# Advice on my diet, stuck on a plateau



## bikingdad90 (11 Jul 2020)

Hi good guys and gals of Cyclechat, 

I am looking to be enlightened by my good friends on what I am doing wrong and why despite my efforts my weight is neither going up or down and I’m not seeing any Noticeable changes to my body shape.

My typical daily diet is something like this;

breakfast is one of these three options
A) bowl of porridge oats and a tablespoon of golden syrup with skimmed milk
B) bowl of bran flakes with a yoghurt of some kind in lieu of milk. Usually onken fat free vanilla yoghurt or an Aldi caramel yoghurt(artisan ones)
C) two slices of toast, one with butter and one with jam.

Thinking the problem here is too much sugar? To try and fill me up I have also been eating a banana and a cup of tea with skimmed milk or a black coffee with 2 sweetness.

For lunch it is usually something carby like pasta or cheese on toast as it’s quick and I am also feeding three children. Think spaghetti on toast, tomato soup with a slice of bread that type of thing.

Tea time usually consists of a balanced meal with vegetables, protein (quorn or chicken or lean sausages as don’t eat beef) and a dessert such as strawberries or tinned peaches and pairs. Occasionally I’ll have some custard with it.

On a evening I’m doing Joe Wicks PE 3 times a week and getting 45mins to an hours riding in twice a week (avg 16mph - 10-16 miles ish).

As my youngest still wakes up in the night I find my belly is rumbling in the evening. A glass of water usually sees me through to 7am when I start the day.

I have a sedentary desk job and throughout the day I have about 5 cups of tea or coffee with skimmed milk.

I’m currently 10st 13 and 5ft 7 with estimated body fat around 20% (mid rift is a bit pot belly) so I am just in top end of my BMI with 4/5lbs to play with. 32 inch waist and a 35 inch hip. I’d ideally like to get down to 10st which is the middle of my BMI.

Is my sugar intake to blame at breakfast and/or too many carbs?


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## fossyant (11 Jul 2020)

Are you a bloke ? Under 11stone, 5ft 7, sounds OK. Work on posture if you think you have a belly at your weight.


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## bikingdad90 (11 Jul 2020)

Yeah bloke. I am working on strengthening my abs and back muscles as suffer from a pre herniated disc (Bulging) which I am trying to prevent becoming herniated or a slipped disc or worse. I go to bed about 10pm and I’m up around 7am, any longer in bed and my back can’t tolerate it.


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## Slick (11 Jul 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> Yeah bloke. I am working on strengthening my abs and back muscles as suffer from a pre herniated disc (Bulging) which I am trying to prevent becoming herniated or a slipped disc or worse. I go to bed about 10pm and I’m up around 7am, any longer in bed and my back can’t tolerate it.


At least sleep isn't the issue. If I'm in bed at 10, I'm usually wondering round the house like a ghost by 5am.


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## wafter (12 Jul 2020)

I'm with you on the excess carb angle.

FWIW curtailing my carb intake has been the only "diet" that's ever allowed me to lose any weight (extended water fasting notwithstanding, not sure if it counts as a diet since no eating's involved!)

Over around 2yrs I've dropped from around 85kg to around 67kg / 10.5st. I began by cutting out carbs almost completely, then slowly allowing them back in as my resolve faltered. The loss has been typified by spells of maybe 3 months on it and losing around 0.5kg/wk, then a lapse, a small regain (mostly water retention) then more losses and so on..

Long-term / consistant changes are that as a rule I eat a lot less processed, carb-heavy, high-GI crap (crisps, milk chocolate etc) and by default my meals are usually carb-free (meat or fish with veg or salad). I'm also pretty much off the alcohol too (not just for weight loss) which seems to make a reasonable difference. I love soft-boiled eggs on toasted seed "bread" for breakfast; two eggs and two slices is about 400-500kcal, but only around 20g of carbs and it's really filling / delicious. Where I fall down mostly is snacking / when I have a lack of choice (such as when eating out) or I'm miserable so comfort eat.

I'm about 177cm / 5'10" and still have tits and a belly (37.5" chest, 33.5" around my fully relaxed belly, 35.5" hips); sadly it appears I have very little muscle mass (at least in my upper body) so can appreciate where you're coming from with your BMI and body shape. 

Best advice I can give is to sack off the high-GI / refined carbs completely if you can, bin the carbs at meal times and when you do eat them try to restrict yourself to lower-GI stuff, and ideally no more than 50g per day. Oppo low-carb / calorie ice cream is great, while 70% dark choc is a reasonly cheaty-treat as it contains about half the sugar of milk choc, but of course that's no good if you eat twice as much 


All that said I found it easier (in terms of will power) to stick to an almost carb-free diet as it kills the cravings once you're on the wagon and hunger becomes much less of an issue. The flipside to that it can be challenging to maintain this diet due to other practical constraints, such as finding meal ideas and coping when you have to get food on the move.

Sleep is also massively important; tiredness weakens my already weak resolve further and makes me crave high-GI stuff. Same goes for other stressors.. an interesting game to play with yourself is when you feel the "need" to eat, ask yourself whether this is stemming from a physical emptyness in your stomach or "something else" - if it's the latter you don't need food and are instead being driven to eat for some other reason; such as boredom or depression..

Anyway, HTH - good luck


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## Gazjacko (12 Jul 2020)

Sounds like you’re in balance with your intake and output so the whole ‘lose weight’ thing has ground to a halt. Remember fat doesn’t weigh as much as muscle, but if your body fat is constant ( use ‘fat scales’ and take the results as a reference but only to trends not actual scorers they are notoriously inaccurate) I’d be trying to kick start your body to target fat burning, and break your diet routine.
So my advice, for what it’s worth, would be to go onto 5+2 for a while to challenge your body with really low intake days. Careful of your exercise levels on the fasting days, and concentrate on training your body to ignore the hunger cravings, distraction techniques worked for me during massive steroid (medical) induced sugar cravings. You already recognise water can stave off hunger, but once your body realises it has to find new metabolism paths for your day to day output energy, that maybe enough to process any healthy food intake whatever you choose, even maybe a complete vegan day.
Good luck with your efforts and remember healthy is better than skinny.


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## raleighnut (12 Jul 2020)

Ditch the Bread.


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## PaulSB (12 Jul 2020)

I'm 5'5" with waist 31/32" and my weight varies between 153 to 155lbs so we are pretty similar. Most people think I look OK in weight and body shape. For me if I hit your target of 144lbs I would look gaunt and be skin and bone. I'm 66. When my weight does go up to 157 I immediately feel it on my waist, I don't need scales to tell me! I feel my body shape is fine and it doesn't sound as though you have much of a problem.

From what you've posted you are carrying more belly fat than you would like? The body lays down excess calories as fat to use for energy when it's not given adequate fuel. This fat always goes to the waist first. To avoid this fat storage learn what fuel (calories) your body requires to provide the energy for a day. Eat to this level or slightly below and your body will stop storing excess calories because it "knows" the fuel will always be provided.

My impression is you don't really know the calorific value of or the type of food you're eating. You spoke of a "balanced meal." What does this mean? A friend, well qualified in these areas, took one look at my food diary and said "You're like many people, you think you're eating a good diet." I was, she told me so, but I was eating the wrong foods in unknown quantities to feed my daily activity. Once I understood this and put it in to practice I achieved gradual weight loss and find it easy to maintain - provided I limit alcohol and confectionery!! Understanding the value to your body of the calories you're giving it is key to weight loss and maintaining it.

You may be eating too much processed food, easily done with three children and probably always pushed for time.

On the basis of your post if you shift 4-5lbs you will see the body shape you want.

Last thing. You don't mention fluids. Hunger is often actually thirst. Make sure you drink two or three litres of water daily.


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## cyberknight (12 Jul 2020)

im same height and about the same weight , 30 waist but the wrong side of 50 
I have a manual job so im probably carrying more muscle and i cycle commute 10 miles each way then today will be a club ride 50 + , on top of that i do a couple of bodyweight sessions a week press ups, pul ups. abs legs etc .


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## bikingdad90 (12 Jul 2020)

Sounds from @cyberknight like I need to up my exercise to drop 2inches off my waist.

@Gazjacko and @PaulSB very informative posts and a lot to think about. Thank you.


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## Electric_Andy (12 Jul 2020)

Look up keto diet. It's quite restrictive but works well even without exercise. I lost 2 and a bit stone over 4 months


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## cyberknight (12 Jul 2020)

bikingdad90 said:


> Sounds from @cyberknight like I need to up my exercise to drop 2inches off my waist.
> 
> @Gazjacko and @PaulSB very informative posts and a lot to think about. Thank you.


heres todays photo of me mid frame skin headas you can see i could do with losing a bit as the last few weeks have been very stressful so i have been hitting the cake and booze as a comfort im afraid to say and only commuting .im more happy around 150 llbs


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## cyberknight (12 Jul 2020)

todays ride


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## curzons246 (27 Jul 2020)

"Careful of your exercise levels on the fasting days". I'd be really interested on your advice re my diet on exercise days. My wife and I are doing the blood sugar 8 week diet. The effects are really exciting. Her blood sugar control has not been as good in 20 years and I'm 15lbs lighter all in 28 days. My concern comes on cycling days. I am 61 and now 18st 11 1/4 . I normally cycle 50 miles at 14mph twice a week. Strava says I burn 2000 cals. I fuel this by adding jam to my porridge and eat half a sorren loaf on my ride. Is this the best way to go about it. Cheers Bill.


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## amasidlover (28 Jul 2020)

I'm around 65kg and its taken some time to get there - I'm now 42; I've had to do it by calorie counting (I know lots of people on here dismiss it, but its the only thing that's worked for me). 

What has shocked me is how few calories I actually need; I have a desk job and on days when I don't do any workouts I reckon I only need about 1000 calories - on days when I do workouts (most days) I'm doing 2 - 3 hours of a mix of running, cycling, swimming and strength; and then I can eat 1600-2000 calories and stay at a roughly stable weight. 

I've been tracking my weight and calorie intake/expenditure for about 8 years now so have a reasonable picture of what's going on; I've varied my macro nutrients to try low carb but found that it only really had a short term impact (suspect due to water retention) and then I settled down to eating roughly the same number of calories to maintain my weight - although I did/do find that the less carbs I eat the less time I spend feeling hungry (even if I'm eating the same no of calories...)


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## Fab Foodie (28 Jul 2020)

Too many carbs and free-sugar things.
Eggs for brekkie are a wonderful thing and keep you full for hours.
Eat a lot more veg (not fruit) and some lean proteins especially beans and pulses.


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## Blue Hills (29 Jul 2020)

Gazjacko said:


> Sounds like you’re in balance with your intake and output so the whole ‘lose weight’ thing has ground to a halt. Remember fat doesn’t weigh as much as muscle, but if your body fat is constant ( use ‘fat scales’ and take the results as a reference but only to trends not actual scorers they are notoriously inaccurate) I’d be trying to kick start your body to target fat burning, and break your diet routine.
> So my advice, for what it’s worth, would be to go onto 5+2 for a while to challenge your body with really low intake days. Careful of your exercise levels on the fasting days, and concentrate on training your body to ignore the hunger cravings, distraction techniques worked for me during massive steroid (medical) induced sugar cravings.


Can you tell us more about these distraction techniques?


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## Scotty55 (29 Jul 2020)

cyberknight said:


> heres todays photo of me mid frame skin headas you can see i could do with losing a bit as the last few weeks have been very stressful so i have been hitting the cake and booze as a comfort im afraid to say and only commuting .im more happy around 150 llbs
> View attachment 535466


Sorry - struggling to see which one needs to lose weight here....


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## Drago (29 Jul 2020)

Lees sugar for sure. Watch the carbs - complex carbs (oats, pulses, etc) aren't a problem, but the rest of them need careful monitoring. Bread is also one to avoid. Cheese is the Devil's own work - i love the stuff, but if you eat cheese you may as well cut out the middle man and have a reverse liposuction. Very, very occasional cheese for me 

I'm a fat big, tall, hunk of a man and don't eat as much as you on a typical day - I have T1 diabetes and can be prone to thickening round the middle so I'm fairly careful with carbs as they can cause me more problems than sugar, but don't eat so much as you.

I typically do these days:

Brekkie - black coffee no sugar, oat bar (Mrs D shops around to find ones with an acceptable sugar content.

Mid morning - black coffee, hard boiled egg or raw carrot as a snack.

Lunch - small portion of pasta, or half a tine of beans, maybe with some veg on the side (veg is eaten under sufferance)

Mid afternoon - tea or coffee, hard boiled egg or raw carrot. That's it for caffeine drinks, never more than 3 a day, never later than 4pm.

Regular evening meal, portion size carefully controlled.

On a Saturday evening before bed I'm allowed a small choccie bar as a treat.

Very little alcohol.

I'm 6'4", fairly steady at about 116kg, 54" chest, 36" waist. I lift 6 days a week and cycle virtually every day, feel fine for energy etc.


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## Gazjacko (2 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> Can you tell us more about these distraction techniques?


Ok, right you’re probably going to recognise some aspects of ‘hunger pangs’ like when they occur and how you deal with them. For me, it was the work induced mid morning energy lull. Prior to lockdown and working from home, I’d habitually have a cuppa and biscuit(s) around 10:30-11:00am, perked me up, quick ‘sugar rush’ then back to work. I have replaced with this with a 10:30 I go and ‘make’ a coffee. Full on grind the beans, tamp down, adjust pressure on machine barista double espresso! Distracted for 10 mins, then back to work, ( no biscuits). 
Other strategies included during home working have been when really important to have a break from screen time, I have a jigsaw on the go. Target set ( maybe 5 pieces no matter how long, there’s still less calories than a snack) then back to work. 
Teach your brain that your body has the energy stored it just has to ‘find’ it (fat) rather than you top it up without thinking ( sugary snacks)


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## davidphilips (2 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> Can you tell us more about these distraction techniques?


For me i have 3 things that i use for distraction, first would be to drink lots, no sugar water if you can, second and very similar no caffeine coffee will be some calories but better than hitting junk food, perhaps the best of all for me is just to get on a bike i have set up and do 30 minutes in zone 1 (very easy cycling) even if i am really tired after a hard cycle an easy recovery cycle same day can take my mind of eating and does not seem to make tired mussels etc any worse.


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## Drago (2 Aug 2020)

A hard boiled egg, or less often a raw carrot, are my distraction nibbles.


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## Blue Hills (2 Aug 2020)

Drago said:


> A hard boiled egg, or less often a raw carrot, are my distraction nibbles.


Thanks for egg idea.
A quick online search says 78 calories, not too bad.
As a northern kid was warned about the perils of becoming egg-bound, but suppose forcing it out would burn a few calories.

Edit, another search seems to say that a single egg contains 124 percent of your daily cholesterol allowance.
Hell this is complicated, maybe i'll stick to beer, chips and cycling.


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## Drago (8 Aug 2020)

Eggs are funny things. They are high in cholesterol, but by some quirk the body doesn't absorb it and it doesn't raise the blood serum cholesterol level significantly. Its cholestrol in saturated fatty acids that clogs you up.

The British Heart Foundation are pretty cool with eggs.


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## Globalti (18 Aug 2020)

Don't they say that muscle weighs more than fat?


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## Drago (19 Aug 2020)

It does indeed, by volume it's about 17-18% denser than lard.


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## Globalti (19 Aug 2020)

So as you build muscle you'll gain weight.


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## Drago (19 Aug 2020)

That's what I've been telling Mrs D


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (19 Aug 2020)

Globalti said:


> So as you build muscle you'll gain weight.


And should still look better


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## Globalti (20 Aug 2020)

I've lost about 7 kilos in the last couple of months, some due to muscle loss as I haven't been cycling and lots due to fat loss as we've been eating only small pre-prepared supermarket meals. Lockdown stress followed by neighbour stress then the move into temporary accommodation here in Scotland, selling the house and sorting out a thousand things I haven't the will to sort, depression, boredom, retirement regrets, the list is endless. It all contributes. 

So my conclusion is that people who gain weight must be settled and contented.


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## vickster (20 Aug 2020)

Globalti said:


> I've lost about 7 kilos in the last couple of months, some due to muscle loss as I haven't been cycling and lots due to fat loss as we've been eating only small pre-prepared supermarket meals. Lockdown stress followed by neighbour stress then the move into temporary accommodation here in Scotland, selling the house and sorting out a thousand things I haven't the will to sort, depression, boredom, retirement regrets, the list is endless. It all contributes.
> 
> *So my conclusion is that people who gain weight must be settled and contented.*


Not at all, people's reactions to stress in how they eat are incredibly variable. Some like you will not eat (as much), while others will overeat / comfort eat


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## Drago (20 Aug 2020)

When I'm stressed I like to take my angst out on Brother iron and Sister steel, so tend to add a bit.


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## Gazjacko (20 Aug 2020)

Globalti said:


> I've lost about 7 kilos in the last couple of months, some due to muscle loss as I haven't been cycling and lots due to fat loss as we've been eating only small pre-prepared supermarket meals. Lockdown stress followed by neighbour stress then the move into temporary accommodation here in Scotland, selling the house and sorting out a thousand things I haven't the will to sort, depression, boredom, retirement regrets, the list is endless. It all contributes.
> 
> So my conclusion is that people who gain weight must be settled and contented.


Agreed, the ‘D’ plan diet (divorce) worked wonders for me!


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## Globalti (20 Aug 2020)

Lance Armstrong changed his body shape thanks to cancer. He was muscular all over but lost all the bulk with his sickness. Once he had recovered he was able to rebuild his cycling muscles without the bulk and weight of the upper body.

So there's hope for me.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (20 Aug 2020)

Keep in mind that he was a triathlete before he was a pro cyclister, and also only has juan pelota

+ His training and supplementation changed


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## RussellZero (21 Sep 2020)

Might be worth trying to track your calories in and out with something like MyFitnessPal, and focus on getting the right mix of macros for weight loss. Should address your concerns about sugar intake. Has worked for me, just lost nearly 2 stones in 2-3 months.


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## itboffin (24 Sep 2020)

I've lost about 20lbs since June in prep for a Pyrenees kinda RAID trip that didnt happen thanks to lockdown, anyway what I did to lose the weight was use the WFH to do 1 hr per weekend on the bike, speed not important and then another 5 hours+ over the weekend usual with one very fast hard ride and the difference made up as i feel.

The key change for me has been diet, i'm not a breakfast person anyway so just coffee until 11-12 when I have my "one meal of the day" fresh cooked by me, no restrictions on what it is but generally a good mix each day so not burgers and pizza, pasta etc everyday but some days, this week has been fresh pasta with a sauce, pork loin udon noodles, a 10oz steak and chips with mushrooms and beans.

I'm still drinking way too much beer however the one meal a day plus 3-4 litres of water and no snacks of any kind, I have had to add breakfast on Sat/Sun due to the longer rides and that would be 2 slices of wholemeal toast no butter, peanut butter and half a banana on top.

my weight now is 154lbs and holding, if the weather holds out i might see what it takes to go 150lbs before the end of the year when the festive fun begins, mind you with COB


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## Kryton521 (24 Sep 2020)

Stand up. Walk around. Cut down on sugars, cereal will have "added" sugar hidden in there. Yoghurt too. Before every meal, drink water, 250-500 ml.

If you're really struggling with your weight, which I don't think you are. Can highly recommend Noom


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## yo vanilla (14 Oct 2020)

It's been said often already but I'll say it one more time: it's the sugar. There's lots of contributing factors and details, for instance I find a lot of meat to be a culprit, or processed foods, or wheat, but what I believe it comes down to for most people is sugar. (at least in USA) there is SO MUCH sugar in everything it's crazy IMO. Liquid sugar definitely a big culprit.

If you'd like a compare, I'm also about 5'7", about 8% body fat, and in my 40's. Personally for my diet:

Breakfast: oat cereal, I look for things only with 10g sugar or less (near impossible). For me Natures Path Organic Pumpkin Seed & Flax
Lunch: veggie wrap with feta cheese and a little bit of chicken (one breast lasts me the work week)
Dinner: something low or no meat. Examples of late are fish, rice & lentil tacos, black bean soup, egg sandwich, pizza sometimes. Side of veggies always and sweet potatoes sometimes.
Snacks: during the day I have yogurt; I buy unsweetened yogurt, add a little honey, fruit, and cinnamon. I used to get a sweetened yogurt which had something like 22g sugar per serving! 3-4 granola snack bars thru the work day, again with 10g or less sugar. Nighttime snack is raw veggies and smoked salmon.
Drink: coffee in the morning, lots of green tea through the day, and water. On a rare occasion I'll have a small Gatorade after a soccer session.

Lastly, when I started cutting back sugar and went more plant based vs meat based, my energy levels shot up quite a bit!


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## MrGrumpy (22 Oct 2020)

I’ve got myself under 15 stone , been 15-16 this past year or so. I’ve cut right back on bread , porridge for breakfast , lots and lots of fruit . Lunch is usually a chicken salad. Dinner is what ever I fancy. It seems to have worked. Cycling more but it’s defo the cut backs on bread stuffs.

wasn’t intentional it just happened btw !!


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## snorri (22 Oct 2020)

Drago said:


> When I'm stressed I like to take my angst out on Brother iron and Sister steel, so tend to add a bit.


Well, I suppose Irn-Bru is marginally less damaging than alcohol.


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## snorri (22 Oct 2020)

RussellZero said:


> Might be worth trying to track your calories in and out with something like MyFitnessPal, and focus on getting the right mix of macros for weight loss. Should address your concerns about sugar intake. Has worked for me, just lost nearly 2 stones in 2-3 months.


Another  for MyFitnessPal from me.


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## Once a Wheeler (22 Oct 2020)

This is worth a look:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-fast-diet/dr-michael-mosley/mimi-spencer/9781780722375
I have lost weight with this — about 6 kg over 6 months — but it has other effects too, such as regularizing the digestion and giving the immune system a boost. Read it all before you try it as implementation is flexible and it shows how you can tailor it to your needs. Good luck and good health in any case.


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## bikingdad90 (18 Nov 2020)

Update on me. I have well and truly fallen off the bandwagon of late. I have rocketed from 10st 13lbs to 11st 12lbs on account of sitting on my backside working from home. I’m just getting back into the swing of getting on the bike 3 lunchtimes a week, now just need to stifle the munchies and cut down on the calorie intake so I don’t maintain and start to lose the stone.


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## CanucksTraveller (18 Nov 2020)

I'm desk bound all day at home too, but (and I say this a lot), try do some walking daily. Get out at lunchtime and walk briskly for an hour, aim to do about 3.5 to 4 miles in your lunch hour if you can. 
I walk a bit anyway, but I did a Walktober challenge with work (aiming to do over 10k steps per day, every day). It was fairly easy once I'd got into the habit of just getting out there. I only missed 3 days of walking in the month, I lost 9 pounds, and that was with no real change of diet.


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