How to Change My Diet When I Add Exercise

Question

I'm naturally built and toned, and I was a swimmer. My arms have retained that, but through college my stomach has put on some weight. I'm now around 200 pounds at 5'10". Some is probably due to muscle, but I want to take off 30 pounds (that's my goal, if I get my body back before that I'll stop).

I ate out twice a day for the past five years and didn't eat breakfast (mostly McD, Chick fil a, etc..). Now, as of three days ago, my diet is:

• breakfast: two boiled eggs
• lunch and dinner: a store-bought salad, a carrot, an orange, some cheese, and some type of meat (tonight I had 1.5 burgers). I drink water.
• I read a low carb diet was good, so I cut out all wheat / starch, including bread.
• I allow some wine in moderation.
• I'm usually starving by dinner time (though today, because of exceptional reasons at work, I didn't eat lunch, and I seemed to be mostly fine until dinner).

I'm going to start swimming (an hour of intense swimming) in the mornings again. I want to know how this will affect my diet. Should I add more sugars / starches / calories to my diet to keep up the energy level? I can't always wake up (practice is at 5:30 AM), so is it best to just eat the extra food the day of swimming, or should I eat it the night before and hope I wake up?

I've never had to watch what I eat, so this whole dieting thing seems complex. For the record, I had swam at this same place for about 2 months (average 3 times a week), and I would guess I lost about half my weight (gained it all back). During this time, I continued to eat out but occasionally was forced to go to Walmart because my exercise made me not want fast food.

Comments on my diet in general are welcome as well.

Answer 1

I'm now around 200 pounds at 5'10"... but I want to take off 30 pounds

Sounds like a reasonable goal.

I'm going to start swimming (an hour of intense swimming) in the mornings again.

Sounds like a reasonable way to achieve that goal.

Should I add more calories to my diet to keep up the energy level?

Danger! Your diet looks fine as it is, you want to lose weight, not maintain it. So adding more calories will only slow your progress. Go online and calculate your total daily energy expenditure, then track what you are eating and make sure your daily calorie intake is less than your energy expenditure.

Eating to compensate for exercise is usually counter-productive as people overestimate the calories expended by exercise and underestimate the calories in what they eat.

Answer 2

I read a low carb diet was good, so I cut out all wheat / starch, including bread.

Simple carbs such as bread, rice, and potatoes tend to be bad because they pack a lot of calories, the calories get released quickly (so your body gets a jolt of blood sugar and then ramps up insulin production to reduce it), and you crash and get hungry quickly. The blood sugar gyrations are long-term unhealthy.

On the other hand, complex carbs such as veggies and some whole grains are much better because they take time to digest, so sugar gets added to the blood more slowly, you feel full longer, and they help support healthy digestion.

Overall, your diet sounds very good. You might want to add a small amount of whole grains or nuts to breakfast and/or lunch, as these take time to digest and may help you feel fuller and maintain energy through the day. Nuts are high in calories, but they are also packed with nutrients and beneficial oils, so in moderation they are good. Be sure to eat fresh nuts that are either raw or dry-roasted and unsalted. Store them in the fridge to keep them from going rancid.