The belly is getting bigger, time to stop the rot.

[brokencrossbar1]

Time of eating is vital, I used to graze 7-7 and nothing after that when I was playing. I didn't do it all the time but tried as best as I could.  It made a huge difference.  12 hours on 12hours off, never full never hungry, and never thirsty.

[Captain Obvious]

You say bigger belly what trouser waistband are we talking about?

[Minder]

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1896439_1896359_1896345,00.html

[imtommygunn]

Time of day doesn't matter. Its what and how much you eat.

I'd be interested to see the evidence for that (not being smart). Seems illogical, especially if you are exercising a lot. I've been cycling the guts of 200miles a week recently, eating at the right time is crucial.

I read that a few months ago, cat remember the science/rationale behind it.

Exercise will change your metabolism for a period of a couple of hours afterwards. That's not a time thing - the exercise is the factor there.

[Captain Obvious]

36"

34" is probably the waist your looking for. Isn't white meats Pork,Chicken,Turkey more fattening than red meats?

[Tony Baloney]

Good post pints.

There is an awful lot of misconception out there about food. When I was on a health kick last uear I would eat porridge for breakfast or else a bacon sandwich at work. The women were horrified but 2 slices of wholegrain toast, no butter, lean bacon and a grilled tomato instead of sauce was a really filling breakfast and pretty healthy compared to the "healthy" lunches they were eating with coleslaw and shite in it!

[armaghniac]

2 slices of wholegrain toast, no butter, lean bacon and a grilled tomato

An oul tomato or two thickly sliced and grilled on brown bread is tasty and easy, even if there is a bit of cheese or bacon there too.

[ONeill]

Pints gave good advice.

Just cut out the crap as much as you can. If you don't like running, walk. Or skip. I'm no specimen and have what you'd call a bit of a belly when relaxed but average enough. I play 5-a-side twice a week (for 60 mins and 90 mins) and that keeps it at a level without putting on or taking off. I know if I changed my diet I could get down from a tight 34 to a trim 34. But it'd be so effin boring.

I probably don't eat enough at the right times. I'd throw a banana into me at 8. Then maybe a sandwich, 2 apples and a couple of biscuits at 1. From 4 on I'd graze rightly on Tuc biscuits or crisps as well as a Belfast-sized dinner. If she didn't buy the effin grazing  things I wouldn't eat them. I love carrots and celery but never buy them. That's it. I'm getting my own larder.

[Minder]

Pints gave good advice.

Just cut out the crap as much as you can. If you don't like running, walk. Or skip. I'm no specimen and have what you'd call a bit of a belly when relaxed but average enough. I play 5-a-side twice a week (for 60 mins and 90 mins) and that keeps it at a level without putting on or taking off. I know if I changed my diet I could get down from a tight 34 to a trim 34. But it'd be so effin boring.

I probably don't eat enough at the right times. I'd throw a banana into me at 8. Then maybe a sandwich, 2 apples and a couple of biscuits at 1. From 4 on I'd graze rightly on Tuc biscuits or crisps as well as a Belfast-sized dinner. If she didn't buy the effin grazing  things I wouldn't eat them. I love carrots and celery but never buy them. That's it. I'm getting my own larder.

When I come home from work and there is nobody in I would eat 3 or 4 bags of crisps out of a multi bag in the blink of an eye, scrunch up the second and third bag and put it inside the first "the crisps ? Shure I only ate one bag, look in the bin." If the crisps weren't there I wouldn't look for them.

Greedy bastardness I think it is called.

[ONeill]

Aye those multi-packs are a hoor. I'd never dream of buying them myself.

Another thing is - sitting on yer arse. It's an awful waste I think when you've sat on the same spot from 8-12.

[Tony Baloney]

An awful lot of boys blaming the missus on here tonight! Dinners are too big, they keep buying crisps etc. They're not shovelling it down your throats!

[ONeill]

They're not shovelling it down your throats!

I have my suspicions.

[Hardy]

I agree with the lads. Pushing back from the table is the best exercise you can do to lose weight.

As said,

Calories in > calories expended = weight gain
Calories in < calories expended = weight loss

The bad news is that hunger is the feeling of burning tissue calories instead of food calories to get your energy. In other words, if you don't feel hungry, at least a little or for a while, you're not losing weight.

The good news is that when you reach your target weight you never have to feel hungry again. Unless, of course, you resume eating more than you're using and start the whole cycle again.

Surely:

Steady weight: same calories in + new exercise regime = weight loss??

Yes. This doesn't conflict with what I said. You take in calories by eating/drinking. You use calories through activity. (Activity includes breathing, your metabolism, etc. as well as more vigorous exercise).

If your calorie intake exceeds your calorie expenditure, you gain weight and vice versa. So more exercise with the same calorie intake will certainly cause weight loss. However, less food with the same amount of exercise will cause weight loss much more easily (unless you prefer to run for an hour rather than miss out on one burger - one burger equals about one hour of running in calorie terms). Of course, both reduced intake and increased exercise are to be recommended. It just takes a lot of exercise to lose a little weight. But of course the benefits of fitness are manifold.

But the calorie intake/expenditure equation is all that matters in regulating body weight. For all intents and purposes, it doesn't matter when you eat or what you eat. What matters is the number of calories. You could get your say 2,000 calories per day by eating nothing but raw lard once a day and as long as you expended an equal amount of calories your weight would stay stable. Of course, you would soon have nutritional problems, vitamin deficiencies, etc., but that's a different subject.

So the answer to King Kenny's question about what to eat and when is that it doesn't matter in pure weight management terms. You just need to know how many calories you're taking in – measure them. A burger is  about 700 calories, a slice of white bread 70, a pint of beer about 250, etc. Get a calorie chart and measure your intake.

One pound of body weight equals about 3,500 calories, So if you take in 3,500 calories less in the next week than you consume, you'll lose a pound. So a simple way of managing weight loss is to measure your daily intake at present and then plan an intake that cuts this down by say 500 calories per day. That's two Kit-Kats. If you don't change your activity regime, you can expect to lose a pound a week as long as you maintain this. (This assumes you're not actually gaining weight at present, in which case your reduced intake may only serve to slow your weight gain.) If you do increased exercise, you'll lose more. An hour of running every day will lose you another pound and a half or so a week.

[Dougal Maguire]

An awful lot of boys blaming the missus on here tonight! Dinners are too big, they keep buying crisps etc. They're not shovelling it down your throats!

Unless I'm greatly mistaken you were the only one to blame you missus. If she finds out you'll have no need to go on a diet.

[Hashtag]

What does everyone include in their lunch boxes?

For morning break I have cereal bars, a yogurt and an apple usually.

For lunch, usually a chicken roll and fruit. Maybe a bag of crisps or a bar some days.