Meal plan

sabukhdair94

Hello new to the membership part of MFP! But I’m excited to use it to its full potential! I would like some help making a meal plan to reach my goal by the end of July when I go back to my primary dr! If you can help please don’t hesitate to reach out! Please and thank you in advance!!

springlering62

I would just start by making a list of what you’d enjoy eating, and work from there.

For example, say your daily goal is 1400 (I’m drawing that number out of the air).

Allot 300 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, maybe 500 for dinner, and 400 for snacks.

What will fit in each category?

If you like eggs cooked a certain way, calculate how many servings you can get cooked the way you like for 300 calories. Can you substitute liquid egg whites for one of the eggs? Or for all of them? Can you find a lower calorie bread for toast? Can you do without creamer in your morning coffee? Substitute cinnamon or a sugar free syrup in lieu of higher calorie sweetener? Margarine for butter? The “Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” folks make an excellent low cal spread that’s only 35 calories a serving.

Now do the same with remaining meals and snacks.

Like fried rice? I love it but restaurant use a ton of oil in it. I dice chicken breast and sautee it in a dry nonstick pan til browned. I used a frozen vegetable or chicken fried rice I reheat it in the same pan, stir in an egg apiece for me and my husband, and add back the chicken. Then I stir in some cauliflower rice. I might add a small sprinkling of dried edamame for crunch.

We can enjoy a heaping, filling, high protein dish of fried rice for well under 500 calories.

Approach every meal like this. How can you take what you like and supplement and/or improve it?

I still apply this train of thought to every meal I prepare.

springlering62

And PS: you don’t indicate what your goal is, but 8 weeks is very short.

My number one advice is, take it easy. It’s the ones who jump it and suffer through the process who disappear rapidly, or regain all and more.

Don’t be that person. Slowly, thoughtfully, methodically, planned-ly. 😜

sabukhdair94

springlering62 wrote: »

I would just start by making a list of what you’d enjoy eating, and work from there.

For example, say your daily goal is 1400 (I’m drawing that number out of the air).

Allot 300 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, maybe 500 for dinner, and 400 for snacks.

What will fit in each category?

If you like eggs cooked a certain way, calculate how many servings you can get cooked the way you like for 300 calories. Can you substitute liquid egg whites for one of the eggs? Or for all of them? Can you find a lower calorie bread for toast? Can you do without creamer in your morning coffee? Substitute cinnamon or a sugar free syrup in lieu of higher calorie sweetener? Margarine for butter? The “Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” folks make an excellent low cal spread that’s only 35 calories a serving.

Now do the same with remaining meals and snacks.

Like fried rice? I love it but restaurant use a ton of oil in it. I dice chicken breast and sautee it in a dry nonstick pan til browned. I used a frozen vegetable or chicken fried rice I reheat it in the same pan, stir in an egg apiece for me and my husband, and add back the chicken. Then I stir in some cauliflower rice. I might add a small sprinkling of dried edamame for crunch.

We can enjoy a heaping, filling, high protein dish of fried rice for well under 500 calories.

Approach every meal like this. How can you take what you like and supplement and/or improve it?

I still apply this train of thought to every meal I prepare.

springlering62 wrote: »

I would just start by making a list of what you’d enjoy eating, and work from there.

For example, say your daily goal is 1400 (I’m drawing that number out of the air).

Allot 300 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, maybe 500 for dinner, and 400 for snacks.

What will fit in each category?

If you like eggs cooked a certain way, calculate how many servings you can get cooked the way you like for 300 calories. Can you substitute liquid egg whites for one of the eggs? Or for all of them? Can you find a lower calorie bread for toast? Can you do without creamer in your morning coffee? Substitute cinnamon or a sugar free syrup in lieu of higher calorie sweetener? Margarine for butter? The “Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” folks make an excellent low cal spread that’s only 35 calories a serving.

Now do the same with remaining meals and snacks.

Like fried rice? I love it but restaurant use a ton of oil in it. I dice chicken breast and sautee it in a dry nonstick pan til browned. I used a frozen vegetable or chicken fried rice I reheat it in the same pan, stir in an egg apiece for me and my husband, and add back the chicken. Then I stir in some cauliflower rice. I might add a small sprinkling of dried edamame for crunch.

We can enjoy a heaping, filling, high protein dish of fried rice for well under 500 calories.

Approach every meal like this. How can you take what you like and supplement and/or improve it?

I still apply this train of thought to every meal I prepare.

AnnPT77

Premium MFP has some eating plans, I believe available only in the phone/tablet app (not web browser MFP). I don't have a "user review" because I didn't personally use them; I've only glanced at them.

There's also a lot of eating guidance available in the MFP blogs, here:

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/

Personally, I did a "gradually remodel your eating" approach, pretty much as described in this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

(I did that to lose about 50 pounds, class 1 obese to a healthy weight, back in 2015-16 at age 59-60, while hypothyroid (medicated), and have maintained a healthy weight since, now age 68.)

At the other end of the spectrum, there are apps like this one:

https://www.eatthismuch.com/

It lets you select an eating style, a calorie level, and the number of meals/snacks per day, and it will generate a daily meal plan with recipes. It does that for free, without creating an account. Others have told me that it will do more if a person signs up for a free account there, and there may be premium features as well. I don't use it because I don't like other people telling me what to do (eat ), but I have played with the "free with no account" feature just to see what it did.

If you have some health condition, you may find that one of the big national/international organizations related to that health condition offers eating guidance or even full meal plans. (I'm talking about outfits like the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and that sort of thing. I'm sure other countries have equivalents, but I know of those because I'm USA-ian.)

There are also eating plans offered by national health bodies. In the US, that would be the USDA "My Plate" plan. People think that all that is is a graphic of a plate with subdivisions into food groups, but if I person digs into the web site (https://www.myplate.gov/) there is much much more.

There are also web sites that offer meal plans or eating guidance for specialized diets like keto, carnivore, Mediterranean, etc. I'll let people who know about those suggest sites, because I'm not expert. I do know that specialized diets like that tend to have both solid, sensible information sources, but others that are more advocates/zealots who may have controversial views.

I'm somewhat familiar with that concept from the vegan/vegetarian side of things. (I've been vegetarian for 50 years come this July. It's not a weight loss strategy. ). I do think this site with information for vegans is solid and scientific, and I've gotten some good tips there myself:

https://veganhealth.org/

(I also don't think there's special weight loss magic in a vegan/fully plant-based way of eating, though I eat close to that style myself . . . obviously, I do vegetarianism for other reasons, and no, it's not because I think it's healthier, either. )

Maybe you're already aware of it, but US News & World Report does an annual review of different diets. Their articles usually link to other articles that give details about the diets, mention related books, link to relevant websites, etc.

You can find the current version (2024) here:

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall

You've probably guessed that I'm biased toward mainstream sources of diet/nutrition information. I admit that. Some people distrust those, for various reasons. I disagree with them . . . mostly.

Sorry, that's a lot. I hope maybe some of it may help.

Best wishes!

sabukhdair94

Ok lol I know it’s short time but hear me out I started at 228. In January. Today I’m 210. I’m taking an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill prescribed by my dr and they’re working lol I no longer drink sodas. I no longer eat sweets. My main issue is pasta I love pasta. Oh and rice. And if I do have a craving for chocolate I will eat sugar free or dark chocolate. But my goal is 160. Or to at least be in the 100s. I know it’s doable because I’m going to the gym 4 days a week doing water aerobics and dance class. But thank you for the comment! I really appreciate it!

AnnPT77

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

Ok lol I know it’s short time but hear me out I started at 228. In January. Today I’m 210. I’m taking an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill prescribed by my dr and they’re working lol I no longer drink sodas. I no longer eat sweets. My main issue is pasta I love pasta. Oh and rice. And if I do have a craving for chocolate I will eat sugar free or dark chocolate. But my goal is 160. Or to at least be in the 100s. I know it’s doable because I’m going to the gym 4 days a week doing water aerobics and dance class. But thank you for the comment! I really appreciate it!

Sounds like you're doing great!

Have you tried any of the higher protein pastas available now? I think some of them are a bit too different from wheat pasta to work as a full substitute, but some of the higher-protein grain-based ones I've had, and the better brands of red lentil pasta, are IMO pretty good. Being higher in protein but similar calories, they will have fewer carbs, if that's helpful to you.

Chickpea "rice" (really chickpea orzo-shape pasta) is also a thing that exists, and similarly is a bit higher protein than regular rice. Some people enjoy cauliflower rice as a rice substitute at lower calories, but I like cauliflower really a lot, so enjoy the flavor better eating my cauliflower in bigger chunks.

ETA P.S.: One brand of red lentil pasta I like is Barilla.

kshama2001

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

Ok lol I know it’s short time but hear me out I started at 228. In January. Today I’m 210. I’m taking an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill prescribed by my dr and they’re working lol I no longer drink sodas. I no longer eat sweets. My main issue is pasta I love pasta. Oh and rice. And if I do have a craving for chocolate I will eat sugar free or dark chocolate. But my goal is 160. Or to at least be in the 100s. I know it’s doable because I’m going to the gym 4 days a week doing water aerobics and dance class. But thank you for the comment! I really appreciate it!

Congrats on your progress so far!

Did I understand correctly that since your goal weight is 160 and you are currently 210 you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of July? That's only 10 weeks away - you'd have to lose 5 pounds per week - not realistic or sustainable.



Please do chose a more sustainable weekly rate of loss and enjoy those extra calories!

AnnPT77

kshama2001 wrote: »

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

Ok lol I know it’s short time but hear me out I started at 228. In January. Today I’m 210. I’m taking an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill prescribed by my dr and they’re working lol I no longer drink sodas. I no longer eat sweets. My main issue is pasta I love pasta. Oh and rice. And if I do have a craving for chocolate I will eat sugar free or dark chocolate. But my goal is 160. Or to at least be in the 100s. I know it’s doable because I’m going to the gym 4 days a week doing water aerobics and dance class. But thank you for the comment! I really appreciate it!

Congrats on your progress so far!

Did I understand correctly that since your goal weight is 160 and you are currently 210 you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of July? That's only 10 weeks away - you'd have to lose 5 pounds per week - not realistic or sustainable.



Please do chose a more sustainable weekly rate of loss and enjoy those extra calories!

OMG, I didn't put that possibility together.

I hope it's not so.

Five pounds a week would be a 2500 calorie daily deficit. For a lot of women to get that big a deficit, they'd have to eat zero food at all for the whole time period, plus do some extra exercise in addition to eating zero. Yeah, sure, a few have a TDEE as big or bigger than 2500 calories daily, so those few probably get to eat a few calories daily . . . until they'd get light enough and fatigued enough that TDEE dropped below 2500. Yikes.

OP, please tell us you're not trying to lose 50 pounds by the end of July?

springlering62

@kshama2001 beat me to it. That’s my takeaway, too.

Don’t berate yourself if you haven’t reached a particular goal by end July. Instead, congratulate yourself and appreciate iate what it took to create the loss you will have by then.

I started at your weight Sept 2018. After getting a prescription that flat out scared me to take, I asked my doctor to re-do blood test and physical in 90 days to see if I could avoid taking it altogether.

I don’t think anyone was more surprised (other than me!) than her when I showed up 25 pounds lighter, and I don’t think anyone could have been more encouraging to continue.

Every time I’ve come in since then, she makes a point of congratulating me for maintaining, congratulating for for sending my bone density numbers in the other direction, and actually congratulating me for putting weight back on, because she can see it’s muscle. (Muscle being denser, thus heavier than fat.)

If it’s an “I’ll show you!” thing, flip it on its head and make it a “look what I did!” moment next visit.

sabukhdair94

I’m on 2 prescriptions ones an appetite suppressant and ones a weight loss pill and since January I have been losing 5 lbs a month. So I know i can do it I just need to buckle down on my eating. My dr said I can lose 5-10 lbs a month and it be just fine as long as I include working out and healthy eating.

sabukhdair94

It doesn’t have to be 160 but I want to make it to the 100s by the time I go to my appointment!

springlering62

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

It doesn’t have to be 160 but I want to make it to the 100s by the time I go to my appointment!

My money is that you can do it, since you’re motivated and you’ve set a very reasonable goal.

If you’re on suppressants, make sure you’re learning new techniques, skills and changing thought patterns so you can continue and maintain your loss once you’re ready to come off them.

So many people reach goal, throw up their hands, crow “success, baby!” and then go right back to old habits that got them overweight in the first place.

Best advice I ever got here was “treat maintenance like you have ten pounds to lose”. I’ve stuck to that mantra like glue.

AnnPT77

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

I’m on 2 prescriptions ones an appetite suppressant and ones a weight loss pill and since January I have been losing 5 lbs a month. So I know i can do it I just need to buckle down on my eating. My dr said I can lose 5-10 lbs a month and it be just fine as long as I include working out and healthy eating.

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

It doesn’t have to be 160 but I want to make it to the 100s by the time I go to my appointment!

That sounds realistic. A common rule of thumb around here is 0.5-1% of current weight per week, as a loss rate. Five pounds a month sounds pretty perfect, in fact.

I'm cheering for your success, betting you accomplish that "in the 100s by the appointment" goal.

sabukhdair94

Before is gray shirt and after is cheetah sports bra and blue underwear.
205 this morning! Feeling pretty good! Wasn’t able to make it to the gym this week because I’m dealing with some family issues. But that’s ok. I’m doing what I can. Still watching what I eat! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers (if you do that) lol! I’m still pushing!

sollyn23l2

sabukhdair94 wrote: »

Before is gray shirt and after is cheetah sports bra and blue underwear.
205 this morning! Feeling pretty good! Wasn’t able to make it to the gym this week because I’m dealing with some family issues. But that’s ok. I’m doing what I can. Still watching what I eat! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers (if you do that) lol! I’m still pushing!

Girl. Seriously. That's amazing. Keep it up!

ddsb1111

@sabukhdair94 Not to go off topic, but what’s the difference between an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill? I thought they were the same thing? 🤔

You’re 6 lbs away from the 100’s. Congrats! You’re right there.

Did I understand correctly that since your goal weight is 160 and you are currently 210 you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of July? That's only 10 weeks away - you'd have to lose 5 pounds per week - not realistic or sustainable.

5 lbs a month is possible, 5 lbs a week- not so much 😳. Unless you’re that coach on MFP recently lol. Jk

kshama2001

ddsb1111 wrote: »

@sabukhdair94 Not to go off topic, but what’s the difference between an appetite suppressant and a weight loss pill? I thought they were the same thing? 🤔

You’re 6 lbs away from the 100’s. Congrats! You’re right there.

Did I understand correctly that since your goal weight is 160 and you are currently 210 you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of July? That's only 10 weeks away - you'd have to lose 5 pounds per week - not realistic or sustainable.

5 lbs a month is possible, 5 lbs a week- not so much 😳. Unless you’re that coach on MFP recently lol. Jk

Yes, I'd argue that all weight loss pill are appetite suppressants, perhaps by different mechanisms - with some you might have less appetite, with others you might feel fuller faster, etc.

Orlistat/Alli is a possible exception. You might eat less with that due to fear of explosive orange diarrhea 😳

@sabukhdair94 what meds are you taking?

ddsb1111

Yes, I'd argue that all weight loss pill are appetite suppressants, perhaps by different mechanisms - with some you might have less appetite, with others you might feel fuller faster, etc.

Ahhhh, I see. Didn’t know those worked. I know there was a bazaar trend swallowing cotton balls to feel full. And no, not in the 1920’s, it was in 2013! Scary stuff.

Do people still use Alle? I mean that’s gotta have the worst side effect ever.

Whatever you’re using OP, I really hope you have a maintenance plan.

vampiregirl955

I have been logging what I eat since 2018 and am a long-time user of My Fitness Pal. I advise eating plenty of protein, fruits and veggies but not a lot of whole-grains, as those are carbs, and not a lot of red/processed meat. Good luck!

kshama2001

ddsb1111 wrote: »

Yes, I'd argue that all weight loss pill are appetite suppressants, perhaps by different mechanisms - with some you might have less appetite, with others you might feel fuller faster, etc.

Ahhhh, I see. Didn’t know those worked. I know there was a bazaar trend swallowing cotton balls to feel full. And no, not in the 1920’s, it was in 2013! Scary stuff.

Do people still use Alli? I mean that’s gotta have the worst side effect ever.

Whatever you’re using OP, I really hope you have a maintenance plan.

Yes, my friend was just prescribed Orlistat this year. Not sure if she is still taking it though, and now I'm curious, so I've asked.

springlering62

Ahhhhh….the infamous Alli thread. Probably the most memorable thread ever posted on MFP. It was already legend by the time I got here five or six years ago.

sabukhdair94

I’m taking topamax and phentermine. The topamax has made me stop drinking sodas all together. I eat semi balanced a day if I even feel like eating. I don’t usually take my medicine on Saturday. We got a dog today so that will help me get out there and walk!! I already do walk I usually take my girls on a walk in the evening after dinner. But I’m going to the gym 3-4 days a week. This past week I wasn’t able to get there I was dealing with family issues. But no I know I’m not able to reach my goal of 160 my July 30th. That would be extremely unhealthy. But in the 100s yes!! I know I can do that!

cmriverside

You look great at that weight you are now! Really well done.

Congrats on the dog, too. Love on four legs.

MargaretYakoda

ddsb1111 wrote: »

Do people still use Alle? I mean that’s gotta have the worst side effect ever.
plan.

Ooo, yeah the 90’s were WILD

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/619261/olestra-fat-free-snack-controversy-1990s

sabukhdair94

Y’all! I weighted in at 199.6 this morning!!! I hit one-derland!!! I’m so happy! Today has been a great day!!

springlering62

Sincerest congrats on reaching One-derland!!!!!!

That’s an accomplishment.

Carry on, but hope your doing it for you now, instead of some doctor who cheesed you off.

And, ask the doc about the phentermine. I’m no expert, but wasn’t it banned under the guise of phen-phen?

Research what you’re taking. That’s why I started losing weight. The warning pamphlet on the thyroid med I was prescribed was the size of a flipping bedsheet. That made me sit up and pay attention and actually read for a change.