Opinions on my eating plan

daniellerusbult2

I've done a lot of research, read many forums on here and on many many websites, and I think I've come up with a good plan for myself. I'd like to know what you guys think (honest opinions!).

First, I know how people feel about 1200 calorie/day diets, but I promise you, I eat entirely veggies and lean meats on the 1200 calorie diet. So there is a LOT of food that goes into my body on those days.

I am a 25 year old female. When I weighed 154 a couple years ago, I probably had around 10-15lbs to lose while lifting to be toned and fit.

I weigh 191 now, but I do not look BIG by any means. My BMR is 1687 right now.



Plan:
Month 1: 1200 calories of lean meat, veggies and a little dairy only
Month 2: 1500 calories of primarily lean meat and veggies, adding in a little whole grain and more dairy
Month 3: 1600 calories of primarily lean meat and veggies, whole grain and dairy
Month 4: 1600 calories of primarily lean meat and veggies, whole grain and dairy to maintain weight

I feel like I have 40-50lbs to lose TOTAL. My workout plan is 6 days/week. 45 minutes of Cardio 5x/week, lifting 3x-4x/week.


Also, I use olive oil and seeds for the right measure of fat in my diet.

trogalicious

I don't see the point in sticking to 1200 for a month if your BMR is almost 500 above that.

That said, I don't see the benefit of eating below your BMR.

If you're looking for a recommendation:

Get a baseline idea of what your sedentary TDEE is.
Block off 6 weeks to log everything.
Weigh at the beginning of the six weeks.
Pick a realistic intake goal (I'd shoot for 1800-1900 calories)
Weigh your food / log it accurately.
Weigh again at the end of the six weeks.

If you lost, awesome. Figure out how much. Use averages. Figure out what your TDEE is close to.
If you didn't lose after 6 weeks, congrats... you know your maintenance.
If you gained, start the 6 weeks trial again. Drop your intake by a hundred calories.

Chief_Rocka

What are you trying to accomplish by gradually raising your calories?

daniellerusbult2

What are you trying to accomplish by gradually raising your calories?

I know that my body will plateau after a certain amount of time if I eat too few calories. I'll need the fuel for my workouts so that I'll continue to burn fat. I just know that I want a significant drop right away (which is mainly water weight anyway).

I figure I'll be able to lose 10-15 in the first month. I know that from past experience in losing water weight and knowing the first big drop. Then I think losing 7-8lbs in the next month and 5-6 in the months after is moderate and reasonable.

trogalicious

in all of your reading/studying, where did you ever see that it was a good idea to stick to eating below your BMR for months at a time?

Chief_Rocka

What are you trying to accomplish by gradually raising your calories?

I know that my body will plateau after a certain amount of time if I eat too few calories. I'll need the fuel for my workouts so that I'll continue to burn fat. I just know that I want a significant drop right away (which is mainly water weight anyway).

I figure I'll be able to lose 10-15 in the first month. I know that from past experience in losing water weight and knowing the first big drop. Then I think losing 7-8lbs in the next month and 5-6 in the months after is moderate and reasonable.

I understand the theory, but I don't think it's the best way to go about things.

Given what we know about how the body responds to a calorie deficit, there's a high probability that the move to 1600 will completely stall weight loss. I think a better strategy is to start with a moderate deficit and cut calories/add activity as necessary when weight loss stalls.

I'm not saying that I'm certain this won't work, I just think you're needlessly overcomplicating things a bit.

bajoyba

I think you're overcomplicating it.

Have you considered simply eating at a moderate calorie deficit and aiming for a balanced diet of foods that you enjoy?

kshadows

I don't see the point in sticking to 1200 for a month if your BMR is almost 500 above that.

That said, I don't see the benefit of eating below your BMR.

If you're looking for a recommendation:

Get a baseline idea of what your sedentary TDEE is.
Block off 6 weeks to log everything.
Weigh at the beginning of the six weeks.
Pick a realistic intake goal (I'd shoot for 1800-1900 calories)
Weigh your food / log it accurately.
Weigh again at the end of the six weeks.

If you lost, awesome. Figure out how much. Use averages. Figure out what your TDEE is close to.
If you didn't lose after 6 weeks, congrats... you know your maintenance.
If you gained, start the 6 weeks trial again. Drop your intake by a hundred calories.

+10000000

erialcelyob

I think you should eat lean meat, veggies, whole grain and dairy always, no reason to cut any out

colors_fade

I think you're overcomplicating it.

Have you considered simply eating at a moderate calorie deficit and aiming for a balanced diet of foods that you enjoy?

Bingo.

You want to workout; you're going to need fuel for those workouts. Eat at a modest caloric deficit (~200 calories) and then create a larger deficit with your workouts. You'll have energy to do workouts and you won't feel deprived in the calorie department.

trogalicious

I don't see the point in sticking to 1200 for a month if your BMR is almost 500 above that.

That said, I don't see the benefit of eating below your BMR.

If you're looking for a recommendation:

Get a baseline idea of what your sedentary TDEE is.
Block off 6 weeks to log everything.
Weigh at the beginning of the six weeks.
Pick a realistic intake goal (I'd shoot for 1800-1900 calories)
Weigh your food / log it accurately.
Weigh again at the end of the six weeks.

If you lost, awesome. Figure out how much. Use averages. Figure out what your TDEE is close to.
If you didn't lose after 6 weeks, congrats... you know your maintenance.
If you gained, start the 6 weeks trial again. Drop your intake by a hundred calories.

+10000000

still can't figure out if OP is reading my posts or she has a beard-filter enabled or something.

kshadows

I don't see the point in sticking to 1200 for a month if your BMR is almost 500 above that.

That said, I don't see the benefit of eating below your BMR.

If you're looking for a recommendation:

Get a baseline idea of what your sedentary TDEE is.
Block off 6 weeks to log everything.
Weigh at the beginning of the six weeks.
Pick a realistic intake goal (I'd shoot for 1800-1900 calories)
Weigh your food / log it accurately.
Weigh again at the end of the six weeks.

If you lost, awesome. Figure out how much. Use averages. Figure out what your TDEE is close to.
If you didn't lose after 6 weeks, congrats... you know your maintenance.
If you gained, start the 6 weeks trial again. Drop your intake by a hundred calories.

+10000000

still can't figure out if OP is reading my posts or she has a beard-filter enabled or something.

Bahahaha. Best post I've read all day.

likitisplit

This makes no sense. It sounds like a recipe for losing muscle mass and bone density.

It also sounds really complicated. Just do the MFP method and see where that gets you in 6 weeks.

With that feedback (from your own body, no less) you'll be at a much better place to tweak to meet your needs.

daniellerusbult2

So you have a 4 month plan. What about the rest of your life? Temporary changes equal temporary results.

I will be eating at TDEE mainly. This is my weight loss plan. After this, I'll be able to just do maintenance.

daniellerusbult2

Lol @ the beard comment!

No, I'm just on my phone at lunch. I'll respond more appropriately when I get back to my desk.

anzi888

So you have a 4 month plan. What about the rest of your life? Temporary changes equal temporary results.

I will be eating at TDEE mainly. This is my weight loss plan. After this, I'll be able to just do maintenance.

You will be eating TDEE mainly when? 1200 is like 1000 cals under TDEE.
Iit doesn't matter if you eat 1200 of LOTS of food or 1200 of crap food. You're still eating only 1200.
You plan on doing 3-4 days of weights each day without eating any grains (carbs). Like above poster said: a plan to lose muscle mass and bone density.

I can see how you got to that logic, I juste have to say "in my honest opinion" that I don't agree with it. Sorry

OnTheGround

If it works, do it. I lost a lot on 1200 a day when I was overweight but as I got leaner, I had to up my calories. I think that if you don't lose, you'll know you'll need to bump up your cals a bit.

daniellerusbult2

I think you're overcomplicating it.

Have you considered simply eating at a moderate calorie deficit and aiming for a balanced diet of foods that you enjoy?

Bingo.

You want to workout; you're going to need fuel for those workouts. Eat at a modest caloric deficit (~200 calories) and then create a larger deficit with your workouts. You'll have energy to do workouts and you won't feel deprived in the calorie department.

On this, I do eat a balanced diet right now. I want a significant change in the first month. It's not complicated to me.

I have plenty of fuel for my workouts, actually! I get every bit of nutrition that I need in the 1200 calories. I'm not hungry or deprived at all.

I appreciate the feedback, though! It's always nice to have other opinions.

Ninkyou

My opinion is that your plan is lacking and overcomplicated.

Eat a well balanced diet, including the foods you love in moderation. Enjoy said foods in a moderate deficit. Get some activity going, enjoy your life and ride the wave that comes with it.

daniellerusbult2

I don't see the point in sticking to 1200 for a month if your BMR is almost 500 above that.

That said, I don't see the benefit of eating below your BMR.

If you're looking for a recommendation:

Get a baseline idea of what your sedentary TDEE is.
Block off 6 weeks to log everything.
Weigh at the beginning of the six weeks.
Pick a realistic intake goal (I'd shoot for 1800-1900 calories)
Weigh your food / log it accurately.
Weigh again at the end of the six weeks.

If you lost, awesome. Figure out how much. Use averages. Figure out what your TDEE is close to.
If you didn't lose after 6 weeks, congrats... you know your maintenance.
If you gained, start the 6 weeks trial again. Drop your intake by a hundred calories.

+10000000

still can't figure out if OP is reading my posts or she has a beard-filter enabled or something.

Bahahaha. Best post I've read all day.

1800-1900 calories is about what I eat now. That's not a place where I feel healthy and energized (no matter what foods I eat, clean or not). I think you have a good plan, I just don't think it's a good plan for where I want to be when I want to be there. My plan is a little fast-paced, but not crazy at all. In the same sense, I may increase those calorie levels a little more depending on how my workouts are going. Recently, I've had an ankle injury, so working out hasn't been easy. Thus, why I have been eating 1200 calories (so I can see the weight loss there).

Thanks for making me laugh