Help with new diet plan

jenniator

Hey everyone,

Right now my diet plan isn't the best and as a result, I haven't lost any weight in over a month. Here is my current diet plan:

I also weigh everything on a food scale to make sure it's accurate.

breakfast:
30 grams of brinta with water = 105 calories
One Pear (187 grams) = 108 calories
Total: 213 cal

Lunch:
30 grams of chocolate cereal: 114 cal
80 grams of half milk = 48 cal
One pear (215 grams)= 125 cal
Total: 287

Gym:
Elliptical Trainer for 1:29:00 minutes
Machine estimate burn: 970 cal
My estimate burn: 500 cal

Snack:
2 squares of Lindt 70% dark chocolate: 125 cal

Dinner (Made by mother in law):
Huge plate of rice with meat (Pork), sauce, and string beans. Calories: Estimated 1,000?

Water intake:
2 Liters of tea
500 ml of water

Total estimate: 1,625 cal
-500 from exercise: 1,125

The problem with my diet plan is that it's impossible to know how many calories are in the dinners because every night, someone else in our house makes dinner. They always offer huge portions of dinner, so I always eat very little during the day so I can eat more for dinner. The problem is I think some dinners must be over 1,000 calories because I haven't lost weight in a month even though I go to the gym for 93 minutes 5 days a week and work my butt off. It really is devastating to work so hard and stay the same weight. I weigh and calculate everything I put into my mouth, but I can't calculate the dinners. I also have been starving during the day since I eat so little to save up especially for the large dinners. My diet also isn't the healthiest and is lacking vitamins/protein/fat which I'm aware of.

So I've been working out a new trial diet plan which I think is much better. The calories are more rounded out, so I won't be starving to death during the day which I love. I decided to cook my own dinners starting next week so I can actually calculate the calories myself and control them. My family really doesn't like the idea of me cooking my meals myself and they want me to eat what they eat. The problem is, I don't know the calories in the dinners they make. My mother in law is old fashioned, so she loves us to eat dinner together and eat the food that was cooked. Unfortunately, she just doesn't really understand calories. She thinks rice, pasta, potatoes, and olive oil have barely any calories, so she always loads the plate full of those starches. Everyone in the family thinks I'm crazy and over exaggerating since I always weigh and portion out my food, so it is a bit challenging. But here is my new diet plan. Do you think I will be full enough on this plan and not starving? Please let me know your opinion or suggestions. I'm aiming for around 1,400 calories per day which I hope is good for me. I'm 5'5, 22 years old, and a female.

Breakfast
AH Magere Franse kwark (0% fat yogurt) (200 grams) = 112 cal
100 grams frozen berries = 43 cal
20 grams of protein powder = 74.4 cal
Total = 229.4 calories

Lunch
200 grams of Spinach = 54 cal
150 grams of pre cooked meat like Turkey = 145.5 cal
1 spoon of olive oil = 100 cal
150 grams of italian veggie mix = 46.5
Total: 346 calories

Dinner
200 grams of frozen broccoli mix: 64 cal
40 grams of uncooked rice/Pasta/or Potatoes: 140 cal
150 grams of meat like pork, Chicken, Beef: 202.5 cal
1 table spoon of olive oil: 100 cal
Total: 506.5 cal

Snacks: fruit (around 130 calories)
Lindt Dark Chocolate: 2 squares: 125 calories

Meal Totals: 1081.9 calories
Calories including snacks: 1336.9 calories

Sorry for the long post, but I really hope you guys will be able to give me some advice and help me out! Please let me know what I can improve on in my new plan and if it's okay.

WBB55

Can you weigh the food she makes and/or watch while she makes it and write down the ingredients? I know it'll be a little weird at first. Or at least serve yourself with a measuring cup? Your estimates will still just be estimates, but I'd hate to advise you to not be part of the family gathering or to cause strife with the family.

kshama2001

I'm a little confused about the dinners - you say you are weighing, but you also say you are having huge portions. I've found 1/2 cup (I think 75 grams) of rice is enough for me when I have meat and veggies with it. Can you weigh out a more reasonable portion of the starches? You can also weight the meat and veggies, and then all you have to guess at is the sauce.

If you are living with your mother-in-law, continuing to eat what she cooks will be better for harmony. You can still lose weight while eating her cooking, as long as you practice portion control.

jenniator

WBB55 wrote: »

Can you weigh the food she makes and/or watch while she makes it and write down the ingredients? I know it'll be a little weird at first. Or at least serve yourself with a measuring cup? Your estimates will still just be estimates, but I'd hate to advise you to not be part of the family gathering or to cause strife with the family.

It's really hard to write down the ingredients and estimate how much they will be. Mostly because she and the rest of my family, add huge amounts of olive oil or butter when they cook meat and veggies! The rice/pasta is a lot easier to weigh out since it's plain and only has salt added. It also is difficult since I'm not always there when she begins cooking. I've asked her the ingredients before and if she could let me know how much she uses, but she gets annoyed and thinks I'm being over paranoid. Same with the rest of my family. It really does suck to not be apart of my family gathering, but I honestly don't know what else I can do since they aren't really cooperating with me.

WBB55

jenniator wrote: »

WBB55 wrote: »

Can you weigh the food she makes and/or watch while she makes it and write down the ingredients? I know it'll be a little weird at first. Or at least serve yourself with a measuring cup? Your estimates will still just be estimates, but I'd hate to advise you to not be part of the family gathering or to cause strife with the family.

It's really hard to write down the ingredients and estimate how much they will be. Mostly because she and the rest of my family, add huge amounts of olive oil or butter when they cook meat and veggies! The rice/pasta is a lot easier to weigh out since it's plain and only has salt added. It also is difficult since I'm not always there when she begins cooking. I've asked her the ingredients before and if she could let me know how much she uses, but she gets annoyed and thinks I'm being over paranoid. Same with the rest of my family. It really does suck to not be apart of my family gathering, but I honestly don't know what else I can do since they aren't really cooperating with me.

I'm not big on lying. But this might be a case where I say "my doctor says I can only have x# of grams of fat per day, so I need to make sure I know how many I'm eating."

jenniator

kshama2001 wrote: »

I'm a little confused about the dinners - you say you are weighing, but you also say you are having huge portions. I've found 1/2 cup (I think 75 grams) of rice is enough for me when I have meat and veggies with it. Can you weigh out a more reasonable portion of the starches? You can also weight the meat and veggies, and then all you have to guess at is the sauce.

If you are living with your mother-in-law, continuing to eat what she cooks will be better for harmony. You can still lose weight while eating her cooking, as long as you practice portion control.

I should clarify a bit. In my now diet, I haven't been measuring the amount of starches, protein, or veggies. Mostly because whoever cooks already has dinner on the plate before they let anyone know it's ready. I've tried asking her to let me plate my own food, but she always does it for me regardless. I've heard 40 grams of dry rice is equal to 100 grams of boiled rice, do you know if that's true? I'm also not sure how to estimate meat that's already been cooked since everywhere always has the calories for it raw. Same with the veggies. But anyways, I was thinking about cooking my own dinners so then I can count the calorie and be more in control of them.

jemhh

Watch your MIL make the food. If you must, tell her that you want to learn to make her traditional foods so you'd like to measure her ingredients and write them down because you can't possibly remember all of her wonderful recipes.

Then, when you eat, use measuring cups and spoons or weigh your food. If you're going to live with them for more than a few weeks, you're going to have to get a spine about a few things. Wanting to measure your food is completely reasonable.

jenniator

jemhh wrote: »

Watch your MIL make the food. If you must, tell her that you want to learn to make her traditional foods so you'd like to measure her ingredients and write them down because you can't possibly remember all of her wonderful recipes.

Then, when you eat, use measuring cups and spoons or weigh your food. If you're going to live with them for more than a few weeks, you're going to have to get a spine about a few things. Wanting to measure your food is completely reasonable.

My main issue is the amount of butter and oil she uses. It's impossible to tell how much she uses since she pours directly from the bottle. I'm also not sure how to measure out cooked foods like rice, meat, or veggies. A lot of times I can't be there when she's cooking and she put the plate on the food before she lets us know it's finished. So it really is difficult. Having a spine and standing up for myself is always something I've struggled with. Measuring my food really is reasonable, but to them it's very strange and not normal. It's hard for them to understand since all of my husband's family is skinny and has never been overweight, so they don't understand how difficult losing weight can be and that you need to be accurate.

jemhh

jenniator wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Watch your MIL make the food. If you must, tell her that you want to learn to make her traditional foods so you'd like to measure her ingredients and write them down because you can't possibly remember all of her wonderful recipes.

Then, when you eat, use measuring cups and spoons or weigh your food. If you're going to live with them for more than a few weeks, you're going to have to get a spine about a few things. Wanting to measure your food is completely reasonable.

My main issue is the amount of butter and oil she uses. It's impossible to tell how much she uses since she pours directly from the bottle. I'm also not sure how to measure out cooked foods like rice, meat, or veggies. A lot of times I can't be there when she's cooking and she put the plate on the food before she lets us know it's finished. So it really is difficult. Having a spine and standing up for myself is always something I've struggled with. Measuring my food really is reasonable, but to them it's very strange and not normal. It's hard for them to understand since all of my husband's family is skinny and has never been overweight, so they don't understand how difficult losing weight can be and that you need to be accurate.

That's why you need to ask to help her and measure while she does it. I get it. It's weird feeling and awkward to ask that stuff but this is what happens when you live with other people. You have to be weird and awkward in front of them. Do you do any cooking at all? Where is your husband in all of this? Surely he can help out here.

christch

Of course another option is to just eat a little of what is on your plate and leave the rest. If they ask why tell them you have had sufficient and as long as you don't reach for snacks during evening you should be OK. Have you spoken to your husband about what you are trying to achieve, maybe he can speak to MIL. I know it makes it hard to track when you are not preparing the food yourself but it may be an interim solution.

jenniator

jemhh wrote: »

jenniator wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Watch your MIL make the food. If you must, tell her that you want to learn to make her traditional foods so you'd like to measure her ingredients and write them down because you can't possibly remember all of her wonderful recipes.

Then, when you eat, use measuring cups and spoons or weigh your food. If you're going to live with them for more than a few weeks, you're going to have to get a spine about a few things. Wanting to measure your food is completely reasonable.

My main issue is the amount of butter and oil she uses. It's impossible to tell how much she uses since she pours directly from the bottle. I'm also not sure how to measure out cooked foods like rice, meat, or veggies. A lot of times I can't be there when she's cooking and she put the plate on the food before she lets us know it's finished. So it really is difficult. Having a spine and standing up for myself is always something I've struggled with. Measuring my food really is reasonable, but to them it's very strange and not normal. It's hard for them to understand since all of my husband's family is skinny and has never been overweight, so they don't understand how difficult losing weight can be and that you need to be accurate.

That's why you need to ask to help her and measure while she does it. I get it. It's weird feeling and awkward to ask that stuff but this is what happens when you live with other people. You have to be weird and awkward in front of them. Do you do any cooking at all? Where is your husband in all of this? Surely he can help out here.

The problem is she knows I'm measuring the olive oil for to calculate the calories and she thinks I'm just being paranoid, so she pours it before I can even see it. I'm not always there when she's cooking too, so that makes matters worse. The only problem I have with the dinners are the huge amounts of butter/oil. I think the rest could be portioned out. Me and my husband cook 2 days (Thursday and Friday). On those days it's easier since I have control of how much oil or butter is used. My husband is very supportive and he has talked a lot with everyone about it, but they think it's just me being paranoid and obsessive.

kshama2001

jenniator wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I'm a little confused about the dinners - you say you are weighing, but you also say you are having huge portions. I've found 1/2 cup (I think 75 grams) of rice is enough for me when I have meat and veggies with it. Can you weigh out a more reasonable portion of the starches? You can also weight the meat and veggies, and then all you have to guess at is the sauce.

If you are living with your mother-in-law, continuing to eat what she cooks will be better for harmony. You can still lose weight while eating her cooking, as long as you practice portion control.

I should clarify a bit. In my now diet, I haven't been measuring the amount of starches, protein, or veggies. Mostly because whoever cooks already has dinner on the plate before they let anyone know it's ready. I've tried asking her to let me plate my own food, but she always does it for me regardless. I've heard 40 grams of dry rice is equal to 100 grams of boiled rice, do you know if that's true? I'm also not sure how to estimate meat that's already been cooked since everywhere always has the calories for it raw. Same with the veggies. But anyways, I was thinking about cooking my own dinners so then I can count the calorie and be more in control of them.

Ugh, I don't envy you. I think you should go to the doctor so you can honestly say that the doctor says in order for you to lose weight successfully, you need to know what you are eating, and you need to either plate your own food, or make your own food. That makes the authority figure the bad guy, rather than you, and gives your statements credibility.

I'm happy to help with oil estimates - I used to have a heavy hand with the oil myself. Or see if Paula Deen has an equivalent recipe

Re the meat, the system does have entries for cooked meat. Just put in the type of meat followed by "cooked."

Bshmerlie

One thing I noticed is that you have 325 calories of your 1300 calorie day going to cooking oil and chocolate. I would think that would leave you really lean on protein and other vital nutrients. When ever you are on a very low calorie diet there's not a lot of room for the little indulgences.

VykkDraygoVPR

jenniator wrote: »

The problem is she knows I'm measuring the olive oil for to calculate the calories and she thinks I'm just being paranoid, so she pours it before I can even see it. I'm not always there when she's cooking too, so that makes matters worse. The only problem I have with the dinners are the huge amounts of butter/oil. I think the rest could be portioned out. Me and my husband cook 2 days (Thursday and Friday). On those days it's easier since I have control of how much oil or butter is used. My husband is very supportive and he has talked a lot with everyone about it, but they think it's just me being paranoid and obsessive.

As much as it sucks, I'd just stop eating the family meals. The first time I lost weight, I cooked most of my own meals. I had a lot of chicken tacos with Rotel.


My family didn't hassle me about it, but I was super fat. YMMV.

kshama2001

Bshmerlie wrote: »

One thing I noticed is that you have 325 calories of your 1300 calorie day going to cooking oil and chocolate. I would think that would leave you really lean on protein and other vital nutrients. When ever you are on a very low calorie diet there's not a lot of room for the little indulgences.

I'd be eating a LOT more chocolate if I had her mother-in-law

jenniator

kshama2001 wrote: »

jenniator wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I'm a little confused about the dinners - you say you are weighing, but you also say you are having huge portions. I've found 1/2 cup (I think 75 grams) of rice is enough for me when I have meat and veggies with it. Can you weigh out a more reasonable portion of the starches? You can also weight the meat and veggies, and then all you have to guess at is the sauce.

If you are living with your mother-in-law, continuing to eat what she cooks will be better for harmony. You can still lose weight while eating her cooking, as long as you practice portion control.

I should clarify a bit. In my now diet, I haven't been measuring the amount of starches, protein, or veggies. Mostly because whoever cooks already has dinner on the plate before they let anyone know it's ready. I've tried asking her to let me plate my own food, but she always does it for me regardless. I've heard 40 grams of dry rice is equal to 100 grams of boiled rice, do you know if that's true? I'm also not sure how to estimate meat that's already been cooked since everywhere always has the calories for it raw. Same with the veggies. But anyways, I was thinking about cooking my own dinners so then I can count the calorie and be more in control of them.

Ugh, I don't envy you. I think you should go to the doctor so you can honestly say that the doctor says in order for you to lose weight successfully, you need to know what you are eating, and you need to either plate your own food, or make your own food. That makes the authority figure the bad guy, rather than you, and gives your statements credibility.

I'm happy to help with oil estimates - I used to have a heavy hand with the oil myself. Or see if Paula Deen has an equivalent recipe

Re the meat, the system does have entries for cooked meat. Just put in the type of meat followed by "cooked."

kshama2001 wrote: »

jenniator wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I'm a little confused about the dinners - you say you are weighing, but you also say you are having huge portions. I've found 1/2 cup (I think 75 grams) of rice is enough for me when I have meat and veggies with it. Can you weigh out a more reasonable portion of the starches? You can also weight the meat and veggies, and then all you have to guess at is the sauce.

If you are living with your mother-in-law, continuing to eat what she cooks will be better for harmony. You can still lose weight while eating her cooking, as long as you practice portion control.

I should clarify a bit. In my now diet, I haven't been measuring the amount of starches, protein, or veggies. Mostly because whoever cooks already has dinner on the plate before they let anyone know it's ready. I've tried asking her to let me plate my own food, but she always does it for me regardless. I've heard 40 grams of dry rice is equal to 100 grams of boiled rice, do you know if that's true? I'm also not sure how to estimate meat that's already been cooked since everywhere always has the calories for it raw. Same with the veggies. But anyways, I was thinking about cooking my own dinners so then I can count the calorie and be more in control of them.

Ugh, I don't envy you. I think you should go to the doctor so you can honestly say that the doctor says in order for you to lose weight successfully, you need to know what you are eating, and you need to either plate your own food, or make your own food. That makes the authority figure the bad guy, rather than you, and gives your statements credibility.

I'm happy to help with oil estimates - I used to have a heavy hand with the oil myself. Or see if Paula Deen has an equivalent recipe

Re the meat, the system does have entries for cooked meat. Just put in the type of meat followed by "cooked."

Funny enough, I did go to the doctor and used him as a excuse in order to try to make things easier ha ha. I told my mother in law that the doctor ordered me to eat around 1,300-1,400 calories a day in order to lose weight because I haven't been losing any weight. That's when I suggested cooking my own meals for dinner, but she got really upset because she really likes us all having dinner as a family. She thinks oil and butter have no calories, so she doesn't think it's necessary to use less urg. I will try talking to her again about the oil and butter. Maybe if she doesn't want to use less, she will at least consider counting how many spoons she uses for the dinner. Then I can estimate a bit easier. But even that will be hard because she thinks I'm just being parnoid and theres no need to count how much goes in. Wow thank you for letting me know about the meat system! I tried searching before, but it wasn't showing up for me. I will try again which will make estimating much easier!!

jenniator

kshama2001 wrote: »

Bshmerlie wrote: »

One thing I noticed is that you have 325 calories of your 1300 calorie day going to cooking oil and chocolate. I would think that would leave you really lean on protein and other vital nutrients. When ever you are on a very low calorie diet there's not a lot of room for the little indulgences.

I'd be eating a LOT more chocolate if I had her mother-in-law

LOL! I literally died of laughed when I read your answer!!! My mother in law does have good intentions and wants me to lose weight, but she just thinks starches and oils have no calories. I am really good about resisting temptation for junk food and not giving in. I can't remember the last time I had any sort of junk food (Besides dark chocolate). I found the dark chocolate actually keeps me sane and it makes it easier to control temptation. Especially since I feel like I'm cheating and having something I shouldn't be. Dark chocolate is only 125 calories per 2 squares, so it's not too high in calories for a snack. It's also not good to be too strict and never allow yourself any treats since then your more likely to over eat when you have some. It's not my fault the flipping oil is already 200 calories! It's not like I can just cut it out either. But yeah it's hard to have any indulgences on a low cal diet.

jenniator

Great news everyone!! My family agreed to let me portion out my own food from now on!! So it will be a lot easier to plan my earlier eating schedule and I will just log dinner as around 600 calories if I follow my new eating plan from above, 100 grams of cooked starch, 150 grams of meat, and 200 grams of veggie. So I will start the new eating plan this Monday because we still need to get a mini fridge in our room to keep some of the supplies, yogurt, veggies, berries, spinach, lunch meat for salads, ect, or I know someone else in the house will eat them ha ha.

I appreciate all the advice to try and work with my family and see how it goes. Hopefully everything goes well But no one has really answered me about what they think of my meal plan for the day. I will post the new plan below, so please tell me your opinions, thought, and if you think I should change anything.


Breakfast
AH Magere Franse kwark (0% fat yogurt) (200 grams) = 112 cal
100 grams frozen berries = 43 cal
20 grams of protein powder = 74.4 cal
Total = 229.4 calories

Lunch
200 grams of Spinach = 54 cal
150 grams of pre cooked meat like Turkey = 145.5 cal
1 spoon of olive oil = 100 cal
150 grams of italian veggie mix = 46.5
Total: 346 calories

Dinner
200 grams of frozen broccoli mix: 64 cal
40 grams of uncooked rice/Pasta/or Potatoes: 140 cal
150 grams of meat like pork, Chicken, Beef: 202.5 cal
1 table spoon of olive oil: 100 cal
Total: around 606.5 cal

Snacks: fruit (around 130 calories)
Lindt Dark Chocolate: 2 squares: 125 calories

Meal Totals: 1181.9 calories
Calories including snacks: 1436.9 calories

Is around 1436.9 a good number to end with? I was hoping to reach around 1,350 calories, but I added a extra 100 calories for dinner in case my family uses a lot of oil or butter. So I just estimate 200 calories for oil/butter to be on the safe side. I just want to make sure it's alright because I'm worried it might be too high of a number since I'm only 5'5. Is there something I should reduce like the meat in the salad or the protein powder in the yogurt, or is it okay? I want to lose 1.5-2 pounds per week which I think is possible since I'm still really overweight.