Is this a healthy diet?

hi76

Hi, I started this diet and exercise routine 4 days ago when I weighed 220 pounds. I am 5'9. I am losing weight rather quickly, and I want to make sure it doesn't come with any repercussions. I am confident that I can maintain this plan for as long as I desire. And should I do weight training to ensure that I don't lose muscle mass? I am taking no diet pills or anything of the sort. After these four days, I now weigh 213.

Breakfast: 75-150 Cals worth of Egg White (I may skip this occasionally in the future due to not waking early enough)
Lunch: Generic 1 bowl salad with no toppings/dressing (vegetables typically include baby spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, onions)
Dinner: Between 500-900 Cals (another salad like lunch and then meats. For example today, I had a salad, a piece of chicken parm and 300 cals worth of pork loin). A will also have carbs occasionally as well.

Exercise: 1 hour on elliptical 4 days out of the week. burning ~ 650 Cals. The other three days of the week, 1/2 hour and ~325 Cals. I also am in college, so I do a good amount of walking to classes

Prior to this workout, I ate well over 2000 cals and didn't exercise much. But again, I am confident in my ability to maintain this workout. Is this a healthy longterm plan? Should I make any adjustments? I am new to this lifestyle, so I don't want to create problems for me. Thank you for your help.

RougeIllusion

It sounds healthy but super boring. I don't know how anyone could do that diet long term. Are you gonna eat egg whites for breakfast and salad for lunch everyday for the rest of your life? I would just suggest adding in some variety so that you don't get bored and also so that you're able to enjoy life a little. If you're really trying to make a lifestyle change it's silly to think that you're never going to eat a cookie or bread or ice cream or whatever your favorite "bad thing" is again.

djames92

id say its healthy but very dull and hard to stick to so id recommend some changes

auddii

Eh, I eat the same thing most days, and I love it. Although I do have something different between lunch and dinner. And I had a cupcake for a snack this morning.

If it's viable for you, and you're eating less energy than you use, it should be a good diet.

reachme

The diet looks healthy, but very monotonous. Not sure if this diet can be continued over a period of time. Adding healthy options like oats, cereals(breakfast), wholegrain sub(lunch/dinner) might help.

rtrcarrie

You need variety and at least 1200 calories a day to stay healthy and sane. DON'T skip breakfasst, it's the most important meal of the day and give yourself enough calories at breakfast to get your metabolism going. I generally go for 200-250calories in that meal, 125-225 for lunch, and about 400-500 for supper. This allows for a healthy snack between lunch and supper and another after supper while still getting the boost my body needs to begin and keep going through my day. I started out at 222 with no real direction, but once I got on this type of meal plan at about 200, I am going strong and feeling great.

Exercise is essential to not only keep from loosing muscle, but also to keep yourself healthy, energetic, and happy. It's not easy to get started but easy to continue once you do. Go for a walk every day. You'll work up to more eventually, but walking is a great start.

Don't worry about loosing fast at first, that's not too uncommon. Just don't get upset when it starts becoming less fast and more steady of a loss pattern. Don't let it discourage you because that is how the human body works and you will be doing nothing wrong

stacifahlsing

I eat similar meals... eggs for breakfast and salad for lunch. But I add all kinds of fun veggies in my eggs. My salads are just lettuce, but I add a homemade dressing of meyer lemon juice with safflower oil and a little salt and pepper. I also put some kind of meat on top of my salad so that I don't starve 3 hours later! I agree with what others said... it looks good, but spice it up. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, etc. to your eggs, or even hot sauce. Enjoy creating cool foods that are healthy that you haven't tried before. : ) Good luck!

alanlmarshall

It's not healthy or sustainable because it is way too few calories for a man your size.If you prefer a monotonous diet that's fine, but you have to eat enough to live. At least BMR including exercise.

stines72

not enough calories.

hi76

Thanks for the feedback guys! For those who said it is monotonous, fair enough. I'm thinking that I'll keep the monotonous part of the diet the way it is for now but if and when it does happen that I can't take it anymore, I'll make some adjustments like you guys said. Spicing up my breakfast and lunch does sound good, so thanks .

@rtrcarrie Alright, I'll make sure to eat breakfast everyday and eat a bit more there. thanks.

If what I'm eating right now really is too little, then I suppose I will eat a bit more. Definitely don't want to hurt my metabolism.

Again thanks for the input guys! I appreciate it. All of my friends have never had any difficulty being in shape so I wasn't sure who to ask. Until now!

fightininggirl

this!
id say its healthy but very dull and hard to stick to so id recommend some changes

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Have you figured out your BMR and TDEE yet? I suggest eating close to your BMR.

mockchoc

You are going to damage your metabolism as 18 year old guy eating that little. Please work out what your TDEE is and deduct 20% from it to find out how to lose weight in a healthier way.

CoraGregoryCPA

See what happens. Watch out for being tired while exercising. I noticed when I was eating less but working out a lot,, my desire to exercise goes down. And I'm in love with my gym. I really enjoy going.. so for me not to be happy about going, means I need to increase my calories a bit. I need the energy to exercise.

angieleighbyrd

It doesn't sound like you would get a lot of fats on that diet. I would add in some nuts, avocado etc.

mockchoc

It doesn't sound like you would get a lot of fats on that diet. I would add in some nuts, avocado etc.

and eat the egg yolk. Full of vitamins and healthy fats that your body needs.

Shadowknight137

This kind of meal plan is the very reason you can't spell diet without "die".

Eat more palatable food. For your sake.

ajhugz

I'm also 5'9 and about 10 lbs heavier than you. It wouldn't hurt to add a couple healthy snacks and more protein. My breakfast is typically one egg with spinach and a yogurt. Make sure you're not starving. I eat my largest meal for lunch instead of dinner because I'm still really active after lunch vs dinner. When you workout a lot you need to eat more calories. As long as you're eating healthier food and smaller portions you should see results.

PosterGuy1

Hi, I started this diet and exercise routine 4 days ago when I weighed 220 pounds. I am 5'9. I am losing weight rather quickly, and I want to make sure it doesn't come with any repercussions. I am confident that I can maintain this plan for as long as I desire. And should I do weight training to ensure that I don't lose muscle mass? I am taking no diet pills or anything of the sort. After these four days, I now weigh 213.

Breakfast: 75-150 Cals worth of Egg White (I may skip this occasionally in the future due to not waking early enough)
Lunch: Generic 1 bowl salad with no toppings/dressing (vegetables typically include baby spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, onions)
Dinner: Between 500-900 Cals (another salad like lunch and then meats. For example today, I had a salad, a piece of chicken parm and 300 cals worth of pork loin). A will also have carbs occasionally as well.

Exercise: 1 hour on elliptical 4 days out of the week. burning ~ 650 Cals. The other three days of the week, 1/2 hour and ~325 Cals. I also am in college, so I do a good amount of walking to classes

Prior to this workout, I ate well over 2000 cals and didn't exercise much. But again, I am confident in my ability to maintain this workout. Is this a healthy longterm plan? Should I make any adjustments? I am new to this lifestyle, so I don't want to create problems for me. Thank you for your help.

I began my journey on 1/1, and it looks like you and I have a similar eating philosohy. I've lost 34 pounds so far, with no exercise. I'm also huge. I pretty much eat the same thing everyday, and I haven't gotten bored. Feel free to check out my diary, even though I've only been here a week.

sunsnstatheart

You're into this for 4 days and you're already starting to question it. That should be a tip off right there. Figure out your TDEE, eat at a reasonable deficit from that, and do some strength training. That's doable long term.

SanteMulberry

It doesn't sound like you would get a lot of fats on that diet. I would add in some nuts, avocado etc.

and eat the egg yolk. Full of vitamins and healthy fats that your body needs.

^^^THIS^^^ I'm always sad when I see so many MFP folks who are "fat-phobic" when they should really be "sugar and starch phobic" Egg yolks are packed with nutrition. Vitamin K2 (which is pretty hard to get from other sources) and Vitamin A among many other nutrients.

dawningr

It doesn't sound like you would get a lot of fats on that diet. I would add in some nuts, avocado etc.

and eat the egg yolk. Full of vitamins and healthy fats that your body needs.

Agreed!

Amazon_Who

I am losing on 1880 calories and I am losing. I am 5'9 currently weigh 263.6

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

evileen99

I don't see any fruit or healthy fats in your diet plan.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

your lunch isn't really lunch and your breakfast has nearly 0 fat. I don't think it's HEALTHY in that it's so restrictive that you're likely to give up. The mental fortitude required to keep something like this up is much too great.

itsjustdawn

It doesn't sound like you would get a lot of fats on that diet. I would add in some nuts, avocado etc.

and eat the egg yolk. Full of vitamins and healthy fats that your body needs.

^^^THIS^^^ I'm always sad when I see so many MFP folks who are "fat-phobic" when they should really be "sugar and starch phobic" Egg yolks are packed with nutrition. Vitamin K2 (which is pretty hard to get from other sources) and Vitamin A among many other nutrients.

^^ this.

lauren3101

The answer to your question 'is this healthy?' is quite frankly no.

Salads etc may seem like a good idea, and they are, but a healthy lifestyle is about balance. You are getting no fats in that diet. virtually no carbs and not a huge amount of protein, if I'm honest. Also, the amount of cals that all adds up to must be minimal. 1200 max - and that's if you have a 900 cal dinner.

Eat the egg yolk. I don't know why so many people are worried about egg yolks.
Add a piece of lean protein if you still want a salad at lunch. I have a salad every day, but I eat them with either chicken breast, salmon fillet, or hard-boiled eggs and ham. Avocado is also a good one to increase your fats.
Mix up your dinner a bit. Another salad is going to get boring,
Add some snacks, like nuts or fruits. Hell have a treat once in a while, just in moderation.

Most importantly, look up your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit. Healthy lifestyles do not have to be all salads and minimal calories.

happieharpie

My diet- 1 whole egg, 4 or 5 egg whites, a big bowl of salad greens or mixed veggies sauted in a teaspoon of olive oil, 2/3 c. Mixed nuts, 2 cups of mixed berries. I either have a large salad or an omelette every day. No salt, no sugar, no grain, no dairy.

For the very first time in my whole long life, no cravings. I enjoy my meal every day. My doctors are delighted. I had plenty of variety when I was eating 8,000 calories/day. For me, variety is way over rated.

My blood pressure, the reason I started this, is perfect. I will be going for blood work in the next couple weeks, and I'm thinking that my scores will be good there too. I have a brand new outlook- I no longer fear enjoying my food.

I LOVE My Fitness Pal. I would never suggest to anyone that they try this, but for me, it is the answer.