Calories out of thin air!?!

rnsamrn

I just started dieting again after regaining all of the weight I previously lost over several years (sadly 100 lbs.). I kept trying to 'diet' but was not successful due to a lack of consistency. My daughter recommended I try Herbalife with her. I am doing the shakes twice a day, and eating small healthy snacks in between, plus a healthy dinner. I stagger my meals and snacks every 2 hours. Doing so helps me to never get so hungry I want to 'hulk out' and overeat. After one week I have lost 6 lbs. I think the protein and fiber in the Herbalife shakes are keeping me more satisfied. I have not had the desire to eat something unhealthy all week. I am thrilled that I finally took off more than 2 lbs. in a week, after yo-yo losing the same 2 or 3 lbs. over and over again over the last few years. Drinking water helps tremendously too. When I originally lost my weight I could consume more calories daily and still lose, but that was because I exercised almost daily. I am not able to do that at present, so really needed to limit my calories. Hoping to share my own success story in the future!

arditarose

I pre-log, so no. I also eat high volume.

WinoGelato

newlifeme2014 wrote: »

khh1138 wrote: »

Using MFP has certainly made me more aware. I have to be SO much more careful about my food choices - I'm eating so many more veggies as a way to bulk up my meals. I always loved veggies, but I used to eat about half veggies and half meat/rice/pasta whatever (the more calorie-dense foods). Now it's more like 4/5 of my plate is veggies and 1/5 meat and I always use ~ 1 T or so of butter or oil for cooking and that's it! That's all my calories used up. I've been tracking on MFP for almost two months now and it is starting to change my mind about what my plate should look like. It's going to take much longer for me to accept that I can only eat this small # of calories. Sigh.

I totally felt like you when I first started MFP. I started out at 1300 calories a day (what was initially recommended by MFP) but after a month I went up to 1400. It was just too narrow a range for success. This gives me just enough wiggle room so I have 2 decent-sized meals and sometimes a small snack. I'll lose at a slower rate but I won't have to obsess over the components of every meal to reach my goal. And most days I seem to meet this new goal. If I can get to where I add in more exercise, that will be even better!

And when I think about what I had been eating regularly before I started MFP - it must have been 2000-2500 calories every day, so 1400 is a HUGE improvement!

*******thanks! Yea, I get the Healthy Choice frozen meals with nothing artificial, and I make a bag of steam able vegetables depending on what the meal is and I add it to the meal, split it in two, have half for lunch and half for dinner and usually a snack like a boiled egg and string cheese or make a smoothie from frozen fruit and some orange juice with some wheat germ. Yea, I must have been eating about 2,500-3,000 calories a day. It's crazy to think of now.

So are you saying your two small meals that you mentioned in your OP are actually one froxen meal plus a bag of veggies, divided in half? No wonder you're starving! When I eat one of those meals, add extra protein or veggies, I'm hungry soon...

1200 cals may be too low for you, losing 2 lbs/ wk is quite aggressive, and you said you aren't exercising the way you'd like but it sounds like you are getting some exercise, you should be eating some of those cals back.

Its good you are so motivated but going to extremes can be challenging to sustain for the long term...

EiramPure

newlifeme2014 wrote: »

leta2fareal wrote: »

Yes, it feels like you don't have enough, but that's because we are so used to overeating and not even knowing it. It's going to take time to reprogram your mind and stomach lol

Yes, at one of my favorite restaurants i would walk out with 5000 calories, it's crazy because I didn't think I was consuming that much. Glad we are doing better

OsricTheKnight

newlifeme2014 wrote: »

on days I don't eat 1200 I can't even complete my entry.

I consider this the biggest danger sign. You need a plan that will let you tolerate small failures or one day it's just too hard to get back on it and the long slow regain begins.

If you can't even log the "bad days" I think your plan is probably too harsh. Rome was neither built nor razed in a day ... Take it easier and chose a sustainable plan!

Good luck!

Osric

SusanKing1981

OP, you don't need to eat such low calorie to "jump start" anything. What it may do is make you so hungry you have a f**k it moment and go on a binge. I am just under 5ft4 and have my diary set to 1270 calories a day, this is for a 1lb a week weight loss. I have 32lbs to go.
Honestly, I'm sure you could be eating more.

rip60fan

Hi. I'm trying the herbalife diet as well, but there are drastic changes in my weight everyday ( like 0.5 to 1 kg) ! I'm not sure if its the water..... but its worrying! I have two shakes and 3 cups of herbalife tea everyday + one good meal and occassional low cal snacks.