New to this and don’t really understand a lot of it

lnashnmai

I am logging food daily and I’m aiming to lose weight 50 lbs. I’m in a 1000 calorie per day intake. Which for me is A lot seeing I used to eat only once or twice a day… I’m making myself eat 3 times a day and maybe a shake for a snack.

My issue is I wake up late 1230-3 pm n then start by having breakfast about 3-350 calories then move on to try n accumulate 1000.
I did lose 5 lbs first week I even walked 3 days of the week which is a big accomplishment for me leaving the house… I’ve been bed ridden for about 3 years after a traumatic even leaving me w anxiety and fear of leaving and having attacks of anxiety when leaving…I’m trying to get myself back and pushing they the fear.

I’m trying to figure out all this eating stuff and balance of. Like fat, carbs and protein intake? I have cut sugar completely as in organic cane sugar unless having coffee I add 2 tsp and have it once a day. With heavy cream as it says is good for us??

I was diagnosed w high triglycerides and high ldl putting me at the preface of being dangerous so I am grabbing the horns and trying to fix what has been creating this issue.

Does anyone have advice? I need to make sure my heart is healthy… they said to get a ct scan but I don’t want the radiation! I’m going to request a mri (due to no radiation levels) instead and wanted to wait until my blood work is re done to see if there are any reversals in blood diagnostics.

I’ve also started w mother organic vinegar n water once a day and a couple times a week lemon w water… I’m choking em down… I’m about to have a cup of green tea too as I hear that is a help in lowering ldl as well as helping w weight loss if done on a regular basis.

I posted my results of 5# loss but got no response so idk if this post will even get a response. Sorry for the book I really am looking for advice and even people who r wanting to communicate and maybe even compete in keeping me/us going…

I went vegan because of so many horrific things I saw on fB 4 years ago. Stayed vegan 2 years but gained wt by using carbs vs animal protein to keep me full.
I had not returned to dairy at all until this past week only to add cream to coffee.
After 2 years I started eating meat again but prob needed to cut white carbs but didn’t so still gained weight… it’s now time so I’ve tried to cut carbs but it seems carbs r a necessity by like 40%!!! Of caloric intake which is confusing!

Some say no fruits while others say all veg and fruits u want. Diet is confusing

AnnPT77

Simplify.

Calorie balance - how many calories we eat vs. how many we burn - determines body weight directly. Other things can have an indirect effect, via fatigue (we move less, burn fewer calories) or appetite (we're hungry, feel deprived, can't stick with a calorie goal long enough to lose weight.) Of course, it's good to get well-rounded nutrition, for health reasons . . . but it's the calories that count, for body fat gain/loss.

Unless you are very petite and inactive, 1000 calories is quite likely to be too few for best results. More specific comments interspersed below.

lnashnmai wrote: »

I am logging food daily and I’m aiming to lose weight 50 lbs. I’m in a 1000 calorie per day intake. Which for me is A lot seeing I used to eat only once or twice a day… I’m making myself eat 3 times a day and maybe a shake for a snack.

Is that the calorie goal MFP (or a TDEE calculator) recommended to you for weight loss? It seems very low. I'm a non-tall 66-year-old sedentary (outside of exercise) woman. If I ate that little, even if I ate exercise calories in addition, I would cause myself health problems.

Some people who are very small, very inactive or older do need low calorie level, but that level is very low. Please be careful.

Sometimes a more gradual approach is a faster route to goal weight than an extreme calorie cut that is hard to sustain long enough to lose a meaningful amount of weight, or that causes health problems.

My issue is I wake up late 1230-3 pm n then start by having breakfast about 3-350 calories then move on to try n accumulate 1000.
I did lose 5 lbs first week I even walked 3 days of the week which is a big accomplishment for me leaving the house…

Increasing one's exercise can trigger water retention for muscle repair, hiding fat loss on the scale. That may be happening for you.

It's also common to lose a big-ish amount in the first week (partly fat loss, partly a drop in water retention), then for the next week or two see a seeming stall on the scale as water retention rebalances, hiding continuing fat loss on the scale. This is completely normal.

It takes 4-6 weeks on a new routine (whole menstrual cycles if that applies to you) to know the average effect of that routine. In shorter times, the water and digestive contents shifts can distort the scale's effectiveness as a fat-loss indicator.

I’ve been bed ridden for about 3 years after a traumatic even leaving me w anxiety and fear of leaving and having attacks of anxiety when leaving…I’m trying to get myself back and pushing they the fear.

I’m trying to figure out all this eating stuff and balance of. Like fat, carbs and protein intake? I have cut sugar completely as in organic cane sugar unless having coffee I add 2 tsp and have it once a day. With heavy cream as it says is good for us??

The MFP default goals for protein and fats are reasonable minimums for most people, as long as the person is eating enough calories (which I'm concerned you may not be). Carbs are more of a personal preference thing. Some people find that eating fewer carbs reduces appetite/cravings. Other people find that eating too few carbs tanks their energy level. You can find your own sweet spot for carbs by experimenting.

Protein and fats are "essential nutrients" in the technical sense that our bodies can't manufacture them out of other nutrients, so we need to eat some. Carbs are not "essential" in that technical way, so they're more flexible.

It's fine to gradually work your way to the MFP goals by remodeling your current eating step by step. If you don't have a diagnosed deficiency at the start, it's OK to take a little time working this out. Bodies are fairly flexible and adaptable, within reason.

I was diagnosed w high triglycerides and high ldl putting me at the preface of being dangerous so I am grabbing the horns and trying to fix what has been creating this issue.

Your weight loss alone may take care of that. (It did for me. I needed to lose about that same 50 pounds, and my triglycerides/LDL normalized by the time I was down maybe 20 pounds. That's not universal experience, but it's common.)

Eating plenty of veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean protein (but some fatty cold-water fish for Omega-3 fats) may help a little, too. So might increasing exercise.

Does anyone have advice? I need to make sure my heart is healthy… they said to get a ct scan but I don’t want the radiation! I’m going to request a mri (due to no radiation levels) instead and wanted to wait until my blood work is re done to see if there are any reversals in blood diagnostics.

An MRI is not able to visualize the same things as a CT. Have you had a chat with your doctor about your concerns?

Heart health is enhanced by a sensible, gradually-increasing level of cardiovascular exercise. Your walking is a good start on that path.

I’ve also started w mother organic vinegar n water once a day and a couple times a week lemon w water… I’m choking em down… I’m about to have a cup of green tea too as I hear that is a help in lowering ldl as well as helping w weight loss if done on a regular basis.

Raw vinegar and green tea have very small effects, at most, as measured in research . . . small effects on anything. If you're "choking them down", I wouldn't bother. (I say that as someone who has drunk raw vinegar daily for months at a time, and not drunk any for other months - there was no observable difference on my weight loss or appetite - I was doing it for other reasons. But I actually like vinegar. I wouldn't ever drink it, if I didn't.) Life is too short to eat/drink yucky things, unless absolutely vital. These are not vital.

I posted my results of 5# loss but got no response so idk if this post will even get a response. Sorry for the book I really am looking for advice and even people who r wanting to communicate and maybe even compete in keeping me/us going…

I went vegan because of so many horrific things I saw on fB 4 years ago. Stayed vegan 2 years but gained wt by using carbs vs animal protein to keep me full.
I had not returned to dairy at all until this past week only to add cream to coffee.
After 2 years I started eating meat again but prob needed to cut white carbs but didn’t so still gained weight… it’s now time so I’ve tried to cut carbs but it seems carbs r a necessity by like 40%!!! Of caloric intake which is confusing!

The demonization of white carbs is IMO silly and unnecessary. It's a bad idea to live on white sugar and white flour to the extent that it either puts one over reasonable calories, or drives out needed nutrition. Beyond that, it's personal preference, including the possibility that those trigger cravings, for some. Some so-called "white carbs" are quite nutritious and filling, such as whole potatoes with skin. The color of a food is not important: Look at the nutrition, look at the calories, think about what you enjoy eating: Fit food choices together to get good overall nutrition at reasonable calories, while staying happy and (mostly) full, and you're golden.

Personal experience: I got fat then obese as a vegetarian, stayed fat for 30+ years as a vegetarian, the last 10 of which was as a vegetarian short-endurance athlete; then lost back to thin again, still eating the same foods. It was all about proper calorie levels given my then-current activities, not about meat/not, white/not, carbs/not, etc.

Some say no fruits while others say all veg and fruits u want. Diet is confusing

Mainstream nutritional authorities world-wide say that eating plenty of varied, colorful veggies and fruit is a super-good idea for health and nutrition. You also need protein and fat, which may be more available in foods that are not veggies/fruit. It's about balance.

The "diet industry" benefits if they make this so confusing that we think we need their magic products/services in order to succeed. We don't. Appropriate calories (not too high, not too low), good well-rounded nutrition on average over a day or few, some healthy exercise: That's the formula, and it's not a super rigid one.

You can do this: Wishing you success!

lnashnmai

Thank you So much! I was starting to think I wasn’t doing something right here…
I appreciate all the input it is very helpful!
Before I got my bloodwork I went no where did nothing and felt dead already… I am doing this out of fear and not wanting to be unhealthy. My eating habits have always been pretty healthy I just don’t eat enough many times once a day prior to last week. When I waitresses or bartended I ran off my calories and could grab and go w food inhale n run it off. I’m 52 now and eating once a day caught up w me since Covid and the lbs have come in due to lack of movement. I am hoping that w me upping my eating 3-4 times a day walking at 12 am then mid day and then early eve will speed up my metabolism and I’ll increase my activity in turn making me more hungry.
Diabetes and heart disease runs in fam so I’m really scared. Scared straight I guess…
I have been extremely tired for 3 years. Being active is helping me I think.. (walking daily for past week). There were many days I would only walk from my room to somewhere in house 24 steps, 28 steps etc… I’m at 5000 plus as of today. I think once I get in shape and lose some weight and eat more through the day my bloodwork should show differently. Here’s hoping. I was immortal until I received those results now realizing I have to do this or I’ll end up in a casket before my time…

Can I post my weekly results here? I am wondering if there’s something in the AP that guides you or instructs what I should be doing more of or less of and how…? Do you or someone else know?

Tyia you made my eve.

springlering62

Listen to Auntie @AnnPT77

Her advice is golden.

I can’t even add anything. There’s several threads over in Motivation and Support where people post daily logs and/or loss.

If you “friend” people, they’ll get a daily of yours and you’ll get theirs (unless they turn it off, as I have. I’m in maintenance so loss no longer applies.)

Or you can post it here.

The boards are your oyster. Wield them wisely.