Advice please

Cristie77
Cristie77 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone. I want to know YOUR opinions.
Especially those that have been successful in losing weight.

All the different websites, magazines, "fitness experts" contradict one another---
3 meals a day or eat every 2 hours but mini meals.
High protein - no carbs?

Basically I want to know what you recommend to eat and advice about exercise.

I have dieted before and have done all the fad diets and they helped for a while.
But it is confusing with so much different info out there.

Thanks!!

Replies

  • changeyourlimits
    changeyourlimits Posts: 43
    hi,
    I kind of made my own meal plan based of a few diets and my own research and knowledge. I lost 60lbs over 2 years and maintained the weight loss. I slowly changed my diet over the time. I now am not on a diet I just eat healthy 90% of the time now.
    What I do
    I eat 6 times a day - for me I see it as a fire and fuel - as a continue to give fuel to the fire it burns right away and doesn't hold anything to store - ie Fat cells - i'm just giving my body the energy it needs throughout the day.

    I eat a balance meal built around proteins - then i take a portion of that for my fats - then the rest I feel with carbs - I get these numbers by calculating what I want to accomplish. If I want to drop 10lbs then i take then desired weight, example 180lbs. If I want to be 180 i will multiply this by 10 if I workout 1 hour a week. 11 if I work out 2 hours and so. then that is the amount of calories i eat a day.

    Example at 180 lbs 1 hour of workout a week = 1800 calories
    Then i take my protein.. 1gram is 4 calories and determine how much calories I will take - my lean muscle mass at 180 lbs is about 130 lbs so i will eat 520 calories of protein
    Fats i do about 40% of my protein so that is 52 grams which is 468 calories - fat is 1 gram = 9 calories
    That leaves 800 calories in carbs or about 200 grms

    This is what i use to make a balance meal plan. from there i begin to determine what foods are best. Always start with fruits veggies whole grains.. these have good fats, proteins, carbs, fiber,.. use a protein powder for more protein..

    you will feel more energetic and overtime be healthier.. scale should drop as well
  • tweetlindy
    tweetlindy Posts: 3
    I am just getting started really. Started on Jan 15, 2013 and am down 33 lbs, but have a LOOOONNNNGGG way to go. I am determined to get healthy, and the weight will fall off. I have not exercised at all, but hope to start when I get down to 300. Right now my back, knees and ankles hurt too much. The first 45 days I purged. Nothing white, no sugar and very little fruit the first 45 days. I drink only unsweet green tea or water and lots and lots of it and 2 or 3 cups of coffee (splenda only, no creamer). I am eating virtually all fresh foods, avoiding processed foods and packaged foods. I am eating all the vegetables I want and lots of peppers. Eating only multi-grain bread and chips and only eat red meat once a week. I try to eat something every couple of hours. I am never hungry and I feel much better. My mantra is nothing tastes as good as getting healthy feels. What do I really, really miss? Potatoes! I used to really miss ice cream but have gotten beyond that. Good luck to us all!
  • flitabout
    flitabout Posts: 200 Member
    Best advice I have is do what works for you. I like intermitent fasting or IF at a 20/4 So when I do that I only eat for 4 hours a day. Some people like the 16/8. Others do 3 meals and snacks, while other just do 3 meals, and still others eat every 2-4 hours on a scheduel.
    There is no 1 right answer for everybody. You will have to play around with it to figure what works for you. The problem is if you ask a 1000 "experts" you will get 1000 different answers. When it comes to weightloss 1+1 doesn't always equal 2
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Eat the way you intend to live the rest of your life eating. If you can handle low carb, or paleo, or clean go for it. Unless it's sustainable for you it doesn't work long term.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    Food: I don't 'diet' I eat what I want in moderation.

    Diet: I exercise everyday, even if its 'just' walking.

    My food and exercise diary is open, feel free to check it out!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Eat the way you intend to live the rest of your life eating. If you can handle low carb, or paleo, or clean go for it. Unless it's sustainable for you it doesn't work long term.

    Agreed.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    What has helped me not just lose weight but inches as well and also keep up with it (means less binging or cravings) is that I eat whatever I want in moderation. I still eat fast food...not often, but I do. I eat chocolate...white chocolate, dark chocolate, whatever. If I want ice cream, I keep skinny cow products on hand. I just log everything and try to get as close to my macros as possible. I always try to take in more protein than fat and stay under my daily carbs. It can be tough, but I do eat healthy probably 85% of the time so I don't really feel bad about the 15% where I have a donut or candy bar or whatever. I also eat when I'm hungry. Some days I only eat 3 meals, some days 2, some days are 5 or 6. It depends on my workouts and what I'm doing for the day. There are days I'm hardly peckish and others where I could eat everything in sight. I'm not consistent by any means but it does help me not stress over making sure I get certain meals at certain times.
  • Cristie77
    Cristie77 Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you for your responses! I think the best is eat healthy foods and the foods I love in moderation. And EXERCISE!!!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I think there's no "One Way Only!" to lose weight. Different approaches work for different people. Experiment, and see what works for you.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Thank you for your responses! I think the best is eat healthy foods and the foods I love in moderation. And EXERCISE!!!

    Exactly!!

    I eat about 5 times a day and weight train 3x a week. High protein every day - but workout days tend to be lower carbs (not that I try to do that, it just works out that way).
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    Thank you for your responses! I think the best is eat healthy foods and the foods I love in moderation. And EXERCISE!!!
    This is what works for me. Best of luck!
  • Sawjer
    Sawjer Posts: 229 Member
    Do a plan that makes you happy and that you can afford and enjoy. Everyone has different aims in what they want to achieve, if its simply cutting weight and getting rid off that belly then lower your calories to -200 to start off with and go from there. Track everything 100% because if you don't your only cheating yourself and take more stairs, try light exercise and see where you go from there! We are all here for support :)
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,469 Member
    I think it's about finding what works for you. I prefer to base my eating around three meals a day, partly because it gets me out of the habit of snacking, and partly because it means I can have more normal-sized portions, especially at the main evening meal. If I have calories left, I might snack in the evening.
  • cdjs77
    cdjs77 Posts: 176 Member
    Everyone is different so you really have to see what works for you. To be perfectly honest, if you keep under your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calories, you will lose weight no matter what you eat. I ate nothing but chocolate the week after Easter, but kept under my calorie limit and still lost weight. There was even a professor who lost weight eating a calorie-reduced diet of nothing but Hostess snacks. This isn't healthy or recommended, but it's just to say it can be done.
    As for when, how much and how often to eat, it really depends on what you can stand. I have always been a grazer who would have little snacks throughout the day but rarely big meals. I found that it was easiest for me to have 3 small, 200-calorie meals a day and then divide the rest of my calories into 100 to 150 calorie snacks every hour throughout the day. I found this was the best way for me to stave off hunger and keep within my calorie count. You really just have to look at how you normally eat and what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to lose weight, look at how you got to be the weight that you are. If you gained weight because you tend to eat three big meals and then snack in between because you are still hungry, you may want to try to have many smaller meals and small snacks in order to stave off the "between meal hunger." If you gained weight because you just tend to overdo it during your 3 meals a day, you may want to stick with those three meals and just switch out the high-calorie food for low-calorie ones like salads, steamed or baked vegetables, etc.
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
    Eat the way you intend to live the rest of your life eating. If you can handle low carb, or paleo, or clean go for it. Unless it's sustainable for you it doesn't work long term.

    ^^^ This. If you look at it as a "diet" (temporary) it will be a fail. Approach it as a new and healthier lifestyle and you will succeed with lasting results. Work out and play with your menus until you find what works for you :D
  • hung3r
    hung3r Posts: 5
    The whole idea of 5 meals a day is to cut down on the portions. "Normal" meals are like
    breakfast: 2 pieces of toast, cereal, orange, milk
    Lunch: sandwhich of some sort and some pop
    Dinner: full feast with desert
    When you eat like that you tend to load up on the calories during the last meal instead of the first so you retain everything throughout the day, as well as "snacking" on 783294 cookies and a tub of ice cream. When I used to eat like that I weighed close to 160 and I would find myself finishing a whole bag of potato chips in a sitting. While I exercised enough and took care of myself it was the restriction of meals so far apart from each other that did me in. Once I got healthy I started the morning with fruit and oatmeal, a snack a few hours later, etc. Sometimes I didn't count how many snacks I had, but as long as they were something like fruit I didn't feel bad. It leaves you fuller towards the end of the day so when it's time for supper you can A.) be full after a salad and B.) skip desert without even noticing it :]
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Eat the way you intend to live the rest of your life eating.

    THIS THIS THIS !!!!

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