# Need to shift my middle



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

Hope someone can assist with this. I need to shift my middle. I have always been slim, but in recent months have crept up from a 30 waist, to a 32 and now really need a 34 but refuse, so instead, just tuck it in a bit!

My only blubber is around tummy and sides. I think probably a few pounds needs to go. I don't want to lose any from anywhere else though. 

I normally eat what I like, and large quantities. Yorkshire puds, pies, pasties, cake, lasagne etc

What is good to avoid at all costs, and what is good to have? For example, brown or white bread? 

How long might it take? 

I estimate my calorie intake to be about 4000 per day although today, I have purposely watched what I have eaten, and estimate about 1000 cals, but I am blooming hungry! 

Suggestions for meals also appreciated. 

Russell


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Wholemeal anything, brown rice, oats.
All these are filling, satisfying and healthy.

Oats and brown rice will actively reduce cholesterol and give you fibre.

eat really big man-sized salads but watch what you put on them. I've gone back to just using vinegar and black pepper.

30-40 minutes brisk walking that leaves you breathing hard and a slight sweat.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Just cut out all dairy products and eat what you like of the rest.

My wife did this and trimmed off 18lb. and now looks much better.

I now have to consume her chips.

Ray.


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Did a diet many years ago that came from a newspaper and it has always seen us well. 

Lost 2st every time we have done it and then given up thinking about what we ate and put it back on. 

It is simple just stick to eating no more than 40g of fat a day. 
Not too much alcohol and any thing you know is bad with huge amounts of sugar. 

For instance most Cornish pasties and meat pies shop bought contain around 40g of fat , so that's it for a day  
Cheese, chocolate and butter/margarine or high fat crisps are also not to be eaten too often either. 

Andy had a bag of twirl crisps from Aldi the other day 36g in one bag, they do another kind of puffed crisp in cheese and onion or sweet chilli I think it is and they have around 2g per bag. 

You soon get to learn what's good and what's not, some things looking at your diet right now will shock you. 

Enjoy
Mandy


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

The size of you Russell I feel its all down to excercise.
You are so tall and slim that a little podgy tummy is ok.
We all do benifit from eating healthly though and the 4g of fat is a great guide Mandy I used to follow that at Weight Watchers and I should start that again :wink:


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Cut our bread altogether, drink black coffee, no milk and no sugar. Other than that eat more. As soon as you are hungry eat a small meal. 

Five or six smaller meals a day will help you lose weight very rapidly.

We eat far too few meals and when we eat we eat big ones. This has an effect of expanding the stomach which in turn has to work more to digest the food and so crave more

Keep off diets, change the way you eat

stew


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Simples - buy a smaller plate and eat smaller portions.


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Cooorrr blimey Mavis that's a bit cruel isn't it, 4g of fat and he will waist   away bless him !!! 

Mandy


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

I found cutting out the junk food helped. Pasties etc not very good for you.

Reduce fat intake, reduce alcohol intake, reduce sugar intake. 

Don't need to stick to salads, eating healthy food, smaller amounts if used to eating a large amount at meal times.

Exercise.


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

mandyandandy said:


> Cooorrr blimey Mavis that's a bit cruel isn't it, 4g of fat and he will waist   away bless him !!!
> 
> Mandy


Realise how that sounds but you can eat anything with 4g and under of fat in it. Alway check on the packet --but it does take so long to do the shopping when reading the labels :roll: 
No more than 40g in a day.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Don`t worry Russell, I used to be a 36 chest and 28 waist at 16.
And abot seven and a half stone wet through.
All the numbers have crept up to 44 chest 38 waist at 59 and nearlyfourteen stone twelve pounds.
Lady p feeds me with porrridge in the morning. i actually do it myself.
Tuna or chicken salad roll for lunch and salad with some kind of fish or chicken around 6 o clock.

It has taken 36 years to get me to a man size. :lol: :lol: :lol: 


Dave p
I must move about more.


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## foll-de-roll (Oct 29, 2007)

Hi Rusell,


I am afraid you are experiencing the dreaded "middle age spead" which can be controlled to some extent, by reducing your intake(drink and food) and increasing exercise to maintain muscle tone(sit ups etc). Your metabolisim is also slowing down which dosen't help.

As some folks on here have said, some foods are a no-no(high in fats and sugar), but are usually the ones we like   but self control (food and drinkwise) pays a big part in it as well.   

The old Mantra "everything in moderation"


If all the advice so freely given by us on this Forum doesn't work,you could always buy a smaller/bigger van depending on how concerned you are    



Cheers (now where's the biscuit tin!!)


Andy


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## anteater (Oct 29, 2009)

At 53 I weigh the same as I did at 16, and have never weighed more, only less (too thin). this came about from being vegan for 8 years, and always hungry! I am now giving up dairy products again (but not fish and chicken this time) because I am convinced they affect my sinuses adversely. so I expect to lose a little weight. I exercise too and don't like alcohol and have never smoked.

Main things - keep off junk food. I class white bread as junk food, as it is refined. Avoid saturated fat in anything but small amounts, and keep an eye on overall fat (hidden everywhere). Sugar is also hidden everywhere, but eat only occasionally, cake biscuits and chocolate. I base my diet around wholemeal bread, oats, fish, soya milk and yoghourts, baked beans, a little chicken, eggs, lots of fruit and vegetables and a little organic dark chocolate. BMI is around 19, total body fat 23%, cholesterol 3.8-4.4, bp 120/74. Can still do handstands.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Diet*

Just an update on this - the podge is showing no signs of moving.

I have cut my food intake quite a lot, no fatty sausage rolls at work for example, no Snickers, no beer.

I have started running on alternate days - and this proved how very unfit I am

Russell

PS - food shopping bill has plumetted!


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Eat Less Move more


(and bear in mind that as you get older your metabolism changes, as mentioned above, meaning you have eat even less move even more than you used to. Starving yourself is self defeating.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

You have to have a good balance in what you are doing. No good cutting back on food if you are exercising as the body can go on the defencive and start storing fat when you definitely don't want it too, if your not eating enough calories to cover the expenditure. I have been on the slimming world diet + exercise, and have gone from 20st 4.5lb to 16st 4lb at last weigh in. I don't starve myself, I don't need to on this diet and with the work-outs I am winning the battle. Hard bit of coarse is keeping it off. 

When reasonably fit, you can walk at a fair rate of knots and cover about four miles in 1 hour, and it's surprising how fit and trim that will keep you. Try it, its just one hour per day, or every other day and its free. Also try doing some sit-ups every night.

steve


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## Westkirby01 (Jan 25, 2009)

Hello Russell

You've made the first step. Realising you are beginning to have a problem.

You don't say your age.

However I hope that I can offer some salvation. I am a retired PTI and had this question may times from people in retirement courses. I gave a simple training programme that did not require the agony of the silly comment, 'no pain no gain'.

4,000 calories a day for a non-athlete is excessive. You might consider the Harcombe diet. it's possibly the safest I know.

Back to training.

Number the days 1,2,3,4,5 etc up to 30,31. You might want to start on the 1st of the month.

Lie on your tummy, place your hands by your shoulders in a press-up position and raise your body by straightening your arms. Leave your knees on the floor. If you're not used to lifting your body weight this is the best way. This is for the upper body. On day one, *do this once only*.

Roll over, lie on your back, tuck your knees so that your feet are flat and near your bottom. Then raise your head, stretch your hands along you body to touch your sides of your feet, lifting your shoulders. This is for your tummy. *Do this once only*.

Yes, I know you could do many more, but please don't. Increasing puts strain on the muscles and causes damage, the 'no pain no gain' syndrome.

On day 2 increase to 2, day 3 increase to 3 and so on.

When you feel uncomfortable about the increase, and you will. Lets assume on day 13 it feels uncomfortable to increase, then stay at 12 for that day and increase by one the next. Or, you may stay on 12 for some days. .

It may be that you are at 12 press-ups and increasing the sit-ups. It doesn't matter.

Go to a maximum of 30 or 31, depending on the month, then stay at 30 everyday from that point on.

All gain, no pain.

Slightly cardiovascular and anaerobic. Best of both worlds.

I had many return to me and said it worked for them. Other members of their family sometimes benefited.

Wish you well. Take care.

Westkirby01


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Russell,

Eat a good breakfast,

A moderate Lunch

A small evening meal.

Do exercise

There is no need for fancy diets, it is a simple fact, that you will need to shed more calories than you eat, and if you exercise the muscles they will become toned.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Diet*

Hi

I am definitely more "unfit" than fit, despite a lot of swimming. The first run was horrendous, but I run the same route alternate days and it is now more of a run than a part walk!

Food wise, one problem is I like to dress food up, so for example...

Cabbage, tossed in butter
Carrots - tossed in butter
Prawns - plenty of mayo etc!

I have also been drinking a couple of pints of beer per day for a while, so at present beer is a no go.

Will report back at the weigh in.

I want to go from 11 stone 5, to 10 stone 10.

Russell


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## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

Russell,

Back in February I got a good talking to from a practice nurse at our new GP's.

So I decided to carry out a little experiment.

I stopped eating biscuits, chocolate and crisps.

I've lost 17lbs in just under 3 months and it's still going.

I didn't change my meals or stop drinking alcofrol.

Mind I still weigh 50% more than you, but I are bigger framed and just a few years older so it's allowed.

I'm aiming for another 8 or 9lbs off, then I'll be lighter than at any time in the last 25 years.

Andy


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Andy

I already don't eat biscuits, chocolate or crisps (_well, almost none_ 8O ) . . . and haven't had a brioche bread pudding for at least a year!! :wink: :roll:

Any suggestions what I might give up??

Dave


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## Steamdrivenandy (Jun 18, 2007)

You're beyond hope Zeb. :lol: 

Andy


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Alcohol , butter, cheese that will do for starters. 

If you look at what you eat there will be something that you feel you can't do without and you can guarantee it will have either alot of sugar or fat in it. 

I just have to many to start working it out :lol: :lol: 

Mandy


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Flab*

Hi

Yes, going for a run in a minute!

My fatty problem is that it is limited to my middle area - ie tummy and sides around middle. No where else is there any. If It has not gone by the time we go to Italy in July, I will have it sucked out! Imagine that, where do they put it afterwards?

Russell


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Diet*



artona said:


> Cut our bread altogether, drink black coffee, no milk and no sugar. Other than that eat more. As soon as you are hungry eat a small meal.
> 
> Five or six smaller meals a day will help you lose weight very rapidly.
> 
> ...


I notice a lot of people suggest no milk, dairy fats etc. I drink real coffee black anyway.

But can you eat eggs? or is that classed as dairy?.

TM


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Scales*

Been on the scales tonight - 11 stone dead, so that's five pounds down, but my middle is still there just as it always was. I am willing to drop to about 10 - 10, but no less. If it does not go at that, then an alternative is needed....

Russell


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## The-Clangers (Sep 18, 2009)

Russell,

Don't know what age you are, but I found that in my mid thirties gravity took over and I now suffer from a bad case of furniture disease, whereby my chest has dropped to my drawers.

I hate the thought of dieting, in fact never done it. However, due to my son getting married and not wanting to look like a gobstopper in a kilt, I have lost about 1 1/2 stone over the past month or 5 weeks.

I simply no longer eat anything between meals, apart from the odd rice cake or apple. Eat normally otherwise, but leave out puddings and chocolate. Once into the routine it has not been too bad. Unfortunately last week been drinking too much wine and not lost anything, but hey ho life is too be lived.

David


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Furniture*

Never heard of furniture disease LOL LOL

I am 38 next

Russell


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

At 38 I was12 stone.
At 59 I am trying to get down to 14 stone.
Just think you have anther 21 years to work hard to stay as you are. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 
Believe me Russell it is easy to put it on mate.

Lady p is the most senior of her keep fit class.
Attends 4 nights per week. She diets and eats healthy.
She really feels like she should lose a stone.
She never loses an ounce.

Well I think its keep fit she poes to. 

Dave p


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*yes*

But can you eat eggs on a dairy free diet?


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## litcher (Jul 24, 2006)

*Re: yes*



teemyob said:


> But can you eat eggs on a dairy free diet?


Yes as they don't come from cows. :wink:

Viv


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