Come and analize my Diary please

dhaemon

Spelling Error!!!! I meant analyze lol

I have it open to the public for 24-48 hours

What I want is some advice:
Stats:
Weight: 443.8 lbs.
Age: 36 Years old
Sex: Yes Please (Male)
Exercise: 3 times a week (Swimming and walking)
I drink 12-14 cups of water a day

I'm 5 weeks in and you'll notice that I am a picky eater, but I stay under my calories. I know that when I get to my goal weight, I won't be eating trays of fruit. It's not me, but I will always incorporate moderation.

You will also notice that I have a treat day every Saturday and I go over my calories, because last year I noticed that my body quickly slows down when entering a calorie deficit. But with a treat day of 4000+ calories, I tend to lose the weight faster as it stops my body from going into starvation mode.

So give me some advice, am I going too low in my calories? Anything else?

Francl27

Ok first, you don't have to worry about 'starvation mode'. Second, you don't seem to be weighing your food, and I'd seriously consider it as you get closer to your goal. Third, if you ate closer to your goal every day, you wouldn't feel the need for a 'cheat day', but I guess that you're still way under your weekly goal anyway.

After that, what you eat really doesn't matter, but you should try to eat way more protein than you are. And probably really eat more than you are as a whole.

dhaemon

We started weighing our food last week. (Chicken and potato so far)

leomcdee

First, congrats on your weight loss! Have you lost 56 lbs in 5 weeks? That's really something!

Second, I'm no nutritionist but you seem to be waaay under your calorie goal every day. You could try eating more each day and then you might not feel like you're body is slowing down. I like the idea of a treat day but any time I do that it turns into a treat week :sad:

Kate7294

Everything looks pretty good. Personally I try to change it up. I get tired of eating the same old things. Some have better will power than I do though. I still have yet to eat ground turkey. LOL. I tried turkey pepperoni once ( not a fan).
I eat a lot of baked chicken. Have you tried quinoa yet? I love it. Replaced white rice with it. Even used it in a stuffed green pepper and meatloaf recently. Yumm.
Only thing bad or what not I saw was the sodium. Though drinking plenty of water will probably take care of that. I tend to go over mine too weirdly enough since I rarely use salt.

Otherwise keep up the good work.

How are the feet doing? Did the stretching and so on help?

dhaemon

First, congrats on your weight loss! Have you lost 56 lbs in 5 weeks? That's really something!

Second, I'm no nutritionist but you seem to be waaay under your calorie goal every day. You could try eating more each day and then you might not feel like you're body is slowing down. I like the idea of a treat day but any time I do that it turns into a treat week :sad:

Thanks for the kind words. I see you are doing well too!

I notice I am under my calorie goal, I get afraid when I approach it in all honesty.

Maryam2014mfp

Ditto what the others said about eating closer to your daily calorie goals. As you lose weight, your calorie goals will go down. One thing that concerned me was your sodium levels. They are always above your maximum allotment for the day and many times 2-3 times your daily amount. You are probably retaining fluid. But worse than that, this can lead to heart disease and stroke. It runs in my family, so salt is an issue with our family too. If you're not sure how to tackle that, ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician (covered by provincial healthcare), and get some advice from them. Congrats on your loss so far. I see you are in Newfoundland, I'm from NF too. I miss it very much. Good food and good neighbours. Take care and please lower your sodium, if not for yourself, for your partner and (future) kids.

dhaemon

Everything looks pretty good. Personally I try to change it up. I get tired of eating the same old things. Some have better will power than I do though. I still have yet to eat ground turkey. LOL. I tried turkey pepperoni once ( not a fan).
I eat a lot of baked chicken. Have you tried quinoa yet? I love it. Replaced white rice with it. Even used it in a stuffed green pepper and meatloaf recently. Yumm.
Only thing bad or what not I saw was the sodium. Though drinking plenty of water will probably take care of that. I tend to go over mine too weirdly enough since I rarely use salt.

Otherwise keep up the good work.

How are the feet doing? Did the stretching and so on help?

Thanks for the info. I do think it is time I change up my lunch menu, tuna and turkey breast is getting old LOL
Breakfast time I either go with Cereal & boiled eggs, Cereal alone, or the weight watchers muffins with eggs whites w/ turkey bacon & 1 slice of cheddar cheese. But Now I'm going to try a different brand/type of cereal.

My feet are doing better since I started to swim most of the time and I broke out my New Balance sneakers that have a flat bottom, so it equally puts pressure all over my food. Running sneakers are not meant for a person my size...yet.

dhaemon

Ditto what the others said about eating closer to your daily calorie goals. As you lose weight, your calorie goals will go down. One thing that concerned me was your sodium levels. They are always above your maximum allotment for the day and many times 2-3 times your daily amount. You are probably retaining fluid. But worse than that, this can lead to heart disease and stroke. It runs in my family, so salt is an issue with our family too. If you're not sure how to tackle that, ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician (covered by provincial healthcare), and get some advice from them. Congrats on your loss so far. I see you are in Newfoundland, I'm from NF too. I miss it very much. Good food and good neighbours. Take care and please lower your sodium, if not for yourself, for your partner and (future) kids.

Sodium is the HARDEST thing to do in my weight loss journey. I love salty things and I rarely eat fresh food. Instead of lowering my sodium, maybe I could increase my potassium and thus, pee out more of my sodium, would that help?

Maryam2014mfp

Everything looks pretty good. Personally I try to change it up. I get tired of eating the same old things. Some have better will power than I do though.

Only thing bad or what not I saw was the sodium. Though drinking plenty of water will probably take care of that. I tend to go over mine too weirdly enough since I rarely use salt.

Otherwise keep up the good work.

How are the feet doing? Did the stretching and so on help?

Ditto above. And, my doctor said what they mentioned about drinking lots of water. We have to drink lots to get rid of the salt that is making us retain water. Doesn't make sense but it's what they say we need to do. I'm going to try it. I hope you do too.

dhaemon

Ditto above. And, my doctor said what they mentioned about drinking lots of water. We have to drink lots to get rid of the salt that is making us retain water. Doesn't make sense but it's what they say we need to do. I'm going to try it. I hope you do too.

12-14 cups of water a day. I pee like 5 times a day lol

Maryam2014mfp

Ditto what the others said about eating closer to your daily calorie goals. As you lose weight, your calorie goals will go down. One thing that concerned me was your sodium levels. They are always above your maximum allotment for the day and many times 2-3 times your daily amount. You are probably retaining fluid. But worse than that, this can lead to heart disease and stroke. It runs in my family, so salt is an issue with our family too. If you're not sure how to tackle that, ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician (covered by provincial healthcare), and get some advice from them. Congrats on your loss so far. I see you are in Newfoundland, I'm from NF too. I miss it very much. Good food and good neighbours. Take care and please lower your sodium, if not for yourself, for your partner and (future) kids.

Sodium is the HARDEST thing to do in my weight loss journey. I love salty things and I rarely eat fresh food. Instead of lowering my sodium, maybe I could increase my potassium and thus, pee out more of my sodium, would that help?

I don't think that would work. My dad had heart attacks and finally a heart transplant. And my uncle actually had a heart attack and died in his yard in Mount Pearl when my son was a baby. We all love(d) salt too but we (including you) really need to lower your salt level if you want to stay alive. And trust me, I love salt ... I can pass up sweets any day but salt ... Mmmm. Maybe look at the things in your diet with the most salt and try to get a lower salt version of it.

(My uncles neighbour was a doctor and they were on scene when it happened and they could do nothing. I wouldn't want that to happen to you.)

dhaemon

[
I don't think that would work. My dad had heart attacks and finally a heart transplant. And my uncle actually had a heart attack and died in his yard in Mount Pearl when my son was a baby. We all love(d) salt too but we (including you) really need to lower your salt level if you want to stay alive. And trust me, I love salt ... I can pass up sweets any day but salt ... Mmmm. Maybe look at the things in your diet with the most salt and try to get a lower salt version of it.

(My uncles neighbour was a doctor and they were on scene when it happened and they could do nothing. I wouldn't want that to happen to you.)

Yikes. You know I thought the hardest thing to do losing weight was eating minimal calories, but as it turns out its my damn sodium.

I'll try my best, but it will be hard for me and that's the truth.


Edit: Maybe I'll switch from French's mustard to Heinz low sodium ketchup

Maryam2014mfp

Yikes. You know I thought the hardest thing to do losing weight was eating minimal calories, but as it turns out its my damn sodium.

I'll try my best, but it will be hard for me and that's the truth.


Edit: Maybe I'll switch from French's mustard to Heinz low sodium ketchup

That's terrific. It starts with little changes, and it can make a big impact overall.

babsfit14

The first obvious thing is the excess sodium. Case in point - the sandwich from Subway. Restaurants, even the nice sit-down places, are notorious for having way too much sodium. It's really eye-opening when you eat out and then log your food and find out how much sodium you ate even though you only ate half your entree (I'm referring to myself here). I also notice a definite lack of fruits and vegetables, apart from the bananas. You said you don't eat much fresh food, but I would suggest to you that you can still get a good variety of nutritious vegetables frozen. Frozen vegetables are frozen shortly after they are harvested so they are as close to fresh as you can get and quick to prepare. Canned vegetables are full of excess salt. I love salty foods too, but I would suggest trying to balance that by also eating more fruits (apples, pears, grapes, berries) and vegetables (any of them that you enjoy, but go for a variety of colors; color is an indication of nutrients). Read your labels! Try to avoid items that contain added sugars (these come in many forms) and added salt, as well as chemical sounding things you maybe have trouble pronouncing. Personally, I try to eat as clean and organic as possible. Bottom line, in my opinion, is that it's not just about eating fewer calories, it's about nourishing your body. I've seen a couple of food diaries on here that honestly made me feel hungry because of the lack of anything nutritious listed on them. That said, I know from experience anyone can learn to eat healthy and the weight loss you desire will happen more easily just by virtue of you taking better care of your body with good clean food and exercise. Best of luck to you. Feel free to friend me if you like.

bostonwolf

Spelling Error!!!! I meant analyze lol

I have it open to the public for 24-48 hours

What I want is some advice:
Stats:
Weight: 443.8 lbs.
Age: 36 Years old
Sex: Yes Please (Male)
Exercise: 3 times a week (Swimming and walking)
I drink 12-14 cups of water a day

I'm 5 weeks in and you'll notice that I am a picky eater, but I stay under my calories. I know that when I get to my goal weight, I won't be eating trays of fruit. It's not me, but I will always incorporate moderation.

You will also notice that I have a treat day every Saturday and I go over my calories, because last year I noticed that my body quickly slows down when entering a calorie deficit. But with a treat day of 4000+ calories, I tend to lose the weight faster as it stops my body from going into starvation mode.

So give me some advice, am I going too low in my calories? Anything else?

Sounds like you have a good plan. What are your results five weeks in?

I'd take a look at a book called The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. His eating plan (I hesitate to call it a diet) includes a major cheat day once a week. Not to avoid "starvation mode" but to reset certain hormone levels. He also offers some tips and things to do DURING your cheat day to help limit the amount of calories you absorb or to direct them into your muscles instead of fat production. Moving more to whole foods would also help you stay full longer and increase the quality of your nutrients.

I love Subway too, but maybe have a sub once a week and when I do, it's turkey on wheat.

As you lose weight I'd start to ramp up the activity level to include some weightlifting. As you lose weight you are going to lose muscle mass (because you aren't carrying around 450lbs any more.) Best to limit that as much as possible as the muscle burns more calories at rest.

Good luck. Track your results, be honest about your intake and exercise and make adjustments when necessary. And don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day or couple of days. We all do. Just saddle back up and stick with it.

dhaemon

The first obvious thing is the excess sodium. Case in point - the sandwich from Subway. Restaurants, even the nice sit-down places, are notorious for having way too much sodium. It's really eye-opening when you eat out and then log your food and find out how much sodium you ate even though you only ate half your entree (I'm referring to myself here). I also notice a definite lack of fruits and vegetables, apart from the bananas. You said you don't eat much fresh food, but I would suggest to you that you can still get a good variety of nutritious vegetables frozen. Frozen vegetables are frozen shortly after they are harvested so they are as close to fresh as you can get and quick to prepare. Canned vegetables are full of excess salt. I love salty foods too, but I would suggest trying to balance that by also eating more fruits (apples, pears, grapes, berries) and vegetables (any of them that you enjoy, but go for a variety of colors; color is an indication of nutrients). Read your labels! Try to avoid items that contain added sugars (these come in many forms) and added salt, as well as chemical sounding things you maybe have trouble pronouncing. Personally, I try to eat as clean and organic as possible. Bottom line, in my opinion, is that it's not just about eating fewer calories, it's about nourishing your body. I've seen a couple of food diaries on here that honestly made me feel hungry because of the lack of anything nutritious listed on them. That said, I know from experience anyone can learn to eat healthy and the weight loss you desire will happen more easily just by virtue of you taking better care of your body with good clean food and exercise. Best of luck to you. Feel free to friend me if you like.

I hate vegetables. Absolutely hate them. I try to get into it, but I'll be damned if it doesn't turn my guts. I know if I get frustrated with eating things I don't like I'll give up on this diet. lol

dhaemon

Sounds like you have a good plan. What are your results five weeks in?

I'd take a look at a book called The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. His eating plan (I hesitate to call it a diet) includes a major cheat day once a week. Not to avoid "starvation mode" but to reset certain hormone levels. He also offers some tips and things to do DURING your cheat day to help limit the amount of calories you absorb or to direct them into your muscles instead of fat production. Moving more to whole foods would also help you stay full longer and increase the quality of your nutrients.

I love Subway too, but maybe have a sub once a week and when I do, it's turkey on wheat.

As you lose weight I'd start to ramp up the activity level to include some weightlifting. As you lose weight you are going to lose muscle mass (because you aren't carrying around 450lbs any more.) Best to limit that as much as possible as the muscle burns more calories at rest.

Good luck. Track your results, be honest about your intake and exercise and make adjustments when necessary. And don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day or couple of days. We all do. Just saddle back up and stick with it.

My results so far is that I lost 56 lbs in 5 weeks.
I will be switching to weight lighting when I'm down in the mid 300's.

I will definitely have to read that book, it sounds right down my ally. Thank you so much for giving me this much needed info!

SonicDeathMonkey80

I just want "analize" on my wall

T00GlaM0r0US

Read a few of the replies, and agree you aren't hitting your goals everyday. But, I wonder if your goal is too high. 3000 cals a day? That's a LOT. Which, I get based on your weight you should be eating more etc, but I would try cutting it down and eating back excercise calories -- and SODIUM .. woah definately caught my attention, on your cheat days your getting over 6,000grams of SALT and yesterday you had over 3000.. I dont even think 15 glasses of water a day can break all that down. Focus on cutting that out the bes tyou can..its a struggle for sure i know

Im no expert, far from, but these are my suggestions.

SEAFOODMAN

sounds like you're already doing good.................but if you really want to really kick it..................set your goal at 2500 calories....................do a 24hr fast each week and do 1200 or less on that day................have your free day each week @3000 if you please and you're still avg under 2400.....don't kill yourself in the gym.....you can do hiit elliptical workouts for 20min @4days a week and you would be amazed with the results..........

tremroy1

Sodium......best way to reduce is not eat deli meats for one, prepackaged foods contain high levels. Hide the salt shaker. Eat fresh if you can, prepared meats should be replaced with meats cooked at home......chicken, turkey, pork, fish.

Fit_in_Folsom

I noticed a few things that could help you. First, your sodium intake on several days is very high. That will cause you to retain water, and it will elevate your BP. Next, consider reducing dairy if you can. Look for a substitute you like (I like Vanilla flavored Coconut milk). Finally, try to swap out a few of the carbs you take in for some raw fruits and veggies.

Just my 2 cents...

sljohnson1207

Congrats on the 56 lbs! That's amazing weight loss in 5 weeks.
It's good you are exercising and drinking lots of water. BTW, urinating 5 times per day is not a lot. In fact, it's normal output.

Things I noted about your diary are:

High sodium intake due to eating out, deli type foods, and crunchy snacks.

Low fruit, no vegetables (I see on your reply, you hate veggies). There are ways to eat veggies without really knowing it. Look for recipes that disguise them.

What is Becel Margarine Original - Butter? Is it margarine or butter? I'd say switch to real butter...really the same calories, and it's not a man-made concoction that resembles butter, but is butter.

Skim milk. Do you like this better than fuller fat milk? If not, switch to 2% or whole. It's far more satisfying. You aren't tracking fat in your diary, so I am assuming you aren't aiming for a very low fat diet. Don't know what your macros are percentage-wise.

Egg whites only? Why not eat the whole egg? The yolk is very nutritious. If you must lower cholesterol, eat two whole eggs and more egg whites.

Breads. I see lots of breads and tortillas and all, but not really enough protein to balance it out. Why do you eat 4 slices of bread to 4 shaved slices of turkey breast? Are the bread slices super small?

Light Mayo. Why? Full fat mayo is more satisfying, and most likely contains less added sugar.

Light Sour Cream. Same as above.

Low protein intake in general.

Are you hungry? You don't often meet your daily calorie goal. Maybe you are meeting your weekly goal, though. I did not calculate it. Do you have strong cravings?

Changed calorie goal on Sept. 5th from 2910 to 2760. Was that due to the 56 lbs. lost?

soopaang

I think you're doing awesome and congrats! I am losing but not with the fury that you are! I definitely agree with other commentators that you should change up your menu because boredom with your food can be a killer! In regards to sodium, I know you're a self proclaimed picky eater so maybe start small by subbing out your high sodium food with a whole food equivalent. For example, the processed lunch meats could be subbed for an actual roasted meat (a rotisserie chicken maybe) that you hand slice. Instead of canned fish maybe you can poach/steam a fillet of Salmon or tuna and use it in a salad for lunch time. Also add a fresh fruit or veggie to or in your meal and maybe unsalted unsalted or lightly salted nuts in for a high protein and low sodium snack. Just ideas but congrats on your progress!

dhaemon

Congrats on the 56 lbs! That's amazing weight loss in 5 weeks.
It's good you are exercising and drinking lots of water. BTW, urinating 5 times per day is not a lot. In fact, it's normal output.

Things I noted about your diary are:

High sodium intake due to eating out, deli type foods, and crunchy snacks.

Low fruit, no vegetables (I see on your reply, you hate veggies). There are ways to eat veggies without really knowing it. Look for recipes that disguise them.

What is Becel Margarine Original - Butter? Is it margarine or butter? I'd say switch to real butter...really the same calories, and it's not a man-made concoction that resembles butter, but is butter.


Skim milk. Do you like this better than fuller fat milk? If not, switch to 2% or whole. It's far more satisfying. You aren't tracking fat in your diary, so I am assuming you aren't aiming for a very low fat diet. Don't know what your macros are percentage-wise.

I thought Skim milk would be better because it has less calories

Egg whites only? Why not eat the whole egg? The yolk is very nutritious. If you must lower cholesterol, eat two whole eggs and more egg whites.

Last time I had blood work I had above normal bad cholesterol

Breads. I see lots of breads and tortillas and all, but not really enough protein to balance it out. Why do you eat 4 slices of bread to 4 shaved slices of turkey breast? Are the bread slices super small?

I love bread and it fills me. The bread slices are incredibly thin! (Weight Watchers bread)

Light Mayo. Why? Full fat mayo is more satisfying, and most likely contains less added sugar.

Full fat Mayo contains more calories, yes?

Light Sour Cream. Same as above.

Full fat sour cream contains more calories, yes?

Low protein intake in general.

Absolutely and would love to get it up more

Are you hungry? You don't often meet your daily calorie goal. Maybe you are meeting your weekly goal, though. I did not calculate it. Do you have strong cravings?

Not hungry at all and if I do get cravings, I drink more water.

Changed calorie goal on Sept. 5th from 2910 to 2760. Was that due to the 56 lbs. lost?

Yes

dhaemon

First of all would like to say congrats on losing 56 lbs already.
Means you must be doing something right, right?

Then when i look into your diary (only went back 2 weeks) i notice 2 things immediatly:

Your Sodium intake. I find this pretty high. Looks to me you are still eating a lot of processed foods when not needed if i look on what you eat.
Then on a second note i notice you are pretty low on your protein intake

For the rest i agree with sljohnson on pretty much everything!!!

Thanks for the congrats. I really do appreciate it. It's hard work, but it seems to be paying off!

But back on topic, I will admit right here and now, I am a lover of processed foods.

sljohnson1207

Yes, skim milk, full fat mayo, and full fat sour cream, may all have more calories, but what they also have is some healthy fats (which provide satiety), and usually have not been altered into "diet foods" by reducing the fat and increasing the sugars.

Generally speaking, and there is plenty of new science debunking the fat is bad for you mindset regarding cholesterol, fats are not bad for you. It's really not about that at all. It's likely your "bad cholesterol" is high because you are heavy, and will drastically improve with weight loss. Increased exercise and a better diet should help this. It may not be quick, but it should help. If it does not, your level may be hereditary. It may be helpful to have your doctor check your numbers every 50 lbs or so or pick a timeframe like every 6 months regardless of pounds lost and see if you have a downward trend. Also, it's not just those standard numbers that matter. Triglycerides are very important and you didn't say that was high. Also, the ratios of your numbers are more telling than just one out of the several that come back on those routine tests. Just like a one time fasting blood glucose reading can't diagnose diabetes, and Ha1C will, because it's over a longer period of time.

Many people do very well with a 20% reduction in calories (creating a deficit) and a 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fats ratio diet. You are doing EXTREMELY well already. You should NOT feel discouraged at all. Seriously, the items I pointed out were just things that I saw, since you asked. Can you imagine how well you'd be doing if you just tweaked a few things, esp. the sodium levels? I think water retention may be an issue, plus blood pressure. And if it's not now, it may become a problem with extended consumption of high levels of sodium.

The reason I mentioned the full fat products is because you aren't meeting your calorie goals, and you said you are a picky eater. You seem to like specific foods. You don't have to eat something different to get more calories. It's not always best to make your deficit bigger. Sometimes that can cause bingeing, and you already have a cheat day. Do you ever feel out of control on cheat day? Do you find it hard to restrict the day(s) after a cheat day? These are all questions that you'd have to answer personally, but they come to my mind because of experience and reading about others' experiences with weight loss and the frustrations it can cause when restricting too much, too soon, for a long time.

Maryam2014mfp

Just curious; but at the subway canada website, it did not list the 12" pizza sub; but only lists the 6" one. If you double the sodium at the link it is somewhat less than what you are recording. I am not sure if you are selecting items off of the mfp database; but I have found information to be incorrect on a number of my choices and I had to adjust the figures. FYI

http://w.subway.com/en-CA/MenuNutrition/Menu/Product?ProductId=1136&MenuCategoryId=14