Does this “day on a plate” sound okay for weight loss?

gettingto65

Hi there,

I’m hoping to please get some feedback on my “day on a plate” below.

I am wanting to lose weight and my plan is to eat 1600 calories a day focusing on breakfast and lunch. It wouldn’t always be as below, but I am wanting to eat similarly for a few weeks at first to help me get into the swing of things. The meal plan I’ve worked out breaks down to:

134g protein
67g fat
100g carb

give or take! It’s also a 700 daily caloric deficit.

The day would look something like this:

Breakfast:
- 40g plain oats cooked in water with 1 cup blueberries and 2 scoops vanilla protein powder mixed in
- 1 99% sugar free Caramel Latte

Snack:
- Glow/probiotic drink
- 170g Skyr/yoghurt

Lunch:
- 100g quorn cooked in 2tbsp olive oil and 2tsp garlic with 2 cups broccoli, 2 cups baby spinach and 1 cup green beans + 3tbsp pesto and 30g parmesan

Snack:
- Mushashi protein bar
- 10 almonds

Evening:
- Herbal tea
- Diet Coke
- Water

SuzySunshine99

How much weight do you have to lose? Because depending on how close you are to your goal weight, a 700 calorie deficit might be appropriate or it might be too aggressive.

As far as your food...do you like everything you're eating? Do you feel satisfied? If so, then great! But, if you are over-restricting or completely cutting out foods that you truly enjoy, then it can be difficult to sustain. Remember that for long-term weight management, there is no end date. Find out what is going to work for you for the rest of your life.

Also remember that for weight management, the specific foods that you eat don't really matter, only calories do. For general health, proper nutrition, protein, etc, are worth noting. So much is personal preference. I would not enjoy eating what you listed for your day, but I'm not you.

cryonic_273

You might find it more filling if you replace the protein powder with an equivalent protein intake of Skyr.

Personally i found the act of eating a significant amount of Skyr helps with satiety.

tomcustombuilder

What is your height weight and gender?

Retroguy2000

You've been starting threads for seven years about this or that plan to lose weight.

Success will come from following a sustainable diet and exercise plan, and sticking with it. Will you be able to stick to a large deficit while eating nothing night after night after night? I wouldn't be able to. If you can do it, go for it.

springlering62

Maybe I’m confused, but a quick mental calculation…..that’s nowhere near 1600 calories? It also doesn’t include much protein?

And it’s very heavily liquid oriented.

I’d gnaw my arm off by mid afternoon.

Did you leave out dinner by mistake?

AnnPT77

Tastes are individual, and needs tend to vary with demographics and activity . . . but I wouldn't thrive or be happy eating that, personally . . . as an average-sized 67 y/o woman (5'5", around 130 pounds; a.k.a. roughly 165 cm, 59 kg). YMMV, because I admit to being a mysteriously good li'l ol' calorie burner, for some reason.

I'm inferring you might be vegetarian? I am, have been for 48+ years (ovo-lacto, in my case). What type of protein is in the protein supplements (powder, bars)? Is it EAA complete, and from quite bioavailable sources? You don't give interpretable quantities of most things, so it's hard to tell, but it looks like much of the 134g protein is from the supplements, not the foods. That's not necessarily a problem, but protein quality is a pretty big deal for non meat-eaters.

It's OK to use temporary expedients during part of weight loss, but how close is this to something you could happily continue permanently, because staying at a healthy weight is a forever endeavor?

Personally, I'd want more variety (day to day), fewer supplements and more actual food, more veggies/fruits (not relying on those for the main bulk of protein),

Also, that looks like 1539 calories, not 1600. Do you exercise? Are you considering that in estimating your deficit?

I'd also lose way too fast for best health, even now, at 1539/1600 gross calories (lose decently fast even at 1539/1600 net, honestly) . . . so the questions about your age, size, sex, activity level, etc., are very relevant.

I fear this is coming across as negative, but that's utterly not my intent. Getting to a healthy weight (from obese) was a huuuuge quality of life improvement for me, so I deeply want to see other people get there. That's where I'm coming from, in asking/saying these things.

Best wishes!

springlering62

Those Mushashi bars, besides being extravagantly expensive (and I thought my beloved Nugo bars were high!) are 374 calories and up.

That just seems like a really big investment in an artificially sweetened protein bar, even though they claim 45gr protein.

No matter how slowly I try to savor a protein bar, they’re gone pretty quick.

Why not invest those calories in something big and filling and satiating and “extravagantly” tasty?

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, that’s more Ann’s purview, but I can have a nice chicken wrap with similar protein levels for about 250, which leaves more than 100 left over for a snack.

I can make a decent smoothie with unsweetened almond milk and cottage cheese with a little Skinny Syrup for about 125. With four or five cups of ice, it’s very filling and hydrating, too. Or something like Lewis Bakeries “Keto” loaf (2 tasty slices are 60 or 70 calories and have added protein) with a generous helping of avocado and some crunchy flaked salt.

kshama2001

springlering62 wrote: »

Those Mushashi bars, besides being extravagantly expensive (and I thought my beloved Nugo bars were high!) are 374 calories and up.

That just seems like a really big investment in an artificially sweetened protein bar, even though they claim 45gr protein.

No matter how slowly I try to savor a protein bar, they’re gone pretty quick.

Why not invest those calories in something big and filling and satiating and “extravagantly” tasty?

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, that’s more Ann’s purview, but I can have a nice chicken wrap with similar protein levels for about 250, which leaves more than 100 left over for a snack.

I can make a decent smoothie with unsweetened almond milk and cottage cheese with a little Skinny Syrup for about 125. With four or five cups of ice, it’s very filling and hydrating, too. Or something like Lewis Bakeries “Keto” loaf (2 tasty slices are 60 or 70 calories and have added protein) with a generous helping of avocado and some crunchy flaked salt.

@springlering62 I bought Nugo bars for the first time last week. The 10 g protein bars were $0.79 at Ocean State Job Lot, a regional discount store. Regular price $1. The double chocolate was amazing!

While I do keep protein bars on hand for a convenient snack, I agree that bulkier meals are more filling.

kshama2001

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

How much weight do you have to lose? Because depending on how close you are to your goal weight, a 700 calorie deficit might be appropriate or it might be too aggressive.

As far as your food...do you like everything you're eating? Do you feel satisfied? If so, then great! But, if you are over-restricting or completely cutting out foods that you truly enjoy, then it can be difficult to sustain. Remember that for long-term weight management, there is no end date. Find out what is going to work for you for the rest of your life.

Also remember that for weight management, the specific foods that you eat don't really matter, only calories do. For general health, proper nutrition, protein, etc, are worth noting. So much is personal preference. I would not enjoy eating what you listed for your day, but I'm not you.

Here is a graphic illustrating the bolded:

springlering62

kshama2001 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

Those Mushashi bars, besides being extravagantly expensive (and I thought my beloved Nugo bars were high!) are 374 calories and up.

That just seems like a really big investment in an artificially sweetened protein bar, even though they claim 45gr protein.

No matter how slowly I try to savor a protein bar, they’re gone pretty quick.

Why not invest those calories in something big and filling and satiating and “extravagantly” tasty?

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, that’s more Ann’s purview, but I can have a nice chicken wrap with similar protein levels for about 250, which leaves more than 100 left over for a snack.

I can make a decent smoothie with unsweetened almond milk and cottage cheese with a little Skinny Syrup for about 125. With four or five cups of ice, it’s very filling and hydrating, too. Or something like Lewis Bakeries “Keto” loaf (2 tasty slices are 60 or 70 calories and have added protein) with a generous helping of avocado and some crunchy flaked salt.

@springlering62 I bought Nugo bars for the first time last week. The 10 g protein bars were $0.79 at Ocean State Job Lot, a regional discount store. Regular price $1. The double chocolate was amazing!

While I do keep protein bars on hand for a convenient snack, I agree that bulkier meals are more filling.

Good grief! That’s way less than I pay buying direct, even with the email discounts. My fave is the dark chocolate coconut. Tastes like a Mounds Bar. The chocolate mint is also very good, as is the peanut butter. But being protein bars, and delicious, they go down quickly in the moment. 😢

I tried the One bars but they gave me awful stomach problems and I ended up dumping them on the counter at the gym with a post-it note “Free!”

Nugo is in a class by itself for taste.

kshama2001

springlering62 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

Those Mushashi bars, besides being extravagantly expensive (and I thought my beloved Nugo bars were high!) are 374 calories and up.

That just seems like a really big investment in an artificially sweetened protein bar, even though they claim 45gr protein.

No matter how slowly I try to savor a protein bar, they’re gone pretty quick.

Why not invest those calories in something big and filling and satiating and “extravagantly” tasty?

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, that’s more Ann’s purview, but I can have a nice chicken wrap with similar protein levels for about 250, which leaves more than 100 left over for a snack.

I can make a decent smoothie with unsweetened almond milk and cottage cheese with a little Skinny Syrup for about 125. With four or five cups of ice, it’s very filling and hydrating, too. Or something like Lewis Bakeries “Keto” loaf (2 tasty slices are 60 or 70 calories and have added protein) with a generous helping of avocado and some crunchy flaked salt.

@springlering62 I bought Nugo bars for the first time last week. The 10 g protein bars were $0.79 at Ocean State Job Lot, a regional discount store. Regular price $1. The double chocolate was amazing!

While I do keep protein bars on hand for a convenient snack, I agree that bulkier meals are more filling.

Good grief! That’s way less than I pay buying direct, even with the email discounts. My fave is the dark chocolate coconut. Tastes like a Mounds Bar. The chocolate mint is also very good, as is the peanut butter. But being protein bars, and delicious, they go down quickly in the moment. 😢

I tried the One bars but they gave me awful stomach problems and I ended up dumping them on the counter at the gym with a post-it note “Free!”

Nugo is in a class by itself for taste.

I don't believe any of those flavors were available, as they all sound like something I would try, but will check next time I go.

kshama2001

I was thinking of this thread while listening to the most recent Half Size Me podcast, specifically, when Heather was answering an emailed question about the "perfect diet."

https://www.halfsizeme.com/hsm588/

neanderthin

This example menu reminds me, I should fast that day and then check to see who's cooking the next day. So, yes great menu for weight loss, just kidding.