my weight loss log? pfft lol i need the motivation :)

[angelboots]

Since i split with the ex 5 months ago i have put on weight I hate it, my clothes dont fit and I am in need of motivation to lose this weight so I am hoping by having to check in here daily i can keep focused, kind of like my NC log but weight focused if that makes sense?

 

I want to lose 20 kgs to reach my goal weight which is still at the middle of my healthy weight range and still 5 kgs heavier then before I fell pregnant.

 

I want to eat a vegan diet and increase my water intake, plus switch to whole grain products instead of refined and cut out caffeine again.. all things I was doing until the break up when i sort of let my self go.. and my body is showing it.

 

My face is breaking out n i feel yuck all the time. My goal is to do it to the best of my abilities and see where I end up by my birthday at the end of June.

[tman666]

First of all, why the vegan diet? If you insist on a vegan diet, it will be very difficult to change your body composition for the better. Yes, you might lose weight, but you'll lose a lot of muscle (i.e., what makes people look good), skin quality, hair quality, etc. will all suffer. You'll probably feel horrible too.

 

If you insist on not eating meat, I would recommend that you consider a high protein vegetarian diet. Veganism is just asking to open up a pandora's box of undesirable results.

 

Also, caffeine can actually help you lose weight. A cup or two of coffee can increase thermogenesis (heat production) in the body, which will cause you to burn more calories at your base metabolic rate. Where people run into trouble is when they add a bunch of sugar and cream and chocolate, etc. to their coffee. Black coffee only has trace amounts of calories.

 

Keep in mind that protein is more thermogenic than other food sources. This means that it takes more calories to break down proteins than it does for other calories. As a result, you want to make sure that your meals are primarily composed of protein.

 

Try to keep your fat intake on the lower side of things. Your body needs fat to operate, but it's easy to over indulge. Fat is more calorically dense than carbohydrates or protein. Keep in mind that a gram of fat has 9 kcal, while a gram of protein and a gram of carbohydrate has 4 kcal. (Alcohol has around 7 kcal/gram).

 

You don't have to be a carb Nazi or anything, but having a basic understanding of how to time your carbs will help you minimize their impact on your body fat levels. Carb intake after a period of fasting, such as during breakfast, and post exercise, will help minimize how much of the energy is stored as bodyfat.

 

Before you start changing your diet, you might want to keep track of your calorie intake for a week to get an idea of how many calories you're taking in and what your marcronutrient breakdown looks like (how much protein, how much carbs, how much fat). From there, start with a small caloric deficit (300-600 calories per day). More than that and it'll be harder to stick with your diet long term because you'll feel hungry all the time. Feeling hungry is the enemy when it comes to adherence.

 

If you're not already, you need to start exercising. You don't have to go crazy or anything; even a long, brisk, daily walk (especially in a fasted state) will help your body mobilize stored fat to burn as fuel. Some sort of resistance training will also help you. Building muscle mass will help you lose fat because muscle is metabolically expensive, which means that it burns a lot of calories simply existing, but especially when they're used.

 

If you start weight training and doing daily, brisk, preferably fasted walks, I think you'll see positive changes in your body composition.

[Eve]

I am not an expert with regard to vegan issues.

 

Just wanted to know how much you are overweight by to work out if this is just a poor diet issue.

 

I go with the idea of eating a good breakfast, fruit throughout the day and a nice meal that consists mainly off a lot of vegetables with a bit of meat. No eating after say 7pm and a bit of exercise.

 

I like the vegan thing in terms of making things from scratch but would combine the recipres with meat.. because I love a bit of meat..

 

Anyhow, thats what I do and I have good skin and look ok.

 

If you find any vegan recipes that stand out, please post them.

 

As for the break up.. move on now.

 

Take care,

Eve x