Losing 15-20lbs by July

PHr34k0wt

I need to lose about 1lb/week to get to my goal weight by July, but for the last couple months I've been losing NOTHING! It's been pretty consistent on my analog scale of 148-151 (I have a digital scale, but while my analog scale stays the same, my digital will jump between 149-157 daily, it's pretty messed). Any tips? My food diary is open...

jaymek92

Less sodium, more calories.
Your goal is 1500. Net 1500.
You also probably don't NEED to lose 15 pounds by July. Weight loss isn't a sprint. You didn't gain the weight overnight and you won't lose it overnight.

PHr34k0wt

Hhah, point well made, I didn't even realise I wrote "need"!
Let me rephrase, I would really like to lose!
I find it really really difficult to reach 1500 calories, and tips on snacks that are healthy and calorie packed?

Amy62575

OP how tall are you because you look pretty thin to me :flowerforyou:

PHr34k0wt

@Amy I'm 5'6", and blush, thanks. I'm trying to make my goal to be mid-range in the healthy area of my BMI. At 150lbs I'm pretty close to the overweight area.

Any one else have weirdness with their digi scales?

Jane_1705

OP how tall are you because you look pretty thin to me :flowerforyou:

I have the same question how tall are you. Sounds like you don't have much to lose could be that half a pound a week is more realistic. Give your scales away for a month and measure yourself instead.
Food you are eating looks pretty good just a 'lil bit more of it.'

Jane_1705

My scales are pretty accurate

jaymek92

Hhah, point well made, I didn't even realise I wrote "need"!
Let me rephrase, I would really like to lose!
I find it really really difficult to reach 1500 calories, and tips on snacks that are healthy and calorie packed?

Nuts. DEFINITELY nuts. Also avacados, eggs, whole milk, cheese, bananas, trail mix.
Maybe get yourself some protein powder and make a smoothie with some protein, yogurt, milk, and fruit if you find yourself having trouble with actually eating your calories.

jmcreynolds91

Hhah, point well made, I didn't even realise I wrote "need"!
Let me rephrase, I would really like to lose!
I find it really really difficult to reach 1500 calories, and tips on snacks that are healthy and calorie packed?

Peanut butter, granola bars, greek yogurt

PHr34k0wt

I've heard SO much good stuff about protein shakes, and until you mentioned that I forgot they exist. That's an excellent idea! Thanks for the reminder!

PHr34k0wt

I've recently read that granola and cereal bars hold the same amount of fat and sugar as a candy bar, but in half the size. I believe it :S

invisibubble

Yes, more cals, less sodium. Dairy and nuts, salmon are good cal-heavy yet healthy things. Up protein to maintain muscle mass, repair tissue and start lifting heavy things.
FYI, Just to maintain I eat 2200 a day and I'm 146lbs.
Ignore the scale. I am 3-4 pounds heavier since starting maintenance calories and yet, my measurements are not bigger. I also fluctuate quite a lot by the way.

harlanJEN

I find it really really difficult to reach 1500 calories, and tips on snacks that are healthy and calorie packed?

Ok! I have a serious interest in understanding WHY you have difficulty eating/ reaching 1500 calories.

you don't know WHAT to eat? Meaning ..do u think certain foods are off limits ?

HAs your body adapted to eating lower cals, thereby rendering u " not hungry"

or is it food amnesia?

I'm genuinely puzzled by statements like this.

Example: a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk = easy
a bowl of yogurt, some sliced fruit and some walnuts
A sliced apple and almond butter
a slice of cheddar cheese and some pita chips
Almonds and some dried apricots
Sliced peppers and hummus

ANYTHING. focus on lean protein, veg, fruit, healthy fats ( nuts, nut butters, avocado for example) Fat is satisfying and calorie dense.

PHr34k0wt

I find it really really difficult to reach 1500 calories, and tips on snacks that are healthy and calorie packed?

Ok! I have a serious interest in understanding WHY you have difficulty eating/ reaching 1500 calories.

you don't know WHAT to eat? Meaning ..do u think certain foods are off limits ?

HAs your body adapted to eating lower cals, thereby rendering u " not hungry"

or is it food amnesia?

I'm genuinely puzzled by statements like this.

Example: a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk = easy
a bowl of yogurt, some sliced fruit and some walnuts
A sliced apple and almond butter
a slice of cheddar cheese and some pita chips
Almonds and some dried apricots
Sliced peppers and hummus

ANYTHING. focus on lean protein, veg, fruit, healthy fats ( nuts, nut butters, avocado for example) Fat is satisfying and calorie dense.

I'm not sure exactly why. I've never been one to eat a whole lot, which is what I blame my weight gain on. Growing up, especially in highschool if I tried to eat breakfast I'd get really really nauseous... That's something I've been trying to work on with smoothies, and light breakfasts, but I still have a lot of issues with it. I can get coffee down in the morn, that's about it. So then, after not eating in the morning, I don't find myself hungry until 3 or 4 in the afternoon and then I finally get some food down. By that point, I mean, the days mostly done. I can't pack in 1500 calories from that time until I fall asleep, nor do I want to eat a whole bunch of calories before bed. I think my bodies been in shock as long as it's had this routine and holds onto whatever food I put into my body, therefore making weight loss hard and weight gain easy. So... yeah.

tripful

Hello! There are so many ways to go here, it really all depends upon *how* you'd like to lose the weight. Does it feel sustainable to remain at your current caloric intake, eating the kind of foods you do? Have you been nice and healthy there, pretty effortlessly? Do want to get leaner (less body fat %)? Get more nutrients? Or do you care about any of that? Your opinion on all of that does matter, and any way you feel is perfectly respectable.

As a general answer, though, I'll take a crack. I would move your carb intake more towards non-starchy, leafy vegetables, like mustard greens, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, etc. Then I'd pretty much eliminate alcohol, and nix the pasta, refined sugar and most grains (I say *most*, in the sense of staying on the perimeter of your grocery store, avoiding the isles of "fake" food). After the starch/sugar/carb reduction of whatever degree, I'd replace the vacancy with *high quality* fats found in stuff like nuts, oils (virgin olive, red palm, etc) and fish (salmon, sea bass, etc), grass-fed beef and free-range poultry, organic or local pork, following with as much butter and cheese as you prefer. If you were at, lets say, 55% carb, 15% fat, 30% protein before, doing the above would probably move you towards 5-15% carbs (of the mostly complex, fibrous variety), 50-70% fat and 15-35% protein, depending upon the balance with which you find yourself naturally most comfortable.

Overall, I think that would help break your "plateau", while at the same time help pull you away from having to count calories as meticulously as I suspect you are (which, if you think about it, our ancestors, who were all naturally more health and "fit" never had to do, nor did they even know what a calorie was haha!). Anyways, the foods you'll be consuming will be more satiating (fill you up better and keep you full longer), less aggressive (ie. less likely to be stored as body fat), more nutrient dense (excellent on many levels) and less efficient (lower % consumed likely to become body fat). Now, with that comes a few things you might not be used to. Your total "calories" will most likely go up, most likely violating MFP's strict calorie counting approach to weight loss; and your %fat/%carb balance will be flip-flopped against the numbers MFP uses. There's a bunch of backstory and tons of supporting study as to why I think that is perfectly ok, but keeping to the point, I have a feeling if you gave it a try, you might like the results. That's just been my experience. Whatever route you pick, do keep us posted!

PHr34k0wt

Hello! There are so many ways to go here, it really all depends upon *how* you'd like to lose the weight. Does it feel sustainable to remain at your current caloric intake, eating the kind of foods you do? Have you been nice and healthy there, pretty effortlessly? Do want to get leaner (less body fat %)? Get more nutrients? Or do you care about any of that? Your opinion on all of that does matter, and any way you feel is perfectly respectable.

As a general answer, though, I'll take a crack. I would move your carb intake more towards non-starchy, leafy vegetables, like mustard greens, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, etc. Then I'd pretty much eliminate alcohol, and nix the pasta, refined sugar and most grains (I say *most*, in the sense of staying on the perimeter of your grocery store, avoiding the isles of "fake" food). After the starch/sugar/carb reduction of whatever degree, I'd replace the vacancy with *high quality* fats found in stuff like nuts, oils (virgin olive, red palm, etc) and fish (salmon, sea bass, etc), grass-fed beef and free-range poultry, organic or local pork, following with as much butter and cheese as you prefer. If you were at, lets say, 55% carb, 15% fat, 30% protein before, doing the above would probably move you towards 5-15% carbs (of the mostly complex, fibrous variety), 50-70% fat and 15-35% protein, depending upon the balance with which you find yourself naturally most comfortable.

Overall, I think that would help break your "plateau", while at the same time help pull you away from having to count calories as meticulously as I suspect you are (which, if you think about it, our ancestors, who were all naturally more health and "fit" never had to do, nor did they even know what a calorie was haha!). Anyways, the foods you'll be consuming will be more satiating (fill you up better and keep you full longer), less aggressive (ie. less likely to be stored as body fat), more nutrient dense (excellent on many levels) and less efficient (lower % consumed likely to become body fat). Now, with that comes a few things you might not be used to. Your total "calories" will most likely go up, most likely violating MFP's strict calorie counting approach to weight loss; and your %fat/%carb balance will be flip-flopped against the numbers MFP uses. There's a bunch of backstory and tons of supporting study as to why I think that is perfectly ok, but keeping to the point, I have a feeling if you gave it a try, you might like the results. That's just been my experience. Whatever route you pick, do keep us posted!

Brilliant! Thanks you!

tripful

I'm glad that resonates!

Another point to keep in mind: as much as you can, avoid drinking your calories. Sports drinks, fruit juices and artificial milks are typically not necessary or even healthy in the long run. The human metabolic system definitely didn't evolve in their presence. Water is all you primarily need, and a few cups of coffee don't hurt, along with the occasional high-quality, full-fat natural milk, as much as you can tolerate (dairy is an oddball, it retards fat-burn and weight reduction is some people, but in others had little to no effect, so just be a bit mindful the days after you've had your favorite butter, milk or cheese). I find, too, that as I began to burn fat as my main energy supply, I was spontaneously drinking more water (also making it less necessary to be conscious of drinking that suggested "8 glasses a day" haha). Win-win!

I love sharing all these great tidbits, don't you? Best of luck!