Help! I have 6 weeks to improve my general health...

[coffeeagogo]

...before I go for an immigration medical on the 31 March.

Good news:
I am really good health
I haven’t been to the dr in about 18 months, and have no medical history that is at all interesting (thank god!)
I am moderately fit (run 2 miles a couple of times a week)

Bad news
I weighed myself yesterday and my BMI is 31 (yikes) - have had a busy start to NY with significantly more booze and eating out than normal which has led me to putting about a stone on-top of the 2.5 I need to lose

So I need advice on a healthy diet that is structured enough to help me lose some weight but doesn’t give me freedom to eat all the fruit and crisps (I.e. WW has too much opportunity for bad choices and all the point stuff is doing my head in).

I know about my fitness pal but I am looking for guidance/resources on what is actually good portion sizes and good nutrition. I have decided to not drink until the medical as I tend to make worse food choices when I have a beer.

I really struggle with disorganised eating - I find breakfast really hard to eat so I have it around 10am and then don’t want lunch but then am starving at 3pm and it all just goes to pot. I am also increasingly working from home which means I sit on my arse for 8.5 hours (min) on conference calls with very early starts and late finishes.

Anyway any advice is really welcome and appreciated

I get on better with eating a healthier diet if I miss out breakfast (a bit like intermittent fasting). If I don't eat breakfast I can manage fine all morning on black coffee, then have a really good lunch, which in turn keeps me full for the afternoon, basically, I don't snack as much.
If I eat breakfast, it sort of flicks on the "hungry" switch and I crave snacks all morning, then at lunch time, because I'm not hungry I just have toast or similar, which then leads me to snack all afternoon.

I suppose what I'm saying is if you don't particularly want to eat breakfast, don't feel that you have to eat it as part of a good diet. Read up about intermittent fasting (sometimes called 16:8 diet as you fast for 16 hours and eat in the 8 hour window ) and cutting down on simple carbs, not full on keto but just limiting white bread, pasta etc to small portions.

@NannyR - thank you I will have a look at intermittent fasting

I am a shocker for bread so I need to cut down - I read about keto but I think I need to make small changes so that I don’t impact my blood work, so keto lite might be the way forward

I was similar to you so began going for a walk/run/cycle first thing in the morning. I’d then be at home or work by 8am but much hungrier than usual and would want breakfast. Having being a breakfast avoided, this was the main thing that got me into a healthier pattern and lost 2 stone.

Look at diet doctor website, you could lose 10lbs in the first couple of weeks with keto but realistically you've only got 5 weeks so any more than that would be optimistic

My DH walks around the kitchen when on a call!

What do you actually need for your medical? Do you just need to loose weight or something more?

While it's great to improve your health, I am not sure immigration will be worried about bmi (depending on country). When we had ours for Canada the main thing they were trying to screen for was chronic health conditions that would cost their health service a lot of money - things like CF or kidney disease I guess. I know obesity is a risk factor but not sure if they would screen on it. What country and so you have guidance on the medical?

Well it seems like you’re looking for advice to lose weight rather than improve your general health?

Realistically the best way to lose weight is both working on your diet and - I know it might seem daunting - exercising. As you’re at home most of the day, it might be cathartic to actually get out to go to the gym or go for a walk/run.

I am wary about intermittent fasting slowing down your metabolism. I would personally prefer having smaller meals across the day. You need to make sure all the crisps and junk food are out of your house now.

As far as a meal plan, what is your height and weight? From there we can figure out how many calories you need per day to lose weight.

Also it’s worth going to your GP now rather than wait until your medical for any surprises. I’m thinking get the usual tested such as full blood count and vitamin b/d etc to check for common deficiencies

Thanks @caulkheaded I need to get more structured and stop neglecting my own health working like a dog and then running round after the kids - am going to schedule a walk/run slot every day
@MissSmiley I think keto would impact my blood work panel that is required if I start doing it now given the reading that have done and will impact the (supervised) urine collection - lucky me
@coatails sadly I am usually presenting content via my laptop so can’t walk and talk

I would increase your running (2 miles isn't really a lot) and add in another activity if you have time. Walk as much as possible.
As far as your diet goes, buy a smaller plate and fill it half with vegetables. Limit your snacks to 1-2 a day, and drink mainly water or very low calorie drinks such as green tea.

@Taytotots thank you for that - It is for NZ so it is screening for longer-term health problems that will cost the state up to $45k over 5 years, so whilst my general health is really good, I do need to make sure it stays that way, but there isn’t much in the way of guidance except I will have a blood panel, chest x-ray and urinalysis as well as a full medical

@mnthrowaway202020 i do need to lose weight but I want to do it in a sensible way and I have lost sight of what a ‘good’ diet looks like. I am 6’1 and 16’10 - i usually stay around 15’10 without thinking about it. I am more looking for resources about nutrition as well as calorie counting

I was going to do as you suggest and go and see my GP but the first available appointment is the day after the medical....

Get (and read!)the Fast 800 book by Michael Mosley. If you make yourself follow this reasonably closely for say two weeks. If you do, you will probably be motivated to continue it for the 6 weeks. Combine the reduced calories and 16 hour fasts (overnight). Suit your late breakfast - reboots your metabolism, makes you rethink your nutritional needs.

I think add in more runs, or another very active activity.

Id also really structure your diet and be strict with yourself. I cut out meat and it made a lot of difference because all of a sudden I had to really think about what to cook for myself. Planning helped me, I stopped buying lunch when out and took something id pre-prepped from home. Vegetables, kidney beans and rice were good I found as it filled me up a lot.

How strict is this medical?

I never eat after 6pm (unless being taken out in which case no rules apply!) and I don't eat before about 11am each day when I have a semi-healthy brunch. Black tea first thing keeps me going easily. I only eat 2 slices of bread a day as I feel bloated on more and I rarely snack. My downfall is wine! Good luck x

@Letsallscreamatthesistene i am not sure how strict the medical is to be honest, its really hard to find information on what the areas of concern are outside of serious illnesses in the past medical history. My only issue is my BMI, and i definitely need to do something about that, not just for the medical, but because it is far too high.
I think you are right I need structure and planning to make sure I am not just grabbing things on the run as and when.
@CoisFarraige thanks I will have a look, but I am reluctant to do any fasting as it will mess with the blood work, in that it will show up that I have been fasting (I think) happy to be told I am wrong