Best for weight loss?

Personally, I wouldn't consider donating more money to the slimming industry. We all know that fad diets and 'slimming systems' just don't work. It's madness to deprive yourself and spend all day thinking about food. If you want a biscuit, have a bloody biscuit.

It's easy enough to live healthily without getting too anal about it. If you eat plenty of fruit and veg, and run regularly, you'll lose weight. If you do need to kick-start a weight-loss regime then I reckon the calorie approach is best.

There are plenty of websites about that will tell you how many daily calories you need to maintain your weight, and how many to lose x amount per week or month. Once you know this, you just make sure that your daily net calories (food intake minus exercise calories) is roughly around this figure, and over a period of time the weight will drop off.

If you occasionally want to go out for a curry or (shriek) eat a biscuit, then do it. If you eat a curry or a load of hob-nobs every evening, you'll probably struggle. If it's once every week or two it won't matter.

Treat your diet intelligently rather than obsessively.

It doesn't matter how fast you run initially, it's how long you're exercising for that counts! Even if you break a run up with little bits of walking you're still building up your fitness! If I were you just try and build on what you've done so far and try and stay out of the house running for longer. Your fitness will soon build up trust me. I went from not being able to run to the end of the road to completing a half mararthon and doing my second in April. You can push your body to do anythihng you want it to do.

I understand about the comfort eating but just try and get out of the habit. Yes, your body needs fuel for running BUT not of the sugary kind! Brown rice?  Wholewheat pasta? These should give you a good energy boost. I sometimes find that thinking about what you're doing helps - thinking 'I've just been for a run, why am I going to spoil all that eating some chocolate I don't need'! Once you get into the midset of eating healthily you don't want to ruin the good work you're doing! Sometimes I have to go cold turkey with things because of my lack of will power (who can have just ONE square of chocolate?) and find that helps. I'm not saying I'll never have anything bad once in a while just when I get into the mindset, I don't actuallly want it!

 I've lost about 4 pounds in 2 weeks I think - wohoo!

Yeh I eat banana's with my soya cereal every day, I have corn cracker stuff at lunch and generally eat like grilled chicken or something for dinner at night.  I love baked potatoes but worry that I eat too much!    And then of course the problem with pasta is that I have to buy other wheat free stuff to have with it.  Yeh am not a big fan of any bread (wheat free or otherwise) so thats probably not a bad thing.  I am quite sensitive to it, but then I get silly and sort of chose a "quick fix" wheat meal after a run, rather than being good about it.  

Doesn't sound bad...  Mostly, I dont' like dry food, so I always assume that I need to buy some form of sauce..  I will give you recipe a go (hmmmm a running forum AND cooking session).

Yeh, I eat heaps of white meat with veg or salad for dinner so thats not a problem.  I buy wheat / gluten / dairy free cereal and have that with rachels organic greek style yoghurt with honey (I don't care how fattening it is - it's YUM) and a banana for breakfast so that is also ok.

It's just that generally, in my general meals, there aren't a lot of carbs, so I worry about where I am getting the "energy" (possible why I am starting to battle on a third of the runs) and where I am "refuelling" after.

Always go for energy to do the run rather that eating to compensate I would suggest. If you run later in the day why not have a bigger lunch (jacket spud, pasta salad etc) so you have the energy to run. How many miles are you running each run? When do you start to get tired? I sometimes get that tired feeling near the end when you don't think your legs can go any further but you just seem to find the energy - from where I do not know!

 I'll have a think of other meals you could have. Do you have potatoes when you have your fish/meat and veg? Do you like sweet potato? So good and much better for you than white potato - it's really good roasted in the oven! I'll have a think....

You are lovely!  Thanks Aitch!

I have recently stopped smoking and started running again after a 2 year "break" (moving to the UK) so am probably on about 3/4 miles every day and long runs on saturday and sunday...  Not much, but building up. 

I heard a rumour that you should try not mix protein and carbs...  So I don't.  Only after a long run, I risk it.  I really do sound like one of those strange people who read something, believe it, and live by it.

I'm not.  

I swear

What do you think might happen to you if you have protein and carbs?

Yes, the world is littered with corpses of people who made the mistake of having beans on toast, or baked potato and cheese.

The world's gone mad.

RunningCommentary - nothing will happen but apparently (and I battle to maintain my weight) its harder for your body to digest when you eat protein and carbs together...

Or is that another completely poinless old wives tale?

I'm aware of the theory --  the Hay Diet and food combining etc. I just don't think that it's practical or necessary. I don't doubt that there's some truth in the digestion theories, but is it really worth it? 

The idea that you can't eat carbs and protein on the same plate makes life enormously complicated, and eliminates what, 80% of the world's great meals? Perhaps more. I can barely think of a dish that doesn't have both. 

Eat what you want within reason, and exercise moderately. It's the best and most natural way. I'm not being unsympathetic. I too struggle with my weight, but I've no truck with fad diets and 'eating systems'. The cure sounds far worse than the complaint.

RC I agree with you to a large extent - being wheat intolerant means that I can't eat most of the food normally, so cutting it down even further is depressing and means that I just end up grumpy because eventually I throw in the towel and eat that hamburger.  I don't believe in diets or eating systems either - more so in changing your mindset to what goes in your mouth...

Aitch - thanks for all the advice!  Yeh its been brilliant giving up, and been so easy as well.  Have passed the first month hurdle with no problems, so am patting self on back and spending money like there is no tomorrow...

Hi Everyone

I'd like to second Nessie's earlier post and go with Paul Mckenna's Weight Loss System.  I found it to be brilliant!!

I started using the system at Christmas 2005 and by Sept 2006 I'd lost 6 and 1/2 stone.  it's the easiest way I've lost weight and what even better is that it's gone for good it's also responsible for me starting running.

Paul suggests increasing the number of steps you take a day by 2000; so I did and found I enjoyed it! I went further, got quicker and ended up running.  I did my first 10k on my 52nd birthday in August 2006 and had so much fun I was hooked.  I've done many more since, including my first marathon in May this year.  (Doing my 2nd marathon in Jan)

If you want more info check out the Paul Mckenna Training website (or ask me)

Yvonne

A - luckily I am still relatively young, and I always said that if it interfered with my sports I would chuck it.  That and a brief visit to A&E a couple months ago was enough to scare me into stopping!  Now, all I need to do is walk past someone who is smoking and its such a strong smell it's unreal!  Or smell someone who has just had a fag and it's horrible!!  I have been lucky though - it's been really easy to stop! 

Ah yes - the pasta!  Did you have a good run then?  I always find the best way to do longer distances is to head and get lost.  Literally.    I discovered today that cheese is another contributer to me not feeling great - so going to try stopping that as well.