What's wrong with my diet?

[cobobeachbum]

Hi all,

I must admit that I find this difficult - perhaps it's a midlife crisis!

I hit 48 last week, and am a hardworking guy spending around 10 hours a day either at my desk in the office or working on the laptop at home. I'm 213 pounds and 5 foot 10. Even when I was playing regional representative field hockey I was always around 185 pounds.

I'm a frustrated windsurfer, knowing my improvement is hampered by my body size, and increasing lack of flexibility. I have a family history of type 2 diabetes (mother) and heart problems stroke / cancer (father). Suddenly it seems like everything is telling me to get fit / slim (normal / acceptable weight) in order to give myself a fighting chance.

But my highest recommended BMI gives a weight of 175 pounds - I can't ever remember being that light!

I've tried dozens of diets including Weightwatchers and Atkins - even hypnotherapy. It always ends the same way - some loss (biggest was 20 pounds) and then it all creeps back again. I've been tested for diabetes and thyroid abnormalities - but all is ok. My cholesterol level is marginally above acceptable.

I suspect I may have an intolerance to dairy products - but haven't drunk milk for over 30 years. However, I have an addiction to cheese, and even a small amount a week (4ozs) seems to promote weight gain of a pound or more. I have noticed that eating cereal and fat free yogurt causes my lips to chap like I've been in the Arctic!

Since breaking my achilles tendon, and tearing my calf muscle, in the same running accident at the start of June 2003 I have struggled to get my head round running - but have been cycling at weekends when the weather is suitable, doing between 12 and 20 miles each time out. Prior to that I was in the gym at least 3 times per week doing an hour a day split between the cross trainer, bike, rower, and a few weights. Unfortunately I can no longer afford the membership fees, nor can I find the time due to work commitments.

As for food, this is an example of a normal week:

Breakfast: slice of toast and low sugar conserve or marmite (no butter / margarine) or a cereal bar each day except Sunday. Sunday it's a grilled sausage, grilled bacon, dry fried egg, mushrooms and grilled tomato.

Lunch: Mon - Fri it's a 250ml serving of homemade soup with a 3 inch length of french bread, Saturday a filled roll of some description, Sunday is nothing (see breakfast!)

Evening: Something home cooked, fresh fish at least twice a week, chicken usually 3 nights, red meat maybe once. Mainly grilled, loads of fresh vegetables, nothing fried, and only a roast on Sunday

Snacks: very few indeed. Chocolate, maybe 1 bar a week if not less. Bread / butter / margarine very rarely other than where shown above. No milk, cream, ice cream, sugar.

Drinks: 2 mugs of coffee a day, maybe 1 of tea, and most days around 2 litres of chilled water during the working day. During the evenings flavoured mineral water

Alcohol: beer - maybe 330ml per week, wine 2 glasses Friday, Saturday & Sunday, spirits very rarely.

Other: maybe 1 28g bag of crisps a week, and 4-6 ounces of cheese. (I was eating cereal and yogurt for 2 meals a day, but suffered with horrendous chapped lips - so have stopped!) No salt, if absolutely essential I use Lo-Salt.

That's about it!



Am I going nuts? Anyone else with similar experiences / symptoms? Better still, any long term solutions without surgery, medication?

 

[RedT]

I would recommend getting your body fat tested by a reliable source (those scale/BF machines are horribly inaccurate).

This way you will know how much of your body is muscle. BMI is very general. If you have 165 pounds of lean muscle, you will NEVER weight 175 pounds and something higher will be a more reasonable and healthier weight for you, but that is not a bad thing.

If you really are eating what you say you are eating you may just have a very low metabolism and should work to get it up. You shouldn't eat too much, but honestly eating too little does not help (it's a mistake a lot of people make). Your body goes into starvation mode and fights to keep the fat. You may want to try eating small snacks 5 or 6 times throughout the day instead of 2 or three big meals. Drink lots and lots of water.

I hear folks rant about how green tea increases metabolism and of course, exercise does to. Hopefully some other folks will have other suggestions. But you really should try to get in more exercise. If you have a dog, start walking Fido instead of just letting him out in the backyard.

Also about trying every diet in the world. The reason that diets don't work is because by their nature they are temporary (and you usually end up miserable). You need to change YOUR diet. That's permanent, (but it doesn't mean that occassionally you can't cheat. We all cheat). Substitute wheat bread for white, mustard for mayo, a salad for french fries, grilled or broiled for fried, lo-cal for high fat. Start reading lables (often times that alone motivates me to make a different choice). But don't make the changes all at once. If you gradually work into a healthier diet you are more likely to be able to live with it.

Maybe you could take a brisk during lunch. I know it is hard when you are working all day but it is important (I get up at 4:30am to go to the gym before work). If you watch a lot of TV after work you may want to try to get a stationary bike and ride while you watch.

Are you on any meds? I know some anti-depressants can wreak havoc on your metabolism. if that is the case, you'll want to talk to your doctor. If you do not have a glandular problem, the only reason you will gain weight is because you are taking in more than you are working off.

Good luck!

 

[jake478]

I have the same body type as you. Im 5'10 but 220. I was 185 at my lightest and even then those BMI and weight things said i should be 165 or 175. There was no way that was possible. I did one of those fat tests, with the calipers and what not and only had like 13 % body fat. I recoment going ag getting one of those from a fitness pro. They are much more reliable.

As for the weight loss, its probably the stress of your 10 hour days, and working at home. If you are stressed you will not loose weight. You may not even know you are stressed, but i cant imagine a 10 hour day not being stressful.