Cannot survive on 1200! Food diary included
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HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Are you weighing the rice?KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.0 -
KailaLaFlor wrote: »HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Are you weighing the rice?KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.
You should be weighing it raw on a food scale set to grams.1 -
KailaLaFlor wrote: »HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Are you weighing the rice?KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.
you are supposed to weigh rice dry and cup measurements will be off since its a solid.2 -
In addition to what they just said, a tablespoon of olive oil is approximately 120 calories per 15ml tablespoon. If your tablespoons are bigger, or smaller than 15ml, which is v. likely, it will be more or less.
Do you weigh the vegetables? I eat roasted veg a lot, and trust me, we are not talking under 400cal when I do that kind of meal. ONE large sweet potato (300g+) is 240+ calories.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
Add more fat to your diet.
I've been struggling with that since trying to go plant based. I think I'm going to add some coconut oil into my shake and see how it goes. And some avocado or something with my lunch.0 -
I would say either offset the calories with exercise so you have wiggle room. OR
You can do what I'm doing first two meals stuff like plain oatmeal half cup every 2-3 hours so your not to hungry.
There are a lot of foods that don't taste great but can at least give you a nice full feeling.
It's not tasty but leaves you with a lot of wiggle room for a nice dinner. Good Luck.0 -
French_Peasant wrote: »I would eat a big ol'bowl of veggies with each meal- I see you are eating some and that's good. But eat a cup of carrots, a cup of celery, and a cup of peppers/cukes (three cups with each meal) and as a snack and I think you will feel much fuller and they are very low cal.
^^^^^ This is exactly the advice you need to follow. You are getting a good amount of veg, but it really helps to crank it up to 800 grams a day, and learn to make it delicious. For more insights, feel free to read this challenge that a few of us did in the spring, where every day we followed the UK guidelines to get 10 or more servings of fruit and veg. It makes a HUGE difference in satiety, especially when combined with a lot of high quality lean proteins. You can read it here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10521320/10-a-day-800g-veggie-fruit-challenge-participants-check-in/p1
Also, on the days you are home with your girls...what are you doing with them? How old are they? If they are teeny-tiny, strap one in a carrier and the other in a stroller and go walk a few miles. If they are younger, take them on long walks or to the playground, and run around and play with them. It kills me when I think back to all the bike rides we took as a family, and my husband towed the kids in the Burley behind his bike--oh, the calorie burn I missed out on! My 8-year-old son absolutely delights in playing tag with me, and running a "mommy bootcamp" at the playground, where I have to follow him through all the tunnels, do various calisthenics as he instructs, do balancing exercises, etc. He kicks my butt and I then log it as circuit training.
My 11 year old daughter is in cross country, so sometimes I will run and walk with her; fortunately her primary talent is as a sprinter, so I can still pace her somewhat over long distances.
To provide background, I lost my weight (25+ lbs) on a 1280 calorie base (I am 5' 6"), not perfectly (I think I was probably set to lose 2 lbs a week but generally lost closer to a pound), and I fully admit I would exercise for calories the way a trained monkey dances for nickles. However--I lost successfully and have been maintaining in the middle of a normal BMI for over a year. I have revolutionized my previously sedentary mom-life so that my TDEE is 2500 or so calories, and I make sure that I am an outstanding role model for my kids, whether with my food choices or just making them get off their behinds and get moving.
I second this, I do the 800g challenge every time I want to drop a few pounds now.
Leaves me stuffed full on a low amount of calories.
That said I would never do 1200 calories.0 -
Hi, fellow Brit here, I have two small children, well both under 10 so smallish, and a desk job 5 days a week, I invested in a cheapie Fitbit off Amazon and was amazed at how quickly my walks added up in terms of calories, for instance today we walked up to the high street, 4000 steps, did a shop at Tescos and went for a half hour walk before tea, in total I've racked up over 12000 steps and around 400 exercise calories, as a previous poster has said that is another whole meal, or in my case three glasses of wine...
I think you'll be surprised how active you actually are with small children around, it took my fitness tracker to show me that.1 -
Thanks everyone. I've adjusted to slightly active and 1lb loss a week and got 1500 a day now. Definitely more achievable! Also added in my short walk today so earned a little bit more. Excited to see how much I'll get on Monday with my cycle to work and lunchtime body combat class7
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »KailaLaFlor wrote: »HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Are you weighing the rice?KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.
you are supposed to weigh rice dry and cup measurements will be off since its a solid.
I make 1.5 cups dry (900 calories) in the rice cooker and dip a cup out everyday. It lasts 5 days. 900/5HeliumIsNoble wrote: »In addition to what they just said, a tablespoon of olive oil is approximately 120 calories per 15ml tablespoon. If your tablespoons are bigger, or smaller than 15ml, which is v. likely, it will be more or less.
Do you weigh the vegetables? I eat roasted veg a lot, and trust me, we are not talking under 400cal when I do that kind of meal. ONE large sweet potato (300g+) is 240+ calories.
I buy bags of frozen vegetable mixes. For example, for my main mix, a whole bag is 225 calories. I eat half one day, and half the next. That's one of the reasons why I buy the frozen, it's easy to track. I'm still working on getting a scale.
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In your position, what I would do is find 15 - 20 minutes to do high intensity exercise on days when you don't visit the gym. Poke around on YouTube - You can burn 200 calories in that amount of time with something like plyometrics, which would make your calorie goal much more tolerable. 1200 is really not enough for me, it makes me unhappy not being able to eat three full meals and a snack, which is hard on 1200.
As others have said, crisps are probably not the most satisfying use of your limited calorie budget.0 -
I found that I had to up my intake at first to about 1500 cals. I was able to bring it back down to 1350-ish after a week or two as my body got used to it. Also, I exercise nearly every day, otherwise I'd never make that number. I like my food too much! I've lost about 11 lbs in the last six weeks. You can check out my diary if you like, and see if it helps with any ideas (you may need to friend me first).
I also found that I had to get away from processed foods as much as I could, just to make the calorie count. I've kind of fallen into clean eating by default, although that's not what I deliberately intended to do (and in fact, I don't necessarily agree with the clean eating philosophy). There are days when I don't do so well - pizza, chocolate, etc. But on the whole I do okay.
My point there is: don't rely too much on snack foods. Go for things like dried fruits and nuts (although watch the fats and sugars there - I have an allowance of only eight almonds and six pieces of dried apricot every day). Plain Chobani yoghurt is another favourite - sometimes I'll mix this with fresh crushed blueberries and a half-teaspoon of honey.
Spreading out the calorie intake across the day is another strategy I use. If I've had a calorie blow-out the day before and I need to cut the intake, I'll pre-plan my whole day and spread it all out as much as possible, so I end up grazing through the day instead of having three big meals.
Hope this helps.0 -
I set my calorie goal to 1400 because that seems to be the minimum for sanity for me personally. 1200 is repeated as the minimum for women so much that it sounds like gospel, but we're all different and 1200 doesn't work for me.
Try experimenting? Add a couple hundred more cals of protein and healthy fat and see how you feel. I see you're already eating eggs and cottage cheese (full fat cottage cheese is a big favorite for me, really ends hunger). Perhaps avocado, and some beans or meat?1 -
KailaLaFlor wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »KailaLaFlor wrote: »HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Are you weighing the rice?KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.
you are supposed to weigh rice dry and cup measurements will be off since its a solid.
I make 1.5 cups dry (900 calories) in the rice cooker and dip a cup out everyday. It lasts 5 days. 900/5HeliumIsNoble wrote: »In addition to what they just said, a tablespoon of olive oil is approximately 120 calories per 15ml tablespoon. If your tablespoons are bigger, or smaller than 15ml, which is v. likely, it will be more or less.
Do you weigh the vegetables? I eat roasted veg a lot, and trust me, we are not talking under 400cal when I do that kind of meal. ONE large sweet potato (300g+) is 240+ calories.
I buy bags of frozen vegetable mixes. For example, for my main mix, a whole bag is 225 calories. I eat half one day, and half the next. That's one of the reasons why I buy the frozen, it's easy to track. I'm still working on getting a scale.
using a cup will still be inaccurate. and as for bags of veggies you do know they can be off by up to 20% ? so a bag of veggies can end up being more than 225 calories. when you get a scale weigh out the dry rice an then add it to the cooker. Then you will know exactly how much rice you are eating. you may be shocked and its highly possible it will be a lot more than you think. I learned that the hard way.same with peanut butter,spaghetti,macaroni,etc.2 -
KailaLaFlor wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »KailaLaFlor wrote: »I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.
I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
Add more fat to your diet.
I've been struggling with that since trying to go plant based. I think I'm going to add some coconut oil into my shake and see how it goes. And some avocado or something with my lunch.
How is adding fat a struggle? There are many plant based fats - nuts, seeds, nut butters, coconut products, avocado, oils. cook with them and/or add them to meals.2 -
I recently upped my calorie goal to 1,350. Its much more reasonable and with only 20 min workouts 5xs a week I am still loosing just the same as when I was struggling at the 1,200 level. And I make sure most of my intake is veggies and protien sources.1
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I'm set at 1275 a day, I manage fine, and I exercise 4 or 5 times a week. Maybe a day a week I eat up around 1500, but I don't worry too much because overall it evens out. It made me really think about what I was eating, and I tend to opt for filling foods and high protien foods to keep me feeling full. Drinking lots of water or herbal tea is good too.1
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I recently upped my calorie goal to 1,350. Its much more reasonable and with only 20 min workouts 5xs a week I am still loosing just the same as when I was struggling at the 1,200 level. And I make sure most of my intake is veggies and protien sources.
Making sure you get sufficient fat is important - use the recommendation from MFP as a minimum. Fat is important for health and body function, and helps with absorbtion of a lot of the nutrients in the other food you eat.0
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