Advice Please

cottonwool_monkey

As a bit of background to this question - I currently have a BMI of over 35, and before attempting this diet did no exercise.

As of last week I'm trying to get into a healthier lifestyle, so I'm doing 20 mins of activity every other day (which I intend to increase as I lose weight) and, to kick start the diet, I am trying to stick to 1000 calories per day until this weekend. I'm aware this is not the healthiest of diets, and after this weekend I shall be increasing this allowance slightly, however, in the meantime I am trying to find a way to get the nutrients I need (most of it comes from taking a multivitamin with a large glass of skimmed milk each day). The only problem is every day I am vastly exceeding my sugar allowance and I don't know how to bring this down without compromising on other nutrition. Does anybody have any advice?

As an idea if what I currently eat, which is coming out at around 80g of sugar per day:

Breakfast:
Coffee with 1tsp sugar (I can't let this go, it's the only way I can kick start my energy!)
Porridge sweetened with half a banana or a handful of raspberries

Mid morning:
Green Tea or a skimmed latte with sweeteners

Lunch:
Turkey salad with a low sugar, low cal dressing
200g fruit

Mid afternoon:
A handful of roasted nuts

Dinner:
A 400-500 cal meal - usually ready meals but I always check there are no more than 7-8g of sugar per meal
A portion of veg (usually broccoli or spinach)
A glass of milk

Mid evening:
Half a banana or some raspberries with artificial sweetener
And/or a small apple


If anybody can give me some advice I would really appreciate it. Above all I need to lose weight, but it's so hard to know how to do this is a sensible way and keep the right nutrition coming in each day!

mnwild77

Hello,
I too have a sweet tooth and struggle to stay away from the sugars so I probably could not give the best advise but stick to doing the activities. I started drinking my coffee plain or getting a flavored coffee and just focusing on the calories. Adding alternative snacks with natural sugar seemed to help as well.

successgal1

Eat more green leafies, and dark veggies, they will not seriously add to what looks like a severely limited calorie goal, why so low? Add some brown rice in there.

kklemarow

I used to take sugar in my coffee and gradually reduced it until I didn't need it anymore. It took about 6 months but now I find any amount of sugar in my coffee is too much. Baby steps will get you there (also, try to cut out the artificial sweeteners, they're so unhealthy).

cottonwool_monkey

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate any help I can get with this!

Successgal- The low limit is down to two things really. Firstly I'm at birthday celebrations this weekend where I know the diet will be off for 2 days so I'm trying to mitigate the damage, and secondly I'd like to see some real weight loss these first couple of weeks as I struggle to stay motivated to diet, there's a loooong way to go and I'm more likely to get into a routine if I can see a bit of progress straight away. It might seem daft but it seems to work for me!

Mnwild- looking at what I'm currently eating could you recommend what I should be exchanging for an alternative snack, and maybe what alternatives you'd recommend?

cottonwool_monkey

I used to take sugar in my coffee and gradually reduced it until I didn't need it anymore. It took about 6 months but now I find any amount of sugar in my coffee is too much. Baby steps will get you there (also, try to cut out the artificial sweeteners, they're so unhealthy).

I know, I do feel bad with the artificial sweeteners, but I honestly can't stand unsweetened coffee- believe me I've tried. I used to have 2-3 sugars per cup, which I got down to 1 small teaspoon or a sweetener the last time I dieted, but it's just not to my taste with any less.