank you all for the advice.

Really appreiate it.

ATVB

Monkey