Am I on the right diet plan for losing weight and building muscle?

[au_an]

A bit of my history: I'm 32 and for the last 12+ years suffered from many mental health issues, due to which my weight kept going up & down. I would feel good for a few months and hit the gym and lose weight, then suddenly depression & stress hits me, and I overeat and gain weight. It kept happening over and over till I sought professional help a few months ago, and thanks to the medication, I've never felt better before. I finally feel I got my life under my control. I now want to get into a good shape, so my confidence levels go up and I don't run into risk of any health issues, esp. diabetes, as it runs in my family.

The first natural step I did was google to see how many calories I need to consume to be in calorie deficit and what the macros breakdown should be. I then came up with a diet chart based on it but the problem is every article I read, every fitness influencer I follow, every gym bros' videos I watch, they all say different things. One person says do intermittent fasting, other person says eat 6 smaller meals, one says eat less carbs, other says carbs are fine if taken with protein. There are just so many contradictory statements, I just don't know what to follow. Maybe they are generalised statements to a particular set of target audience, so I thought I'll come here for a more personalised advice.

I'm 32 years old male, 178 cm tall and 80.5 kgs. My target weight is around 72 kgs. I have no intentions of building a muscular and sculpted body, just want to be lean, with a flat tummy, and a decent posture. Also, I'm a vegetarian and don't eat eggs either.

I'm attaching an image of a diet plan I'm currently following. Am I on the right diet plan for losing weight and building muscle? Is there anything really wrong that you can spot in this or am I on the right track? Should I be replacing anything here or should I be particular about the timing of eating certain foods, like before workout or every alternate day only, etc.

I also plan to replace the rice and pasta with quinoa, bread, noodles, sweet potatoes on a few days, so there's a bit of variety. Are they ok to consume?

My current workout schedule is: 1 hour of Yoga every morning 30 mins of weight training 30 mins of Zone 2 cardio

What do you all think? Any help and guidance will be truly appreciated. Thanks.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, au_an

Whilst I'm very happy to welcome you, I'm not an expert on either vegetarianism or muscle building. I lost 47kg on a low carb time restricted way of eating, which was ideal for me who not only wanted to lose weight, but also wanted to avoid diabetes (I ran a marathon following this and didn't need to carb/protein load). Losing weight is a very individual quest and we need to find something that works for us personally - you may even find that you need a personal trainer to really fine tune things for you?

If you want to look and feel good, you won't go far wrong if you follow the advice of Dr Rangan Chatterjee

youtu.be/xZ7GSskFv0M(Not working as expected?)

drchatterjee.com/

All of the information you need about the forum can be found as Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Grigid Moderator 4 stone]

Hi au_an,

You are right to pick up on all the conflicting information around but ultimately what will work for you is, as moreless has said, what you can live with in the long term (as long as that is a healthy choice).

Two of my daughters are vegan and whilst I know you do eat dairy, it might be worth looking at vegan menu ideas to maybe substitute some of your rice if you've got a tendency to diabetes in your family. I'm very grateful for google when they come round to eat at my house (I'm vegetarian, and eat eggs and dairy).

Joining in the different groups will help, have a look at the Daily Diary to see what plans people follow and maybe get some different ideas - and others will take ideas from you too - like your dinner example

Good luck!

[Sharmian350 Restart April 2024]

Your plan sounds very detailed and you have clearly put a lot of thought and effort into it.I hope it works for you.

As others have said, participating in the activites on the forum seems to keep people on track.

Maybe the Daily Diary or thr Fit is Fun club may suit you, or one of the weightloss challenges.

[Eryl Visitor]

If you want to be lean you need to drop those carbohydrates as they spike your blood sugar, this causes an increase in insulin which triggers fat storage.

[Frenchfields SS Supercook 2024 January]

Hi au-an. Glad you're feeling positive at the moment. If you enjoy the items on your list and it fits with your 'ideal' (according to google) its certainly a good place to start. Give your plan a few weeks and see if its working for you and how you feel. I recently watched a sciency tv program and it did show that its easy to undereat protein on a veggie or vegan diet so maybe tweak your plan to make sure you at least hit your prtein target. This forum is great for support if you join in so let us all know how its going maybe join in with other posts.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

Would look at mineral content often overlooked . Zinc , potassium, iron so vary the veg .Use loads of herbs , spices too which I use liberally . Paprika , garlic , turmeric , ginger etc can make the blandest meal amazing I sprinkle all over veg

Can’t see salad in this but obviously just 1 day sample . So much advice but I lost 18kg with just 3 meals a day and exercise- no protein shakes as I got all from other sources like lentils , beans, peppers , aubergine, courgette , leafy greens as I love food and saw this as a lifestyle not a punishment . Would get advice on exercise too as so many injuries in the gym as some presume that dietary supplements will give them added endurance and go into every class doing every workout as though it’s their last then they disappear for a few weeks . It is also what you feel comfortable eating and enjoy . I feel for me it is extremely psychological as I want a social life without standing out and this has been problematic so I will sometimes eat differently in some situations knowing the next day I can plan and eat what’s in my fridge. Please update us and best of luck with your journey.