This post is actually directed towards JDMassimo, but anyone else who wants to cut in be my guest :D

As I mentioned to you before I want to get in better shape, eat a bit healthier as time goes by, and most importantly get rid of my extraneous gut (in proportion to my body). Which is probably the biggest factor in my case in getting rid of it given my fast metabolism?

1) EXERSISE (on a daily basis) --> For me would include lifting, playing basketball, some cardio…..
2) EATING LESS amount of GREASY and Unhealthy Foods?

I know both are both necessary, but if you had to pick one that would be most important given my fast metabolism and the fact that I pretty much am only overweight in the gut/stomach area. I know those types are less healthy then those who have more a more distributive fat/weight balance – but given what you know of me – which would you say would help me more? Please give a percentage of importance (approximation, even though this may be difficult). I will eventually eat healthier than I normally do, but I want to know if exercise is as beneficial as I think it could be. If by my exercising everyday helps me more than my food selection given my metabolism rate, than I will be more motivated to do so, and I can slowly ease my way into a healthier diet.

BTW I am 6’1” 195 pounds, 21 years old, how many calories, amount of water are necessary for me and would it beneficial for me to do a quick chart on my past eating habits and potential total calories/carbs/protein/sat. fats etc….? Which would be a nice way to break down the essentials of my past diet and a diet I can strive for in the future to become healthier and with a smaller and more toned stomach :p ?

Hi again Nikos, Okay, if you have to CHOOSE between diet and excercise, I say start with diet! It is so important to eat right. And a healthy diet will improve the effectiveness of your excercise. But both diet and excercise are quite important and both will contribute greatly to reducing your belly!

As you requested, here are some numbers for you. These are recommended daily calories for an adult male, 21 years old, 6'1", 195 lbs:
2200 if inactive (but this includes normal daily activity)
2400-2600 with 60 minutes of moderate activity (brisk walking, light sports)
2600-2800 calories with 60-90 minutes of heavy activity (basketball, running, etc)

Using the 2400 calorie range, and based on formulas previously posted you might want to eat meals as follows:
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: 600 calories each consisting of approximately 75 carb grams + 37 protein grams + 17 fat grams
2 Snacks (each): 300 calories consisting of 38 carb grams + 19 protein grams + 9 fat grams

You would benefit greatly drinking 64-96 oz of water per day. The more you drink, the better your liver will function to metabolize fat.

So what fits into these numbers for you? Here are a few sample breakfasts:

1. 2 eggs + 2 slices of hearty whole grain toast with 1 tbsp of butter (the kind of bread where you can see the nuts and seeds in it) + 1 8oz container Lowfat fruit yogurt
Nutritional Values: 690 calories 50% carb/20% protein/30% fat
Notes: A bit high in calories but a good balance of nutrients

2. 2 packets of instant oatmeal (with 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of butter if you must!) + 3 oz ham steak + 1 banana
Nutritional Values: 550 calories 50% carb/20% protein/30% fat
Notes: To give you an idea of portion size, 3 oz of ham is about the size of a deck of cards, even if you would have to fold it.

3. 3 Nutrigrain frozen waffles + 1 cup of LF cottage cheese + 1 cup of sliced peaches (in own juice or drained well)
Nutritional Values: 515 calories 58% carb/32% protein/10% fat)
Notes: Pile this one together like a big ice cream sunday - its really pretty good! This is the lowest fat option here! The cottage cheese is your primary source of protein in this meal so you really cannot eliminate it or reduce it by much.

4. Fastfood option (believe it or not!): 2 egg mcmuffins (lowest in fat of any other FF breakfast sandwhich!) + 1 whole orange.
Nutritional Values: 670 calories 45% carbs/22% protein/32% fat
Notes: Don't eat Mcdonalds every day just because its on the list!!! Its rather high in sodium and higher in fat, and fastfood is never the best option. My point is that if you are out and about and you MUST choose - this is probably the one of the better menu choices. Gotta keep it realistic!

Here you can see, that convenient breakfast foods tend to run high in fat. You need to seek out foods which are higher in protein but lower in fat (which can be tricky, especially in your environment). So you if you consume more fat in the AM, reduce your fat intake later in the day. Your example of eggs, sausage, and cheese together in one meal gives you lots of protein, but WAY too heavy on fat in one sitting.

Remember, these numbers are targets - you can be off a bit in either direction - just focus on the target numbers as a goal. It would be virtually impossible to hit these targets precisely with each and every meal! Get on the web and start to look things up - the more you learn the easier it will be. Do a google search on "USDA Food Database" - you can find anything and everything there. Also remember its all about balance. You don't have to give up eggs or cheese you just need to combine your foods so you get modest, reasonable amounts of the nutrients you need (so for example you might avoid eating eggs with cheese)

1. 2 eggs + 2 slices of hearty whole grain toast with 1 tbsp of butter (the kind of bread where you can see the nuts and seeds in it) + 1 8oz container Lowfat fruit yogurt
Nutritional Values: 690 calories 50% carb/20% protein/30% fat

This one sounds like a reasonable meal, but is whole grain any better than whole wheat?

Also what kind of yogurts are good, I never have them so I am not sure which are good? Any suggestions there?

2. 2 packets of instant oatmeal (with 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of butter if you must!) + 3 oz ham steak + 1 banana
Nutritional Values: 550 calories 50% carb/20% protein/30% fat

I don't really like oatmeal, so this isn't really a feasible option for me.


3. 3 Nutrigrain frozen waffles + 1 cup of LF cottage cheese + 1 cup of sliced peaches (in own juice or drained well)
Nutritional Values: 515 calories 58% carb/32% protein/10% fat)

I like waffles a lot, but never had a nutrigrain one, also I don't really think I care for cottage cheese much unfortunely :( -- so this one isn't really a good possibility/fit for me.

I looked up eggo waffles (plain) and the ratio is 29g carb 5g protein 7g fat -- is that real bad since there isn't enough protein relative to carbs? Could those carbs just continue to add to my mid-section? (I would only need a little butter, I don't care for syrup on my waffles neccesarily......




4. Fastfood option (believe it or not!): 2 egg mcmuffins (lowest in fat of any other FF breakfast sandwhich!) + 1 whole orange.
Nutritional Values: 670 calories 45% carbs/22% protein/32% fat

How bad are egg and cheese alone (no sausage)? Lately I have had egg and cheese on an english muffin in the mornings with medium sized fruit cup? Is that reasonable given my normal "sausage egg and cheese standards"?

Also are home fries (once in a while bad for breakfest)?



As you can see I am very picky and I seem to favor carbs and fat etc.... regardless of ratios.

I like waffles, meats, I dont mind fruit etc.....I use to have low fast peanut butter and whole wheat toast with water for breakfest and probably will continue that soon again when work ends next week.

I guess I just have to take this slow cause I am obviously very picky in all my meals and foods. Its going to very tough -- and the best I can do right now in the short term is cut off soda and fries (which I have done for 3 weeks now almost) and drink water all the time. COuple that with exercise daily starting next week I hope I can lose a little of the mid-section.

Just curious, but I notice that many basketball players tend to eat some junk food or foods that are high in carbs etc..... Could I follow a similiar diet and just exercise a lot more and cut off the soda, sweets etc....?

Would you say my extraneous fast food eating (over eating) and lack of exercise is the reason for my gut -- or is it mostly the ratios?

Thanks

Sorry for all the trouble, Im struggling with this as you can see --I want to be able to eat mostly what I like at a reasonable rate while Im young, while still being able to be in nice physical shape, and not have a mid-section. Im not 100% interested in eating perfect yet. But I want to start slowly and ease my way into better eating habits, just not drastically yet -- otherwise Im afriad ill UNDER eat.

Any help would be great :(

Nikos, Its all in your hands, really. Regardless of what I or anyone else recommends you are going to do what you are going to do. Its all about motivation. If you are motivated to make changes you will make them, if you are not, then you won't make them. There are really two ways to look at this:

1. You are very young and it probably will not effect your health THAT much to take it slow and continue to make small changes to your lifestyle. You KNOW what you need to do, but you may not be mentally ready to do it. There is only one person that will give you "permission" to eat an egg, sausage, and cheese muffin for breakfast... and that is you! If you feel that omitting the sausage is a step in right direction for you, then its a great first step. You'll take the next step when you are ready.

On the flip side you could look at it this way:
2. You are young and healthy now, what better time to make changes so you can stay that way. Many people are not motivated to make lifestyle changes until its too late - excess weight and irreversable diseases have already occurred and now they are fighting an uphill battle. I assure you, there is not one person on this earth who chose that path and who didn't wish they could turn back the clock. Perhaps you should feel blessed that you have your health and the knowledge to maintain it. Now its just a matter of appying the knowledge.

as much as I agree with the health aspect that JD pointed out, I agree more with her first point (#1). You ARE young, and you still have your whole life ahead of you. Yes, when you can you should make healthy choices- but when youre out and about, with your friends, at a party, craving sweets, etc, dont deprive yourself of the "junky" foods! They too are part of a healthy lifestyle. Everything in moderation is fine.

I agree with the baby steps. I think if you can make healthy choices for most things, while still ENJOYING your food, satisfying cravings, and being somewhat active, then that's a perfect plan. I would make healthy choices when you can, and other times, dont sweat it. Your body will let you know asap if your diet or lifestyle needs to be changed, and if youre feeling fine doing what youre doing then thats wonderful and keep it up! :D

I understand jdmassimo.

I think Im going to just try to cut down on the fats, sweets, extra soda on a consistent basis and just get more exercise. Slowly I will try to eat more healthy things as well as time passes. I just can't eat things I am not used to eating all in one shot, and Im just trying to find out if by cutting out that extra stuff that I had SO MUCH of everyday can make a difference/coupled with exercise.

Basically I want to know if cutting the extra calories, sugars, fats is going to noticably help me if I start exercising?

As far as foods for breakfest and snacks I want to know what is OK.

What type of Yogurts would you reccomend exactly? I looked at my supermarket yesterday (not a wide selection) that had Yoplait Fat FREE Yougurt and regular yougurt and it seemed to have a lot of carbs compared to protein ration like 6:1 or so -- so why would Yougurt be a good snack with all those carbs in it etc....?

Are Eggo waffles with margerine real bad for breakfest?

Overall I think I am just going to eat LESS as I have been the past 3 weeks. Again I still eat a lot of fatty foods just not the UNNECCESARY EXTRA FAT and SUGAR I always had all through college etc.... I havent even been exercising and I feel it could help. Do you think so?

I am basically admitting that I just want to eat less, a little more healthy, and exercise more. Nothing too drastic in the big picture, but its a good starting point for someone who ate fast food and extra fast food with that EVERY DAY, along with 3-4 sodas a day etc......

So why are yougurts OK for snacks, which are the best?

Also I read somewhere that carbs arent really that bad for you, did you mention the importance of the ratio just to stress the value of protein and not getting TOO MUCh carbs?

Thanks

Basically I want to know if cutting the extra calories, sugars, fats is going to noticably help me if I start exercising? Yes - all your efforts will help and should be noticable. Remember the numbers (calories) I gave you earlier in this thread - you may need to increase your calories if you start exercising. You are not overweight and you do not need to lose weight. Reducing your calories would not be good for you. You need to change the types of foods you are eating and make healthier choices. IMO, at this point in your life, your goal should be to imrove your condition, avoid weight gain, and resist the onset of adult disease (which is inevitable with a poor diet that is high in fat and unhealthy carbs)


As far as foods for breakfest and snacks I want to know what is OK. I already gave you some recommendations. If you don't like the selections you need to look up foods you do like and attempt to find some combinations of foods that give you the correct ratios. I recommend 50% carb/25%protein/25%fat, but you may find it easier to do 50% carb/20%protein/30%fat which would not be terrible.


What type of Yogurts would you reccomend exactly? I looked at my supermarket yesterday (not a wide selection) that had Yoplait Fat FREE Yougurt and regular yougurt and it seemed to have a lot of carbs compared to protein ration like 6:1 or so -- so why would Yougurt be a good snack with all those carbs in it etc....? If you recall, I recommended that you have yogurt in the same meal with eggs, not alone. Yogurt alone has a relatively low amount of protein - best to combine it with another protein source. Remember, the meal recommendations I posted were not about the inidividual ingredients. They were planned based on the combined nutritional value of the WHOLE meal. Change that up and it alters the value.


Are Eggo waffles with margerine real bad for breakfest? Alone, yes. You need to eat protein. Also remember that margerine has just as much fat as butter. Its also after loaded with chemical ingredients. IMO real butter is a healthier choice.


Overall I think I am just going to eat LESS as I have been the past 3 weeks. Again I still eat a lot of fatty foods just not the UNNECCESARY EXTRA FAT and SUGAR I always had all through college etc.... I havent even been exercising and I feel it could help. Do you think so? You don't need to eat less food, you need to eat less bad food. That means you need to find healthier replacements for much what you have been eating. You may not like all the healthy food choices at first - especially if you are finicky. That is why you need to be mentally ready for change. Also remember, if you increase your activity, you may need to add calories to you diet.


So why are yougurts OK for snacks, which are the best? IMO yogurts are only good for snacks when combined with other foods, like nuts, seeds, lean meat, or another source of protein, because they are so high in carbs. Also, the primary carb source in yogurt is sugar, not fiber, something you are looking to cut back on. Yogurt is healthier that ice cream and candy, but look for the "low-fat" and the "lite" (which will keep the carb/sugar counts down)


Also I read somewhere that carbs arent really that bad for you, did you mention the importance of the ratio just to stress the value of protein and not getting TOO MUCh carbs? Carbs are not bad for you, in fact they are good for you if you eat the RIGHT carbs. Not all carbs are the same, AND you need to keep your ratios correct for a balanced diet. You have already stated that you prefer carbs and often eat only carbs - that is a bad habit that if you could break, would benefit you greatly. The high amount of carbs you eat are likely causing your fat accumulation in your middle. Exercising will obviously help you lose fat, but the diet aspect is important too, especially as you age.

Hi,
The menu that was just given to you like the waffles and yogurt, may not be the diet that bests suits you. There are hundreds of diets out there because everybody has a different taste, lifestyle, metabolism, etc. For example, I'm the mixed type like half protein half carb ratio. Some people's energy level is great when they eat a higher protein to carb ratio. It all depends on how you feel after you eat a meal. I like to include a small amount of protein and carbs at every meal. And, I try to eat about 6 small meals a day. Actually, I used to dread exercising, now I'm hooked on video tapes and love the challenge these routines give me, especially step aerobics. Step aerobics is equivalent to running 7.7 mph and is so much fun but it takes time to get used to. I didn't mention, before I lost the 30lbs when I went on the Slim Fast diet. That may not be for you, but it is a healthy way that kept me on track so I didn't have to measure this or that. But that's when I didn't know much about dieting because I was like you, didn't feel like messing around with counting calories and such. I constantly have a sweet tooth, so that's why the slim fast diet worked for me. It may not work for you, but do some searching on the internet about diets and I'm sure you'll find one that suits you and your lifestyle. There are some sites that actually have quizzes for you to help you find a diet suitable for you. I would definitely get into exercising. It really sucks trying to get started, but I have to say it really boosts you mood, energy, and the list goes on and on. You may want to incorporate weight training twice a week to really burn fat. Well, I hope this helps. I think you'll find a suitable diet for you. BTW, I learned to love fruits, and vegetable juice and got used to not eating junk. I actually feel better, and savor every bite of healthy fruit and veggies and low fat dip. That's just an example! Good Luck! :wave:
P.S. There is no question that exercise will help you lose weight. It will speed up the process and should be a lifelong habit like brushing your teeth. There are so many important aspects in exercising, I wouldn't even no where to start. Maybe you should type in google, "the benefits of exercise" and that may motivate you right off the bat. Or, you could go in exercise boards or chat rooms, they seem to help motivate me. Like I said, It is hard to get started but the results are real and it's extremely healthy for you.
Jessicca