Battle of the Bulge (or: How do I stay fit in an unhealthy job?)

[fossyant]

The Oats so Simple pots are useful if you are at work with limited cooking facilities. They are sweet but not particularly high in calories

They aren't bad especially if you only have a kettle.

 

[Slick]

According to a TV programme last night, processed carbs (Oat So Simple, white bread) are bad carbs, whereas other types (plain oats, wholegrain stoneground bread, pumpernickel) are good carbs that combat things like weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

I watched that, quite interesting. Fibre seems to be the new favourite.

 

[davidphilips]

Simple eat to much you put on weight , eat to little you lose weight. Try eating a little less and drinking water to feel full, losing weight is hard but keeping it of is harder involves a change in diet/life style and a lot of will power.

know the joke about the guy goes to the doctor and asks best way to lose weight.

Doctor says Dont eat anything fatty.

Guy says like bacon and bergers?

Doctor says No fatty just dont eat anything.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll have to work on Damage Limitation, or possibly Bulge Limitation for this year and make more changes next year when I have a different job.

At the moment I can't increase the cycle commute easily because it takes about an hour to get to work,of which the first 30 min is on a bike. I'd prefer to ride the rest of the way but Stuttgart is in a fairly deep valley so the route involves very steep hills and very busy roads. Likewise extending the cycling part, while tempting, would mean taking too much time from the family each day.

Jogging has the problem that the theatre has no shower (!) and I'd have to steam in the tram on the way there anyway which seems an antisocial thing to do, besides, I have a damaged knee and Asthma, so it's not possible anyway.

Just eating less may be effective if you're sitting all day at work, but I'm moving equipment about and running after my clients/up and down stairs/ladders all the time. When I tried eating less I got sleepy and lethargic and couldn't concentrate, and working with young lads with drug & psychological issues I need to be 100% present.

I never could skip. They tried to teach me at school but it never worked. I can design furniture in 3d in my head but can't coordinate my hands and legs enough to jump over a rope.

I think that is the main issue: I need to fit any Bulge Reduction Strategies into the existing work/life pattern and I have limited possibilities for change while working where I am. I need to be alert at work and for my family, and take a minimal amount of time getting between the two.

It looks like diet change is a promising line of attack so I'll try Bananas instead of bread at work, and I'll ask about a way to heat oats. I don't know if there's a local version of Oats so Simple, will have to investigate...

Since asking this I've been bombarded by online adverts for exercises to flatten a stomach but they haven't been mentioned by anyone here. Does that mean they are a waste of time, or is there some point to them?

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I am lucky in that my job is physical and I average about 250km a week on the bike. Some of that is doing the school run. That does something to what your body ‘orders’ from the menu. It needs fresh healthy food. It seems only when I’m in a sedentary phase, I crave the rubbish.

A real game changer for me was a smart trainer (Wahoo Snap). I work full time and have two daughters to look after except when they visit their mum every other weekend. I just don’t have the time in the week to quickly do 40km in the evening and my youngest isn’t old enough yet to be left alone. The turbo takes minutes to set up and I can easily do an hour to an hour and a half while still chatting, helping with homework etc.

 

[I like Skol]

When I tried eating less I got sleepy and lethargic and couldn't concentrate, and working with young lads with drug & psychological issues I need to be 100% present.

If you eat more healthily and lose some weight you should find the tiredness and lethargy less of an issue. Then you won't have to snack or overeat to compensate.
Something else that just occurred to me though, are you getting sufficient sleep of a reasonable quality? The tiredness and weight gain trend may not actually be due to just a poor diet. The weight gain may be a symptom of other issues and addressing these first could be the priority.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks again for the comments. Yesterday I cut down on the bread from 6 to 2 slices at breakfast, and took two bananas to work, having come to the same conclusion as User46386. Feeling very smug I brought yogurt oats and raisins into work, and promptly dropped the Yogurt on the floor...

I rescued most of the Yogurt and made a musli mix in one of the big glasses, ate that at about eight, and had a banana at ten and another at two. I think I'll start with a Banana next time and eat the Müsli at ten, but apart from that it worked and I didn't feel that hungry until about 2:30pm which is just before lunch anyway.

I ate the Bananas for extra potassium because I felt the lethargy coming on, but also because my legs were starting to ache from all the running up and down stairs -there are 31/2 floors at work and I have to go from to to bottom anything up to 20times a day. Ten minutes after eating Bananas the ache went away.

So, a good start. The only issue so far was spreading yogurt all over the floor...

Still exhausted though. My Mentor -who is an Ergotherapist- suggests it is because of starting a new job and that in her opinion I'm trying too hard...

 

[vickster]

Have you had blood tests to investigate the fatigue? Iron, diabetes, thyroid etc

And 6 slices of bread for breakfast?!

 

[TigerT]

I was in a similar situation. I‘d just turned 50, had a largish stomach bulge and clothes were getting ever tighter. The final straw was when my BMI tipped into obese range.

My suggestion, if you really want to make a difference, seek professional advice. I started out trying to lose weight on my own and with some success, but I wasn’t achieving what I wanted to. One of my colleagues recommended his personal trainer who is also qualified to give nutrition advice. I started in January this year. I workout once a week, and follow the nutrition plan she set for me. In addition I try to walk 10kms home at least twice a week. I also cycle twice a week whenever possible (I‘m not quick, but I do cover a fair distance)

I won’t pretend it’s been easy. At first I didn’t like half the food she suggested I eat (Quark and berries for breakfast, salad with meat or tuna for lunch. Pretty normal evening meals) and a lot of the things I liked are off limits, but I‘ve lost 17kg and reduced from a 36 waist to a 30. Cycle rides basically give me a free pass as If I have a cake, I know i can burn it off.

I feel so much better and can cycle further and that keeps me motivated to continue.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks for the replies again.

I'm sticking to a mix of yogurt and oats with some dried fruits (without sugar) at about 0930, a dramatic reduction in tea consumption, and less unhealthy snacks. This week I've already noticed a difference in my energy levels, and after a couple of days I stopped bothering with extra fruit because I hardly notice any real hunger before about 2:30pm when we eat 'lunch'. We even had one day when he meal wasn't served before 3pm and I was just beginning to get a bit hungry when we went to eat.

I'll see how this works over the next few weeks and then look at other changes.

My biggest problem at the moment is our very enthusiastic trainee cook who wants to become an patisserie chef and keeps asking us to try out his experiments...

Cycle rides basically give me a free pass as If I have a cake, I know i can burn it off.

I think I'll have to up my distances before I can claim that, but it's a great idea...

 

[kingrollo]

Each to their own - but i have good results with the 5:2 diet.

IME - there is a pain barrier to go through quitting that snickers bar - lots of evidence to suggest a banana would give you the desired energy boost - but your brain is saying "F off banana - I want that snickers and I want it now ......" try 2 or even 3 bananas to kick that snickers bar - then try and reduce the banana intake.

 

[Freelanderuk]

I have just joined the forum and put a post in the introduction section about my weight lost , since September 2017 I have lost 7 stone 2lbs ,I found the best way was to log everything I eat ,I use the My Fitness Pal app on my phone and tablet and stick to 1500 calories a day ,I eat back roughly 50% of my excercise earned calories, after the first 4 weeks I had no problems sticking to this, I just make sure I eat a lot of protein ,ie chicken breast ,tuna Greek yougart eggs,
I used a rebock z8 exercise bike in the back bedroom to get some miles in and have had a road bike for about 4 weeks now and just completed 32miles this morning in 1 hour 52 minutes

Have a look at the app it's worked for me and there support forum is fantastic ,just reading the posts kept me motivated, another benifit is I am off most of my meds now ythat I have taken for the last 17 years after suffering a stroke in 2000

Keep with it I now feel alive

 

[CXRAndy]

Try eating porridge for breakfast. I found that it stops me wanting to snack for hours on end. You can make it in the microwave in three and a half minutes. I just use oats and milk and don't add anything on top. It's surprisingly tasty.

How much porridge are you making

I make a bowl of porridge 40g oats, 210grams of half fat milk, 1min30 in microwave, very hot. Usually through the week i lower it to 30g oats and 170g milk, but then will up it to 60g 250g milk for sportives

 

[Trevrev]

Jog?????

That's a bit extreme.

Not extreme at all. You'll be surprised how quickly you would adapt.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Things are looking up: I certainly feel lighter and less pudgy although that could be a psychological response. I'm less tired and feel like I have more energy for concentrating on things and running up and down those stairs. I'm eating less at mealtimes as well, and enjoying what I do eat more: it seems I appreciate it for the smaller quantities.

I'm not even missing snickers bars.

All good stuff, thanks again for the help...