To adjust or not to adjust calories

malavika413

Well, something's got to give. You're hungry because you eat high carbs, low protein and low fat foods. If you're serious about it, you'll find a way to make it work and eat healthier foods. I don't believe that there isn't a shop where you can buy some fruit (or some of the stuff mentioned above), and I don't believe that your dining hall only serves junk. Do you have access to a fridge or microwave at all?

My dining hall does have healthy food, but very few options. Meats are fried or cooked without flavor. Everyone here eats meat 3 times a day, which I am not at all comfortable with. Our campus is not vegetarian friendly. There isn't a shop I can go to, I don't have transportation.

MFP gives me a 50% carb, 20% fat, 30% protein split. Is there a better ratio to use? I'm not quite sure.

MKEgal

I posted yesterday about the fact that I haven't lost weight in several months, and that I think I've actually gained weight.

If you're eating more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you're eating fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
You'll be most full with more protein, more fat, more fiber, fewer simple carbs.

Higher protein consumption leads to weight loss:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553

I've been eating around 1700 calories a day, to lose 0.5 a week with light activity. I'm 5'3, 150 pounds, looking to lose 25 or 30 pounds. I've tried adjusting the calories to 1490, but I'm always so hungry with that restriction.

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories.
So at 1700 you're eating to support 170 lb.

Going by BMI, you should be 105 - 135, so eating 1350 calories would be reasonable.
(That's total, not net. Ignore net, esp. since you can't really know how much food you're eating, & what's in it.)
In order to get the nutrition you need at that low of calories, you're going to have to eat better food.

This calculator will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/research/centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html


Changes:
Skim milk.
More beans. More fruit. More veggies. More nuts. More eggs. More yogurt (not frozen, just real).
More protein, maybe a little more fat, fewer carbs (simple carbs, at least; complex carbs & whole grains would be great).
Smaller portions.
Do they have a sandwich bar? Salad bar?
Get up a few minutes earlier so you can have breakfast. Have half your calories for breakfast.
(See the last half of this post for the studies to support that: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818 )

Less candy. Less ice cream. Fewer pop tarts. Fewer cookies. Fewer candy bars. Fewer granola bars. Fewer doughnuts. Fewer brownies. Ditch the Starbuck's.
Seriously, you have a "treat" pretty much every day, sometimes several times a day.
Eat more of the healthy things you have access to, have the unhealthy things maybe a couple times a week.

We get some bruised apples and green bananas. All other fruit is reserved for the athletes on campus. Berries, juicy fruits, etc. It's all for our prized football team.

Then you need to have a chat with someone...
doctor on campus (about poor nutrition available, see if they can influence dining services)
person in charge of dining services
student council
"diversity" office

And take some of those green bananas, keep them in your room until they ripen.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

MKEgal

MFP gives me a 50% carb, 20% fat, 30% protein split. Is there a better ratio to use? I'm not quite sure.

Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges:
http://www.iom.edu/Global/News Announcements/~/media/C5CD2DD7840544979A549EC47E56A02B.ashx

page 1, carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
page 2, fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
page 4, protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

So for someone with a calorie goal of 2000 per day, that would be
50% carbs, 1000 cal, 250 g
25% fat, 500 cal, 56g
25% protein, 500 cal, 125 g
(just to take the simplest example as a starting point; adjust for your own needs, to see where you feel best)

malavika413

I posted yesterday about the fact that I haven't lost weight in several months, and that I think I've actually gained weight.

If you're eating more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you're eating fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
You'll be most full with more protein, more fat, more fiber, fewer simple carbs.

Higher protein consumption leads to weight loss:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553

I've been eating around 1700 calories a day, to lose 0.5 a week with light activity. I'm 5'3, 150 pounds, looking to lose 25 or 30 pounds. I've tried adjusting the calories to 1490, but I'm always so hungry with that restriction.

My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories.
So at 1700 you're eating to support 170 lb.

Going by BMI, you should be 105 - 135, so eating 1350 calories would be reasonable.
(That's total, not net. Ignore net, esp. since you can't really know how much food you're eating, & what's in it.)
In order to get the nutrition you need at that low of calories, you're going to have to eat better food.

This calculator will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/research/centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html


Changes:
Skim milk.
More beans. More fruit. More veggies. More nuts. More eggs. More yogurt (not frozen, just real).
More protein, maybe a little more fat, fewer carbs (simple carbs, at least; complex carbs & whole grains would be great).
Smaller portions.
Do they have a sandwich bar? Salad bar?
Get up a few minutes earlier so you can have breakfast. Have half your calories for breakfast.
(See the last half of this post for the studies to support that: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818 )

Less candy. Less ice cream. Fewer pop tarts. Fewer cookies. Fewer candy bars. Fewer granola bars. Fewer doughnuts. Fewer brownies. Ditch the Starbuck's.
Seriously, you have a "treat" pretty much every day, sometimes several times a day.
Eat more of the healthy things you have access to, have the unhealthy things maybe a couple times a week.

We get some bruised apples and green bananas. All other fruit is reserved for the athletes on campus. Berries, juicy fruits, etc. It's all for our prized football team.

Then you need to have a chat with someone...
doctor on campus (about poor nutrition available, see if they can influence dining services)
person in charge of dining services
student council
"diversity" office

And take some of those green bananas, keep them in your room until they ripen.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

1350 calories...that sounds like starving. I know it isn't, and I've eaten at 1200 before, but with how stressed and tired I've been, 1350 sounds like starvation.

I agree I eat too much sugar. It's hard not to when that's the only thing here at college that I really like. I've eaten traditional Indian food my whole life, it's hard to adjust to a relatively bland American diet.