Am I doing it wrong?!

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2013Jenn2013
2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My plate always seems so full! I have joined a couple facebook groups that are about health and fitness and when they post pictures of healthy food, the plate seems so empty. Tips are always to cut back on portions. My plates are always rounded but I'm managing to lose weight. (22.5 lbs since January) My typical day goes like this:

Breakfast I either have a 400+ cal shake (berries, almond milk, cottage cheese, oatmeal, peanut butter, banana) OR whole wheat bread with peanut butter and banana.

Dinner is usually a huge salad with any veggie I can find in the fridge plus cheese (cottage or marble) and usually nuts or seeds ( I was using eggs for protein but they were giving me stomach troubles). I either use hummus instead of dressing or the cottage cheese.

Supper I just eat whatever fits in. Sometimes it's meat and potatoes, sometimes it's a grilled cheese with veggies.

Snacks are usually a fruit and either crackers with hummus or yogurt.

Am I going to run into major issues down the road? I'm basically eating what I want as long as I don't go over my calories. I tend to go over on fats and sometimes protein. But some people that are putting way more effort into their journey are having a much more difficult time shedding pounds than I am. I eat way more now that I'm trying to lose weight than I ever did when I was bigger. I guess I just need someone with experience to confirm whether I'm doing it right....


Typical salad (spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, sunflower seeds, topped with salsa)

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Meat and potatoes night (pork chop, potatoes, steamed spinach and carrots

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Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    (22.5 lbs since January)

    ^ If this is how much you have lost, then I'd say you're doing what works best for you and that's all that really matters.

    I'm pretty much doing the same thing as you and it's working for me. I cut my portions and swapped out a few items for healthier choices, but overall I eat what I enjoy (just smaller amounts).
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks, I've never actually "tried" to lose weight before. I just accepted that I was bigger and a lot of my family are bigger so I assumed it was genetics. Then once I decided it was time to get to a healthy weight and I saw the struggles my friends were having losing weight, I figured it would be a struggle but I'm finding it simple and wish I had done it a long time ago! Just worried that once I get to maintenance I won't be able to keep it off cause I'm doing something wrong...insecurities!
  • kathyk519
    kathyk519 Posts: 197 Member
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    I love a full plate too.

    You just got to do what works for you. Obviously this works for you right now.

    Now, you may have to change things a bit as you go along. I have been on this road for about 2 years now. I started at 188 lbs (I am 5 ft tall) and I have lost about 40 (although I have gained about 5 back). I have had to vary things for myself - in terms of how I count things (I started on Weight Watchers and now am doing this for the past year or so), and with my exercise.

    I add and take things away - your body will get used to whatever you are doing. It is easy to get complacent with your food and exercise - so shake things up every so often (especially when you plateau - and you will - everyone does). The key is to keep going and keep believing. Try new things. Listen to other people who are in the same boat - take some advice, don't take others. Make whatever you do work for you.

    For me, I need at least 200 calories in my breakfast (I choose 2 eggs with either spinach or mushrooms. And black coffee.

    I snack around 10 am with nuts. I eat about 1/4 cup of either raw nuts or lightly roasted nuts that are low salt (160-170 calories)

    I have either soup that I make or salad for lunch. Depending on what is in 150-300 calories.

    I snack again - apple, carrots, or some other fruit or veggie (I usually have 2 things (1 veg, 1 fruit).

    Dinner is salad that is about 100 calories with whatever else I am having. Depends on the day - can be lasagna or stir fry or other pasta, or potatoes and meat. It varies for me.

    I do eat around 1200 calories - some times more. I sometimes eat dessert.

    The key is to eat good things and exercise. For me, exercise is the end all, because no matter how well I eat, if I don't exercise, it doesn't mean a whole lot.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
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    If you are keeping within your calorie allowance but not eating too little (netting 1200 cals as a minimum) then you are doing it right.
    I've seen on threads here that the way MFP sets your macros is very basic and tends to put more emphasis on carbs. Don't worry at all if you are going over on your protein.
    I'd say you are doing fantastically!! It still shouldn't be a problem when you reach maintenance cos all you will be doing then is the same thing you are now, just with a larger limit ie 1850 cals.
    Don't panic you're doing great! :-)
  • cyclist_44060
    cyclist_44060 Posts: 86 Member
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    I have lost 22 lbs since January as well. I try eating healthy and stay under my calories and try to stay under the fat limit as well.....I think you are doing everything right....keep it up!
  • ChocoMello
    ChocoMello Posts: 74 Member
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    Thers eat less...and struggle with weeght loss?
    Well obviosly its becourse they maybe eat to little?

    Your doing averythig right ;)
    Its about leating a diet wixh you could eatall life long.
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    I started off eating at 1200 but after reading too many posts about how horrible that was, I upped it. Figured out my BMR and TDEE, don't FULLY understand it but I know that my BMR is a bit more than 1300 and my TDEE-20% is around 1700...so I just try to net above 1300 but under 1700. If that makes sense. My workouts are usually just 30 minutes of Jillian Michaels (30 day Shred, ripped in 30 or whatever Jillian Michaels workouts I can find on youtube!) After I had my first child, I weighed 178. When I got pregnant for my second, I weight 160. Never really did anything to go from 178 to 160. I nursed the second though and that brought me down to 149! (he was allergic to dairy protein so I had to cut out all the yummy foods)
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks everybody :)
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    You seem to be doing quite well. I know on the days I lean toward a more healthy intake it feels like I'm eating loads because salads, as a rule, aren't overly caloric till I add on nuts, cheeses, and other toppings. On the days I eat more leniently the amounts are smaller. I like both, but there is truly something to be said for a full plate of food.

    Edit: Forgot to add congratulations on the great loss!
  • chels0722
    chels0722 Posts: 465 Member
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    Girl I often have a couple plates to hold my dinner.

    No shame.

    Look at my dinner today. It will easily take at least two plates to eat, yet the entire meal is under 400 calories. Healthy, wholesome foods take up more space and take up less calories :)
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Not only are you doing it right, you are a good role model. Of course you are insecure, maybe you didn't change things drastically so you think oh I didn't change enough. But, it doesn't really take a very large surplus of calories to put on weight if you are prone to weight gain. I mean we are talking maybe the calorie equivalent of two slices of bread a day. That would put you up 13 lbs a year. So, when you reduce calories a bit without changing everything and you don't eat like a rabbit it's going to seem wrong, because everyone knows to lose weight you can only eat carrots and lettuce. But, you are eating real food and doing real exercise and not some crazy only lettuce and cabbage diet. What you are doing is sustainable for life and that's the whole point.
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    Glad I'm not the only one :) I guess you just get it in your head that a "diet" means going to bed with hunger pains, not being able to eat after supper and not being able to enjoy your favorite foods. I never thought it would mean eating 5-6 times a day, having to eat more than what I use to eat and still be able to have some junk food! Thank you all so much for confirming that I'm on the right track even though it seems totally wrong in my head! LOL
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    Not only are you doing it right, you are a good role model. Of course you are insecure, maybe you didn't change things drastically so you think oh I didn't change enough. But, it doesn't really take a very large surplus of calories to put on weight if you are prone to weight gain. I mean we are talking maybe the calorie equivalent of two slices of bread a day. That would put you up 13 lbs a year. So, when you reduce calories a bit without changing everything and you don't eat like a rabbit it's going to seem wrong, because everyone knows to lose weight you can only eat carrots and lettuce. But, you are eating real food and doing real exercise and not some crazy only lettuce and cabbage diet. What you are doing is sustainable for life and that's the whole point.

    Thanks so much :) funny thing is, that's probably exactly what I was doing wrong! If I ate breakfast, it would be a sandwich, dinner would be a sandwich (sometimes two) and supper would be from a box of some sort! Seemed like a lot less food but it was keeping me heavier!
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    I notice I'm having a really hard time staying under for Fat. I don't know how to even that out. Can anybody give me some advice on that. If you look at my diary, I rarely fully log on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm pretty slack. The kids are home and our schedule goes out the door! But the rest of the week is all logged. If there's a 900 cal quick add on a Thursdays, it's because my friend and I occasionally go out to eat somewhere and I'm not sure what to log for a fries with the works with poutine cheese.
  • klnor88
    klnor88 Posts: 28 Member
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    If you are really worried about eating too much fat then maybe cut out one of your servings of nuts a day and replace it with something lower in fat. At least your fats are coming from healthy food so I wouldn't worry too much.
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks, just wasn't sure if the fats will affect the weightloss or not. What would you suggest replacing it with? I don't eat meat much, I just don't really like it. I was eating eggs daily but then I started having sever stomach pains right after eating them so I cut them out and basically replace them with sunflower seeds. Is it ok to eat too much "healthy" fat?
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    Thanks, just wasn't sure if the fats will affect the weightloss or not. What would you suggest replacing it with? I don't eat meat much, I just don't really like it. I was eating eggs daily but then I started having sever stomach pains right after eating them so I cut them out and basically replace them with sunflower seeds. Is it ok to eat too much "healthy" fat?

    If you're within your calorie goals it shouldn't make any difference to weight loss. You might consider having blood work done at your next doctors visit to make sure your lipid levels are good if you're worried.
  • 2013Jenn2013
    2013Jenn2013 Posts: 38 Member
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    I am planning on getting blood work done in the near future, just to make sure everything is where it should be. I've struggled with low iron and b12 since highschool and I haven't had it checked in 2 yrs. I usually just get it checked when I get to the point where I can't stay awake throughout the day. It probably is soon time to get it done!
  • karlalband
    karlalband Posts: 196 Member
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    Your doing great And from your profile pic you look tall. Keep doing what you are cause it's working!
  • karlalband
    karlalband Posts: 196 Member
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    And protein is ok to go over as long as you stay in calorie goal!

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