Require help regarding weight

[mants]

Hey all,

Since ive started road cycling i have loss a fair bit of weight from around 90kgs down to my current weight of 84.5kgs.

From day to day i weight myself at the same time, and it varys from around 83.4 - 85.9kgs.

I have turned fat in my legs into muscle from the cycling and have also lost abit of weight around the chest.

So my problem is around the belly, ive really cut back on eating rubbish foods and also lesser portions as my portion size was too big really, ive quit fizzy drinks and also next drink alcohol, my favourite foods are pasta, potatoes, bread but again ive cut back on eating so much of them.

Im 6.0ft 25 (hopefully that doesnt sound like lonely hearts column )

So im thinking along the lines of around 75-78kgs (is this healthy) would be were i think id like to be, to help me while on the bike.

What are your thoughts on all of this?

p.s ive been keeping a food diary from last Friday for a week

Thanks

[PawPaw]

The belly is the first place fat is laid down when you overeat.
Weight loss is first on, last off.
To lose belly fat, persist with a 500-1000 daily Calorie deficit.
If it is really important to you, see a sports dietitian. They are not expensive.

[mp020202]

Training before Main meals will speed the process up, as your meal is also doubleing up as recovery meal.
Try and include calcium in all meals as it lowers the GI of the entire meal making you feel fuller for longer.
Limit carbohydrate intake after last session of the day, standard dinner is (protein, salad/veges, little or moderate carb portions depending of following days training volume.

[Mrfenejeans]

Sounds similar to me I'm 6ft 90kgs, was 85kg's before Christmas but had a big Christmas and weeks after full of Dare iced coffees (52% DI in one bottle of saturated fats not a good idea).

My Goal weight to get down to is around 80kg's, I'm fairly broad shouldered, and don't do any upper body work in terms of having huge GUNS, and it is well with in my capabilities and would mean shedding those last bits of fat stored around my stomach.

I have found food diaries an excellent way to lose weight, personally a big fan of Myfitnesspal (used this for 6months or so everyday), although as stated in other posts on the forum the calories burned while cycling is over exaggerated on these online diaries.

I have found trying to lose the 5-10kgs to get down to 80kg's the hardest to lose.

[mants]

Thought i would fire up some details of my food diary for the past week, you can see days were i have been exercising (running or cycling) due to the protein and hydration drinks, i also cycle 20km round trip to work each day, let me know what your think of this.

Friday:

Breakfast: glass of apple juice, small portion of all bran apple crunch (No milk),
between breakfast and mid morning: 2 cups of tea
mid morning: tea and crossiant
lunch: small portion of pasta with tomato herb sauce, apple, bottle of water, 4 handfuls of unsalted peanuts
hydratoin drink (staminade powder)
2 slices of raisen toast (butter)
7 salt + vgar low fat crackers
home made chicken curry
2 glasses of strawberry cordial
bottle of water

Saturday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice
7 small squares of mint cadburys choco
2 bottle of water
4 slices of raisen toast + butter
glass of apple juice
2 bottles of stiminade mix
2 fruit sticks
bottle of water
3 Fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum)
apple juice

Sunday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice
small pack of iron man cereal
cornato
small bowl of pasta
2 bottles of water
2 staminade mix bottles
2 raisen toast + butter
bottle water
salad + potato salad
half a ribeye steak
3 chicken skewers
3 glasses of cranberry juice
glass of water
small slice of ice cream cake

Monday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
hydration drink
tea
fruit stick
crossiant
bottle of water X2
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
bottle of water X5
protein drink
hydration drink
3 fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum)
small bowl of all bran + milk
bottle of water

Tuesday:

2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
bottle of water
hydration drink
fruit stick
crossiant
tea
2 bottle water
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
mars bar
small capachino
fruit stick
water
hydration drink
protein drink
water
small bowl pasta (mushrooms, red capisum,onion)
activia youghart (pear)
vanialla + honey tea
water

[silkishuge]

Thought i would fire up some details of my food diary for the past week, you can see days were i have been exercising (running or cycling) due to the protein and hydration drinks, i also cycle 20km round trip to work each day, let me know what your think of this.

Friday:

Breakfast: glass of apple juice, small portion of all bran apple crunch (No milk),
between breakfast and mid morning: 2 cups of tea
mid morning: tea and crossiant avoid the crossiant!!!
lunch: small portion of pasta with tomato herb sauce, apple, bottle of water, 4 handfuls of unsalted peanuts make the sauce yourself using fresh tomatoes. Know what is in your food!!
hydratoin drink (staminade powder) not required
2 slices of raisen toast (butter) I am not a fan of bread unless I know exacctly what is in it. Also avoid the butter if you can
7 salt + vgar low fat crackers
home made chicken curry
2 glasses of strawberry cordial freshly squeezed juice is always better
bottle of water

Saturday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice home made?
7 small squares of mint cadburys choco chocolate and weight lost do not go hand in hand
2 bottle of water
4 slices of raisen toast + butter as above
glass of apple juice as above
2 bottles of stiminade mix as above
2 fruit sticks whats this? If it is fresh fruit, thats good
bottle of water
3 Fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum) bbq sauce is not your weight loss friend, neither is cheese. Cheese is ~ 30% fat
apple juice

Sunday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice
small pack of iron man cereal
cornato
small bowl of pasta
2 bottles of water
2 staminade mix bottles
2 raisen toast + butter
bottle water
salad + potato salad
half a ribeye steak
3 chicken skewers
3 glasses of cranberry juice
glass of water
small slice of ice cream cake

Monday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
hydration drink
tea
fruit stick
crossiant
bottle of water X2
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
bottle of water X5
protein drink
hydration drink
3 fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum)
small bowl of all bran + milk
bottle of water

Tuesday:

2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
bottle of water
hydration drink
fruit stick
crossiant
tea
2 bottle water
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
mars bar
small capachino
fruit stick
water
hydration drink
protein drink
water
small bowl pasta (mushrooms, red capisum,onion)
activia youghart (pear)
vanialla + honey tea
water

hmmm. I had a look at your food dairy and there are a number of things I disagree with and would not recommend. By the way, I waa ~110kg before and I got down to 67kg in under a year. I am now 71kg because I have changed my training method and intensity, put on a bit more muscle mass. I never thought I would see my long loss 6 pack again.
I would avoid the following:
1. Hydration drink. You don't probably need it. Just drink water. I ride between 60km to 100km 6 days a week and I don't use hydration drinks
2. Why do you need protein drinks. It seems you have heaps of proten already in your diet.
3. If you wanting to loose weight, avoid fatty food such as ice cream, cheese, creamy stuff,crossiant and processed foods. Many processed foods are high in fat, such as BBQ sauce and pasta sauce. Do use coconut mik for your curry. It is very high in fat
4. I am against eating many of the commercial breads sold at supermarkets. Get some decent bread from you bakery or even better, make it yourself. Bread is essentially flour and water with some starter. I make my own bread and it takes ony about 30mins of my time each week. Use Spelt flour instead of white or wholemeal for lower GI bread.
5. Eat more greens and fruit and cut out on the other fatty food.

40km of cycling is good excercise. But what intensity do you ride? I generally eat more protein during a hard training period to help recover damaged muscles. I found that the food I ate during this stage affected the outcome of the training period. If I was riding at a low intensity, I would eat accordingly.

My diet plan worked well for me.

Jon

[PawPaw]

Mants, over 5 days, apart from one piece of fruit and one serve of salad/vege, everything else you put in your mouth is processed.

I seriously suggest you see a dietitian. They'll educate you about the importance of salad, vege, and unprocessed fruit in weight control, and its superior nutrient/energy density.

[Addictr3]

unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, it just comes down to losing weight, also you cant turn fat into muscle, simply you just lost fat, and perhaps gained muscle.

Food wise, only factors that will affect you regarding eating "junk" to "clean" is health. e.g. vitamins and minerals. Apart from that, if you still over eat on good wholesome food, you'll gain weight.

Few things I would recommend;

First read this; http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-lo ... art-1.html

Hit protein first, (work out how much you need per kg of weight) Add in your good fats, like nut/seeds, fish, olive oils and fill the rest with carbs.

Can eat carbs anytime of the day, they dont make you blow up like a balloon

Cheers

[mants]

Thought i would fire up some details of my food diary for the past week, you can see days were i have been exercising (running or cycling) due to the protein and hydration drinks, i also cycle 20km round trip to work each day, let me know what your think of this.

Friday:

Breakfast: glass of apple juice, small portion of all bran apple crunch (No milk),
between breakfast and mid morning: 2 cups of tea
mid morning: tea and crossiant avoid the crossiant!!!
lunch: small portion of pasta with tomato herb sauce, apple, bottle of water, 4 handfuls of unsalted peanuts make the sauce yourself using fresh tomatoes. Know what is in your food!!
hydratoin drink (staminade powder) not required
2 slices of raisen toast (butter) I am not a fan of bread unless I know exacctly what is in it. Also avoid the butter if you can
7 salt + vgar low fat crackers
home made chicken curry
2 glasses of strawberry cordial freshly squeezed juice is always better
bottle of water

Saturday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice home made?
7 small squares of mint cadburys choco chocolate and weight lost do not go hand in hand
2 bottle of water
4 slices of raisen toast + butter as above
glass of apple juice as above
2 bottles of stiminade mix as above
2 fruit sticks whats this? If it is fresh fruit, thats good
bottle of water
3 Fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum) bbq sauce is not your weight loss friend, neither is cheese. Cheese is ~ 30% fat
apple juice

Sunday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
apple juice
small pack of iron man cereal
cornato
small bowl of pasta
2 bottles of water
2 staminade mix bottles
2 raisen toast + butter
bottle water
salad + potato salad
half a ribeye steak
3 chicken skewers
3 glasses of cranberry juice
glass of water
small slice of ice cream cake

Monday:

all bran apple crunch + low fat milk
2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
hydration drink
tea
fruit stick
crossiant
bottle of water X2
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
bottle of water X5
protein drink
hydration drink
3 fajetas (extra lean mince, abit of cheese, bbq sauce, onion, red capisum)
small bowl of all bran + milk
bottle of water

Tuesday:

2 slices of wholemeal toast + butter
bottle of water
hydration drink
fruit stick
crossiant
tea
2 bottle water
2 cheese sandwiches (wholemeal bread)
apple
mars bar
small capachino
fruit stick
water
hydration drink
protein drink
water
small bowl pasta (mushrooms, red capisum,onion)
activia youghart (pear)
vanialla + honey tea
water

hmmm. I had a look at your food dairy and there are a number of things I disagree with and would not recommend. By the way, I waa ~110kg before and I got down to 67kg in under a year. I am now 71kg because I have changed my training method and intensity, put on a bit more muscle mass. I never thought I would see my long loss 6 pack again.
I would avoid the following:
1. Hydration drink. You don't probably need it. Just drink water. I ride between 60km to 100km 6 days a week and I don't use hydration drinks
2. Why do you need protein drinks. It seems you have heaps of proten already in your diet.
3. If you wanting to loose weight, avoid fatty food such as ice cream, cheese, creamy stuff,crossiant and processed foods. Many processed foods are high in fat, such as BBQ sauce and pasta sauce. Do use coconut mik for your curry. It is very high in fat
4. I am against eating many of the commercial breads sold at supermarkets. Get some decent bread from you bakery or even better, make it yourself. Bread is essentially flour and water with some starter. I make my own bread and it takes ony about 30mins of my time each week. Use Spelt flour instead of white or wholemeal for lower GI bread.
5. Eat more greens and fruit and cut out on the other fatty food.

40km of cycling is good excercise. But what intensity do you ride? I generally eat more protein during a hard training period to help recover damaged muscles. I found that the food I ate during this stage affected the outcome of the training period. If I was riding at a low intensity, I would eat accordingly.

My diet plan worked well for me.

Jon

1 The hydration drink (stiminade powder mixed) would be taken before going out on a 80km ride or else if i go out running which would be anything up to about 6km at the moment.
2 The protein drinks were to help muscle recovery, ive been told its good for them, and i do feel like it works as my legs etc seem better and recovered for the next days exercise.
3 Ice cream was a one off as i was at a bbq and it would of been rude to say no after someone spent 2hrs making this ice cream cake

Really the poritions ive been eating are alot lot less than what i ever used to eat. and really ive cut back on the rubbish i eat, but still seems like its really bad compared to what all you guys eat.

My real big problem is that i dont like many fruits, apples, melons and pears is about as many as i like. veges ill eat carrots parsnips cauliflower brocoli corn potatoes lettuce cucumber avocado beetroot, but it comes down to the time i have to prepare these things at night, with geting out of work cycle home and then possibly a run then before you know it its 7.30 and the thought of starting to make food like that that is going to take awhile to cook when your starving isnt great.

Last night for dinner i had 2 medium baked potaotes with a small amount of olive oil spread at 7ish and didnt eat anything until the morning were as before i would of had cereal and toast and tea about 9ish, and last night i was hungry but didnt give in to eating anything else till this morning.

[PawPaw]

My real big problem is ....

bingo!!!

[snark]

Really the poritions ive been eating are alot lot less than what i ever used to eat. and really ive cut back on the rubbish i eat, but still seems like its really bad compared to what all you guys eat.

I love my food, but am not a great vege fan at all. I'm sure that doesn't help .

I think portion size is one of the big things. I now (rarely) go back for seconds, and try in general to have a bit less on my plate for the main serve. For brekky and lunch and have a lot smaller portions where I eat enough to not be chockas. I've dropped from about 97kg three years ago to 80kg now and that's mainly through both bike riding and in general eating less and eating a bit better. The big changes in diet are getting rid of the really bad food (like chicken kievs) - if something has a high saturated fat content I either don't eat it at all or vary rarely. Other things like switching to half-fat milk (non-fat tastes too bad!), eating apples for snacks during the day instead of biscuits. I still indulge in the not good foods, but just a little less often and (usually!) a smaller portion.

I'm now a lot fitter and weigh a lot less, but I'm not overly obsessive about it. It depends on your goals. Having got to 80kg (my original goal weight), I think I'd like to get to 75kg, but 80kg seems to be where I'm stuck eating the way I do. I'm not sure if I want to change my diet enough to get another few kg off yet or not...

BTW, I still have the belly. As PawPaw said, it'll be the last to go. At leave I've dropped a couple of waist sizes .

Cheers,
Simon.

[wombatK]

Mants, over 5 days, apart from one piece of fruit and one serve of salad/vege, everything else you put in your mouth is processed.

I seriously suggest you see a dietitian. They'll educate you about the importance of salad, vege, and unprocessed fruit in weight control, and its superior nutrient/energy density.

+1.

There is also a complete scarcity of quantitative measurement of what you put in your mouth. For example, you
list having a cordial - but how much KJ (from sugar) you've got in that depends on how strongly you've mixed it (50%,
20%, 10%, 5%...); chicken curry kJ depends on how much and how fatty the chicken is, how much oil or sugar
is added, etc.,.

You need to start weighing the ingredients. One of the first things a dietitian will suggest is that you buy
yourself a small set of digital kitchen scales - then measure how many grams of each ingredient/snack/fruit/vegetable etc.,.
you are eating (ml of drinks is okay, but grams works for drinks too).

After recording this for a week or two, make it your objective to reduce the grams or ml of everything that goes in your
mouth. And make better choices (less processed, calorie-dense, high GI) foods.

[silkishuge]

Mants, over 5 days, apart from one piece of fruit and one serve of salad/vege, everything else you put in your mouth is processed.

I seriously suggest you see a dietitian. They'll educate you about the importance of salad, vege, and unprocessed fruit in weight control, and its superior nutrient/energy density.

+1.

There is also a complete scarcity of quantitative measurement of what you put in your mouth. For example, you
list having a cordial - but how much KJ (from sugar) you've got in that depends on how strongly you've mixed it (50%,
20%, 10%, 5%...); chicken curry kJ depends on how much and how fatty the chicken is, how much oil or sugar
is added, etc.,.

You need to start weighing the ingredients. One of the first things a dietitian will suggest is that you buy
yourself a small set of digital kitchen scales - then measure how many grams of each ingredient/snack/fruit/vegetable etc.,.
you are eating (ml of drinks is okay, but grams works for drinks too).

After recording this for a week or two, make it your objective to reduce the grams or ml of everything that goes in your
mouth. And make better choices (less processed, calorie-dense, high GI) foods.

For me, measuring using digital scales the food I eat is a little too much. Avoid fatty oily food, avoid processed food, eat low GI, prepare your own meals so you know what you are eating will be enough to loose weight.

[wombatK]

For me, measuring using digital scales the food I eat is a little too much. Avoid fatty oily food, avoid processed food, eat low GI, prepare your own meals so you know what you are eating will be enough to loose weight.

It might be too much for you, and I shed 25kg without having to keep a detailed weight diary. But he's not either
of us, says he's eating less and exercising more - but not losing weight.

That spells he's not aware of how much he really is eating. The discipline of weighing and recording can overcome that.

He might also need some education on how to identify the good stuff and the bad stuff to be eating and
drinking and how to plan his meals and snacks - and a dietitian is the go-to person for that. Having someone
provide face-to-face teaching and demonstrations is often more effective than just reading about it.

[Addictr3]

For me, measuring using digital scales the food I eat is a little too much. Avoid fatty oily food, avoid processed food, eat low GI, prepare your own meals so you know what you are eating will be enough to loose weight.

Why does he have to avoid those foods?


Clean versus dirty dieting, the effects of eating hot dogs and syrup for your protein, carbs, and fat versus eating typical health-nut fare would only impact the athlete in the long term. I’m talking about the cumulative effect of years of not ingesting disease preventive and immune enhancing nutrients typically lacking in classic junk food. So, to summarise the answer, keep the junk in the minority of your overall daily or weekly calories (say 10–20 percent), and you won’t suffer any short- or long-term consequences.

There is no reason one can’t have white rice, white bread, or the like when trying to lose fat. Most people are so concerned about the glycemic index of these foods that they don't realize the glycemic index is only measured when a carb source is eaten by itself. If you combine the carb source with a protein, fat, and fiber found in a complete meal, the glycemic index is essentially blunted and washed out by the other foods. So if you want white rice, you can have it as long as you have some veggies and steak or chicken with it.

In some cases, “clean” foods can be more satiating because of their water volume and fiber content (i.e. a potato versus three tablespoons of syrup). Therefore, dominating a diet with calorie dense “dirty” foods might not give the dieter as much mileage in terms of feeling full enough under restricted calories. By the same token, completely eliminating calorie dense junk foods gives the dieter a false sense of accomplishment and short circuits the performance enhancing capabilities of eating indulgent stuff to elevate mood. If you can “spike” up your mood with food you love the taste of, regardless of clean or junky, you can definitely boost your training performance. Therefore, you can maintain more strength and/or endurance in the face of a caloric deficit.

[CommuRider]

For a start : replace butter on bread with avocado or extra virgin olive oil. Guacamole is very easy to make, yummy and healthy too. If you like garlic, you can rub garlic on toasted bread and put some diced tomatoes with herbs and evoo on top ie bruschetta; roast potatoes with garlic, rosemary, evoo etc.

Think about other fruits you like that are in season eg mangoes, grapes, watermelon etc. When I walk down a fruit aisle, my body responds.

Use honey instead of sugar in your coffee.

[iMad]

Hey all,

Since ive started road cycling i have loss a fair bit of weight from around 90kgs down to my current weight of 84.5kgs.

From day to day i weight myself at the same time, and it varys from around 83.4 - 85.9kgs.

I have turned fat in my legs into muscle from the cycling and have also lost abit of weight around the chest.

So my problem is around the belly, ive really cut back on eating rubbish foods and also lesser portions as my portion size was too big really, ive quit fizzy drinks and also next drink alcohol, my favourite foods are pasta, potatoes, bread but again ive cut back on eating so much of them.

Im 6.0ft 25 (hopefully that doesnt sound like lonely hearts column )

So im thinking along the lines of around 75-78kgs (is this healthy) would be were i think id like to be, to help me while on the bike.

I posted this in another thread but I think it's appropriate here too...

THE TRUTH ABOUT DIETING
The news keeps getting worse for weight loss it seems.
All of you happy dieters out there might benefit from buying the Weekend Australian (Magazine) dated 4th February 2012.
On page 12 of the magazine there's an interesting article entitled...
"WHY DO DIETERS WHO SHED WEIGHT TEND TO STACK IT ALL BACK ON AGAIN? SCIENCE HAS SOME DISTURBING ANSWERS."
I've lost almost 20kg so far in a tad over 3 months. I'm also cycling regularly now which helps. This however isn't the first time I've managed to shed quite a bit of weight and just as the headline of the article implies, I've always managed to stack it back on over a year or two. Depressing really, but I knew that "This time it was going to be different."
Well, the article suggests the odds are really stacked against us for a variety of reasons... physiologically, genetically and psychologically.
I suggest it's essential reading for anyone seriously trying to get themselves to a healthy weight and keep it there. Obviously it IS possible but it's better to be armed with all the difficulties.
I still reckon "That his time it will be different, and I will keep it off." but I'm better informed now knowing what I'm up against and I'm prepared for a real challenge.
Cheers guys

[STEELR]

Hi All,
I was sitting at 105kg and am now down to 93kgs from doing Weight Watchers which really teaches you to write down everything that you eat. My partner is very good and planning for the week ahead which then helps us when we come home from work.. We eat alot of vegetables and fruit with not much pasta and takeaway which we got into the habit of eating because it was quick and easy. We also drink alot more water and will only drink no calorie soft drinks etc. We also stopped drinking on school nights which has also helped. Lets just say that the guys I ride with on the weekend are finding it harder to keep up with me now since the weight has come off.

[mants]

Thanks for all the replys guys,

I wouldbt be the sort of person to use scales, i know i probably should but i dont want eating and preparing meals to become something awful, if that makes sense.

Weighed myself yesterday and i was 83.6kg today i am 81.6kg, strange really, and ive used the same scales in the same location, and all ive done today is a 65km ride at a low average speed of 26.9km/hr due to the wind conditions that always seem to be a headwind no matter what dirtection you go around Perth.

Anyone know which cereal would be better to eat than All bran Apple Crunch due to the high fats and sugars in it? i tried Weetabix this morning but just couldnt eat it, was hard to swollow, the texture or something was nice.

When i drink coffee i would have any sugar in it. and ive recently changed from what i was using as spread (western Star butter) and ive now changed to olive oil spread, which tastes just as good minus the crap that western star has in it.

[Abby]

For cereal - I made up a mix of a few different types.

About half of it is untoasted muesli. Plenty of fibre, etc, and very low sugar. Avoid one with fruit in it.
Other half is usually made up of (in equal parts) one of the Goodness Superfoods Barley cereals (Protein 1st, Digestive 1st, or Heart 1st), some homebrand unprocessed bran, and Vogels Crunchy Clusters (for texture and yumminess).

I have a big Tupperware cereal container I make up the mix in (the kids call it "Dad's muesli mix").

I don't lose any sleep over exact proportions or anything. Just buy the various cereals as they come on special, and keep the mix going... You don't need to eat a big bowl (a little goes a very long way, trust me!).

Cheers,
Abby

[wombatK]

Thanks for all the replys guys,

I wouldbt be the sort of person to use scales, i know i probably should but i dont want eating and preparing meals to become something awful, if that makes sense.

Well you know it doesn't make sense - that's why you say "I know I probably should".

Isn't your objective to become a different sort of person (one that weighs less, and is healthier) ?

Whether using scales makes your meals awful is entirely in your control. It's how you choose to
view it - it's your attitude, nothing else. If you want to view it as a negative, then it will be a
self fulfilling prophecy, and yep - truly awful. Because that's what you're telling and
selling yourself on. The secret to success is to turn potential negatives into positives
- to see it as a positive step to taking control of your nutrition and weight. Just tell
yourself that scales are a great aid to getting you where you want to be.

Having said that, you don't have to weigh every meal every day. You just need to
do it once or twice for each different meal. Once you've learned the right sort of
proportions, and worked out what is right and what is not, the scales won't be
necessary. And at no time do you have to eat or even lick the scales

As for breakfast, Weetbix are good - but can be bland. You could try adding
some fresh fruit (straw-berries etc.,.) or dried fruit (sultanas/raisins/dates) to lift
the flavour. But even better is Muesli These are much less manufactured -
with dried fruits, nuts and multiple different less processed grains to make
them high fibre and packed with flavors. Learn to read the nutrition panels,
and pick one with relatively low sugar and fat content. A couple worth looking
at are Arnold's Toasted Farmhouse Muesli, and Morning Sun Fruit
Muesli - both available from Woolies supermarkets.

Cheers

[snark]

As for breakfast, Weetbix are good - but can be bland. You could try adding
some fresh fruit (straw-berries etc.,.) or dried fruit (sultanas/raisins/dates) to lift
the flavour. But even better is Muesli These are much less manufactured -
with dried fruits, nuts and multiple different less processed grains to make
them high fibre and packed with flavors. Learn to read the nutrition panels,
and pick one with relatively low sugar and fat content. A couple worth looking
at are Arnold's Toasted Farmhouse Muesli, and Morning Sun Fruit
Muesli - both available from Woolies supermarkets.

As a former Weetbix eater, I tried about half a dozen different mueslis before I finally found one that I liked that didn't seem to be full of sultanas and other dried fruit (the Goodness Superfoods Protein (green) one). Don't give up straight away if you don't like the first one (or two) you try.

Cheers,
Simon.

[vander]

The easiest way to do weight loss (which is quite simple) is when you eat try and eat mostly foods high in protein, avoid sugars (except for during long rides). Get on the scales once a week if you put on weight you ate too much (or maybe not clean enough you should know yourself) if you lost weight but not as much as you would of liked same as before. If you hit your goal keep the diet as it is. If you lost too much and felt tired and run down all week eat some more. Most people with any sense has a general idea if food is good or not so good for you, you dont need to count every calorie your body will do that for you and show your diet vs exercise in the form of weight loss.

[iMad]

The easiest way to do weight loss (which is quite simple) is when you eat try and eat mostly foods high in protein, avoid sugars (except for during long rides). Get on the scales once a week if you put on weight you ate too much ....

While I acknowledge weight can vary from day to day, I've got into the habit of weighing myself daily.
It's a disciplinary thing and easier to maintain psychologically than a weekly weigh-in. Even allowing for the usual fluctuation in body weight, I become alerted immediately to indiscretions.
I reckon a weekly weigh in is just too easy to "put off for another week, then another...."

[vander]

The easiest way to do weight loss (which is quite simple) is when you eat try and eat mostly foods high in protein, avoid sugars (except for during long rides). Get on the scales once a week if you put on weight you ate too much ....

While I acknowledge weight can vary from day to day, I've got into the habit of weighing myself daily.
It's a disciplinary thing and easier to maintain psychologically than a weekly weigh-in. Even allowing for the usual fluctuation in body weight, I become alerted immediately to indiscretions.
I reckon a weekly weigh in is just too easy to "put off for another week, then another...."

Dont need to sell me on the fact. I weigh myself about 3-5 times a day probably because im silly. But as you said you have to be able to understand the fluctuations.