weight loss plateu / granola? peanuts? / TDEE BMR

wuaname

Weight loss at plateau / up and down by a lb weekly…. M / 5’ 9” / 194 lb…. I’m trying to get down in the 180 or less range and I think it’s my snacks that is killing my weight loss. Exercise? No problem there; I alternate daily between spinning, cycling, swimming, gym….. almost daily, probably 5-7 times / week. Length of workouts? 1-2 hrs.

BMR – 1,831 calories
Daily calorie need – 2,837
TDEE 2,838
If I do just 20% to have a deficit that is 2,270 calories.

Food – breakfast? Typically cottage cheese or yogurt and fruit.
Lunch? Typically tuna sandwich, salad, chicken, fish……not fried and no skin on the chicken.
Dinner? Typically same as lunch, just larger portion.
Water? I drink a of water, usually with Crystal Light.
Diet Coke? 1-2 / day… I’ve lost the weight up to now with the crystal light and diet coke so I don’t think that’s it.

So the basic eating I am sure isn’t the problem I think. The last couple of months I’ve been snacking a lot on almonds / nuts and trail mix or trail mix blended with Kashi or other type of granola cereal. I was eating Special K before, but the sugar content seems to be almost as high as Frosted Flakes, etc… LOL…

Almonds / nuts are healthy but high in calories…


I’m guessing it’s these two things, the granola cereal, or nuts… Any ideas?

diannethegeek

Are you tracking those snacks and do they fit in your calories? If you're still within a deficit then the nuts aren't the problem. If they're causing you to go above your TDEE then they probably are.

pontaah

Hi there! Just wanted to give you a little feed back based on my experience. (FYI - I'm not a nutritionist or trainer) I just competed in my first figure competition this weekend, and had to lose about 10 pounds while gaining muscle to do so.

My trainer really had me focus on eating 5 equally-sized meals a day, spaced about 4 hours apart. I ate my last meal just before bed (don't be afraid to do this! This meal was lower carb, high protein/good fats - i.e. greek yogurt with peanut butter, or chicken breast with almonds). You may want to consider having 5 meals a day, and be sure you're eating enough! Too little food will slow your metabolism.

I also increased my protein intake, and made sure I was having good quality carbs (high in fiber) from whole food sources (yams, red potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, vegetables, sprouted grain bread). Every meal was about 40% protein + good fats and carbs.

I love nuts and nut butters too! My only problem was portion control - it helped to pre-portion everything out so that I didn't find myself digging in the bag, or dipping a spoon in the jar. Good snacks/meals to have around would be cooked chicken/lean beef, greek yogurt, avocado, veggies (bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli), hummus/chickpeas/beans...these can be pretty portable too

Good luck to ya! Sounds like you're on your way!