Is my routine a good method to follow? Newbie here!

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

Snack: baby carrots and dip

Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

diannethegeek · September 2013

No.

Where's that .gif of the bearded guy when I need him?

QuilterInVA · September 2013

It is not a good routine. First of all, you are eating way too few calories. Second, you are doing the same exercise every day and could end up hurting yourself because you aren't allowing at least one day for muscle repair. You can workout every day, just alternate exercises and parts of your body. I do cardio 4 days a week and resistance training 3 days. You should be eating back some of those exercise calories. You will slow your metabolism, hence weight loss, if you don't eat enough.Are you tying to do low carb, because if you are bananas are oranges are not good choices. Berries are excellent, however. You also need a lot more vegetables and real protein.

melaniecheeks · September 2013

At your current weight and height, you're not far off a healthy weight. So any additional weight loss is going to be slow, andreading between the lines, you're looking for a quick fix.

Less than 1000 calories is not good. The over-reliance on shakes rather than real food is also not good. I dont know what the supplements are for, so I'll reserve comment on them.

The egg, carrots, chicken and spinach are all great choices, and exercise will certainly help improve your shape. Do you give yourself a rest day so that your muscles can repair?

brraanndi · September 2013

Your calories seem miserable and your post is about to explode.

*pulls out the popcorn*

BlueBombers · September 2013

Less than 1000 calories is way too low....plus you are exercising on top of that. You are setting yourself up to crash big time. You might want to rethink.

ellew70 · September 2013

You are seriously doing Insanity AND crossfit at a 1000 calories a day. What is wrong with you?

i'm 5 2, 139 lbs as well and I'm at 1500 on JUST insanity. And that's lower than the Insanity book recommended. And I'm dropping weight no problem.

If I eat any significant amount under 1500 during a day and try to do insanity, I bonk out 1/2 way thru. Then I burn less calories so why was it I wasn't eating again?

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

I give myself 2 days a week for muscle repair.

I drink the shakes because I'm In the navy and don't get a whole lot of time to eat a meal.

I'm not looking for a quick fix I'm just looking for some guidance and what to tweak here and there. I've never eaten much to begin with. I just want to get back to my pre boot camp weight.

jacksonpt · September 2013

at 21 years old with only 15lbs to lose, I think you'd be well served by taking a few steps back and getting a better handle on what it means to be healthy, have a reasonable self image, etc.

TeaBea · September 2013

1,000 calories a day and you're exercising besides? Let's say you eat 1,000 calories & exercise for 500 calories .... this is like giving your body 500 calories a day.

Check out your BMR (basal metabolic rate) ..... the calories your body uses everyday (even if you stayed in bed) ..... it's WAAAY more than 500 calories. The problem with eating less than your BMR ..... your heart, lungs, kidneys, are not getting the nutrients (forget about vitamins) ...... to do their job. So your body catobolizes muscle tissue to get what it needs.

If you want to keep your current body fat % ..... this is a good plan. If you want to LOWER your body fay % .... you will eat enough to fule your workouts. This is at least 1200 + Exercise calories ..... this is how MFP is designed.

Living on protein shakes ............. eat "real food." You will need to learn about "real food" if you want to keep the weight off. You will need to learn portion sizes, what foods are high in protein, sugar, fiber, fats. This will help you make smart choices in the future. Using protien shakes as supplements is fine .... but not as meal replacements.

A better short term solution is Spanx .... not killing yourself.

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

I have no problem with my self image. I'd just like to drop a few extra pounds. Since I transferred I gained some weight and just want to shed it. I enjoy working out because it relieves stress theres nothing "wrong with me". I've just never been a big eater to begin with and the food I did eat when I got here wasn't the best and I accept that.

Can I get some examples of a healthy diet then? I mean, I've already lost some weight with what I'm doing but I'd like to do it "the right way".

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

This was helpful, thank you! Where do you reccomend I look up what an appropriate portion size would be?

What is Spanx I haven't heard of that.

lua_ · September 2013

A healthy diet is eating enough to support your health and your exercise levels. You'll probably just ignore everyone here, but google TDEE and go from there.

jacksonpt · September 2013

this... and made up of primarily real food.

Michelle_dirtracer · September 2013

No, just no!!!

Please do a little research for the sake of your health

melaniecheeks · September 2013

I'm sorry, you drink the shakes cos you dont have time to eat a meal, but you have enough time to do insanity and cross-fit each day?

A healthy diet looks something like:

Breakfast - poached egg on wholemeal toast
Lunch - vegetable soup
Dinner - protein and veg
Snacks - fruit, nuts, cheese.

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

My command sets up a specific time through the day where we have to go workout. It's mandatory. So it's not like I get much of a choice. THEN I stand 24 hour watches ON TOP of an 8 hour workday the next day. I do this every 4 days. You do the math. I don't get much time.

judge69 · September 2013

hi, sorry to agree with everyone else and nag you but you really need to eat more. the thing with exercise is - it needs fuel. diet and exercise are two different animals, dieting loses weight and exercise gets you fit. from a calorie point of view you are only barely eating enough to sustain you without the additional exercise
so i would either drop the exercise and continue as you are food wise or continue the exercise and eat more. also bear in mind that when you have reached your goal if you stop exercising suddenly you will lose fitness

good luck

julie from
www.myrunningtips.com

diannethegeek · September 2013

Running your numbers through a TDEE calculator (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) you could be eating double what you're eating to lose weight. This would also help to reduce the side effects of low calorie diets (muscle loss, fatigue, hormone imbalance, metabolic adaptation, etc) and it will help to set you up with healthy habits and a solid base for when you reach your goal and transition to maintenance.

TeaBea · September 2013

For portion sizes ... measure your food. A box of cereal has the portion size right on the box .... however, if I just pour a bowl in the morning my "guesstimation" is way off. I need to measure my cereal. Use measuring cups (at the very least) ... or a food scale (even better). Fruit is generally a piece, or a cup of berries or a cup of watermelon. Veggies are typically low calories ... you can eat a lot of these. Log your food here and it will open your eyes.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/wallet-portion-control-size-guide

As far as eating .... try to get as much unprocessed food as you can. The fruits & veggies are a good start. These have all the fiber & nutrients that they started out with. The problem with porcessed food .... added fat, added sugar, less fiber, less protein. You need to make the most of your calories when there are fewer of them.

I have no problem digesting carbs, so I eat them. I try to eat whole grains. If I'm having bread with a meal, I don't also have potatoes or corn .... this is just starch + starch ..... I have a hamburger and salad ... not a hamburger and fries.

Spanx is like a girdle

action_figure · September 2013

No. That's a stupid routine. And I think you know that. What are you looking for here? Do you want someone to say "Sure! Crash diet! Trash your metabolism! Fast is all that counts! Healthy doesn't mean anything. And screw sustainable. It's all about instant gratification after all."

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

I really appreciate your answers and help. Just want you to know that.

I moved to my new duty station in January. And the majority of food around here is italian food (which happens to be pretty much my weakness) so I've been trying to stay away from white carbs because i assumed thats why i gained weight. Do you think if I brought more snacks to work to sneak in the extra calories would help? (I.e. fruits or almonds?). Also, should I just cut out a lot of my workout altogether? Because there's just no way I can get real meals in with my work schedule. I never thought about the starch + starch thing. That might have been another problem. When I get home I used to just eat whatever was around, and my boyfriend is italian so you can imagine all the pasta that was

Again, thank you for your answers. This information is what I need.

erickirb · September 2013

The minimum caloric intake for insanity according to the diet guide should be 1700 calories

Going4Lean · September 2013

It's like deja vu, i thought i was looking at an old thread.

shadus · September 2013

I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

shadus · September 2013

Quoted for truth.

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

jacksonpt · September 2013

Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?

dallasandrews1 · September 2013

That's the thing, I'm not sure. Everything I've read screams "JUNK FOOD = BAD" but then I post on here and I get bombarded by people here saying that I'm not eating enough and very few give tips on how to improve.

erickirb · September 2013

It can be "junk" but doesn't have to be. Why not throw in a steak here and there, or take a jar of peanut butter and a spoon and go to town. both have a lot of cals and are not what I would consider "junk" Just avoid diet and lite foods, and opt for full fat/sugar versions of foods.

qling · September 2013

This seems like a terrible set-up

Go to a calorie calculator online (link to the one i use is here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Put in your info and eat the calories that come up for "fat loss" you should only eat around 500 calories less than your maintenance. Remember that doing a huge deficit will only lead to your body feeling malnourished and you might have a harder time shredding the fat.

Also given your current weight you don't seem to need to lose more weight. If you are not satisfied with your body and how you look I recommend that you instead change your strategy and start working out to get a more in shape body. Something like stronglifts 5x5 (google it) is good regardless of gender and size.

Also you seem to be relying too much on shakes you should probably just try to make all your food in advance (e.g take 3 hours on a sunday to cook food for the whole week). Also you don't need to freak out about eating 6 times a day because science proves that what matters is the calories you eat not how many meals. Personally I find life to be a lot easier when I eat two meals a day and I can bulk or cut no problem.

Is my routine a good method to follow? Newbie here!

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