Help needed :)

Ilaped
Ilaped Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all,

I'm a newbie looking for some advice regarding diet. I binged on several trips in the past 6 months and gained 18 lbs. However, my weight didn't drop when I resumed my normal diet. And now, I don't really know how to go about weight loss without starving myself. I tried googling and things like 'cabbage soup diet, chocolate diet, lemonade diet..' popped up.

Normally, I eat three regular vegetarian meals a day and snack in the evening. Since yesterday, I'm on the fruit diet(for a week) but I'm scared that my metabolism is being compromised, making me less keen of continuing with it. I'm looking for some advice related to what diet plan I should follow.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • m4ttcheek
    m4ttcheek Posts: 229 Member
    Stop trying any "diets". Spend a week logging what you would normally then start making changes to reach your recommended calorie goal. Evolve your diet to meet your calorie limit rather then finding a completely new diet that doesn't suit you.
  • Ilaped
    Ilaped Posts: 6
    Thank you :)
    But If I stick to my normal diet, which is around 2,000-2,500 calories, how many hours of work out would I require to lose 2 pounds a week?
  • cgrout78
    cgrout78 Posts: 1,628 Member
    Losing 2 pounds a week is really hard if you don't have a LOT to lose, .5 to a pound a week is a much more realistic goal, especially if you want to keep the weight off.

    A crash diet may help you lose the weight fast, but you'll gain in back just as fast.

    Aim for a pound a week at most, and do strength training as well as cardio to help change body composition. You'll look better, even if the number on the scale isn't going down as much.
  • Silvervixen79
    Silvervixen79 Posts: 116 Member
    I dont know how it is even possible to eat 2000-2500 calories a day, if I manage to get through 1500 its been a naughty day of stuffing myself with whatever I like... which is not good.
  • Ilaped
    Ilaped Posts: 6
    Lolz.I thought 2 pounds was normal. I'll try working out more, maybe 2 hours a day, and see what it results in. I hope to fit in atleast one of my pants.

    and umm...I eat more than most men do. When I said binge, I meant one large pizza + 1 medium pizza + a plate of fried rice with some sort of cheese topping + ice cream + mocktail...all for dinner. It took me around 4 hours to finish all that. Even if I'm not hungry, I make sure I touch 2,000 calories so that my body doesn't get used to low calorie intake and start piling fat when I eat something extra. Moreover, I've a huge appetite.
  • m4ttcheek
    m4ttcheek Posts: 229 Member
    What are you stats? weight, height, etc.
  • m4ttcheek
    m4ttcheek Posts: 229 Member
    Even if I'm not hungry, I make sure I touch 2,000 calories so that my body doesn't get used to low calorie intake and start piling fat when I eat something extra. Moreover, I've a huge appetite.

    Not quite sure the logic or science behind this.

    Judging by you weight gain you've been over eating on average by around 300-400 cals a day.

    So lets for argument say you've been eating 2250 a day. To maintain your weight you need about 1900. So to lose 1lb a week you need to eat 1400cals a day.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    Wow ok where to start.

    OP, what was suggested is that you spend your first week on here not trying to lose weight. Just eat and exercise like have been, just log it. This will give you an idea of how many calories you're consuming vs. how many you need to consume to lose weight. If you're taking in 2500 but MFP is telling you you should eat 1500, then you need to examine your diet and figure out how to eat smaller portions, how to swap out high-cal items for lower-cal ones, how to eliminate empty calories like soda, etc.

    If you only have 18lbs to lose, you need to set MFP up so you're losing 1lb/week. 2 lbs would be difficult for you and would probably leave you undernourished.

    Exercise only does so much. Exercising 2 hours a day can be unnecessarily taxing on your body, and if it's all cardio it's going to eat into muscle mass, which you don't want to happen. You can't out-exercise a bad diet. Unless you're specifically training for something, try exercising an hour a day and reducing your caloric intake. I'd suggest alternating cardio days and resistance training days.

    It would be helpful for you to know your BMR and TDEE: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    Your BMR is the number of calories you need to survive in a coma. Don't eat below that. When you eat below your BMR, that's when you start doing damage to your metabolism... Not when you eat less than 2000 calories a day.
    Your TDEE is the number of calories you use in a day. Eat less than that and you'll lose weight.
    If MFP suggests you eat less than your BMR to lose weight, you can manually adjust your calorie goals.

    I hope that clears things up a bit...

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