Suggestions on what to eat right now

justinejacksonm

Hey!

I'm not losing any weight and frustrated. It's 3pm, getting a pedicure right now. So I've had so far today is a cup of coffee around 9:30am and my reheated leftover chicken saag and rice from last night (about 1cup of food).

I'm sitting here binge watching videos on YouTube about girls journeys on how they lost 20+ lbs (some claiming unrealistic time frames). They're generally very unspecific in what they throughout each day etc.

My stomach is growling as I sit here feeling like a failure having lost 0 weight in over a month of effort. My head hurts. My mouth is like cotton. I feel like I need to make the kind of right food choice when I walk out of here they would make. But what might that be?

Get a nice salad at Panera? An energy drink? Pick up sushi at the food store? Or just ignore my hunger and suffer and drink a bunch of water???

Please share thoughts, suggestions, etc.

Idontcareyoupick

Eat something.. starving isn't something you can do long term. Get something today that makes you feel like you made a health choice. Then input your information into mfp and eat the calories it tells you and see where you're at in a month. Weight loss that is healthy takes time. Good luck

Lietchi

Just eat something you enjoy and satiates you. Starving yourself is not the solution!
For weight loss it doesn't even matter what you eat, except that some choices will satiate you more than others. Just focus on the amount of calories.

If you want help on how to lose weight, there are plenty of people here willing to help and give advice. But you'll need to give more details on what you've done so far, your personal stats,...

L1zardQueen

Eat something. No point of going hungry.

Redordeadhead

The type of food you eat isn't what you should be focussing on if your goal is weight loss (balanced nutrition is important too, but I guess this is more of a weight loss question).

You could eat a banana, a salad, a hamburger or a chocolate bar but what matters is how many calories you consume. If you eat fewer calories - of any food - than you burn, over time you will lose weight.

lynn_glenmont

Are you tracking and logging your food, using a food scale? Your reference to eating "about a cup" of chicken saag and rice suggests that you're not actually tracking your food intake, which could explain why you're not losing weight.

Lhenderson923

I eat anything I want as long as it fits within my calorie goal. I definitely don’t eat specific “diet” foods as that’s just not sustainable long term. I’ve lost 55lbs eating anything from oatmeal to cheese burgers and cookies. Just make sure you weigh and log your foods honestly. You definitely need to eat though- I’ve lost weight in the past by starving myself and while it certainly works quickly, it is extremely unhealthy and unsustainable and I have always gained the weight right back every time. Slow and steady is important. Please eat!

justinejacksonm

Thanks for your replies, I had hoped for more actual food suggestions too like what would be a better option. I'm not new at fitness or nutrition (especially tracking my food) I've been at it since 2011 so I always feel a little defensive when I ask I general question like this and without additional info it's assumed someone is complete novice or inept.

To your point about "Your reference to eating "about a cup" of chicken saag and rice suggests that you're not actually tracking your food intake, which could explain why you're not losing weight." I in fact track my food fairly carefully but being that my goal is for long-term sustainable healthy way of life, I don't sit there and weigh every single grain of rice, etc. It's not realistic. The food was in a two cup container. It's leftovers. There's spinach, there's chicken, there's rice, measuring to the exact precise amount is not really feasible but is close enough. The container was slightly less than half full. The not losing weight part wasn't really the point of my post, it was more the struggle and hoping to compare what others do or would do.

I don't know how to post questions on MFP to get the answers I'm looking for I guess.

cmriverside

justinejacksonm wrote: »

Thanks for your replies, I had hoped for more actual food suggestions too like what would be a better option. I'm not new at fitness or nutrition (especially tracking my food) I've been at it since 2011 so I always feel a little defensive when I ask I general question like this and without additional info it's assumed someone is complete novice or inept.

To your point about "Your reference to eating "about a cup" of chicken saag and rice suggests that you're not actually tracking your food intake, which could explain why you're not losing weight." I in fact track my food fairly carefully but being that my goal is for long-term sustainable healthy way of life, I don't sit there and weigh every single grain of rice, etc. It's not realistic. The food was in a two cup container. It's leftovers. There's spinach, there's chicken, there's rice, measuring to the exact precise amount is not really feasible but is close enough. The container was slightly less than half full. The not losing weight part wasn't really the point of my post, it was more the struggle and hoping to compare what others do or would do.

I don't know how to post questions on MFP to get the answers I'm looking for I guess.

I think people are not going to give you what you want.


Your original question sounded pretty disordered to me.

You're freaking out over eating and trying to make the perfect choice that someone else would make. It was 3PM and you had eaten about 300 calories. You were upset that you'd lost 0 pounds.

I would suggest you figure out your calorie needs and then eat three times a day and hit those calories and macros. You say you're already well-versed. Then I'm guessing you know what food you like, and no one here knows that.



Maybe start pre-logging your day's food and then you'll know what will fit and you can eliminate that stress that happens when you're hungry and can't think clearly. Going all day without food will do that to me too.

Lietchi

justinejacksonm wrote: »

Thanks for your replies, I had hoped for more actual food suggestions too like what would be a better option. I'm not new at fitness or nutrition (especially tracking my food) I've been at it since 2011 so I always feel a little defensive when I ask I general question like this and without additional info it's assumed someone is complete novice or inept.

To your point about "Your reference to eating "about a cup" of chicken saag and rice suggests that you're not actually tracking your food intake, which could explain why you're not losing weight." I in fact track my food fairly carefully but being that my goal is for long-term sustainable healthy way of life, I don't sit there and weigh every single grain of rice, etc. It's not realistic. The food was in a two cup container. It's leftovers. There's spinach, there's chicken, there's rice, measuring to the exact precise amount is not really feasible but is close enough. The container was slightly less than half full. The not losing weight part wasn't really the point of my post, it was more the struggle and hoping to compare what others do or would do.

I don't know how to post questions on MFP to get the answers I'm looking for I guess.

But we're trying to make you understand that it doesn't matter much (for weight loss) what you're eating, as long as it satisfies you. It's the calories that matter.
I don't know what you mean by "I had hoped for more actual food suggestions too like what would be a better option". Better for what?

For health I would suggest watching out for sufficient protein (to maintain muscle mass while losing weight, and generally people find protein satiating), sufficient fat (for hormonal health and some people find fat satiating) and lots of fruit and vegetables for vitamins and minerals.

janejellyroll

justinejacksonm wrote: »

Thanks for your replies, I had hoped for more actual food suggestions too like what would be a better option. I'm not new at fitness or nutrition (especially tracking my food) I've been at it since 2011 so I always feel a little defensive when I ask I general question like this and without additional info it's assumed someone is complete novice or inept.

To your point about "Your reference to eating "about a cup" of chicken saag and rice suggests that you're not actually tracking your food intake, which could explain why you're not losing weight." I in fact track my food fairly carefully but being that my goal is for long-term sustainable healthy way of life, I don't sit there and weigh every single grain of rice, etc. It's not realistic. The food was in a two cup container. It's leftovers. There's spinach, there's chicken, there's rice, measuring to the exact precise amount is not really feasible but is close enough. The container was slightly less than half full. The not losing weight part wasn't really the point of my post, it was more the struggle and hoping to compare what others do or would do.

I don't know how to post questions on MFP to get the answers I'm looking for I guess.

The thing about doing "close enough" logging (that is, eyeballing quantities like you're describing here) is that your results will often be less linear and predictable than they would be if you were using more accurate methods. It's fine if isn't feasible for you to weigh food and you want to estimate rough quantities of takeout leftovers consumed. But the flipside to that is that it's pointless to get frustrated when you have periods without a loss.

We don't know what foods you have available, what your calorie goal is, what you like to eat. It does come across as a bit of a novice move to expect us to tell you exactly what to eat. I'm not saying that to be a jerk -- we were all novices at this at one point or another. The answer to what to eat is something that you like that fits without your goals. In order to have long term success with weight management, you're really going to have to figure out how to answer that question for yourself.

L1zardQueen

suzij27

Since you want a suggestion...

Personally I would go for a protein and vegetables, like a salad with chicken or a stir fry. You might also need a grain too like rice or pasta. Or a couple bowls of a hearty homemade soup. Definitely not a caffeine drink or just water.

You are depleted. When I am feeling that way I know I need vitamins and nutrients, so I’ll try and get the most bang for my caloric buck. The Volume Eating thread helped me to see what was possible. My goal is to feel full/satiated and stay within my calorie budget. And hot food often feels more nurturing to me.