Firstly, been browsing for a few weeks but only registered today. Great forum, lots of fantastic information.

Just thought I’d post up my day to get some feedback on what I consider a fairly healthy day in order to get some feedback on where I can improve………..?
I kicked off the day with a 10 mile run at 6am (currently in training). Came home after 75min, showered and had a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. Didn’t eat breakfast (One place I could improve I know but I struggle to eat it even after a run) and went to work.
At 11am I had a pear, at 2pm I had a ham-sandwich (wholemeal bread, low-fat spread, 1 slice of wafer thin ham) and an apple. An hour later I ate another apple (Chilean Granny-Smith! Mmmm!), a plum and a banana, plus I’ve been munching on raw carrots throughout the course of the day (only eaten 4 so far, usually eat 6 or 7 in a day). Also had a further four cups of tea or coffee (with half a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of semi-skimmed milk)
Tonight (~6pm) I will have a Muller-light yoghurt when I get in, then later for tea a Tuna-steak with some boiled potatoes and garden peas. May also take in a go-ahead bar if I fancy a snack but doubt I’ll eat anything else.

That's an average days eating for me…Other than *breakfast* what do you think of the above and where should I change/improve?

I’m 26, 5’10, 10s10lb and in excellent general health in case its relevant.


Regards,

ThreeFeathers

Where do I begin...

First the good: It is generally advisable to run in the morning before breakfast because it's the optional time fat burning-wise, so you got that one right.

Now the ugly: First, I think you run too much. Running that much will kick your body into feeding on the muscle because it lacks the energy to sustain itself on such a long exercise and would take what's most available.
Second, you eat too many fruits and too little of everything else, mainly protein, which doesn't contribute to muscle growth. Assuming that your goal is to lose FAT I want to point out that muscle is your friend and you need to be very cautious of losing it!
Third, you're not eating nearly enough!!! If you want to lose fat you must EAT! Yes, it's a concept that is hard to grasp. I couldn't get over the concenzus that losing weight = eating less for a long while. But the truth is that if you eat too little your body will enter starvation mode, meaning it will hold on to every single piece of fat it can get a hold on and losing weight (fat) willbe IMPOSSIBLE.

In a nutshell, what you need is A) a program of muscle building exercises as well as cardio - lifting weights and other resistance training of that sort. B) a ballanced diet that would include moderate amounts of protein (which is the muscle building stone), carbohydrates (your energy source) and fats (because your body NEEDS it).

I recommend you read the stickies on the top of this forum and revamp your 'routine'.

:gl:

Gila.


Firstly, been browsing for a few weeks but only registered today. Great forum, lots of fantastic information.

Just thought I’d post up my day to get some feedback on what I consider a fairly healthy day in order to get some feedback on where I can improve………..?
I kicked off the day with a 10 mile run at 6am (currently in training). Came home after 75min, showered and had a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. Didn’t eat breakfast (One place I could improve I know but I struggle to eat it even after a run) and went to work.
At 11am I had a pear, at 2pm I had a ham-sandwich (wholemeal bread, low-fat spread, 1 slice of wafer thin ham) and an apple. An hour later I ate another apple (Chilean Granny-Smith! Mmmm!), a plum and a banana, plus I’ve been munching on raw carrots throughout the course of the day (only eaten 4 so far, usually eat 6 or 7 in a day). Also had a further four cups of tea or coffee (with half a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of semi-skimmed milk)
Tonight (~6pm) I will have a Muller-light yoghurt when I get in, then later for tea a Tuna-steak with some boiled potatoes and garden peas. May also take in a go-ahead bar if I fancy a snack but doubt I’ll eat anything else.

That's an average days eating for me…Other than *breakfast* what do you think of the above and where should I change/improve?

I’m 26, 5’10, 10s10lb and in excellent general health in case its relevant.


Regards,

ThreeFeathers

im no expert but i think you should be eating more? that doesn't look like a whole lot you're eating, and most of it is just fruit.

here is the stuff that i eat, maybe you can pick something from here that you could add to your diet
eggs (scrambled/boiled), tuna, chicken breast, steak, fish
wholemeal bread, vegetables, WHITE rice :nod:
natural peanut butter, peanuts, cottage cheese (though haven't eaten any in ages)

heaps more. like gila suggested the nutrition sticky is great :tu:



edit: yay 200 posts :lol:

Where do I begin...

First the good: It is generally advisable to run in the morning before breakfast because it's the optional time fat burning-wise, so you got that one right.

Now the ugly: First, I think you run too much. Running that much will kick your body into feeding on the muscle because it lacks the energy to sustain itself on such a long exercise and would take what's most available.
Second, you eat too many fruits and too little of everything else, mainly protein, which doesn't contribute to muscle growth. Assuming that your goal is to lose FAT I want to point out that muscle is your friend and you need to be very cautious of losing it!
Third, you're not eating nearly enough!!! If you want to lose fat you must EAT! Yes, it's a concept that is hard to grasp. I couldn't get over the concenzus that losing weight = eating less for a long while. But the truth is that if you eat too little your body will enter starvation mode, meaning it will hold on to every single piece of fat it can get a hold on and losing weight (fat) willbe IMPOSSIBLE.

In a nutshell, what you need is A) a program of muscle building exercises as well as cardio - lifting weights and other resistance training of that sort. B) a ballanced diet that would include moderate amounts of protein (which is the muscle building stone), carbohydrates (your energy source) and fats (because your body NEEDS it).

I recommend you read the stickies on the top of this forum and revamp your 'routine'.

:gl:

Gila.

Like she said.

Thanks for the responses. A few points for clarification.

Im not looking to lose fat, just maintain my current shape and health really. Im currently 10st 10lb which is more than light enough for someone my age/height I think and dont really have any noticeable fat so fat loss isn't really a goal. Just further toning is my main aim and to maintain health/fitness.
The reason I run so much at the moment is because I’m in training for a marathon. I normally go to the gym once or twice a week instead of 3 or 4 runs a week, and this process will return when I’ve run my marathon. I will then attempt to bulk *a little* because all this training has taken its toll!

Im intrigued by the “you eat too many fruits” comment – is that really possible? I was under the impression that the more fruit/veg you eat the better? Im currently eating a lot of Pasta and Rice to increase my carb intake but admit I may be a little deficient in the protein stakes.
I do often buy a 100g bag of almonds or cashews on my lunch to eat throughout the afternoon for some of the essential fats, but worry that 100G is too much (quite calorie intense aren’t they?). Today for example I have Chicken sandwiches (only two though) and more fruit/carotts – is this still no good? Tomorrow it’ll be Tuna I guess then Thurs probably Ham, but again only two slices of wholegrain bread and the same quantities of fruit/veg. Should I bring something else in addition?


With the exception of cottage cheese, I like all those things on your list steven. Just not sure how to add them into my daily diet tbh. Should I add an extra meal and eat my last meal later in the evening?

Thanks for all the info tho, appreciate each and every contribution :)

You said 'tone up' which means, I assume, that you want to have your muscles more defined. You can achieve that by reducing your BF%. The reason why I said too many fruits was because fruits are loaded with fructose (carbs) - which is not bad at all, assuming you were planning to eat those amounts of carbs. I'm not sure what kind of training and nutrition plan should a marathon trainer have, I suggest you check those links:
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=20815
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=19447

Also you may try contacting the guys who started the threads and ask them of their routine to get an insight of what you should do.

My basic impression from the diet you described was that your meals are unevenly spread throughout the day and don't look lo be too filling.

What does your 'non average' day of eating look like? how many of those do you have vs, the 'average' days? The reason why I'm asking is because your diet seems very hard to keep, what you eat just doesn't seem enough - nibbling on a bunch of fruits isn't gonna make you energetic.

Thanks for the responses. A few points for clarification.

Im not looking to lose fat, just maintain my current shape and health really. Im currently 10st 10lb which is more than light enough for someone my age/height I think and dont really have any noticeable fat so fat loss isn't really a goal. Just further toning is my main aim and to maintain health/fitness.
The reason I run so much at the moment is because I’m in training for a marathon. I normally go to the gym once or twice a week instead of 3 or 4 runs a week, and this process will return when I’ve run my marathon. I will then attempt to bulk *a little* because all this training has taken its toll!

Im intrigued by the “you eat too many fruits” comment – is that really possible? I was under the impression that the more fruit/veg you eat the better? Im currently eating a lot of Pasta and Rice to increase my carb intake but admit I may be a little deficient in the protein stakes.
I do often buy a 100g bag of almonds or cashews on my lunch to eat throughout the afternoon for some of the essential fats, but worry that 100G is too much (quite calorie intense aren’t they?). Today for example I have Chicken sandwiches (only two though) and more fruit/carotts – is this still no good? Tomorrow it’ll be Tuna I guess then Thurs probably Ham, but again only two slices of wholegrain bread and the same quantities of fruit/veg. Should I bring something else in addition?


With the exception of cottage cheese, I like all those things on your list steven. Just not sure how to add them into my daily diet tbh. Should I add an extra meal and eat my last meal later in the evening?

Thanks for all the info tho, appreciate each and every contribution :)

No one said this yet, but breakfast is important. Eat breakfast!

You are eating nothing of substance before 6pm! Eat more solid food like beef for instance. This will feed your muscles. How about a few whole eggs? :eat:

Coming off an 8 hour fast and then from 6am till 2pm (another 8 hours) you get in a 10mi run and survive on a pear and coffee????

About 90 cal goes into 16 hours of breathing....you know what your body does...it goes:

"Holy crap I better hang on to every last cal possible and store any possible excess that I can as fat because I don't know where my next meal is coming from"

That's simply too long to go between meals and the killer run you put in the middle of all that in the early a.m.
I have no big issue with the fruit and veg throughout the day but understand that with the water and fiber it leaves you feeling full but isn't nourishing your mus-kles.
You are taking in roughly 50g of fat (from the almonds) in one go (mind you your diet is extremely low fat). You'd be better of to break that up into 33g 3X/day (it's not too much fat for your height and weight (10s ~ 140 lbs) + 10lb os you're about 150 lbs? I guess. Spreading your fats across meals is a good idea and it provides more balance to your meals.
You may even consider upping your good fat a little by including an olive oil based dressing to your salads or thrw some ground flax into different foods.

I would suggest you do some meal planning and play with the numbers....
It looks like you eat 1 maybe 2 substantial meals/day but you should really consider taking in 3 squares and 2 snacks.

Read the stickies on how to calculate fat loss and use a site like www.nutritiondata.com to plan your meals and cals.

It really looks like you're running on too little cals to properly burn fat. You'll lose weight, but, some will be fat and some will be muscle....that will be counter-productive to toning.

My 0.02.

Your ham sandwich could use a boost. I put 4 oz of meat on my sandwiches (lean ham or lean turkey). People at work have even commented about how much meat I have on the sandwich. This is a great opportunity to get some protein, but a wafer thin slice won't cut it (bad pun intended).

my sandwich:
1 slice ezekiel 4:9 bread.
1 oz mustard.
4 oz turkey
1 oz lowfat cheese (usually provolone).
two pickle slices.
two romaine lettuce leafs.
black pepper.

I make this by putting everything on the single slice of bread, cutting it in half, then putting the halves together.

Also, as Gila said, to "tone up" you gotta lose the fat, and build the muscle. All of the cutting techniques you find here will apply toward that goal.

Regarding fruit, there is no problem with fruit. There is alot of water, fiber and nutrients in it. There is also alot of sugar. Some people (me included) get our fiber, water and nutrients from other sources to avoid the sugar in fruit. This is just preference, other people can eat fruit without ill effect. Some bodybuilders will tell you fruit is the devil, I use it as dessert, and limit myself to one peice a day (if I deserve it).

My basic impression from the diet you described was that your meals are unevenly spread throughout the day and don't look lo be too filling.

What does your 'non average' day of eating look like?
how many of those do you have vs, the 'average' days? The reason why I'm asking is because your diet seems very hard to keep, what you eat just doesn't seem enough - nibbling on a bunch of fruits isn't gonna make you energetic.

Its mainly during the working week. I eat much less 'cleanly' on weekends, which involves one or more 'cheat' meals like a Chineese or maybe a meal out with the missus, a Roast Dinner on Sunday and probably more snacks such as yoghurts, but never crisps, chocolate or other junk like that.
Strangely I'm never lacking energy - I play football which involves training twice a week and a match on a Saturday, plus all my running and i try to squeeze a gym session in here and there.

Will try and add in another small meal like a sandwich or eggs on toast, that shouldn't be too hard I guess.

Also, as Gila said, to "tone up" you gotta lose the fat, and build the muscle. All of the cutting techniques you find here will apply toward that goal.

Regarding fruit, there is no problem with fruit. There is alot of water, fiber and nutrients in it. There is also alot of sugar. Some people (me included) get our fiber, water and nutrients from other sources to avoid the sugar in fruit. This is just preference, other people can eat fruit without ill effect. Some bodybuilders will tell you fruit is the devil, I use it as dessert, and limit myself to one peice a day (if I deserve it).

Fascinating stuff. I dont really want to lose any fat (tbh there's not much on me to lose really!), so i guess its just a case of developing muscle further:- has definitely degenerated since i took up marathon training.

I had no idea anyone had that outlook on fruit. I thought it was universally liked for any kind of diet. Much food for thought there (bad pun not intended in this case!).

Thanks for everyone who's contributed so far...................