Advice Please

cottonwool_monkey · January 2013

As a bit of background to this question - I currently have a BMI of over 35, and before attempting this diet did no exercise.

As of last week I'm trying to get into a healthier lifestyle, so I'm doing 20 mins of activity every other day (which I intend to increase as I lose weight) and, to kick start the diet, I am trying to stick to 1000 calories per day until this weekend. I'm aware this is not the healthiest of diets, and after this weekend I shall be increasing this allowance slightly, however, in the meantime I am trying to find a way to get the nutrients I need (most of it comes from taking a multivitamin with a large glass of skimmed milk each day). The only problem is every day I am vastly exceeding my sugar allowance and I don't know how to bring this down without compromising on other nutrition. Does anybody have any advice?

As an idea if what I currently eat, which is coming out at around 80g of sugar per day:

Breakfast:
Coffee with 1tsp sugar (I can't let this go, it's the only way I can kick start my energy!)
Porridge sweetened with half a banana or a handful of raspberries

Mid morning:
Green Tea or a skimmed latte with sweeteners

Lunch:
Turkey salad with a low sugar, low cal dressing
200g fruit

Mid afternoon:
A handful of roasted nuts

Dinner:
A 400-500 cal meal - usually ready meals but I always check there are no more than 7-8g of sugar per meal
A portion of veg (usually broccoli or spinach)
A glass of milk

Mid evening:
Half a banana or some raspberries with artificial sweetener
And/or a small apple

If anybody can give me some advice I would really appreciate it. Above all I need to lose weight, but it's so hard to know how to do this is a sensible way and keep the right nutrition coming in each day!

mnwild77 · January 2013

Hello,
I too have a sweet tooth and struggle to stay away from the sugars so I probably could not give the best advise but stick to doing the activities. I started drinking my coffee plain or getting a flavored coffee and just focusing on the calories. Adding alternative snacks with natural sugar seemed to help as well.

successgal1 · January 2013

Eat more green leafies, and dark veggies, they will not seriously add to what looks like a severely limited calorie goal, why so low? Add some brown rice in there.

kklemarow · January 2013

I used to take sugar in my coffee and gradually reduced it until I didn't need it anymore. It took about 6 months but now I find any amount of sugar in my coffee is too much. Baby steps will get you there (also, try to cut out the artificial sweeteners, they're so unhealthy).

cottonwool_monkey · January 2013

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate any help I can get with this!

Successgal- The low limit is down to two things really. Firstly I'm at birthday celebrations this weekend where I know the diet will be off for 2 days so I'm trying to mitigate the damage, and secondly I'd like to see some real weight loss these first couple of weeks as I struggle to stay motivated to diet, there's a loooong way to go and I'm more likely to get into a routine if I can see a bit of progress straight away. It might seem daft but it seems to work for me!

Mnwild- looking at what I'm currently eating could you recommend what I should be exchanging for an alternative snack, and maybe what alternatives you'd recommend?

cottonwool_monkey · January 2013

I used to take sugar in my coffee and gradually reduced it until I didn't need it anymore. It took about 6 months but now I find any amount of sugar in my coffee is too much. Baby steps will get you there (also, try to cut out the artificial sweeteners, they're so unhealthy).

I know, I do feel bad with the artificial sweeteners, but I honestly can't stand unsweetened coffee- believe me I've tried. I used to have 2-3 sugars per cup, which I got down to 1 small teaspoon or a sweetener the last time I dieted, but it's just not to my taste with any less.

Advice Please

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