FAT GIRL PROBLEM!!! HELP!!!READ THIS NOW!!!

BrownEyedGrrl

I started out at 285 lbs 4 1/2 months ago and I had the same problem, too many calories need to hit my "target" amount. To bulk up the calories, I had a lot of complex carbs and fruit. I am now down to 245 and at 1200 cal a day, and still find it hard to hit that. You are going to do great!! I make almost all of my delicious meals using skinnytaste.com recipes and the best part is that MFP has pretty much all of the meals found there already programmed in so you don't have to add every ingredient. Good luck!

I'm just curious how people find it hard to eat up to 1200 calories a day. I currently eat between 1400 - 1550 calories a day, (I want to lose more weight slowly. I have my account set to lose 1 lbs a week.) and I find it hard to not go over sometimes even though I eat a lot of veggies and eat lean protein and not too many grains. My sister is 5'4" and weighs about 115, she's in really good shape, and even she finds it hard to eat only 1200 calories a day.
I'm just curious do you eat mostly just veggies?? I just wondering because I would like to find more low calories foods that fill me up. I get low blood sugar so I have to eat about 5 small meals a day.

nxd10

@lipsmacking when i put in my weight, that was the calorie ammount i was given because im so heavy. i will eventually work my way down to 1200 calories but this was the calorie count i was given.
@suckerlove thanks!

My husband is a big guy too and they gave him way more calories than he's used to. But it comes down as you do!

Good luck!

Lina4Lina

I think you should check your numbers, where did you get 2400 calories? The reason I ask is I remember many years ago being on Jenny Craig and they had me at 2000 calories at 330 lbs and I wasn't losing anything with regular exercise.

I weigh 282 right now and I'm eating 1500-1600 calories with an hour or so of exercise every day.

202685tracy

You should check out http://eatmore2weighless.com/ Are you exercising and lifting weights? If so you should check this out. 1200 cals is too low for anyone.

sdrasher

I just started and I am over 300 as well, I lost 8 lbs my first week! I use my calories in protein. I do the lean shakes from GNC and sometimes add PB2 for more protein and it has a yummy peanut butter flavor. Protein keeps me fuller longer.

XXXMinnieXXX

I started at 301lbs and have always eaten 1500-1600. Listen to your body if you need more eat it, if you don't then don't eat more for the sake of it. No need to eat so many calories especially if your sedentary. Very overweight people can tolerate bigger deficits. Its got me.74lbs down. I do exercise a lot now and I upped protein, lowered carbs eventually, but purely controlling calories should work for you for some time. Try 1500-1600.x

pawoodhull

Let me start by saying I had bariatric surgery last year, but what I'm doing should still work for you. I started at 386. Anyway, I'm now 266 and I eat about 1000 calories per day in 3 meals and 2 snacks. I also eat a minimum of 70 grams of protein per day. Since you are about the same size I am, I would suggest trying a lower calorie count and a higher protien count than what you are doing now. If you can talk to a dietician do so, just to verify what you're hearing here. Feel free to "friend" me if you want to look at my food logs.

dlpoisson

I believe 1200 is too low. I average 2000 calories per day. What I recommend is you track your food and see where you are at now and gradually reduce. I started at 2400 per day and gradually got down to 2000 per day and lost weight. I also exercise 5-6 times a week and mostly strenght train. Eat clean 80% of the time. This isn't a diet where you have to starve yourself. If you can, get some type of activity tracker and see where you are at burning calories. I have a Bodymedia armband and without exercising, I burn around 1800 calories in a 24 hour period. When I exercise, I burn more, but not as much as MFP says I would if I just use their calculations.

Alliwan

I came in here expecting you to ask wheres the caps lock

When she finds it, then maybe she can guide you to the apostrophe key.

Roflmao!

Ashleylonggordon

I would also shoot for 6 meals at 400 cal each. Try add lots of mufa's. which are monounsaturated fatty acids. Foods like avacado, alomonds, peanut butter and,olives. Sounding good yet? These types of foods help to decrease your viseral fat deposits. a.k.a fat that is between your organs. gross huh. Look on food labels for "monounsaturated fat".I know you will be successful.

gingerjen7

I started out at 285 lbs 4 1/2 months ago and I had the same problem, too many calories need to hit my "target" amount. To bulk up the calories, I had a lot of complex carbs and fruit. I am now down to 245 and at 1200 cal a day, and still find it hard to hit that. You are going to do great!! I make almost all of my delicious meals using skinnytaste.com recipes and the best part is that MFP has pretty much all of the meals found there already programmed in so you don't have to add every ingredient. Good luck!

I'm just curious how people find it hard to eat up to 1200 calories a day. I currently eat between 1400 - 1550 calories a day, (I want to lose more weight slowly. I have my account set to lose 1 lbs a week.) and I find it hard to not go over sometimes even though I eat a lot of veggies and eat lean protein and not too many grains. My sister is 5'4" and weighs about 115, she's in really good shape, and even she finds it hard to eat only 1200 calories a day.
I'm just curious do you eat mostly just veggies?? I just wondering because I would like to find more low calories foods that fill me up. I get low blood sugar so I have to eat about 5 small meals a day.

For me, it's portion size, usually. I'll figure on eating 4oz of meat or a whole cup of yogurt, but then I'll get full and not finish it. and I usually underestimate a portion size if I am not using a measuring cup--but then when I realize that I've eaten less than the full portion size, I usually don't adjust my diary unless I'm actually over 1200. Like today, I realized that there wasn't a whole cup of yogurt in my breakfast, but I'm leaving it as a whole cup because I'm at 1185 with my intended afternoon snack and dinner.

76scenic

Taking that and apply that with every one of the loosers they eliminated all soda's and 90% of the carbs from the diets. Which isn't all unlike going Gluten Free.

I have to pipe up here for everyone's sake - gluten free diets are NOT the same as low-carb diets. Gluten Free does not mean low carb or vice versa. Gluten Free foods have become popular because gluten allergies have become a more common diagnosis lately but food companies are using "Gluten Free" to attract dieters despite there being no dietary benefits to eating a Gluten Free diet. It is the work of advertising, marketing and packaging that is leading people to believe that a Gluten Free diet is a healthy diet but in truth there is no reason to eat Gluten Free products unless you have an allergy.

I completely agree. I am a Celiac and must have a GF lifestyle. I was trying to not make my post any longer than it was. My particular GF lifestyle is no (wheat, oats, corn, barely, rye - in any form. Including all beauty, hygeine and household cleaning chemicals).
Sorry IF my post confused anyone.

Lyssa62

When she finds it, then maybe she can guide you to the apostrophe key.

Bwahahahaha

It's always epic when somebody who tries to point out someone's error gets busted on one of their own. Well played people.

SWilkins75

I came in here expecting you to ask wheres the caps lock

When she finds it, then maybe she can guide you to the apostrophe key.

AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Boom!

Blunderguff

open your diary so we can help you even more. Shop the outside walls for your foods. Fresh or frozen veggies and fruits have lots of good calories for you. Watch your sodium intake and drink plenty of water.

simplysteff

Hi, I started at 325 pounds and found that I felt satisfied and lost weight really well with 1600 cals a day. I didn't cut out carbs but, went to only eating whole grains (unless it was a special treat once a week). I upped my protein and veggie intake. At the beginning it was hard to go without big portions so, I would weigh out my protein and a grain but, bulk up my plate with a huge salad and a veggie I really liked instead of one I thought I "should" eat. Eating like this helped me lose my first 62 pounds in about 4 months. You have to reevaluate what is and isn't working every 25 pounds or so. Oh and of course I added in exercise. Started slow and added in a little more every week. It's amazing how your body responds no matter how much you weigh.

Whatever calorie count you go with, take care of yourself. Listen to your body and be healthy! I wish you much success on your weight loss journey!

melsmith612

Taking that and apply that with every one of the loosers they eliminated all soda's and 90% of the carbs from the diets. Which isn't all unlike going Gluten Free.

I have to pipe up here for everyone's sake - gluten free diets are NOT the same as low-carb diets. Gluten Free does not mean low carb or vice versa. Gluten Free foods have become popular because gluten allergies have become a more common diagnosis lately but food companies are using "Gluten Free" to attract dieters despite there being no dietary benefits to eating a Gluten Free diet. It is the work of advertising, marketing and packaging that is leading people to believe that a Gluten Free diet is a healthy diet but in truth there is no reason to eat Gluten Free products unless you have an allergy.

I completely agree. I am a Celiac and must have a GF lifestyle. I was trying to not make my post any longer than it was. My particular GF lifestyle is no (wheat, oats, corn, barely, rye - in any form. Including all beauty, hygeine and household cleaning chemicals).
Sorry IF my post confused anyone.

Sorry if my response sounded a bit over the top but I've met quite a few people (dieters) that didn't realize GF foods were meant for allergy sufferers - they truly believed it was a new diet fad because of the popularity of the products recently. I'm glad that these options are available now but I wish food companies would do more to inform the public about the products instead of letting people come to their own conclulsions without any real information.

K_Smith86

I know the feeling! MFP tells me that I need to eat a little over 2100 calories per day, and to me that just seems too high. I've been under my calorie intake everyday, with the exception of one, and the scale hasn't changed! I work out everyday, drink plenty of water, etc. Good for you for asking questions before you got too far into your journey and preventing yourself frustration and discouragement down the road.

Sent you a friend request btw

Growtinymusclesgrow

i am a big girl and i am a little over 300 pounds. im stating my weight because i plan to change it. BUT because of my weight, i have ALOT of calories to eat....2,400 calories to be exact.i learned quickly that my problem is that i dont eat enough for my weight class. idk what an appropreate calorie count for any of my meals would be. i only know skinny people calorie counting. can someone PLEASE, PLEASE help me with recipies or food suggestions so that i can be better and begin my weight loss journey? i will be forever greatful and send you kisses from north texas!!!

Okay, I am going to play the bad guy here! Why do you have to eat 2400 calories? Because MFP says so? That is ridiculous. How active are you now that you are exercising? What exercises are you doing? How much weight are you looking to lose? I generally enjoy MFP (esp. sharing tips and trying to properly educate/get educated). Anyway, the point is that MFP is just a website. The information is generic, because EVERYONE is different and require different calories based on their individual goals and bodies. So I am not trying to be a jerk, just trying to look at things the proper way. Once you answer the above questions, you can then properly assess your daily caloric intake. Wishing you much success in reaching and surpassing your fitness goals.

fatgirlanamaria

Since you are such a high weight, you are correct that you shouldn't follow the standard weight loss rules (i.e. eating 1,200 calories per day). You should track how many calories you eat on average to get an idea of how many calories are needed for you to maintain your current weight. If that number is 3,000, for example, you would want to start reducing calories slowly so you do not shock your metabolism. Start by cutting only about 500 calories out at the beginning and then you can slowly reduce more and more calories until you've lost a significant amount of weight and can get down to 1,200-1,500 calories per day to continue losing the rest of your weight.

I would, however, advise you to stay away from strict calorie counting, because it is too stressful, and calories themselves aren't as important as the quality of food you're eating. It is good to get an idea of how many calories you are eating, but a bigger focus should be put on the food you are eating. For example, try to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables are what people call "negative calorie" foods and they do NOT need to be counted. Eat as many of them as you want. Also try to incorporate foods high in fiber in your diet. Fiber helps you feel full and stay full. Foods such as WHOLE grains and legumes (beans, lentils, peas, etc) are high in fiber. Make sure that the protein you are eating is lean and try to stay away from prepackaged foods or overly processed foods.

Good luck!