Losing weight for dummies

izu87

Well, as someone who needs to lose 15kg, I'm honestly in need of serious advice. I'm trying to lose weight, but it is hard. Counting calories seriously is not as simple as it sounds. First, over here most foods do not have any labels regarding nutritional facts. Supposedly from January all food producers will be made to put accurate labels, but... we'll see about that. The second reason why I find it super hard is that my lunches are always at restaurants and diners, and in those there is never nutritional information, there are sometimes grams mentioned, but those are often off. So, my lunches are quite the guess work. And I'm sure they are very inaccurate. Which will explain why for 2+ weeks, working out daily, and eating (supposedly) at TDEE-20% I'm losing nothing.

So, in this thread I'd like you to give me your simplest rules of how you are losing. I know that the most basic rule is "measure everything" and I do, but is that only it? Do you hit your macros all the time? Do you prep all your food yourself?

Just for the sake of people like me, who are trying hard, but who are missing something, give me your best advice. Put it simply. And let's make a long list of how-to's and how-not-to's.

redfisher1974

Why do you have to eat out?

snowflake954

It might help if you tell us where you are. Since you're having difficulties with food labels. Someone that is in your country may have good advice. Best

izu87

Honestly - because it's convenient, because I cannot cook, and because even if I tried to cook for myself I don't know when I could do it - I'm at work for 10 hours, I've got one hour drive for both ways, so twelve hours of the day are gone by the time I'm home. Followed by workout, shower, prep of clothes for the next day, and I've got 30-60 min to unwind and relax before I head to bed.

izu87

snowflake954 wrote: »

It might help if you tell us where you are. Since you're having difficulties with food labels. Someone that is in your country may have good advice. Best

Small country in South-Eastern Europe - Bulgaria.

999tigger

Heres how i might approach it off the top of my head.

1. Breakfast you control and whatever it is should be in the database from cereal to soemthing you have cooked.
2. Lunch in restaurant, then use the database for an approximation of something similar or take your own or get further info from the restaurant about whats in things or order something simple so you know what it contains roughly. Making an educated guess is infinitely superior, than not making the effort. You should educate yourself about whats healthy or not, alternatively you can use portion control as a calorie counter. Alternatively take your own lunch in. Logging an accurate amount is a really importnat tool to make sure you are in deficit and helping you lose weight, hence its worth the effort.
3. If it was sabotaging my efforts, id just ditch eating out and take my own. It shouldnt be hard though.
4. Dinner then make your own food and you will know the calories.
5. Dont let the restaurant thing stand in your way, there will be a way to make it work for you.

Having and maintaining a deficit is important, but imo you shouldnt eat below 1200 calories, unless you have a good medical reason to.

Macros I dont worry about, but I try and hot the recommended amount of protein and fibre. the rest takes care of itself. Some people who wnat to follow low carbs and high protein use them as targets and it works for them, but to start you need a consistent deficit. Keep asking here till you get it to work for you.

If you pre plan then you can see which meals have unknown counts and then get the information you need. Keep a note or refer to your previous entries.

izu87

Thanks.

I'm eating at 1640 cal (supposedly). But I do make sure to have accurate breakfast and dinner counts. One of my biggest challenges is to hit the protein macro - hardly ever get to 50% of what I need regarding it.

snowflake954

OK, I live in Italy, and can imagine your problem in Bulgaria. Because you have to eat lunch out, you will have to learn to "eyeball" as accurately as possible. At home you have to buy the same stuff that you usually eat for lunch and weigh it all. Or buy 2 lunches, bring one home and take it apart and weigh everything--you would only have to do this once. That's the best I can suggest, since lunch will wind up sabotaging your weight loss. Good luck.

CGreen177

For me the most important thing is to be in control of my food. Which means I cook or prepare everything, and I rarely eat out. I count calories, try to eat healthily (fruit, veg no or little pre-packed food) and for the most ignore my macros, although I do try to get more protein in on lifting days.

Trust me, from someone who really had very little motivation to cook, I know it can be difficult. But, take one meal at a time and learn how to cook them - soon you'll be able to whip up some staples very quickly without even thinking. I can do a chicken chow mein from scratch to bowl in about 30 minutes now. Start at the weekends and build up a 'pick list' of quick meals - soon you'll be at the point where you can pick and choose what you want to eat, and already have everything you need to make your meals just sitting there.

And definitely plan ahead!

Good luck

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Take one day a week, on your day off and pre prepare all your lunches for the following week. Food that can be frozen and reheated. Slow cookers are your best friend in this case, you can find them online and are not very expensive. There are literally thousands of slow cooker recipes that you can finds online for free, most of which involve simply putting raw food in, adding a few spices, turning the switch to "ON" and walking away. Even the most hopeless cooks can manage this. Find some recipes you think you'd like and make enough to last you the week. Easy.

izu87

I've been thinking about cooking my own lunches. But currently there are two big things that are stopping me:
1. We just moved offices and our new kitchen is still empty - won't be assembled for another month, so nowhere to reheat my lunch. Or if I freeze it I should warm it up at home?
2. I'm the manager of 50% of our company. My job is very stressful and going out to lunch with my colleagues helps me unwind some... I could go out and eat on my own, but we are in the downtown of the capital and there are absolutely no places/gardens/benches where one could sit and eat... so bringing food from home would get me stuck in the office...

logg1e

You can't cook? You don't have time to make a packed lunch?

izu87

Yes , I can't cook.
And pack what if I can't cook it?

CGreen177

You can cook. It's entirely feasible. You just need practice. One of my favourite dinners involves almost no cooking at all: Oven on, Rice on. Salmon fillet (175 degrees fan) for 15 minutes - wrap in tin foil and put curry powder on top). Veg of choice - boil for 6-10. I like brocolli, or green beans. Lots of it!

Dish up, and serve with soy sauce on rice. Done.

Edit: I do make my own tandoori rub. When I say mine, I mean someone else's, what I stole from the internet: http://www.food.com/recipe/tandoori-dry-rub-16231

logg1e

Packed lunches don't typically contain cooked items, do they? What about salads or sandwiches that you like?

_HeartsOnFire_

One rule to rule them all...

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.
-Wayne Dyer

It's about moderation not deprivation. There are no good/bad foods, only bad eating habits. Do or do not, there is no try. You have to want it, you have to work for it, you have to realize that only you can do it.

This may help: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1455850-new-here-have-questions-this-may-help

999tigger

Now woudl be a good time to learn then or make the effort and use the database.
Be the solution not the problem.

JosieRawr

If you want to go out to eat for lunch and you think you calories are sabotaging you, change the calories that you are controlling. allow more for lunch and watch the calories that you are drinking as well... If you are not losing weight and you're not accurately tracking your calories slowly reduce, give it time to show a result one way or another and then proceed. Also as a female it can take a full month to see results that you're expecting. I judge my weight on my monthly cycle, it increases after it decreases and doesn't decrease for almost another 3 weeks... it sucks, but it is the way mine is. yours may be different.

cincysweetheart

I take protein bars with me to work. That's my lunch. No refrigeration or reheating necessary. Sorry, but not being able to cook is an excuse. So is no time. There is always salads or sandwiches or wraps that you can throw together in 5 minutes that will be under your calorie goal. If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.

izu87

Oh, salads and wraps. Surprisingly enough I never thought about packing those for lunch at work. I guess it's too obvious to think of it. >.<'

Thanks.

I will give it a try to prep meals and bring them to work. Hopefully this way I will make it.

So, so far we've got a few simple rules, right:
1. Measure everything and count calories accurately
2. Cook all for yourself if possible; if not make it possible
3. Work out for additional deficit
4. Don't drink your calories
5. Drink water

Mm... any other little tips you would offer?

latishatheryl

When I eat out I guess ingredients (at least main - ex. rice, potatoes, - you can see it .. ) and log as pre-prepared foods (ex. soup is for me always Knorr regardless where I eat out) or as restaurant foods (ex. Sodexo - I use it because they provide lunches where I live). You can also add at least1 tbsp of oil wherever or whatever you eat out .. you can be sure there is some in, if it's not oil than it's butter
When I estimate quantities I add 1/3 to 1/2 more than I think there is (ex. if I think my portion looks like being 100 gr of meat, I log 150 gr).
I also did weight some meals at home (ordered as take-out) and for some time I also weighed everything I could put my hands on just to get the feeling how much something weights (ex. prepared meats, potatoes, peppers... ).
I know it's not accurate but it works for me when I can't prepare the food myself and weight it