Need to get into shape...need some help

Damaskinos · February 20th, 2008, 12:23 PM

Hello everyone...

I recently returned to my home town after living in the states for a few years and decided it was time for a change of direction in my life. I decided to join the Canadian Forces. Anyway, long story short I'm not in very good shape anymore. The last couple years I've kinda let myself go. Obviously, if I wanna be in the military this will be a problem. What I'm wondering about is what kinda foods I should eat on a daily basis (don't be afraid to go into detail here I need a lot help with this and a detailed breakfast, lunch, supper type menu would be great), and I also need an exercise plan that will enable me to lose weight and be able to do things that you need to be able to do to complete basic training...push ups, sit ups, chin ups, stuff of that nature. I have access to a gym as well if that helps. Hope that someone here can help me out.

**falconfootball** · February 20th, 2008, 01:32 PM

Welcome to the board, and glad we can help.

To help us help you, do some research. There are a great deal of diet and exercise plans on here.

Just do a search, and educate yourself.

We are happy to help here, but we can't put it all together on one single post. I've been training and eating well for many years, but I learn something new everyday.

**wil** · February 20th, 2008, 01:49 PM

Yeah ... what he said...

There are sticky'd threads in the different forums that should be your starting point. They have more information than you can digest.

Damaskinos · February 20th, 2008, 07:55 PM

Alright well first things first is diet. I found a link to the site mypyramid.gov in one of the sticked threads and it came up with a diet plan my main question is how exactly do I measure out the amounts. For instance it says I need 9 ounces of grains daily...how do I know what 9 ounces is? I don't have a scale or anything.

**falconfootball** · February 20th, 2008, 08:10 PM

some of the best chefs I know own a small scale. I have been thinking I need one as well. Helps to get the precise numbers. However, every BODY is different, so not everyone needs the exact # of grams, oz, etc. that a diet plan may call for

**wildstang** · February 20th, 2008, 08:17 PM

my diet i use after i reach my calorie, carb limit, i will eat any veggy i want to fill the stomach and feel full. ive lost all the weight ive ever wanted to using that method, with lots of cardio.

**Insex** · February 21st, 2008, 01:18 AM

Welcome to EF, Damaskinos.

For your nutritional intake, the concept is very simple, yet, it's usually the most difficult task to stick to. Basically, eat foods that are either grown or raised naturally.

Examples of naturally grown foods:

- Vegetables.
- Fruits.
- Whole grains, whole wheat, whole oats.
- Milk, cheese.

Examples of naturally raised foods:

- Cage free chicken and chicken eggs.
- Grass fed cattle.
- Fish that are not farm raised.

To make the concept as simple as possible, that's it. Eat naturally occuring foods. Without having to Calorie-count, just eat until you're almost full, and try to eat 3 to 6 times a day. Just do the best you can with your own schedule. Many people work all day and don't have the luxury of being able to plan out 6 meals a day.

Stay away from anything that is processed, manufactured, or anything that contains a lot of preservatives and chemicals. Examples of these types of foods are:

- Soda.
- Microwavable foods (like TV dinners).
- Fast food served at popular restaurants.
- Junk foods like chips, cookies, pop tarts, candy, ect. Basically, anything that comes in a bag or package.

For workouts, we have an excellent resource full of our Member's Workout routines that you can have a look at and try for yourself. Go here to have a look:

Member's Workout Routines

Lastly, make sure to drink lot's of water! Your body will burn body fat more efficiently while your well hydrated. Aim to drink at least a gallon of water a day.

**falconfootball** · February 21st, 2008, 07:14 AM

Here are the general dieting rules I would suggest following if you wanna start losing weight today (adapted from John Berardi)

1. eat every 2-3 hours
2. eat lean protein with each meal (40-60grams per meal)
3. eat veggies and/or fruit with each meal (exception is pre/during workout)
4. supplement with healthy fats like fish oil, flax oil and olive oil and balance your fat intake btwn saturates, monos and polys
5. keep carbs to during and a few hours post workout (no non-veggie/non-fruit carbs on off day)
6. drink mostly non-calorie drinks (exception is during/post workout)
7. stick to whole foods; no processed foods
8. follow the above for 90% of your meals and allow 10% of your meals to be cheat meals… so if you are eating 40 meals per week, you may have 4 cheat meals per week

so an example of a template for someone that works out earlier in the day would look something like this:

Meal 1: 10am
-lean protein (eggs, chicken, xtra lean ground beef etc)
-vegetables
-1 piece of fruit

Workout: Noon
-50 gram protein shake
-50 grams of high GI carbs

Meal 2: 2pm
-lean protein
-complex carbs
-fruit

Meal 3: 4pm
-lean protein
-complex carbs
-veggies

Meal 4: 7pm
-lean protein
-veggies

Meal 5: 10pm
-lean protein
-veggies

so that’s for workout days… on non-workout days, just stick with 5 meals per day, don’t consume the protein shake and high GI carb drink and each meal should just be veggies, fruit and protein

and example of a diet that follows the above template might be something like this:

Meal 1:
-3 whole eggs
-3 egg whites
-handful of spinach
-1 slice of real cheese
-1 apple

During workout:
-50 grams of protein
-50 grams of carbs

Meal 2: mix all ingredients together in oatmeal
-1 cup of oatmeal
-1 cup of frozen berries
-1 scoop of protein
-1/2 cup skim milk

Meal 3:
-2 chicken breasts
-2 cups rice
-stir fried veggies (onions, green peppers, red peppers)

Meal 4:
-8oz xtra lean ground beef
-stir fried veggies
-add a bit of olive oil

Meal 5: mix together in salad
-5 hard boiled eggs
-handful of pecans
-salad

I know that looks like a lot of food, but when its whole food, u can get away with a hell of a lot. Also, keeping the food intake high will keep metabolic rate high and allow you to add on a bit of muscle while you’re losing fat.

Damaskinos · February 22nd, 2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconfootball

and example of a diet that follows the above template might be something like this:

Meal 1:
-3 whole eggs
-3 egg whites
-handful of spinach
-1 slice of real cheese
-1 apple

During workout:
-50 grams of protein
-50 grams of carbs

Meal 2: mix all ingredients together in oatmeal
-1 cup of oatmeal
-1 cup of frozen berries
-1 scoop of protein
-1/2 cup skim milk

Meal 3:
-2 chicken breasts
-2 cups rice
-stir fried veggies (onions, green peppers, red peppers)

Meal 4:
-8oz xtra lean ground beef
-stir fried veggies
-add a bit of olive oil

Meal 5: mix together in salad
-5 hard boiled eggs
-handful of pecans
-salad

Thanks this is exactly what I needed here...an actual list of food.

To: Insex thank you for that link I will check that out.