am i eating the right stuff to achieve weight loss

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ChrisThornes
ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
edited March 2015 in Introduce Yourself
looking to get some help from others... im currently at 330lbs 5' 7" MFP has my calorie goal at 2,020 a day and my fat at 67 grams a day. i have been going for almost two weeks now ending my days with roughly 2,000 - 2,500 calories and my fat grams are always around half they average between 34-40 my protein is always at its goal or over. my foods i eat consist of Subway ham and turkey on italian bread with no cheese, mayo or dressing. lots of tyson grilled and ready chicken, flat outs, pitas, steam fresh veggies, oatmeal, 97% fat free honey ham, low fat waffles plain, oranges and bananas and some bread. a 24 pack of water a week, 3 musketeers for a sweet snack or rice krispie treat and fat free pringles. my daily activity comes from work. i work 7 days a week two jobs in hospitality so im on my feet for atleast 5 of the 7 and a half hours a day and the other hours are driving guest to and from the airport but i do get activity doing the driving also loading and unloading luggage all day. am i going in the right direction doing this or do i need to change up some things to achieve steady weight loss
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If your calorie goal for weight loss is 2,020, you should shoot for that to lose weight -- if you eat more than that (in the 2,200 - 2,700 range), you may not lose weight.

    For weight loss, it isn't the stuff you eat -- it's the calories that you eat.
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    if i was to eat my calorie goal or less a day is it ok to keep the fat intake where it is now around 34-40
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ChrisThornes wrote: »
    if i was to eat my calorie goal or less a day is it ok to keep the fat intake where it is now around 34-40

    I would pay attention to your calories (what drives weight loss) first. Some people prefer a lower fat diet, while others prefer to eat higher in fat. Both groups seem to be able to lose weight as long as they maintain a calorie deficit. Fat can help you feel fuller, so you don't want to completely cut it from your diet. If MFP is giving you a fat goal of 67 grams a day, why do you only want to eat 34-40? Is there a specific reason for that?
  • rspicer27
    rspicer27 Posts: 7 Member
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    As long as you are at or below the recommended daily values you should see results. I have been on MFP for about 6 weeks and have averaged about 3 lbs per week. I stay about 200-300 calories under my goal. Also the food you are describing sounds ok but you should try to incorporate more fresh food and less processed. I am by no means a person that would normally eat "clean" but I started by cutting out most of the processed foods that I had been eating. I work a lot too and have a small child so to help keep on track I pre portion and cook chicken or fish (the chicken I freeze) so I can grab what I need in the morning on my way out the door. I also keep fresh fruit in the house, and I will make up veggie snack packs and put them in baggies in the fridge. I've found it easier to stay on track if I get a head start on my days off. Good luck, don't give up :)
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Weight loss depends on calorie deficit. Health depends on a nutritious diet. To get an idea of what you should be eating for the latter, check out the "Healthy Eating Plate" from Harvard's School of Public Health
  • Noodle797
    Noodle797 Posts: 366 Member
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    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    Weight loss depends on calorie deficit. Health depends on a nutritious diet. To get an idea of what you should be eating for the latter, check out the "Healthy Eating Plate" from Harvard's School of Public Health

    Yes, this^^^. It all comes down to the science. A pound is 3,500 calories, so you must eat 3,500 calories less than the minimum it takes to maintain your body weight to lose 1 pound per week. I also recommend looking into Volumetrics, which explains the difference between calorie densities in different foods, i.e. which foods you can eat a lot of for not that many calories.
  • Cabrakan
    Cabrakan Posts: 20
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If your calorie goal for weight loss is 2,020, you should shoot for that to lose weight -- if you eat more than that (in the 2,200 - 2,700 range), you may not lose weight.

    For weight loss, it isn't the stuff you eat -- it's the calories that you eat.

    i was wondering how that worked as well, if the MFP calorie goal was what i should try to attain to lose weight or maintain my weight. like im set for 3030 calories and i was about 1200 under yesterday (my first day so i might have been a bit overzealous) ... which i was proud of.

    thanks for that :)
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    ChrisThornes wrote: »
    if i was to eat my calorie goal or less a day is it ok to keep the fat intake where it is now around 34-40

    I would pay attention to your calories (what drives weight loss) first. Some people prefer a lower fat diet, while others prefer to eat higher in fat. Both groups seem to be able to lose weight as long as they maintain a calorie deficit. Fat can help you feel fuller, so you don't want to completely cut it from your diet. If MFP is giving you a fat goal of 67 grams a day, why do you only want to eat 34-40? Is there a specific reason for that?
    ok thank you. i don't mean to keep my fat intake that low its just the things i eat and those things seem to keep me satisfied without hunger through the day.
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    Noodle797 wrote: »
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    Weight loss depends on calorie deficit. Health depends on a nutritious diet. To get an idea of what you should be eating for the latter, check out the "Healthy Eating Plate" from Harvard's School of Public Health

    Yes, this^^^. It all comes down to the science. A pound is 3,500 calories, so you must eat 3,500 calories less than the minimum it takes to maintain your body weight to lose 1 pound per week. I also recommend looking into Volumetrics, which explains the difference between calorie densities in different foods, i.e. which foods you can eat a lot of for not that many calories.
    thank you for telling me that. its very helpful.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Worry about calories first, then macros (protein/carbs/fat). Be aware that the MFP default setting for protein is low, you could reasonably increase protein and reduce the carbs and/or fat. I stay satisfied longer with higher protein.
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    rspicer27 wrote: »
    As long as you are at or below the recommended daily values you should see results. I have been on MFP for about 6 weeks and have averaged about 3 lbs per week. I stay about 200-300 calories under my goal. Also the food you are describing sounds ok but you should try to incorporate more fresh food and less processed. I am by no means a person that would normally eat "clean" but I started by cutting out most of the processed foods that I had been eating. I work a lot too and have a small child so to help keep on track I pre portion and cook chicken or fish (the chicken I freeze) so I can grab what I need in the morning on my way out the door. I also keep fresh fruit in the house, and I will make up veggie snack packs and put them in baggies in the fridge. I've found it easier to stay on track if I get a head start on my days off. Good luck, don't give up :)
    i agree with you. processed foods arent a good thing its just meat and fresh foods are a bit pricey and with me being such a big guy it takes quite a bit to fill me up
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    deksgrl wrote: »
    Worry about calories first, then macros (protein/carbs/fat). Be aware that the MFP default setting for protein is low, you could reasonably increase protein and reduce the carbs and/or fat. I stay satisfied longer with higher protein.
    Thanks, that explains why i can feel full with half the fat intake is because i eat high protein.
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    can i get some examples of foods everyone else has been eating with success. that are low in calories?
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    i weighed myself for the first time today in a week and a half i lost 8 lbs since i started so far. why does the MFP goals go up when my activity and weight changed?
  • darrylt109
    darrylt109 Posts: 9 Member
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    Any lean meat a bunch of veggies and some beans usually works well for me. Depending on my budget, my protein sources can range from chicken,eggsbeef, lean pork to canned sardines. I just buy a giant bag of spinach from costco and eat *kitten* ton of that along with meat. Add in a 1/2 cup of canned beans and and 1oz of nuts I got pretty well balanced meal. That averages out at around 500ish calories for the meal...its cheap, low in fat and filling.
  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    darrylt109 wrote: »
    Any lean meat a bunch of veggies and some beans usually works well for me. Depending on my budget, my protein sources can range from chicken,eggsbeef, lean pork to canned sardines. I just buy a giant bag of spinach from costco and eat *kitten* ton of that along with meat. Add in a 1/2 cup of canned beans and and 1oz of nuts I got pretty well balanced meal. That averages out at around 500ish calories for the meal...its cheap, low in fat and filling.
    glad its working out for you. thanks i will try some of these
  • Btbeam
    Btbeam Posts: 252 Member
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    Welcome. I have an open diary and I keep my macros at 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% fat. I have lost 127 lbs with 123 to go. I really feel like the macros have been a game changer for me. Another thing to consider is that lunch meat items are very high in sodium which can cause water retention.Anyone can feel free to add me for additional support.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    ChrisThornes wrote: »
    i weighed myself for the first time today in a week and a half i lost 8 lbs since i started so far. why does the MFP goals go up when my activity and weight changed?

    Do you mean when you log exercise?
    MFP calculates your needed calories without exercise. This is so you would lose weight without exercising. When you do exercise, it adds more calories for you to eat to account for that exercise for fuel.


  • ChrisThornes
    ChrisThornes Posts: 15 Member
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    deksgrl wrote: »
    ChrisThornes wrote: »
    i weighed myself for the first time today in a week and a half i lost 8 lbs since i started so far. why does the MFP goals go up when my activity and weight changed?

    Do you mean when you log exercise?
    MFP calculates your needed calories without exercise. This is so you would lose weight without exercising. When you do exercise, it adds more calories for you to eat to account for that exercise for fuel.

    i updated my goals because my lifestyle has changed im more active than i use to be and when that happened i noticed the goals raised. i dont exercise i just get my activity at work on my feet all day and loading and unloading luggage.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    If you are staying within the goals set, calories and minimum protein, I'd say you are set. See what the scale tells you and adjust accordingly. People are so individual in their tastes I'm not sure how the open diaries will help you. I had pizza last night, thin crust, that I have every Thursday. I fit it in. Some days lunch is just soup and crackers. It's what my tastes are saying that day. As long as I eat in a deficit I continue to lose weight.

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