Quoting jokke

Hey all. I have now been enrolled in the navy, and I have recieved a military exercise program. However, they don't have any tips for dieting, and I'm quite lost myself... I am about 1.80 cm(5"9) tall and weigh around 105 kg (232 pounds), which is a bit too much, in my opinion. I have therefore decided to loose some weight. I recon that by excersising I will lose some, but I would like to have a diet to help me lose even more. I guess I have a basic ide of what is healthy, and what is not, but I need some good tips on what to avoid and what to eat... Any help is appreciated, but as a student I'm on quite a limited budget, so I would like to keep it a little cheap too.. Thanks in advance!

Exercise will help you lose weight, but dieting is where you do real damage. A pound of fat is 3000 calories, so if you eat 400 calories less each day you can lose about a pound of fat a week. However, this is not always sure fire and depends on what you eat in particular. You want to lose fat, not muscle. Losing the latter will hurt your performance in your military exercise program.

Being on a limited budget is no problem, it's actually cheaper to eat healthy. $35 USD supplies me with a seven-day-weeks worth of food, upwards of 4500 calories a day if I really want it.

Go to this site:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

And find out your BMR. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories (Give or take a bit depending on the individual) that your body can operate on without losing weight or gaining weight. I would suggest that for two weeks you eat at about that number (Maybe 100 calories higher, no more). This will take discipline and consistency. If you don't begin to lose weight, eat 300 calories below your BMR each day and you will lose weight. Go to fitday.com and track how much you are eating in a day, count everything carefully.

In terms of what you are eating, lean cuts of protein, beef, and whole eggs will serve you best. You want to shoot for about a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight you way (So for you, about 230-240 grams, this will also help alleviate fatigue and promote muscle growth). Since you are still doing a lot of physical activity, I wouldn't advocate no carbs since your body needs them, try for about 200-300 grams of carbs that come entirely from wheat sources. Wheat pasta, wheat bread, etc. Fruits like bananas, grapes, and blueberries are also very good--as are all fruits and vegetables. In terms of fats, it's up to you, about 100 grams should suffice. There are good fats, fish oil, cottage cheese, natural peanut butter, are all great sources of BCAAs and Omega-3s and 9s that will repair your muscles and stop muscle soreness.

A typical day of eating for me looks like:

8:00 AM - Three whole eggs

10:30 AM - Balance Gold protein bar

12:30 PM - Wheat bread, 2 tbsp peanut butter, yogurt, banana

4:30 PM - 1.5 cups whole wheat crackers, one whole Idaho potato, one cup oatmeal (raw) with milk, one glass orange juice

5:30 - 7:00 (Workout)

7:30 Post-workout protein shake mixed with milk, chicken breast on whole wheat bun, 1.5 cups wheat pasta

9:30 Chicken breast, 1.5 cups wheat pasta

12:30 1/2 cup cottage cheese, casein protein shake

*Edit*

Also, things to stay away from: Sugar, ice cream, junk food, fried foods, pop (soda), beer (due to useless calories), and candy.

Drink lots and lots of water. If you drink milk, drink 2% or skim.