New food style? is it good or bad?

7L551

Hey guys, so I decided to change my food style since I was not losing much weight and was mostly maintaining it, SO I tried the following for 2 days so far.
I ate the following:
Breakfast:
Nestle Canada - Nesquik Cereal With 125ml 2% Milk, 1 cup
Calories 240

Salad- Greek (No Pita) - Tomatoes, Black Olives, Red Pepper, Cucumbers, Onions, Feta, 343 g
Calories:150

Renee's - Half-Fat Caesar Dressing, 86 ml pouch
Calories 260

Grilled Chicken breast
Calories 160

Pepsi - Max 355ml Can, 355 ml
Calories 0

I ate this after coming back from the gym and I am planing to just eat this for all days (except on 1 cheat day every 3-4 weeks)
So I ate a total of 758 calories when it says am supposed to eat 2,134 Calories (after going to the gyn) and 1,260 on normal days.

Your Daily Goal: Calories: 2,284 Carbs: 314 Fats: 76 Protein: 85 Sodium: 2,500 Sugar: 45
My total food : Calories: 828 Carbs: 74 Fats: 38 Protein: 25 Sodium: 1,277 Sugar: 32

Now before jumping into conclusions, I usually go to university in the morning and around 4PM or 5PM I hit the gym and spend from an hour and a half and up to 2 hrs spending mostly 1 hour on the Elliptical trainer. So when I reach home it is about 7PM or so and I eat up the food that I included as my dinner before sleeping at 12 or 1 AM, I actually feel very full after eating these food and I don't feel like wanting to eat something else So does that mean that am actually good? I mean I am not making myself starve to death obviously and I am kinda used to eating 1 meal for the day.

So what do you guys think? If I could should I just go with it? I am actually loving this and I don't feel there is any kind of harm in doing it and again I don't feel hungry but the opposite.

thanks

Siansonea

What you eat is irrelevant, by and large. I eat McDonald's for breakfast every morning.

Calorie limit is the magic bullet. If you're not losing weight, your calorie accounting is off or your limit is too high. Adjust as necessary, and weight loss will resume.

hwoeltjen

Let me ask you something. How much protein are you getting in? Fats? Carbs?

7L551

What you eat is irrelevant, by and large. I eat McDonald's for breakfast every morning.

Calorie limit is the magic bullet. If you're not losing weight, your calorie accounting is off or your limit is too high. Adjust as necessary, and weight loss will resume.

That is exactly what I did, I was eating homemade food that actually consists of lots of vegetables but was not losing weight and that is why I switched to this food now, and it seems to be working :O

Walter__

So what are you going to do when your weight loss stalls? Cut calories in half again and eat what, 350 calories? Double your workouts and workout 4 hours a day on 700 calories?

Bad bad idea. Eat more.

7L551

Let me ask you something. How much protein are you getting in? Fats? Carbs?

haha, I was totally about to write this information but then I removed it because the post became too long, but I'll re include it again

Your Daily Goal: Calories: 2,284 Carbs: 314 Fats: 76 Protein: 85 Sodium: 2,500 Sugar: 45
My total food : Calories: 828 Carbs: 74 Fats: 38 Protein: 25 Sodium: 1,277 Sugar: 32

mockchoc

How can you possibly think that eating a 1/3 of the food you need is a good idea for even a minute? Bad idea.

Jewlz280

If you weren't losing before, I have a hard time believing you weren't losing due to WHAT you were eating. More than likely, you were estimating intake too low and over-estimating calories burned. Are you weighing all of your food and measuring all of your liquids other than water? Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio workouts? Normally I don't think you need these things right away, but if you weren't losing and think you were eating at a certain level, better to check that rather than drop down to a very low calorie diet. I'm not saying it won't work for some, but why do it unless you have to? Seems to me you need to up your cals, really check your calculations and then adjust from there.

7L551

If you weren't losing before, I have a hard time believing you weren't losing due to WHAT you were eating. More than likely, you were estimating intake too low and over-estimating calories burned. Are you weighing all of your food and measuring all of your liquids other than water? Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio workouts? Normally I don't think you need these things right away, but if you weren't losing and think you were eating at a certain level, better to check that rather than drop down to a very low calorie diet. I'm not saying it won't work for some, but why do it unless you have to? Seems to me you need to up your cals, really check your calculations and then adjust from there.

Well I tried multiple ideas, the easiest one was that I'd stop fast food for 2-4 weeks straight (I used to eat once every week consisting of 1 medium pizza or so) so then I tried home made food, thats the hard thing about home made food though, you can't really calculate it, but again I was only eating 1 meal for the day (just like now) and it mostly consisted of half a plate of rice and the other half was mostly vegetables (leafs or beans or you know anything veggie) with a very small bit of raw cooked meet. and that would be my meal for the day as well.
when I tried the routine I did not drink but diet coke as well so it is not something that I drink or eat beside this food.

Walter__

Well I tried multiple ideas, the easiest one was that I'd stop fast food for 2-4 weeks straight (I used to eat once every week consisting of 1 medium pizza or so) so then I tried home made food, thats the hard thing about home made food though, you can't really calculate it

This is your problem here. You don't know how to calculate the food you eat.

Homemade food is so much easier to calculate than any fast food you buy.

Do you know how much sauce, cheese, and pepperoni the guy at Pizza Hut is putting on your pizza? No. But if you make your own pizza, you know exactly how much is in it.

nutmegoreo

If you weren't losing before, I have a hard time believing you weren't losing due to WHAT you were eating. More than likely, you were estimating intake too low and over-estimating calories burned. Are you weighing all of your food and measuring all of your liquids other than water? Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio workouts? Normally I don't think you need these things right away, but if you weren't losing and think you were eating at a certain level, better to check that rather than drop down to a very low calorie diet. I'm not saying it won't work for some, but why do it unless you have to? Seems to me you need to up your cals, really check your calculations and then adjust from there.

Well I tried multiple ideas, the easiest one was that I'd stop fast food for 2-4 weeks straight (I used to eat once every week consisting of 1 medium pizza or so) so then I tried home made food, thats the hard thing about home made food though, you can't really calculate it, but again I was only eating 1 meal for the day (just like now) and it mostly consisted of half a plate of rice and the other half was mostly vegetables (leafs or beans or you know anything veggie) with a very small bit of raw cooked meet. and that would be my meal for the day as well.
when I tried the routine I did not drink but diet coke as well so it is not something that I drink or eat beside this food.

Personally, I think home made food is easier to calculate, you have more control over consistency, quantity, and what is going into it, just weigh solids/measure liquids, and input to MFP. That doesn't stop me from grabbing fast food once in a while. I think that 800 cal for a guy in his twenties is an absurd concept. I am a 40 year old female at 5'2" and am losing consistently netting 1200-1700 daily, with an occasional high day (2300-3000). Sounds like your problem is inconsistency with calculating your calorie total, which has caused your stall.

Edited for grammar

Jewlz280

If you weren't losing before, I have a hard time believing you weren't losing due to WHAT you were eating. More than likely, you were estimating intake too low and over-estimating calories burned. Are you weighing all of your food and measuring all of your liquids other than water? Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio workouts? Normally I don't think you need these things right away, but if you weren't losing and think you were eating at a certain level, better to check that rather than drop down to a very low calorie diet. I'm not saying it won't work for some, but why do it unless you have to? Seems to me you need to up your cals, really check your calculations and then adjust from there.

Well I tried multiple ideas, the easiest one was that I'd stop fast food for 2-4 weeks straight (I used to eat once every week consisting of 1 medium pizza or so) so then I tried home made food, thats the hard thing about home made food though, you can't really calculate it, but again I was only eating 1 meal for the day (just like now) and it mostly consisted of half a plate of rice and the other half was mostly vegetables (leafs or beans or you know anything veggie) with a very small bit of raw cooked meet. and that would be my meal for the day as well.
when I tried the routine I did not drink but diet coke as well so it is not something that I drink or eat beside this food.

Ummm... home-made meals are the EASIEST to track because you have complete control over what you are eating. If you're having rice, measure it. If you're eating veggies, weigh. If you're adding sauce, measure. If you're eating meat, weigh. Simple as that. Add EACH ITEM in your food log by it's individual weight/measurement. And you can still eat the pizza and the home-made stuff. Just add it all and keep at a deficit and the weight will come off. What you sound like you need is a food scale, good measuring cups, and patience to learn to enter all of these things. If you eat in moderation, eat at a deficit, and properly track exercise with a heart rate monitor, barring any medical conditions you should lose. Also, I saw on another thread that you are getting close to your goal. You have to understand that as you get closer to goal you have to watch things closer because losing will be much slower. Also... wanted to warn you that following what the packages say for food and even on take-out, they have a 20% window so even on those items you should weigh. A great example is Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets. The bag says 5 are 200 cals (85g). That little 85g is what you should pay attention to because when I weighed out the nuggets, instead of 5 being a serving and equaling 85g, those 5 nuggets were well over 100g coming closer to 6.5 nuggets! Which doesn't sound like much but that was an extra 60 cals I hadn't planned on. Now do that over 3 meals and 2 snacks and it all adds up! You can easily be eating 300 to 400 more cals than you thought. So get a food scale, weigh everything, and give it some time.

7L551

You both are right, but I am not cooking my own food :S And you know when I ask the person who cooks it kinda gets mad :P
Anyways, even if I knew the food that was being cooked, I can't change it I live with my family so asking to change the food style is kinda rude and she won't do it.
That is why I decided to make grilled chicken and a salad BUT, now that you guys said it I'll start making my own food I guess or atleast eat more from outside?
But I really wanna try this new method for atleast a week XD

7L551

If you weren't losing before, I have a hard time believing you weren't losing due to WHAT you were eating. More than likely, you were estimating intake too low and over-estimating calories burned. Are you weighing all of your food and measuring all of your liquids other than water? Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio workouts? Normally I don't think you need these things right away, but if you weren't losing and think you were eating at a certain level, better to check that rather than drop down to a very low calorie diet. I'm not saying it won't work for some, but why do it unless you have to? Seems to me you need to up your cals, really check your calculations and then adjust from there.

Well I tried multiple ideas, the easiest one was that I'd stop fast food for 2-4 weeks straight (I used to eat once every week consisting of 1 medium pizza or so) so then I tried home made food, thats the hard thing about home made food though, you can't really calculate it, but again I was only eating 1 meal for the day (just like now) and it mostly consisted of half a plate of rice and the other half was mostly vegetables (leafs or beans or you know anything veggie) with a very small bit of raw cooked meet. and that would be my meal for the day as well.
when I tried the routine I did not drink but diet coke as well so it is not something that I drink or eat beside this food.

Ummm... home-made meals are the EASIEST to track because you have complete control over what you are eating. If you're having rice, measure it. If you're eating veggies, weigh. If you're adding sauce, measure. If you're eating meat, weigh. Simple as that. Add EACH ITEM in your food log by it's individual weight/measurement. And you can still eat the pizza and the home-made stuff. Just add it all and keep at a deficit and the weight will come off. What you sound like you need is a food scale, good measuring cups, and patience to learn to enter all of these things. If you eat in moderation, eat at a deficit, and properly track exercise with a heart rate monitor, barring any medical conditions you should lose. Also, I saw on another thread that you are getting close to your goal. You have to understand that as you get closer to goal you have to watch things closer because losing will be much slower. Also... wanted to warn you that following what the packages say for food and even on take-out, they have a 20% window so even on those items you should weigh. A great example is Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets. The bag says 5 are 200 cals (85g). That little 85g is what you should pay attention to because when I weighed out the nuggets, instead of 5 being a serving and equaling 85g, those 5 nuggets were well over 100g coming closer to 6.5 nuggets! Which doesn't sound like much but that was an extra 60 cals I hadn't planned on. Now do that over 3 meals and 2 snacks and it all adds up! You can easily be eating 300 to 400 more cals than you thought. So get a food scale, weigh everything, and give it some time.

hmm, I should do that.
Thanks for the advice

Jewlz280

You both are right, but I am not cooking my own food :S And you know when I ask the person who cooks it kinda gets mad :P
Anyways, even if I knew the food that was being cooked, I can't change it I live with my family so asking to change the food style is kinda rude and she won't do it.
That is why I decided to make grilled chicken and a salad BUT, now that you guys said it I'll start making my own food I guess or atleast eat more from outside?
But I really wanna try this new method for atleast a week XD

Just FYI, eating at that low of a calorie goal and doing cardio will do nothing but burn up your lean body mass along with the muscle. That is why they say not to do them unless you are severely obese and they fear for your life. Losing weight is a great endeavor, but you don't want to lose weight AND muscle. Even if you don't want to look all ripped, muscle is what not only allows you to look good, but it allows you to be active and burn more sitting around than what you do without it. Which means that your calorie goal could be HIGHER for maintenance vs. someone without as much.

PikaKnight

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

Hauntinglyfit

No idea what food style is, but i'm always for style because i am a classy b^5tch.

Jewlz280

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

THANK YOU!!! I was trying to explain because I'm horrible at remembering links. lol

cafeaulait7

People who want to eat 800 calories a day to speed up their weight loss generally: A - binge soon into it, or B - have some success and then gain back more than they lost soon after or C - get ill and/or develop an eating disorder.

It's tempting at your age. I get that. I was a teenage girl once for god's sake But it's really dumb. Sorry. Just no.

7L551

well fudge +_+
What am I supposed to do now?
I definitely can't eat my home made food, do you have any plan in mind? should I eat 2 chicken breasts instead of 1? Again I don't get hungry, I am not starving myself! I eat this meal and am full for the day and want to go to sleep...
Ok how about this? I eat my chicken breast, my salad with the 2 dressings my usual breakfast but something sweet like a chocolate or an ice cream sandwich along? will that do it? XD

7L551

Ok, since my calories are very low I'll replace Pepsi Max with fruit juice or Pineapple juice that would probably give me like + 370 calories? how about that? :P
I'll also start eating some sugars I guess since am kind low on it so maybe an ice cream sandwich +210 calories with my meals?
so that is an increase of almost + 600 calories more, does it sound reasonable now? :P
any other suggestions? :O I really appreciate this, I need solutions and straight forward suggestions like Eat this and that along and you should be good.