Too much Greek yogurt??

EnjoyTheSpin

Greek yogurt holds me like no other food. It's low in cals and high in protein, so it seems like the perfect mini meal. I need to watch my calorie intake during the day while staying satiated and energized. My goal is to lose about 15 pounds of fat and put on some lean muscle. The past few days I've eaten 4 meals per day:

1: 6 oz. plain FF Greek yogurt + 1/2 C blueberries + Coffee w/ protein milk
2: 6 oz. plain FF Greek yogurt + 1/2 T raw almond butter
3: 6 oz. plain FF Greek yogurt + 1/2 C blueberries
4: Various dinner (about 600 cals)

Is this a good/bad plan? Too much yogurt/just enough?

crudd12

I think you need to add vegetables, healthy oils (olive oil, safflower oil, etc), more lean protein, eggs, oatmeal, whole wheat grains to your daily diet! Also skim milk is good also! I would think you would get tired of eating the same thing over and over! Good luck to you!!

EnjoyTheSpin

I think you need to add vegetables, healthy oils (olive oil, safflower oil, etc), more lean protein, eggs, oatmeal, whole wheat grains to your daily diet! Also skim milk is good also! I would think you would get tired of eating the same thing over and over! Good luck to you!!

I eat tons of roasted veggies, lean meats, and whole grains at dinner time. Do you think that's enough?

catoutlaw

Yes, you'll lose faster with one greek yogurt per day. It's medium glycemic since milk has sugars in it. Chicken, eggs or fish and veggies will work much better for the other meals. Good luck!~

Cathryn Outlaw

vettle

as long as you're eating a balanced diet you're fine! If all you ate was yogurt then maybe that would be a problem but like you said at dinner you eat your veggies and all the other groups!

rmwinters

I would burn out on greek yogurt.

EnjoyTheSpin

I would burn out on greek yogurt.

Yeah, you'd think. But I love it. I REALLY love it.

TonyNMitchell

Greek yogurt is SO GOOD! But like said before you need to spice it up and include variety. Believe me I know how easy it is in the morning to just grab "the usual" and get my butt out the door but don't let that be your case. Balance sugar level (consistent throughout the day with 5 small meals not 2-3), recommended fiber (to ensure digestion and a healthy system), protein (to help sustain and grow lean muscle and not set your system into scavenge mode), and of course total calorie count to sustain you but yet lose a healthy amount of weight while not eating everything in site. Try adding fresh vegetables like bell or dutch peppers with humus (a great snack), granola bars, fruit like pineapple/apples/plums/peaches (cheap and full of natural sugar/good sugars), and nuts. All good sources of protein and nutrients your body will love you for! Good luck, stay focused and keep working hard...it will happen for you! (60lbs 6 months and still losing!)

Jo2926

I love yogurt - and I've lost weight eating loads of it. But you may get bored at some point, so I would have a few other high protein ideas on hand! I like cottage cheese with fish sticks at lunch and it keeps me going through the afternoon.

As long as you stay within your calories, and your evening meal is balanced, I say eat as much yogurt as you like!

LilMissFoodie

Yes, you'll lose faster with one greek yogurt per day. It's medium glycemic since milk has sugars in it. Chicken, eggs or fish and veggies will work much better for the other meals. Good luck!~

Cathryn Outlaw

Actually, recent research shows that people who eat 3 serves of dairy each day lose more weight (even with the same caloric intake) than those who don't. Especially from around the mid section.

That said, won't you get bored of it quickly? Might be better to find some other bits and pieces to fit into your day. Also I have no idea how much 6oz is so if it's more than a serve then having 3 serves might make it more difficult to meet your micro requirements than if you were having a tad more variety.

EnjoyTheSpin

Yes, you'll lose faster with one greek yogurt per day. It's medium glycemic since milk has sugars in it. Chicken, eggs or fish and veggies will work much better for the other meals. Good luck!~

Cathryn Outlaw

Actually, recent research shows that people who eat 3 serves of dairy each day lose more weight (even with the same caloric intake) than those who don't. Especially from around the mid section.

That said, won't you get bored of it quickly? Might be better to find some other bits and pieces to fit into your day. Also I have no idea how much 6oz is so if it's more than a serve then having 3 serves might make it more difficult to meet your micro requirements than if you were having a tad more variety.

I saw this study too! That's what got me thinking about it. 6 oz. is a serving (1 container)

mem50

I love yogurt - and I've lost weight eating loads of it. But you may get bored at some point, so I would have a few other high protein ideas on hand! I like cottage cheese with fish sticks at lunch and it keeps me going through the afternoon.

As long as you stay within your calories, and your evening meal is balanced, I say eat as much yogurt as you like!

^ Totally agree ^
I also had/have the greek and regular yogurt "addiction" going on. I lost best during the yogurt episodes! And when I notice the numbers trying to climb I'm right back at it.

Jo2926

Would love to see the study - does anyone have a link?

EnjoyTheSpin

Would love to see the study - does anyone have a link?

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nutrition/health-benefits-of-yogurt/?page=2

margojr4

Would love to see the study - does anyone have a link?

http://www.whymilk.com/healthy_weight_article/milk_help_weight_loss

There's tons of research done with dairy and health. Just Google "dairy and weight loss" and you'll see lots of links

Jo2926

thanks both!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

my concern is that you're not getting enough calories--each of those "meals" is about 100-150 calories then a 600 calorie dinner. That's severely undereating (even for weight loss) for 99% of people.

EnjoyTheSpin

For those of you still following this post, I revised my plan just a little (under today's diet). Please offer any advice and feedback!

Acg67

Yes, you'll lose faster with one greek yogurt per day. It's medium glycemic since milk has sugars in it. Chicken, eggs or fish and veggies will work much better for the other meals. Good luck!~

Cathryn Outlaw

are you saying you'll lose faster if you eat low GI foods even assuming the same amount of cals?

if so...

An 18-mo randomized trial of a low-glycemic-index diet and weight change in Brazilian women

http://www.ajcn.org/content/86/3/707.abstract

Conclusions: Long-term weight changes were not significantly different between the HGI and LGI diet groups; therefore, this study does not support a benefit of an LGI diet for weight control. Favorable changes in lipids confirmed previous results.

Reduced glycemic index and glycemic load diets do not increase the effects of energy restriction on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese men and women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177201

In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.

Long-term effects of 2 energy-restricted diets differing in glycemic load on dietary adherence, body composition, and metabolism in CALERIE: a 1-y randomized controlled trial

http://www.ajcn.org/content/85/4/1023.abstract?ijkey=57903af923cb2fcdc065ffd37b00a32e22f4c5cf&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Conclusions:These findings provide more detailed evidence to suggest that diets differing substantially in glycemic load induce comparable long-term weight loss.

No effect of a diet with a reduced glycaemic index on satiety, energy intake and body weight in overweight and obese women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923862

CONCLUSION:

This study provides no evidence to support an effect of a reduced GI diet on satiety, energy intake or body weight in overweight/obese women. Claims that the GI of the diet per se may have specific effects on body weight may therefore be misleading.

margojr4

For those of you still following this post, I revised my plan just a little (under today's diet). Please offer any advice and feedback!

If thats all you ate today, thats too low. Are you working your muscles for all the protein you consume? Eg. lifting weights? If not, extra protein will turn into fat storage if not used.


600 calories? Thats my breakfast and snack per day?! :noway:

EnjoyTheSpin

I do an hour of spin 2-3 times per week, upper body resistance twice per week, and lower body resistance twice per week. Still, I'm gaining weight so it's clearly the amount I'm eating. I'm pretty sure I eat over 2000 calories a day. I eat super healthy, but my portions are too large for my size. I want to fit comfortably in my size 6 jeans. I'm teetering a size 8, so I just want to tone up and drop a few pounds to reach my goal.