Guided or custom?

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Allegi32
Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all...serial yo-yo dieter/former bulimic/anorexic and now stuck at the other end of the weight spectrum in the fatty zone for too many years. I've been up, down, all over the place and honestly am just at a loss right now. I lost weight on WW, but was so hungry all the time I couldn't stick to it. I've had a lot of success with the South Beach Diet and feel great when I limit a lot of complex carbs but was having trouble figuring how much of a food to eat at one time. Truthfully, I never learned how to eat, how to listen to my body, etc.

I am a true believe in the calories in/calories out but do also try to eat foods that fuel my body, rather than just eat empty calories, even if they are low-calorie foods. I'm trying to balance it all but I don't know how much to eat!

My guided goals say to eat 1360 calories/day, but I read so much about needing to eat more, etc. etc.

Just looking for some advice on getting started with a plan that will work for me long-term and not something that will work great but only for a short time. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks so much.

Replies

  • JohnMessmer
    JohnMessmer Posts: 536
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    If you think the calorie count is to low, change your desired weight loss to 1 pound a week. See how it goes for a few weeks and then decide. "generally" what you find is that by watching what you eat and eating healthier options, you can get quite a bit of food in a relatively low calorie count.

    Good Luck on your Journey.
  • amnsetie
    amnsetie Posts: 666 Member
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    best way to get a good figure for daily food is to go with the 1/2 lb week target and take your time. You do have to be careful logging cos you only have 250 cals buffer.
  • tonightokayalright
    tonightokayalright Posts: 289 Member
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    I use guided to get the general things, and then go to custom to change macro/sodium levels etc.

    Forget your preconceptions about how much food you should be eating, just eat how much it says and try to eat as many healthy, natural foods as possible.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Custom! You need more protein than 15% to lose weight easier and be healthy. More like 25-30%.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    Since you are a yo yo dieter, I would see a dietitian to set a calorie goal that is right for you. You'll be able to figure out new, better strategies geared toward people like yourself who have lost and regained weight many times.
  • Allegi32
    Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
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    Thanks for your input, everyone! I did change my macros to 40/30/30, especially since I try to limit complex carbs anyway. I think I'll try to keep to a calories goal for a few weeks to see how it goes and adjust from there. Thanks again! :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    I do completely custom. I use the katch mcardle formula as it incorporates lean body mass into the equation. Due to me having more lbm than the average person my size i require about 300 more calories. I also adjust the macros for further body recomposition improvements. I use 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. This way i am hitting 1g of protein per lb of lbm and .35 g of fat per lb of lbm.


    Also, the best thing to do is work on teaching yourself how to eat and what. Also, just because something is low calorie doesnt make it healthy. Low fat and low calorie foods are highly processed, loaded with sugar and have little satiety. Steak is a perfect example of something people think can be bad as its higher in calories but 6oz of a lean sirloin will provide more satiety than a couple of special k bars. So think whole. Meats, fruits, and veggies are great. Dairy and whole grains are good to but are processed so they come with sodium (which is cool in moderation). Oils can be good for health too, especially skin and hair.

    And lastly, exercise, if you do exercise make sure you eat more calories to fuel your body to help prevent muscle loss. And weight train. WT is critical to maintaining lbm and cutting fat. Weight loss isnt as important as fat loss.

    Good luck.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Go to the first post in this thread:

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

    Set your calories and macros as determined by the calculations in that thread. Plenty of people here have had success using Helloitsdan's methods, without having to resort to ridiculous calorie restrictions and starving themselves.

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