Sport Graduate student seeking to avoid excess body weight - diet never changes figure

[Something Else]

Hello all, I'm a graduate student who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with fitness for most of my life. I was a casual weightlifter and third-string varsity runner during high school, and the long-term effect of this is that I have massive leg muscles (built for endurance, not speed, though), and while I've always had a "beer belly," my arm muscles have never completely lost their definition, despite the fact that since I started college I haven't maintained a fitness routine.

At various points in my life since then I've made extensive changes to my diet and lifestyle, ranging from limiting my diet to 1400 calories a day and running 10 miles a day for a month at one point, to complete inattention to physical activity and regular consumption of junk food. ("Complete inattention" still included regular walking of 4-6 miles per day.)

The issue is that regardless of my level of physical activity and the quality of my diet, I've been between 180 and 200 pounds regardless, and this hasn't really changed as one might expect based on activity. While my restricted-diet-and-intense-running got me a few comments about my leg muscles being even larger than usual and a "you look a bit more in shape," it didn't eliminate my beer belly, and my actual weighed-in weight was somewhere in between 180 and 200. Conversely, since starting graduate school the most exercise I've managed is a jog every few nights (plus my regular walking schedule) and I am currently at 192 pounds, where I would have expected to at the very least be at the upper end of the 200 scale. My beer gut doesn't seem visibly larger, although I suppose the weight variability could come from a loss of leg muscles. (Unless I'm actively lifting, which I'm not, my arm muscles tend to remain a fairly consistent size.)

I don't have a consistent diet, really... I eat a lot of carbs, and fewer meats. I would say my daily caloric intake is definitely higher than it should be, and I take antidepressants that have a side effect of weight gain. At various points, feeling insecure about my body has led me to try hard to address this, as I mentioned above - but since I see at most very minimal results, it's grown hard to convince myself to ignore cravings for unhealthy foods. I feel very insecure about being "fat," but what it boils down to is that I have a couple of inches in my "spare tire" area that I can't get rid of, and my dad has the same thing, and despite being a four-days-a-week gym-going ex-Marine who regularly consults with his doctor on his diet, he still has that spare tire as well. I guess I'm not that bothered by the beer gut, since it disappears with a well-fitted dress shirt - but I'm also paranoid about gaining weight in other areas that will make me less attractive.

So, here's my question - I didn't just make this thread to make excuses about why I'm not currently dieting or exercising. If I want to avoid gaining any more weight, reduce my beer gut if possible, but my primary interest is avoiding weight gain that would be noticeable when I'm dressed in professional clothing, what are the best things I can focus on, diet and exercise wise?

 

[evolution]

I don't know about business clothing. But what is stopping you from exercising? Three times a week for 30-45 minutes in the weight room. Cut down on your carbs, let them come from a couple servings of fruit and nonstarchy vegetables.

 

[Something Else]

Nothing is stopping me. Apologies, I should have phrased my question differently: what specific dietary changes will affect most the likelihood of gaining weight, given that reducing calorie intake has had minimal effect?

 

[summer123]

To get a better grip on your weight, you need to eat better. Your ex-marine friend is speaking with his Doctor why? as far as Drs go, they know the basics of healthy eating but they are not dietitions or nutritionalists nor experts in losing weight.

Simple equation applies when it comes to losing weight, fewer calories going in then coming out. Increase your activity level, decrease the calories you eat. Not the volume or the types of food, the calories.
Eating a balanced diet will help you to keep a reduced calorie diet in check: eat 1.5-2 grams of protein per 1kg of your body weight. This requires you look at the nutritional details of what you eat, for example a 125 chicken breast will have around 30g of protein in but some have more water then others so do check the pack.
Don't eat more then 70g of fat per day and no more then 20g of that is to come from saturated fats.
Carbs, if your diet is mainly carbs you need to redo the balance, sort out your protein and your fat, anything left you can have as carbs.
Fruit and vegetables: you need at least 5 separate portions, you also need them each to be different. Eat 5 apples, this counts as one portion, drink 5 pints of orange apple and banana juice, it only counts as one. Juice = 1 portion per day however much you have of it. And don't forget that juice has calories! Fruit and Vegetables count as carbs by the way.

Drink plenty of water. 2L per day is a good rule of thumb, remember that sodas and juice and smoothies have calories.
Alcohol also has calories, and alot of them, a pint of beer? 400kcals. A small glass of wine? 125kcals, a large glass, 250kcals. Don't drink is my best advice, it does little for you but allow you to gel with people who are also drunk.

Go to any of the stickies on the forum, find out how many calories you need to maintain without gaining any weight. What it all boils down to at the end of the day is calories, you eat too many, you gain weight. This works for everyone, even people who have metabolic issues, if you buck the trend you need to contact NASA immediatly so they can research into how and also claim back $£$£$£ from several forms of media who will want to write all about you.

And one last thing: weigh everything before you eat it for 1-2 weeks. Just do this- it will surprize you exactly what you eat.

Remember, it takes time to lose weight, like 10 days at least to notice the first change. Drinking more water, eating more low cal veggies can reduce how far any weight loss looks at first but stick it out and you will see a weight loss. Give anything 6 weeks before giving up. Have you done this?
Reduce your calorie amount by 25%, stick with it, weigh yourself every week, no more. Same time of the day, same day of the week, best in the morning before having eaten or had anything to drink. Do this for 6-8 weeks then decide to give up but try it properly first: reducing your calorie intake whilst boosting your exercise is your only option (unless you want liposuction scars).

And in answer to your question: no specific dietry chranges will affect you more then any other AS LONG as the calories are in check.