Changing diet, need some help

aliciab307
aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello, this is my first thread since signing up on MFP. A little background on my journey

I have been on Medifast beginning July 29 and have lost a total of 52 lbs since.
I am getting off of MF due to personal reasons and want to continue on my healthy journey to get to my final goal. I have 12 lbs to my initial goal and then will lose weight in 5-10lbs increments until I get to an ideal body for myself as I've never been under 170 since before high school. I'm 21 years old, female, 5'6.75 and thinking 155 may be ideal. I have a med/large frame according to to wrist measurement and a 31% body fat according to the Navy BF calculation app-not sure how accurate it is. Looking to get to a 20% BF and that is about 20 more pounds to go.

On Medifast I take in an average of 900 calories and I began insanity 5 weeks ago, working out 6 days a week. On my workout days I only add 3oz of protein per my coach.

Anyways, I was going to switch over to a new custom diet I made for myself based off some of the Medifast principles with other foods. Keeping under 1000 calories, still exercising and having the majority of my macronutrients come from protein and fat.

I made a sample meal plan of what I would have on this same diet, if you go to my food diary I entered the sample meal plan on this Wednesday's entry.

Reason for doing this is I like the easiness of Medifast with the 5 small meals, I don't spend much time in the kitchen and that is ideal for me now. When I get to my goal I will use the Medifast transition method.-For those not familiar, every week I'm taking away a prepackaged meal and adding in 'real food'. So just a brief outline-
week 1- 5 meals, LG(Lean &Green), add a cup of any veggie
week 2-4 meals, LG, cup of any veggie +1 cup of fruit
week 3-4 meals, LG, cup of any veggie +1 cup of fruit +1 cup low/no fat dairy
Week4-3 meals, LG, cup of any veggie +1 cup of fruit +1 cup low/no fat dairy +1 serving of whole grain

Transition can go up to 6 weeks. I only planned on doing it for 4 weeks. After the 4th week I would probably still keep the three meals: muscle milk, and 2 protein bars, then fill the rest of my calories with other foods.

According to the Medifast BMR calculation at my current weight my BMR is for 5'7 height-1655 and according to my activity level I should be taking in 2854 to maintain 182. Now in comparison to the Medifast diet and including my activity level, my caloric intake is way lower than that leaving me with about a 1500-2000 calorie deficit, maybe more on my workout days. For instance yesterday's entry I ate 840 calories and I did not work out. In relation to my maintenance cals that is a 2000 caloric deficit.

I do not know how many calories I burn doing insanity, but I probably burn around 200 calories- that's what MFP calculated for a workout of 35 minutes 6 days a week, although intensity is not factored in.

Just wondering what you all think, if I should up my caloric intake due to my exercise. I must add that I have been having this dull headache for almost 2 weeks or so and think it is attributed to not getting enough protein?? or not enough calories?? just my guess.

All advice welcomed. Thank you and sorry for such a long post :)

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).
    I absolutely agree with this post. To get healthy, be healthy. You need more nutrients than that. Losing a pound a week is a good way to go... also, not eating enough will mess up your metabolism as well.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).
    I absolutely agree with this post. To get healthy, be healthy. You need more nutrients than that. Losing a pound a week is a good way to go... also, not eating enough will mess up your metabolism as well.
    As far as nutrients, on MF i get more than 100% of my vitamins and nutrients per day, I also take in on average 100g of protein, 85g of carbs and 30g of fat
  • betsaroonie
    betsaroonie Posts: 4
    Congrats for taking a new direction in your life, and trying to get more healthy and lose body fat. BUT you are setting yourself for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, and what you are doing is dangerous to your health. When you eat less than your BMR (this is the calories you need in a comatose state) your body will consume muscle tissue as well as fat. Muscle affects your metabolism. If you eat a very low-calorie diet, your metabolism will slow down in order for your body to survive (your body thinks it is starving).
    With the combination of aerobic activity (3x a week @ 30 minutes) and weight training (3-4 times a week) will result in a body that has more muscle and less fat - so the end result will be a higher metabolism. In order to keep the fat from returning, you want to lose 1-2 lbs a week and no more. If you lose more, you're losing muscle. It takes a very long time to rebuild muscle (1 year for 5-10 lbs).
    The fact that you are having headaches could be a warning sign. You should see a doctor. Next I would recommend you see a personal trainer if you can afford it. With a training session you can have your body fat measured, as well as exercise/nutritional guidelines. I'm not sure if Insanity is all cardio, but you will need to add weight training to help rebuild muscle. You need to be consuming more calories based on you exercise level. From what I'm calculating for you ( 21 yr old female, 5'7" or 67", and current weight 182) your BMR using the Harris-Benedict calculator is 1663. Add in the activity level (If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725) that equals 2869 calories needed. That is close to what you were getting in your figures.
    You can eat 200-300 less calories less that 2869 to have a slow and steady weight loss. When I entered your numbers to the Fat2fit BMR calculator it actually had your BMR at 2666 with a goal weight of 155lbs. They say you can eat 200-300 less calories than that.
    So long story short, to be healthy and not jeopardize your metabolism, eat 2366-2466 calories a day, and exercise with what I suggested. Your diet is filled with processed foods which is not ideal. Try for a clean diet, you'll feel better for it. Make sure you are drinking 6-8 glasses of fluids a day (water is best). Cut the sugar intake, processed foods contain lots of sugar and salt.
    Next if you want good sound information, see Fat2fitradio.com for podcast of lifestyle changes that are healthy. They have almost 150 shows of very helpful lifestyle changes.
    Please let us know how you are doing. Good luck.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).
    I absolutely agree with this post. To get healthy, be healthy. You need more nutrients than that. Losing a pound a week is a good way to go... also, not eating enough will mess up your metabolism as well.
    As far as nutrients, on MF i get more than 100% of my vitamins and nutrients per day, I also take in on average 100g of protein, 85g of carbs and 30g of fat

    That amount of food is about 1000 calories - and still not enough to maintain proper organ function according to your own posted BMR. You should consider change, in my opinion.
  • missmegan831
    missmegan831 Posts: 824 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).

    Totally agree with this post...
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    You are starving your body and will pay for it later if you don't stop the nonsense. Eat at 15% below your TDEE for safer weight loss.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Congrats for taking a new direction in your life, and trying to get more healthy and lose body fat. BUT you are setting yourself for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, and what you are doing is dangerous to your health. When you eat less than your BMR (this is the calories you need in a comatose state) your body will consume muscle tissue as well as fat. Muscle affects your metabolism. If you eat a very low-calorie diet, your metabolism will slow down in order for your body to survive (your body thinks it is starving).
    With the combination of aerobic activity (3x a week @ 30 minutes) and weight training (3-4 times a week) will result in a body that has more muscle and less fat - so the end result will be a higher metabolism. In order to keep the fat from returning, you want to lose 1-2 lbs a week and no more. If you lose more, you're losing muscle. It takes a very long time to rebuild muscle (1 year for 5-10 lbs).
    The fact that you are having headaches could be a warning sign. You should see a doctor. Next I would recommend you see a personal trainer if you can afford it. With a training session you can have your body fat measured, as well as exercise/nutritional guidelines. I'm not sure if Insanity is all cardio, but you will need to add weight training to help rebuild muscle. You need to be consuming more calories based on you exercise level. From what I'm calculating for you ( 21 yr old female, 5'7" or 67", and current weight 182) your BMR using the Harris-Benedict calculator is 1663. Add in the activity level (If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725) that equals 2869 calories needed. That is close to what you were getting in your figures.
    You can eat 200-300 less calories less that 2869 to have a slow and steady weight loss. When I entered your numbers to the Fat2fit BMR calculator it actually had your BMR at 2666 with a goal weight of 155lbs. They say you can eat 200-300 less calories than that.
    So long story short, to be healthy and not jeopardize your metabolism, eat 2366-2466 calories a day, and exercise with what I suggested. Your diet is filled with processed foods which is not ideal. Try for a clean diet, you'll feel better for it. Make sure you are drinking 6-8 glasses of fluids a day (water is best). Cut the sugar intake, processed foods contain lots of sugar and salt.
    Next if you want good sound information, see Fat2fitradio.com for podcast of lifestyle changes that are healthy. They have almost 150 shows of very helpful lifestyle changes.
    Please let us know how you are doing. Good luck.

    Thank you for your reply. I'd have to beg to differ about yoyo dieting as I've adapted to healthy eating but i do understand what you are saying. I drink over 100 oz in water each day and do not drink soda or juice. I occasionally use 2 packets of splenda for my occasional cup of tea and that is it. What I will so is increase my intake with protein and veggie. Thank you!
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Ok I'm going to up my calories to 1400 and see how it goes with my exercise routine in place.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    VLCDs are kind of poo-pooed around here. There are a couple of reasons for that, we have quite a few people here who are attempting to overcome eating disorders. Also, it is really tough to maintain a VLCD for life and the theme here is eating for life, not just another diet.

    Medifast does work, as it has had quite a long history and is still being used today. Obese people can successfully lose weight losing VLCDs for months or years without much in the way of negative health effects.

    I recommend that you add in one meal at a time to replace your liquid diet. Have your drinks for your other 3-4 meals a day. Do this over a period of weeks until you are mostly eating real food and only using the drinks on occasion.

    Eat mostly natural foods, fresh and frozen veggies, fresh and frozen fruits, lean meats, poultry and fish, light dairy, and very few grains. Try to stay away from vegetable oils like canola, corn, safflower. Eat plenty of olive oil and a little bit of real butter and cream. Avoid sugar and any foods that come in a package. Convenience foods got to go. They are loaded with garbage. If your grandmother wouldn't recognize any of the ingredients on the label as "food," then you should skip it, too.

    Good luck and welcome to a whole new world of delicious and healthful living.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    VLCDs are kind of poo-pooed around here. There are a couple of reasons for that, we have quite a few people here who are attempting to overcome eating disorders. Also, it is really tough to maintain a VLCD for life and the theme here is eating for life, not just another diet.

    Medifast does work, as it has had quite a long history and is still being used today. Obese people can successfully lose weight losing VLCDs for months or years without much in the way of negative heanlth effects.

    I recommend that you add in one meal at a time to replace your liquid diet. Have your drinks for your other 3-4 meals a day. Do this over a period of weeks until you are mostly eating real food and only using the drinks on occasion.

    Eat mostly natural foods, fresh and frozen veggies, fresh and frozen fruits, lean meats, poultry and fish, light dairy, and very few grains. Try to stay away from vegetable oils like canola, corn, safflower. Eat plenty of olive oil and a little bit of real butter and cream. Avoid sugar and any foods that come in a package. Convenience foods got to go. They are loaded with garbage. If your grandmother wouldn't recognize any of the ingredients on the label as "food," then you should skip it, too.

    Good luck and welcome to a whole new world of delicious and healthful living.

    Ok thanks. Although the diet isn't all liquid. I never had liquid on MF. I had bars, puddings, soups, puffs, etc. I understand you standpoint and I do plan on eliminating each meal weekly and add back in regular foods.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Changing my food intake, at the grocery store buying real food as i type, thank you all! :)
  • betsaroonie
    betsaroonie Posts: 4
    My concern is using a 'Diet' program like metifast. I'm saddened that this is still in use. I have a dear friend who used this diet program under a doctors supervision back in the 80's. She lost, I'm guessing, at least 150 lbs. She slowly transitioned back to 'real' food, but regained all she lost, and added about 50 lbs more. She is 60 years old and is still morbidly obese. Her health is poor.
    I don't want you to end up like her. Please do some research on this site, or at about.com, Mayo Clinic, or Fat2Fit. You are ignoring proven facts, and even though you are bumping up your calories, it's still well under your BMR. If you lose muscle your body will consume muscle and retain fat as it is in self preservation mode. This is what I mean by yo-yo dieting. People become skinny/fat, meaning they are lean looking but have a high level of body fat. They are lean because the have little muscle, and without that muscle your metabolism will lower. When your metabolism lowers, the body makes it very difficult to lose weight. The only way to rebuild muscle is through strength training and proper nutrition with lean protein. Yo-yo diets happen because you have to keep lowering your calorie intake to try to lose weight, but it's a viscous cycle. You cannot sustain a super low calorie intake, that's how eating disorders get started.
    Ignore the scale (I know you think I'm crazy), and focus on body fat, and body measurements, then you will be headed in the right direction. Muscle weighs more than fat, and it is common to gain weight when you incorporate strength training, but your dress size will lower, your measurements will decrease, and you will have strength and energy. Isn't that what you ultimately want?

    Glad you are started in the right direction, but bump up those calories some more. :smile:
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Under 1000 calories is not good for you, in my opinion. A 10 year old needs more nutrition than that. I am 42 and weigh 125 and maintenace calories are 1950 calories a day at a lightly active modifier.

    Perhaps you should plan to eat more and weigh less (you can search the discussions for more info).
    I absolutely agree with this post. To get healthy, be healthy. You need more nutrients than that. Losing a pound a week is a good way to go... also, not eating enough will mess up your metabolism as well.
    As far as nutrients, on MF i get more than 100% of my vitamins and nutrients per day, I also take in on average 100g of protein, 85g of carbs and 30g of fat
    But you need more macro-nutrients, i.e. protein, fat , and carbs... Micro-nutrients, the vitamins and such, are also necessary... but the macros are absolutely necessary to ensure proper metabolism function. Good job on the discipline!!
  • betsaroonie
    betsaroonie Posts: 4
    VLCDs are kind of poo-pooed around here. There are a couple of reasons for that, we have quite a few people here who are attempting to overcome eating disorders. Also, it is really tough to maintain a VLCD for life and the theme here is eating for life, not just another diet.

    Medifast does work, as it has had quite a long history and is still being used today. Obese people can successfully lose weight losing VLCDs for months or years without much in the way of negative health effects.

    I recommend that you add in one meal at a time to replace your liquid diet. Have your drinks for your other 3-4 meals a day. Do this over a period of weeks until you are mostly eating real food and only using the drinks on occasion.

    Eat mostly natural foods, fresh and frozen veggies, fresh and frozen fruits, lean meats, poultry and fish, light dairy, and very few grains. Try to stay away from vegetable oils like canola, corn, safflower. Eat plenty of olive oil and a little bit of real butter and cream. Avoid sugar and any foods that come in a package. Convenience foods got to go. They are loaded with garbage. If your grandmother wouldn't recognize any of the ingredients on the label as "food," then you should skip it, too.

    Good luck and welcome to a whole new world of delicious and healthful living.

    Good advice!
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Well this week I will be sedentary until Monday. I changed my settings in MFP to lose about 2 lbs a week and it say 1200 calories. I will put 1 lb/week and see what it says.

    for 1 lb/week MFP recommended 1530 calories. So I'll start taking in that amount tomorrow.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Well this week I will be sedentary until Monday. I changed my settings in MFP to lose about 2 lbs a week and it say 1200 calories. I will put 1 lb/week and see what it says.
    When you exercise you "earn" calories to eat. This will reflect in your log inf you log your exercise. I love it.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    Well this week I will be sedentary until Monday. I changed my settings in MFP to lose about 2 lbs a week and it say 1200 calories. I will put 1 lb/week and see what it says.
    When you exercise you "earn" calories to eat. This will reflect in your log inf you log your exercise. I love it.

    I noticed that. A year ago I was 'dieting' incorrectly and never ate back my calories and wasn't making the greatest choices. Glad I have so much knowledge about eating right and making this a lifestyle change. Very thankful. Next Monday when I begin working out, I don't have anything to measure the amount of calories burned. Should I just go by how I feel? I intend on getting a HRM or Fitbit.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Starvation diets don't work. Haven't you seen all the failure stories on these forums with people who are eating these low calorie counts and completely screwing up?

    Eat up.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Well this week I will be sedentary until Monday. I changed my settings in MFP to lose about 2 lbs a week and it say 1200 calories. I will put 1 lb/week and see what it says.
    When you exercise you "earn" calories to eat. This will reflect in your log inf you log your exercise. I love it.

    I noticed that. A year ago I was 'dieting' incorrectly and never ate back my calories and wasn't making the greatest choices. Glad I have so much knowledge about eating right and making this a lifestyle change. Very thankful. Next Monday when I begin working out, I don't have anything to measure the amount of calories burned. Should I just go by how I feel? I intend on getting a HRM or Fitbit.

    If you click up the top on exercise and type in what sort you are doing MFP will tell you how many calories you burn. It's not 100% correct but I use to eat all my exercise calories back which was brisk walking and I always lost without problem. A HRM would be better though or a fitbit if you are only walking.
  • zoidamite
    zoidamite Posts: 1
    Since you are doing medifast, your body is in ketosis. With that said yes you are only eating 1000 calories, but if you have body fat, that is where your other calories and energy are coming from. If you decide to continue eating that way (low fat, low carb) , you will eventually want to increase your healthy fat intake, because once you begin burning that fat, and there is nothing left, you will begin burning muscle as energy. That's the reason for increasing the fat intake. You can find more info by typing muscle mass and low carb diets in Google. I did Insanity and P90x on a low carb diet, and it was medifast. So from personal experience you will be fine. But you must make sure to increase your healthy fats once you begin shedding too much fat, otherwise you will most likely lose muscle.

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