Where can I cut down?

AlexisT413

Hi friends,

I've made my food diary public because I'd appreciate some feedback and tips. Some of the days aren't completely filled in, but I hope what's there will give some insight.
I've completely cut out fried foods and pointless snacks with tons of sugar or no nutritional value. It's only been a week and a half without chipotle (the restaurant), Mc Donald's, and foods like that, so I didn't really expect to see a big difference, but I'm curious about how I'm doing.
I'm looking to lose about 20 lbs by mid February. With my current diet, is that possible? Any super foods that might help expedite results? My food restrictions include dairy, eggs, and pork.

Thanks!

Mokey41

It doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay in a calorie deficit. Fast food and junk isn't good for you but eating too much is what makes you fat.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Well, I have a few things:

1) You can lose weight without cutting out sugar, fried foods, etc. As long as you eat a reasonable calorie deficit, you will lose weight.

2) If you're looking for more filling low-calorie food ideas, that's another thing. This goes along with what I said above, but there aren't any super foods that will expedite weight loss. What you log already looks pretty good, but...

3) Your food diary is incomplete. There are complete days missing and others are less than 1000 calories just within the last week. Start logging accurately and consistently, and you will see results.

psuLemon

The only thing you can do is be meticulous with logging. Your trouble days are the ones you dont log so you can't be inaccurate. In terms of weight loss, there is no reason to cut out food groups unless it causes you to binge or have a medical issue. BTW, i eat chipotle 1-3 days a week and it doesn't prevent weight loss. Just make sure you do a recipe for it and get it close.

All the foods you restrict are really good for you.

If anything, aim for foods higher in protein (aim to get 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass or about 70% of your weight in grams.) and weight train (this will help with muscle retention).

lucan07

There are no super foods to expedite things to do that you need to move more, up the exercise and add calories burnt to your deficit, unfortunately there is no magic food or pill its down to you effort in results out!

AlexisT413

Thanks for the input. I didn't log on Thanksgiving or the day after because I ate so poorly. I've been feeling satisfied from what I've been eating and no longer look for that stuffed feeling with each meal. I'll keep better track of my meals and watch my calories better.

jonnythan

1) Log everything. Weigh everything. This is critical. Even "bad days" are important to log. Everything you put in your mouth ends up being logged by your body whether you write it down or not.

2) Eat more protein (lean meats like chicken and fish). Your protein intake is very low. You really want 90+ grams a day.

Mr_Knight

Your diary is too incomplete to be of much use at this point. The one day that looked fairly complete, you had half your calories from an order of french fries. Your profile says you want to be a rugby player - that might not be the optimal macro profile for your goal.

stumblinthrulife

Consistency and a calorie deficit are more important than the actual foods you eat.

Your diary is very inconsistent, so based solely on this I would say no, you will not meet your goals. I'm not saying this to be mean or tease you, I'm just honestly answering the question you asked.

Log everything, do it honestly and consistently, and maintain a 1000 Calorie deficit per day, and you could meet your goal. Just remember to adjust your intake according to actual observed results.

Finally I'd respectfully suggest you are trying to do things too fast if you have only 23 pounds to lose. Consider revising your target to mid-April and using a 500 Calorie per day deficit. It will be easier to maintain, and you are more likely to stick with it. You'll also look better at target weight because more of the loss will be fat as opposed to muscle.

SLLRunner

Hi friends,

I've made my food diary public because I'd appreciate some feedback and tips. Some of the days aren't completely filled in, but I hope what's there will give some insight.
I've completely cut out fried foods and pointless snacks with tons of sugar or no nutritional value. It's only been a week and a half without chipotle, Mc Donald's, and foods like that, so I didn't really expect to see a big difference, but I'm curious about how I'm doing.
I'm looking to lose about 20 lbs by mid February. With my current diet, is that possible? Any super foods that might help expedite results? My food restrictions include dairy, eggs, and pork.

Thanks!

It's not about what you eat, but about how much you eat.

Make sure you measure liquids and weigh solids and accurately log all information. Eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose weight.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Consistency and a calorie deficit are more important than the actual foods you eat.

Your diary is very inconsistent, so based solely on this I would say no, you will not meet your goals. I'm not saying this to be mean or tease you, I'm just honestly answering the question you asked.

Log everything, do it honestly and consistently, and maintain a 1000 Calorie deficit per day, and you could meet your goal. Just remember to adjust your intake according to actual observed results.

Finally I'd respectfully suggest you are trying to do things too fast if you have only 23 pounds to lose. Consider revising your target to mid-April and using a 500 Calorie per day deficit. It will be easier to maintain, and you are more likely to stick with it. You'll also look better at target weight because more of the loss will be fat as opposed to muscle.

I agree with this statement, too. Case in point, myself. I only had 15 pounds to lose, and it has taken me since August to lose the 13 on my ticker. Keep in mind your body does not act on deadlines.

SLLRunner

Even when you eat really really badly, log it all. A lot of people don't, but do it. Make yourself. The thing is, it helps. As you watch those calories add up, it makes you think, "Do I really need one more 200 calorie cookie"?

This. It's the average calorie count at the end of the week that matters. You can eat less calories one day to make up for the extra yesterday. In fact, that's what I did on Sunday-I went a few hundred calories over on thanksgiving and the day after but I did not want to go over for the week. I came out with zero net calories left at the end of the week.

MinnieInMaine

I agree that the goal of 20# by mid February is too agressive. You might be able to do it but with the amount of weight you have to lose, somewhere between 1/2 and 1 pound per week is reasonable. Considering there's only 10 weeks between now and then, that means you should shoot for a more reasonable goal of 5-10 pounds.

AlexisT413

Consistency and a calorie deficit are more important than the actual foods you eat.

Your diary is very inconsistent, so based solely on this I would say no, you will not meet your goals. I'm not saying this to be mean or tease you, I'm just honestly answering the question you asked.

Log everything, do it honestly and consistently, and maintain a 1000 Calorie deficit per day, and you could meet your goal. Just remember to adjust your intake according to actual observed results.

Finally I'd respectfully suggest you are trying to do things too fast if you have only 23 pounds to lose. Consider revising your target to mid-April and using a 500 Calorie per day deficit. It will be easier to maintain, and you are more likely to stick with it. You'll also look better at target weight because more of the loss will be fat as opposed to muscle.

Thanks for your input. I chose 23lbs and such a short timeline because I gained 10 of that just in the past 3 months, so I figured by switching to a healthier diet, I could lose it pretty fast. I also wanted to slim down before the start of the spring rugby season. I don't really have any knowledge of how long it takes to shed the pounds, but from you all, I'm gathering mid February is an unrealistic goal. I'm just anxious for results :-/

Cortelli

. . .

I've completely cut out fried foods and pointless snacks with tons of sugar or no nutritional value. It's only been a week and a half without chipotle (the restaurant), Mc Donald's, and foods like that, so I didn't really expect to see a big difference, but I'm curious about how I'm doing.

. . .

Really no need to cut out Chipotle or McDonald's if that's what you like - just be careful about knowing what you want to order and fitting it into your meal plan. A Chipotle burrito bowl is one of my favorite low cal staples and I probably have once or twice a week! Another MFPer enjoys Egg White McMuffins and items from Taco Bell's fresco menu.

stumblinthrulife

Consistency and a calorie deficit are more important than the actual foods you eat.

Your diary is very inconsistent, so based solely on this I would say no, you will not meet your goals. I'm not saying this to be mean or tease you, I'm just honestly answering the question you asked.

Log everything, do it honestly and consistently, and maintain a 1000 Calorie deficit per day, and you could meet your goal. Just remember to adjust your intake according to actual observed results.

Finally I'd respectfully suggest you are trying to do things too fast if you have only 23 pounds to lose. Consider revising your target to mid-April and using a 500 Calorie per day deficit. It will be easier to maintain, and you are more likely to stick with it. You'll also look better at target weight because more of the loss will be fat as opposed to muscle.

Thanks for your input. I chose 23lbs and such a short timeline because I gained 10 of that just in the past 3 months, so I figured by switching to a healthier diet, I could lose it pretty fast. I also wanted to slim down before the start of the spring rugby season. I don't really have any knowledge of how long it takes to shed the pounds, but from you all, I'm gathering mid February is an unrealistic goal. I'm just anxious for results :-/

Rule of thumb - one pound of fat = 3,500 Calories.

So
500 Calorie deficit a day = 3,500 Calories per week = 1 pound lost per week.
1,000 Calorie deficit a day = 7,000 Calories per week = 2 pounds lost per week.

There will be errors in measuring food, logging exercise, and slight differences in your own body, so you may find you need the MFP number to read a little more or a little less to reach the predicted results. That's where adjusting for observed results comes in. Just don't make any adjustments without at least a month worth of data to support them. Your weight will fluctuate up and down the whole time - it's not going to be a linear drop.

uconnwinsnc

Thanks for the input. I didn't log on Thanksgiving or the day after because I ate so poorly. I've been feeling satisfied from what I've been eating and no longer look for that stuffed feeling with each meal. I'll keep better track of my meals and watch my calories better.

You have to log everything you eat or else there is no point. Even if you "ate so poorly", that doesn't mean you shouldn't log it. You ate the food, it is in you whether or not you see it written down. Even if you don't know how many calories Thanksgiving was you should still estimate it. Being a 1,000 off is not as bad as skipping the day and being 5,000 off.

xoeva

My tip is to eat half of what a 'normal' meal would be. Instead of a whole sandwich ( 2 slices) I have either an open face one or cut 1 slice of bread and make it into half a sandwich. We went out for burgers on Friday and I didn't order fries...I did eat 2 of the skinny ones off my son's plate (and made sure I counted them in the calories). It simply isn't worth the calories. If I'm in the mood for a cookie or a chocolate I look at the calories and that usually convinces me not to eat it. If I do try a treat and it is not absolutely delicious I don't eat it ( I even spit it out...not worth the calories). There are however, other things that are totally worth the calories so I eat them and log them. Try logging absolutely everything for 10 days and see how it goes. Good luck!

stumblinthrulife

I don't think any of this Bob Barker argument is helping the OP much.

psuLemon

I don't think any of this Bob Barker argument is helping the OP much.

It's really not, so I will remind everyone of the below rule:


2. No Hi-Jacking, Trolling, or Flame-baiting

Please stay on-topic in an existing thread, and post new threads in the appropriate forum. Taking a thread off-topic is considered hi-jacking. Please either contribute politely and constructively to a topic, or move on without posting. This includes posts that encourage the drama in a topic to escalate, or posts intended to incite an uproar from the community.