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Folks, I'm embarking on a near impossible mission to lose the excess belly fat I've acquired from the years of attempting to become the new Ron Jeremy. Apparently the girls don't appreciate getting down and dirty in the back of a Citroen Saxo and I've made fruitless attempts to get hold of the Bang Bus.

Anyway.

I've got mean love handles that I'm trying to get rid of. I've worked on my cardio and I'm seeing benefits, but what I'm struggling on is coming up with foods that keep me strict and healthy.

As it is, I'm eating a chicken breast every night, either with rice or cous-cous. I'll mix in some vegetables as well for a bit of variety.

As you imagine, this recipe gets very boring after repetitive consumption. I ask you here and now, what healthy recipes tie you over?

I'm not necessarily after anything quick and easy because I don't mind cooking. I just need variety.

Any suggestions for eating in the afternoon too? Is it better to eat a few, small meals per day, or two big meals?

Cheers brothers.

At the moment, i'm eating something like this every day, with the exception of one day on the weekend where I eat whatever the fvck I want. I drink approx once every 2 weeks now.

Breakfast: Natural Yoghurt and Granola
11am snack: Protein + fruit
Lunch: Chicken/Fish + cous cous/rice + salad/veg
3pm snack: Fruit
Dinner: Chicken/Fish + cous cous/rice + salad/veg
After training: Protein (with very low carbs)
Drinking about 4litres of water a day, and only having one cup of coffee early in the morning.

I've lost about 8kgs since the start of March, but I'm also putting on more muscle weight, so it's all good. I'm about 76/77 at the moment. Eventually I want to get to 74kg, but lean.

Some good stuff on here already and at the risk of rabbiting on about crossfit there's some good advice there as well:

In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect.

What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

What food can I eat a lot of?


Cheat meals/days are important!

Just get creative with the herbs and spices. Make sauces with natural yoghurt / fat free fromage frais or chopped tomatoes.

Home made hamburgers are always good, nutritious and very easy to make- lean minced steak, chopped onions and an egg and mix it all together and form into
patties of whatever size and cook them like steak - rare, medium or well done. Tasty, healthy and goes good with couscous, pasta, rice and potatoes. You can also add HP sauce, tabasco, curry powder or whatever into the mix for taste - I used to add soy sauce and that would add a nice taste to it.


Fish cakes is another one - pink salmon or tuna with mashed potato (not too soft) and add a beaten egg and form into patties - add salt and pepper to taste!

This is a typical day for me:

6:30am - Protein shake with rolled oates and blueberries.
9:30am - an apple, 15 almonds.
12:30pm - Basmati rice, tuna and chilli stuffed olives.
3:30pm - fruit and a protein shake.

5pm - GYM.

6:30pm - Chicken breast with steamed veggies.
9:30pm - low fat yogurt or cottage cheese or a piece of fruit.

Quality posts guys, cheers!

I actually look forward to getting on a stricter diet with more variety. The food doesn't taste bad, I just never mixed up my recipes. Plenty of ingredients to keep me going here - thanks!

Frequent Meals:

When trying to lose weight blood glucose is a big issue, by eating frequent meals based in low GI (Gycemic Index) foods we can maintain more stable levels of glucose than eating 2 or 3 large meals per day. Our brains activity is based on glucose and if we spend too much time without food we are more prone to food cramps.

Another aspect is protein, when dieting down you don't want to lose muscle mass because muscle burns calories and if you lose muscle you metabolism slows down and will likely have a "rebound effect", in orther to maintain our precious muscle mass we most increase protein intake and sometimes this means having more meals.

Late Night Eating:

We lose most of the weight at night while sleeping, so you must be sure to cut starchy carbs at night and have your last meal 1-2 hours before bedtime, you can have some fibrous carbs (carrots, cucumber, spinach...), lean protein.

Cardio & weight training:

Cardio is a must for weight loss as well as moderate resistance training. Cardio: 20-45min 3-6 times per week Weight Training: 45min 2-4 times per week.

Supplements:

Vitamins: Anavite
Protein: Gold Standard 100% Whey
Essential Fatty Acids: EFA Lean Gold

For better results look for professional assistance and coaching like: FitnessPoynters

I've eaten very healthily (low fat, high protein) for years but was always on the chunky side as I would eat way too much of everything. I made a few subtle changes a couple of years ago, which have worked reasonably well for me:-
1) Eat less carbs as the day goes on. Get them in at breakfast, mid morning and lunch time. I have very few carbs with my evening meal, although I have a post workout carb & protein shake.
2) Bulk up meals with veg, to avoid overeating carbs.
3) I have >200g protein spread throughout the day. (I lift weights regularly).
4) Reduce portion sizes (very difficult for me, as my main hobby is eating!).

I went from about 17stone to 16 stone just through cutting down on carbs and reducing portion sizes. Although I still eat what I want at weekends.

I've since lost a further stone by increasing the amount of cardio I do. I still have a bit of a belly, but am not too far away from where I want to be.

jBacca wrote:Folks, I'm embarking on a near impossible mission to lose the excess belly fat I've acquired from the years of attempting to become the new Ron Jeremy. Apparently the girls don't appreciate getting down and dirty in the back of a Citroen Saxo and I've made fruitless attempts to get hold of the Bang Bus.

Anyway.

I've got mean love handles that I'm trying to get rid of. I've worked on my cardio and I'm seeing benefits, but what I'm struggling on is coming up with foods that keep me strict and healthy.

As it is, I'm eating a chicken breast every night, either with rice or cous-cous. I'll mix in some vegetables as well for a bit of variety.

As you imagine, this recipe gets very boring after repetitive consumption. I ask you here and now, what healthy recipes tie you over?

I'm not necessarily after anything quick and easy because I don't mind cooking. I just need variety.

Any suggestions for eating in the afternoon too? Is it better to eat a few, small meals per day, or two big meals?

Cheers brothers.

Try spreading your meals into 5 smaller portions that way you can help your metobolic rate speed up.

In my training my diet was
Breakfast;
A fruit salad (consisting of an apple, satsuma, strawberries, grape nuts, rhubarb)

Lunch;
Soup

Snack;
Grapes

Dinner
Steamed veg occasionally with chicken.

Countless cups of tea throughout the day as well

alexpaterson wrote:In my training my diet was
Breakfast;
A fruit salad (consisting of an apple, satsuma, strawberries, grape nuts, rhubarb)

Lunch;
Soup

Snack;
Grapes

Dinner
Steamed veg occasionally with chicken.

Countless cups of tea throughout the day as well

Definitely need more protein in there Alex, especially for lunch.

Deserter wrote:

alexpaterson wrote:In my training my diet was
Breakfast;
A fruit salad (consisting of an apple, satsuma, strawberries, grape nuts, rhubarb)

Lunch;
Soup

Snack;
Grapes

Dinner
Steamed veg occasionally with chicken.

Countless cups of tea throughout the day as well

Definitely need more protein in there Alex, especially for lunch.

and fat

alexpaterson wrote:In my training my diet was
Breakfast;
A fruit salad (consisting of an apple, satsuma, strawberries, grape nuts, rhubarb)

Lunch;
Soup

Snack;
Grapes

Dinner
Steamed veg occasionally with chicken.

Countless cups of tea throughout the day as well

This is a preposterous diet. What were you training for? To be malnourished? There are people on here trying to lose weight/get in shape that really don't know much about diet/exercise and this sort of diet is what gives people the absolute wrong ideas about what their daily intake should look like.

alexpaterson wrote:In my training my diet was
Breakfast;
A fruit salad (consisting of an apple, satsuma, strawberries, grape nuts, rhubarb)

Lunch;
Soup

Snack;
Grapes

Dinner
Steamed veg occasionally with chicken.

Countless cups of tea throughout the day as well

This is more of a Detox then a diet, you do this more than a month and you might die.

As said jb, small meals.

What worked for me was, eating much smaller portions of what I liked, not too much messing with what I actually ate, losing around 4 stone.

Thus transforming me from a porky 21yr old (5'8 15st) who couldn't pull for shit, to a fvcking god (11st).

Obviously keep up with the excercises, I just played football a lot, for hours (even when I was fat).

Ahem...........gone to shit now....but I got an excuse. I am married with young kids

5ft 8 and 15 stone Bengul? You fat fecker. That's exactly what I am now.

King Tubby wrote:5ft 8 and 15 stone Bengul? You fat fecker. That's exactly what I am now.

Not quite back there yet, but getting there...

King Tubby wrote:5ft 8 and 15 stone Bengul? You fat fecker. That's exactly what I am now.

Umpa Lumpa?

I didn't get my name through a love of reggae.

BarryWashington wrote: the small meals per day advice is nothing but BS that supplement companies love to stand behind because they know the average person will be too busy to actually get in 5-7 small meals a day so that's where the protein powders come in and help substitute with meals.

truth is: there is no evidence that small meals helps you lose weight or boost metabolism. in fact there's a study that shows that three meals a day is better than six small meals a day. when you have bigger meals it causes a greater thermic effect of food.

bigger meals will help keep you full and not constantly be hungry and cause yourself to over indulge.

if you want some food choices then here they are:

milk
chocolate milk
orange juice
cheese
cottage cheese
greek yogurt

chicken breast
lean ground beef
top sirloin steak
tuna (solid white albacore is my fav)
eggs
salmon
flounder
tilapia

whole grain bread
whole grain pasta
brown rice
red kidney beans
black beans
whole grain english muffins
whole grain tortilla wrap

asparagus
broccoli
cauliflower
kale
spinach
corn
carrots
green beans
string beans
lettuce

apples
bananas
cherries
blueberries
grapefruit
strawberries
seedless grapes
kiwi

organic peanut butter
almonds
walnuts
flax seeds
sunflower seeds
olive oil

No offence mate but this is one horrible nutritional advice...
Your body's metabolic cycle requires some food roughly every 3 hours.
The main idea behind this way of eating is that:
- it speeds up metabolism

- increases the efficiency of your body (organs/digestion run more smoothly)

- prevents fatigue

- lowers cholesterol levels and heart attack risks

- prevents over-eating

- encourages portion control

Also, if you allow yourself to become very hungry, you're more likely to make bad food choices.

Of all the foods mentioned only meat, fish, poultry, veggies, low g.i. fruits (berries, apples, citrus fruits), nuts (except peanuts) and seeds qualify for an effective weight loss program.
All the other stuff is best to avoid, especially the starchy carbs.

BarryWashington wrote:

TempleSlave wrote:

BarryWashington wrote: the small meals per day advice is nothing but BS that supplement companies love to stand behind because they know the average person will be too busy to actually get in 5-7 small meals a day so that's where the protein powders come in and help substitute with meals.

truth is: there is no evidence that small meals helps you lose weight or boost metabolism. in fact there's a study that shows that three meals a day is better than six small meals a day. when you have bigger meals it causes a greater thermic effect of food.

bigger meals will help keep you full and not constantly be hungry and cause yourself to over indulge.

if you want some food choices then here they are:

milk
chocolate milk
orange juice
cheese
cottage cheese
greek yogurt

chicken breast
lean ground beef
top sirloin steak
tuna (solid white albacore is my fav)
eggs
salmon
flounder
tilapia

whole grain bread
whole grain pasta
brown rice
red kidney beans
black beans
whole grain english muffins
whole grain tortilla wrap

asparagus
broccoli
cauliflower
kale
spinach
corn
carrots
green beans
string beans
lettuce

apples
bananas
cherries
blueberries
grapefruit
strawberries
seedless grapes
kiwi

organic peanut butter
almonds
walnuts
flax seeds
sunflower seeds
olive oil

No offence mate but this is one horrible nutritional advice...
Your body's metabolic cycle requires some food roughly every 3 hours.
The main idea behind this way of eating is that:
- it speeds up metabolism

- increases the efficiency of your body (organs/digestion run more smoothly)

- prevents fatigue

- lowers cholesterol levels and heart attack risks

- prevents over-eating

- encourages portion control

read and learn:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutr ... ngle-meal/

Ok so that's what I've learned from one of your links:

Although some short-term studies suggest that the thermic effect of feeding is higher when an isoenergetic test load is divided into multiple small meals, other studies refute this, and most are neutral.

What struck me straight away, was the fact that authors of presented study did not mention what kind of foods were given to its subjects. Surely what you eat is more important than number of sittings you have it in? If those people were fed sandwiches and doughnuts then I can easily imagine that whether they got that cr@p in 3 or 6 portions might be of secondary importance.
This actually reminds me of results of few studies in which subjects were divided into three groups. Every group would get exactly the same amount of calories in their diet, the difference was in macro-element contents. In every of those studies the group eating the least of carbohydrates would lose the most weight and the most body fat proportionally. Conclusions: 1.calories are not made equal, 2.fat is not necessary fattening, 3.carbohydrates are.

Now, even if the (high) number of meals is not the primary factor in fat-loss promoting dietary plan, then I still think it supports it. The idea in eating 5-6 meals instead of 2-3 is not only that you have the same amount or less of food, in smaller portions. We may argue about existence of thermic effect of frequent meals or lack of it. However I guess it's beyond doubt that when you're less hungry (because you've eaten something just 3 hours before), you're also less likely to over-eat or/and make unhealthy/high calorific food choices. Remember that average person who eats 3 meals a day is not a subject of any study and has unlimited number of calories in their fridge. They simply come back from work at 7-8, having had their lunch at 12-1pm and feel reeeally hungry. What hey usually have is huge bowl of pasta/spaghetti/rice with some sauce and meat. This is 95% of my clients, when they first meet me. Don't tell me that if they could have a small meal (say some lean, cold meat, leaf salad and handful of nuts) at 3-4pm, they wouldn't be ok with portion of cooked broccoli and portion of lean meat/fish for their dinner.

As for the link from wannabebig.com, it's not relevant to the subject - I have never in my life claimed that 'there is a limit to how much protein body can use in single meal'. In fact, my preferred sources say that a human being with 100% healthy digestive system would be able to absorb as much as 1kg of meat in one sitting!

Anyway, my main concern was actually the list of foods you presented in your post and I still think it's dreadful
All the best dude.