Help with diet/exercise

1youngmommy

Hi everyone. I am new here, i have been with MFP since the 8th of September, i have been logging everything and my total calorie intake suggested is 1470 a day. I workout every other day, with Zumba and hip hop abs (don't laugh please lol) I wanted to mix it up. After having my youngest child only 10 months ago, i really want to lose another 40 pounds. I am wanting some feedback on how to make sure i actually get to my goal a day. I have been coming under my calories by 200-300 almost everyday, more so if i am working out. I have Atkins snacks/meals and shakes too, i have pretty much cut junk food out for the last 3 weeks. I have lost 7.5 pounds so far, but i feel that coming under so much, that it's going to do more damage. Any suggestions?? I do try and get 3 snacks in between meals and no eating past 7 pm, small breakfast, moderate sized lunch(sometimes just a shake) and a portioned out serving size suggested dinner... drink 3-4 glasses of water a day. I just want to know if there is more i can do for my diet and what would the benefits of running be, other then my general workout.. be harsh if need be, criticism is welcome!:happy:

VegasFit

Congrats on your new baby! 7.5 pounds is 3 weeks is great! Your diary is closed so I couldn't see what you're eating. I know for myself I never come under cause I like food way too much and I always eat back my exercise calories and I've never had a problem losing. I am not a fan of running cause I just don't like it and it doesn't like me but I have to do a mile at least once a week in my bootcamp class in addition to tons of sprint work and I'm happy with the results as far as endurance.. Of course my diet is on point too but I credit a lot of leaning out my lower half to the running and sprint work.

1youngmommy

Thank you! I unlocked my diary, did not realize they have different settings on it lol. I love food, but i feel like if i eat certain things, i may over indulge so i cut a lot of things out cold turkey...I switched to almost no soda, if i do drink it, i drink sprite zero. Just egg whites now, instead of regular eggs and no eating out lol What is a bootcamp class? I have heard of it before, but never really understood what it was for..thanks for replying!!

VegasFit

I have a similar personality. There are certain items I won't even bring in my house because I know I would overindulge. Your pace that you're losing at right now seems reasonable to me. You could even eat more especially on the days you exercise. No reason you can't eat out. I eat out with friends. I just order healthy. I don't do fast food if that is what you mean by eating out but that is just a personal choice. If it fits in your daily goals and you like it no reason to cut it out completely.

My bootcamp class consist of the running and sprinting I mentioned along with weights, sleds, rope, tires, plyometrics, trx, kettlebell, really whatever the instructor comes up with for class time. Mine is primarily indoor minus the run.
I've been to bootcamp classes at the park that were more bodyweight and using the facilities present for things like step ups, dips, push ups, etc. Some do bring items out like jump ropes, weighted balls, ladders, etc.
I love them because I like the class camaraderie and I do stuff in bootcamp I would never do on my own and use equipment that a normal gym like a 24 wouldn't have.

kimny72

Do you mean you don't know what else to eat?

I only looked at the last couple of days in your diary, but your protein was pretty low on most days. Maybe put some cheese or grilled chicken on your salad. Snack on nuts. Put peanut butter or hummus on raw veggies.

Or just eat slightly larger servings of what you are already eating

You can really eat anything you want within your calorie goal! You don't want to eat too much of a calorie deficit, you need fuel for your workouts and just for getting through your day in general.It will probably take some trial and error to find the sweet spot where you are eating enough to feel good but low enough to lose weight.

I don't run, so I can't help you there. I use dvds too. In general, weight loss is more about diet than exercise. Exercise is for fitness, and it buys you a few more calories! Just try to get as close to your calorie goal as possible. Good luck!

hermann341

Congrats on the baby and the great start to the new you. It seems like you've got a good handle on your diet and exercise. I am also a fan of Atkins, as it works really well for me. As mentioned, increasing your protein a bit would be a good idea. And as for running, it doesn't take a lot of skill or equipment and it's a great way to get a good cardio workout. Plus, the extra calories you burn let you eat more of the stuff you like.

1youngmommy

I really appreciate all the feedback! The bootcamp class seems really cool, not sure if i am ready for that step yet lol, but it is something i will look into here. Yes, i meant fast food, i completely cut that out...I will start increasing my protein as suggested by you all, i know i have been struggling with getting the right amounts of everything. Yes Kimny, i am stuck in kind of a rut with what else would be good to eat, besides the obvious foods, egg whites, chicken, tuna...i am a picky eater, so i generally stay to what i know is good, but would love to know of higher protein foods/calories. Atkins has been great so far, with snacks and such even the shakes are good, but i want to have a little something extra throughout the day besides that, so i can have variety, i know things work differently for everyone, but doesn't hurt to try what works for everyone else, might work for me I appreciate the help with this, it's hard to get motivated but having people help along the way makes it feel much easier!

kimny72

When I started trying to eat more protein, I focused on eggs, chicken, and protein powder, because they seemed the easiest and the most bang for the buck.

Every Sunday, I make hardboiled eggs, and I bake off a few boneless chicken breasts. So they are in the fridge for the week to easily fill out a meal or snack. I also love the thin-sliced boneless pork chops I found at my supermarket, they are something different and cook super fast. Frozen shrimp is easy and a protein. I eat peanut butter or almond butter every day, not sure if you can eat oatmeal on Atkins, but I love rolled oats with peanut butter and blueberries! I'll have it for dinner sometimes . Nuts are a great snack because they have protein and fat to fill you up, but you do have to be careful of portion size, I will portion them into those tiny Ziploc bags. I also snack a lot on cheese - cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, string cheese.

I tend to stick to the same foods too, but I switch it up with flavor. Tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, lemon-pepper, soy sauce, curry sauce. And I switch up veggies all the time - seasonal veggies from the produce section and I have a freezer full of frozen ones.

Hope that gave you some ideas!

Luckily I don't really have any "trigger" foods, I'm pretty good at controlling portion size so that makes it a little easier for me. Except potato chips. Beautiful lovely potato chips...

1youngmommy

That does give me somegreat ideas!! Thanks! Yeah potato chips are pretty awesome, i miss them lol... I do not like shrimp, but everything else sounds pretty good, especially the nuts and cheese...wasn't sure i could have any cheese..yes oatmeal is a wonderful thing, i just bought some raspberries and oats so i can have a good healthy snack or lunch if i portion it out bigger, this way i am not stuck on the same things

Omanya

Lol, yeah, I was about to say that it's very easy to add 300 calories. I don't think I saw any milk in your diary. You can add three glasses of that. You can also add nutrient-dense cereals. For example, I regularly eat "quaker simply granola vanilla almond" and "oatmeal crispy crunchy almond," among others. I highly suggest that you weigh them, though, because they're very dense. Otherwise, eat nuts. Avocados. Driizle olive and coconut oil on things. Eat cottage cheese - but, again, that's very dense, so measure it. I would recommend some more fruit but you might be pushing your sugar limit already. If you enjoy popcorn you can get a popcorn maker and get around 7 cups for 120 calories. Or you can munch on smartpop or skinnypop.

Honestly, though, you need more protein. Maybe make an egg, cheese, and turkey sandwich in the morning? Just add an extra few oz of meat on most days.

Omanya

Oatmeal, eh? You can make some yummy protein pancakes:

1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c mashed banana
1 t baking powder
1 t vanilla extract
Seasonings of choice to taste (I use sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt)

The batter should be thicker than regular batter. Pour them medium thin and give them a tad bit longer to cook. They taste like wheat pancakes but they can take a little practice to cook properly (not gummy in the middle or burnt on the outside).