On healthy eating

[luckykaa]

The problem with sitting on a train for a couple of hours a day and not going dancing or doing trapeze or even walking to and from work each day is that I've been getting a bit podgy.  So I'm trying to cut down on calories. 

The maths:

Daily calorie intake for a man is about 2550.  Now this is just an average.  I'm sitting down all day so it's probably closer to 2100.  Fat people eat more than thin people without gaining weight, and a pound of fat burns a few calories just by itself.  The point being that just be reducing calorie intake, or increasing calorie expenditure, the body will eventually reach an equilibrium position.  Fat is a highly efficient energy storage unit (3500 kCals per lb) so this would take time.  Mathematically it would take an infinite amount of time because we're looking at a convergence but the real world isn't quite that well regulated.

Ideally then, If I avoid the equivalent of a mars bar a day, or do some light exercise for an hour a day, I'd burn of a pound every 2 weeks. 

And this is where things get complicated.  And also slightly surprising.  There are more calories in the healthy looking crunch cereal I had this morning than the sugary crunchy nut cornflakes I had last night.  100g of rice has 350 calories which is more than that in a mars bar (granted that's a lot of rice and the rice is probably better for you).  Adding 30g of cheese to my pasta will increase the calorie count by 100.  I have no idea how much the difference is between the healthy option at work is and the normal option.

Long and the short of it is I have no idea how to accurately gauge my intake.  So i figure I don't really care.  I'll just take some ad hoc exercise and snack on fruit rather than chocolate.  I would let you know how it goes but I have no intention of being a fitness fanatic.  Still, would be nice to be below 13 stone by September.

Comments

[tictactoepony.livejournal.com]

On that subject, I made an interesting discovery yesterday.
A quiet 25 mins pootle on an exercise bike at the gymn burnt a bit over 100 calories.
Which I later found is about the same number of calories in a Shortbread finger...
No wonder I had issues with tight trouser waistbands when I had a bit of a shortbread nibbling habit at work!

Have you considered some form of self-enforced regular walk or gym equipment use?

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

We do have a gym down here. Perhaps I should use that. Also Max has some exercise equipment I could use. The problem is it all looks a bit tedious. Dancing is 330 kCals per hour and more sociable.

[tictactoepony.livejournal.com]

Listen to some music at the same time!

[masterofapath.livejournal.com]

That's traditional when dancing ;P

[invisigoth51.livejournal.com]

It's not all about calorie counting though is it? You need calories... but are they delivered as sat fat or carbs or protein etc... i'm led to believe this makes a difference. Food takes calories to digest so rice is harder to digest than sugar so you will gain fewer net calories. Also you burn more at different times of day, consider switching your main meal to lunch time and having a very light supper consisting mostly of protein and veg but no carbs before bed when you won't burn them off.

Exercise raises your metabolic rate and apparently if you exercise before you eat you will burn the energy more quickly and effectively.
Also eat earlier and never last thing at night (i think after about 8pm is supposed to be bad).

Anyway, i don't know how much of this is just myth but i think some of it works, and just changing your routine is much more effective than calorie counting.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd prefer to just go for being a bit more healthy than stress over every calorie. I'll keep that advice in mind.

I do have my main meal at lunch.

Any suggestions for a light protein based evening meal? Typically I do spuds, rice or pasta, because that's easy and scales down easily but if I should avoid carbs, that's exactly what I shouldn't be eating.

[invisigoth51.livejournal.com]

Chicken and veg ie. salad, butternut squash, peas etc... Fajitas without the wrap. Last night we had herb sausage and red wine casserole fry sausages remove from pan, fry off onion and celery in the same pan stir in 1tbsp tom puree and flour, add about 75ml red wine and reduce then add 300ml chicken stock, add sausages again and simmer for 15 mins, add harricot beans and heat through. Serve with green veg.
Monk fish with lentil salad. Lamb mushroom and pepper kebabs.
Oh Chilli! Lean mince red onion red chilli tom puree coriander, bake a butternut squash and scoop out half the insides and stir through the chilli, serve in the remaining squash with some spinach. Not that light though.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

Aye. There's the problem. Something like pasta with cheese sauce (or just some melted cheese) is extremely quick and easy and can be made any size I want. Could just stir fry some veg though.

[invisigoth51.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm... pasta and cheese. Healthy and nutritious (not).
How about stir fry half a chicken breast with some baby corn and green beans with some soy sauce or something?

I dunno, seems easy enough.

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

Which is the problem. It's not at all healthy. It's easy and I'm lazy.

Meat is just a pain. Doesn't keep long enough, lots of packaging, need to clean surfaces rather than just wipe them down.

[omylouse.livejournal.com]

Get some quorn pieces & teriake marinade. Marinade quorn, stir fry it with veg. Most nom! :)

[luckykaa.livejournal.com]

Okay... As a vegetarian - do you find stir fries need some sort of meat equivalent?

[omylouse.livejournal.com]

No, not if you have lots of tasty veggies... But it is a good way of getting protein into the mix & you wanted something high protein :)

[ghostpaw.livejournal.com]

Mushrooms, beans, peas and nuts are good proteins for stirfries, green lentils are good as an alternative to mince for pasta sauces etc.

Baked sweet-potatoes are an excellent low-carb alternative to ordinary potatoes.

WRT not having time to cook in the evenings, make big batches of soups, stews and curries (veggie once can be low-fat) to freeze and eat over the week. I can share recipes if you like.

Also, Quorn is teh ebil, tofu is better ;)

[spacefall.livejournal.com]

beeeeeeeeeeeeeecycle?