CLUELESS... am I eating right or not?

sthrnchick

OK... for those that have been at this awhile... I need your help. I am almost 40 and have been COMPLETELY in love with food my entire life...my joke is I tell everyone that I simply have more taste buds than the average person. For 5 weeks, I have broken up with that love affair and have carefully documented everything I ate...problem is.. I dont know if I am eating right or not. I have drastically cut my portions, cut out all sodas ( miss you Dr Pepper), cut out all processed bread, and drink tons of water. When you have a moment...please check out my food diary and give advise. Thanks!

sapalee

It sounds like you're on the right track with regard to eating "cleaner" but skimming through your diary for a few days it looks like you are coming in WAY TOO LOW on calories. Your body may be going into starvation mode. How did you come up with the 1587 a day goal? If you used the BMR and activity levels through MFP you should really try to eat that amount. The days you're coming in so low could be doing more damage than good.

I can't speak too much on weight loss personally but I think I have pretty good handle on eating healthy.

For me personally it's meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, fruit, and some dairy. I limit processed food and added sugars as much as possible. You are welcome to take a look at my diary, just keep in mind my current goals are gaining muscle mass. And keep in mind Easter and the following days have been out of the ordinary with the sweets and dang Cadbury eggs, lol.

Plenty of others will have good advice as well...

Good luck and take care!

sthrnchick

Thank you... I am so new to watching what I mindlessly eat. I am still confused at to what I should eat calorie wise. I certainly dont want to take in too much... but then again.. I dont want to be putting in all the hard work only to be slowing my metabilism. I thank you so much for the advise and taking the time to help!

JersryGirl31

You do seem to be eating way too little. Aren't you hungry? Your body needs those 1200 calories to function. I know it's hard to eat more calories sometimes, but try to stay close to your goal. You will feel better and have more energy. You are also supposed to eat the calories you burn when you exercise. Don't think about this as a diet, but a way of life. It's not a race and the more you deprive yourself, the more likely you will quit the program and rebound.

sthrnchick

I am hungry a lot of the times... but again.. I am really clueless. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything.. so I will do whatever it takes! Thank you all for the help!

Sarauk2sf

I cannot comment on whether your calorie goal is set high enough (MFP can be a little low), but assuming you have set to 1lb a week weight loss and that the goal is correct - you should be eating as near as possible to this goal (within 100 plus or minus) - red does not always mean bad and green does not always mean good. Eating as little as you are you are not getting enough nutrients and you are not setting yourself up for success (slower metabolism = gain weight when you eat more).

dancin2011

I agree in that you are eating way too little and that will cause you to gain in the long run! My advice would be to set your weight loss goal for .5 to 1 lb a week. Then eat the number of calories MFP tells you to eat (not hundreds of calories below!) and see what happens. For me, MFP set my goal at 1200 calories a day because I was aiming for over a pound of week, which is just not realistic when I'm already at a healthy weight. I actually started gaining weight on that and after reading the forums I realized that I needed to increase my intake. I now aim for around 1400 and lose on that amount. Sounds crazy, but it works for me. Just play around with it and adjust as needed. You will soon figure out what works for you.

sthrnchick

Thank you dancin2011... I need the advise b/c I truly do not know!

ljc73

I agree with the eating more calories advice. For the first couple of weeks on MFP, I was way under on my calorie goal and wasn't eating my exercise calories. For the past 3 - 4 days, I have been trying to eat all my recommended calories and most of my exercise calories back and I've lost about 1/2 a pound a day, which is a HUGE change! I'm now a believer in eating those calories -- and making sure they are clean, healthy calories!

ShaeSweetie

Hey, your eating seems pretty good..again though as everyone else is saying your eating veryy little..i would eat just about the amount of calories your directed. If you dont eat then your body goes into starvation mode and it hangs onto any bit of fat that it can cause its doesnt know when its gonna eat next. You can be hungry sometimes so that your stomach gets smaller and you dont eat as much, but your best off eating a bunch of small meals throughout the day so that you dont over eat but you dont store fat. I would eat just about up to your calories, maybe a little over and then burn some off with excersize! But overall your food choices arent bad! lots of yogurts and fruits!

graelwyn

To be quite blunt, you are not eating enough, that is extremely obvious, looking at your diary.
The aim isn't to eat as little as possible and send your body into panic mode, the aim is to eat well, and at a level you can sustain for life, so you don't end up caught up in an endless stream of diets leading to loss, gain, loss gain.
You do not need to eat below 1200 calories to lose weight. In fact, it is more likely to lead to disaster than success as you will end up miserable, and possible undo any loss you do achieve.

Calculate your bmr, set to lose 0.5Ib-1Ib a week, and if you exercise, eat back your exercise calories. Most people would burn over 1200 calories a day if they were in a coma, so as you can imagine, eating below that is really bad for your wellbeing. Many here are losing weight on 1400-1600 a day, without any exercise, so I suggest you have a look around and adjust your eating and ideas on losing weight.

Good luck.

OSC_ESD

~ I would definitely add more protein calories ... look towards " one ingredient " foods ... Nuts, Grains, Seeds, Fish, Fruits, Veggies .... add more color to your diet. You have the right mentality ... but with limited food / calories .... I am afraid this is not a " lifestyle " change that one can endure for a long period of time.

Your love affair with food can still exist ... you just need to find new healthier flings ! I also have a mad love affair with food and will continue to do so for as long as I live ! I love my Sushi, Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Seeds, Fish, Edamamè, Hummus, Whole Grain Breads, Greek Yogurt, Granola ... ohhhhhh and the spices and herbs !!! My current love involves ... CILANTRO !

If somebody told me just two years ago I would crave " veggies " ... I would have laughed in their face as I munched on pizza and downed a mountain dew ! It's amazing how your body changes as you fuel it accordingly ... it's so true that you feel as good as you eat ... I have never felt better in my life !

Do some research on nutrition ... read some diaries and get excited about trying new things ! The best surprises are the one's that come in low calories and tastes great !

And always remember ... if you don't love it ... don't eat it !!!!!

PS ... Saying good bye to soda is a huge stepping stone ... you couldn't pay me to drink one today ! Green Tea and H2O are my sources of fluid intake .... LOVE MY H2O !!! :drinker:

:flowerforyou:

indrani1947

I agree with eat more calories, one thing I have learned this time around is to eat more protein, which helps with building muscle and keeping the body healthy also allow yourself 20% not so healthy (chocolate or the odd piece of cake, biscuit etc.) it will help you stay focused on the 80% healthy eating!

naomisimpson247

You need to eat more!

Swissmiss

Your food selections look good. You might want to eat a bit more. Looks like you are not getting enough calories.

Sh1tsRainbows

EAT MOAR!!!!!!!!!!

SVallatini

I agree, you need to eat more! You should get closer to your calorie goal. What you are eating looks healthy enough, but the lack of calorie intake is a bit concerning.

roslynds9

I was browsing through your diary and I agree mostly with what other people have said about not eating too little and making sure you're not starving yourself. However, what mostly hit me was that there doesn't appear to be much in the way of fresh fruit and veg going on, a lot of the time you seem to be going for healthy option ready meals. These are fine once in a while when you're pressed for time but eating them regularly isn't a great idea as they tend to have extra salt and preservatives etc in them that can cause you to retain water.

I would recommend that you have a go at batch cooking (essentially making your own ready meals) I do this once or twice a week. When I'm cooking dinner I will cook three or four times more than I need for that night and then portion off the rest into containers and freeze them. That way I can take one to work to heat up for lunch or I can bung one in the oven after work one night when I can't be bothered cooking.

If you build your diet around fresh fruit and veg a little dairy and fresh meats and fish then you will find that you can eat much more for fewer calories. This means you won't be left hungry and craving snacky foods and you'll be taking in a much healthier diet.

If you'd like some really quick and easy recipes or would like to chat about healthy eating I'd be happy for you to add me as a friend and contact me any time

AthenaErr

Eat more, this is easier with healty food so try to keep fat and sugar totals down. But first off just experiment with how you eat a nice day of eating in about 1500 (looks like thats you mpf set aim). Good luck - its not so hard I promise, you will find it easier once you start eating a little more

amyniceneasy

Are we twins? 38 and with a love for Chipotle? LOL....your not eating enough!

herownkindofwonderfull

just as most others have said... eat more! NEVER eat under 1200 calories! It looks like all of your logged days have been under this much. you should be eating throughout the day... every 2-3 hours or so. recommended 5-6 meals... It will keep your metabolism up! and if you exercise, make sure you eat back those calories too!