What I Ate to Lose 22 Kilograms

Written by Daniel Carmichael on Sep 19, 2010 12:52 am

If you've ever been a bit overweight, you'll exactly how hard it can be to stick to a certain diet or exercise plan. Being a qualified chef, I've always known the right foods to eat to maintain a healthy body, but it wasn't until I had gained over 20 kilograms that I thought it was about time to get back to eating the right foods.

I was always tipping the scales at around 65-58 kilos, 70 kilograms max, but after a couple of years of 'letting myself go' I had hit 87 kilos (and at 170 cm tall, that's a bit of extra fat I was carrying around!) A look in the mirror one day and I knew a change was way overdue.

I started to train with kettlebells for about 15-20 minutes each morning and I also used the eating plan below to help me lose about 22 kilos (just about 25% of my bodyweight) in 5 months.

I would follow this from Monday to Friday and would give myself the weekends off. In saying that, I'd still eat well on the weekends apart from breakfast and lunch on Sunday where I would treat myself without going overboard! The good thing about this particular eating plan was I could replace and substitute different meats, fruits and vegetables from meal to meal so it never got too boring.

Even if you don't wan't to follow a certain diet, you can help yourself by making a few little changes in your eating habits.

Eating less but at more regular intervals will help keep your metabolism burning for longer through the day.

Swaping bad fats for good fats can help your body burn extra fat. Your body wants to burn fat, but given a choice, it will burn the good fats and store the bad fats.

If you're worried about a high carb intake (if you are extremely active, this isn't a problem) try to offset carbs with fibre where possible.

Limit juice intake. Many people get sucked into the trap that fruit juices are good for you. In small doses they are...but they are loaded with sugar and can be just as bad to your health as soft drinks.

Anyhoo, below is the eating plan I followed to help me lose 22 kilos in 5 months.

Upon waking:

Glass of warm water with ½ to a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Stretch and proper breathing for 5 to 10 minutes

Exercise:

Kettlebell Turkish Get Up and Bent Press or Windmill variation

Then whatever other exercises you choose. As a rule, do all Grinds before Ballistics

Glass of juice then wait about half an hour till brekky. (Shower etc.)

Breakfast:

Multigrain Toast with Tahini or Avocado, egg, cheese, onion and tomato sauce.

Smoothie with Low Fat Milk, Water, Jalna Yoghurt (or Yoghurt drink) Fruit* Frozen Mixed Berries, LSA, Honey and Protein Powder.

* Banana, Mango, Passionfruit and Kiwi fruit – Freeze in 100 gram portions.

Smoko:

Soy and Linseed Corn Thins with Cheese, onion and shaved chicken.

Handful of raw or roasted (NOT salted) Mixed Nuts.

Lunch:

Grilled chicken, salad and cheese on Wholemeal Multigrain.

Arvo:

Protein Shake with low fat milk.

Dinner:

Steak or Atlantic Salmon with steamed vegies. (Alternate)

Late:

Protein powder with water. (No carbs or fat before bed!!!)

Make enough smoothie in the morning for when you get home. That way you’ll have some left to keep you going till dinner. Perfect if you do any training after work.
Keep mixed nuts at home and at work for whenever you feel hungry. Don’t go too mad, because even though they’re rich in essential fats, it’s still fat! Low fat milk is also good to keep on hand.
Drink a shitload of water through the day.
If you’re going to have spirulina or green tea, do it first thing when you get to work. If you have it too late in the day, you may have trouble sleeping!
Stay away from White bread (or pasta and rice if you have it) Bad for digestion and it bloats.

Stay Gold!

Daniel Carmichael