The Right Way To Diet

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Shannon0218
Shannon0218 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I have been going back and forth with myself about the right way to go about dieting. I gave birth 7 weeks ago and I am trying to loose this baby weight. I gained 80 pounds and have lost 55 of that 80 but I also had a loss for appetite and would eat once maybe twice a day but now I have noticed I have stopped loosing weight.

With that being said, how many times a day should I eat if exercising 2 - 3 times weekly?

How dangerous is working out 2 - 3 times a week with limited food intake?

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  • Runhard13
    Runhard13 Posts: 138 Member
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    Would never limit food intake ..as for exercise..as much as your body can handle without being to sore or rundown ..eat a proper diet to fuel your workouts ..rest 2 or 3 days a week and you'll be fine
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    IIFYM
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    So I have been going back and forth with myself about the right way to go about dieting. I gave birth 7 weeks ago and I am trying to loose this baby weight. I gained 80 pounds and have lost 55 of that 80 but I also had a loss for appetite and would eat once maybe twice a day but now I have noticed I have stopped loosing weight.

    With that being said, how many times a day should I eat if exercising 2 - 3 times weekly?

    How dangerous is working out 2 - 3 times a week with limited food intake?

    Define limited food intake
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    So I have been going back and forth with myself about the right way to go about dieting. I gave birth 7 weeks ago and I am trying to loose this baby weight. I gained 80 pounds and have lost 55 of that 80 but I also had a loss for appetite and would eat once maybe twice a day but now I have noticed I have stopped loosing weight.

    With that being said, how many times a day should I eat if exercising 2 - 3 times weekly?

    How dangerous is working out 2 - 3 times a week with limited food intake?
    How limited is "limited"?
  • Shannon0218
    Shannon0218 Posts: 9 Member
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    Limited as sometimes I eat once or twice a day. I am eating like a bowl of special k in the morning and maybe a shake for dinner at night.

    Where at night I should probably have some small meal that contains protein.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Limited as sometimes I eat once or twice a day. I am eating like a bowl of special k in the morning and maybe a shake for dinner at night.

    Where at night I should probably have some small meal that contains protein.

    Your diary is closed, but this sounds like it might not be enough for you even without exercise. How many calories are you eating a day?
  • Shannon0218
    Shannon0218 Posts: 9 Member
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    My diary is now open diannethegeek :)
  • seefyboy
    seefyboy Posts: 68
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    Your diary is closed so I can't give you a proper answer. But going from what I'm reading from your comment, i can tell you this. it doesn't matter how many times a day you eat as long as you meet your TDI (total daily intake). You can eat one massive meal, or split it into two, three, four, five different ways, it doesn't matter as long as you meet your calorie aim at the end of the day.

    I really hope you're not starving yourself either, judging by your comment I think you are. Weight loss cannot be rushed, there's no quick fix unfortunately. It takes dedication and determination. With these two tools and a proper diet, that weight will be dropping before you know it.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Nope, diary still not public. :smile:

    Are you nursing your baby? Your intake sounds waaay too low anyway, and if you're nursing as well as exercising, you need to take in more calories, for sure.

    Was there anything in particular that made you have a loss of appetite? Was it when you started exercising?
  • whitney_simpson
    whitney_simpson Posts: 77 Member
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    Eating only a bowl of cereal and a shake throughout the day is starving yourself. Your body is going to hold on to everything it possibly can, especially fat. Your body is happy to use muscle for energy before it will use the fat it is storing.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    Meal frequency isn't as important as overall macro nutrient intake and caloric intake. Eating one or two times a day is fine (example: Intermittent fasting, where all calories are consumed within a 4-6 hour window). I can see your diary, but the issue you probably have is you aren't getting anywhere near the calories your body needs. Working out (probably hours of cardio) and restricting calories to a very low level is unhealthy and will result in a stalled metabolism, known as metabolic damage. Your loss of appetite and stalled weight loss is your body trying to conserve all of its energy (it takes energy to burn calories. it takes energy to digest and burn food calories). Also, appetite isn't a measure of daily caloric needs.

    I recommend doing research on metabolic damage and using tools to determine your daily caloric needs. Gradually increase your calories each week. If you immediately incease your calories from where you are now to maintenance levels, you will increase fat stores and gain more weight. The gradual increase should be made in conjuction with a decrease in cardio and more of a focus on weight training. You will start to see weight loss again, but more importantly, you will be far healthier.
  • SkinnyMozza
    SkinnyMozza Posts: 66 Member
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    Are you eating fruit and vegetables? aim for 8 servings of veggies a day.

    sounds like you might be starving yourself with nutrionless carbs and a protein shake. Your body need nutrients.
  • arains89
    arains89 Posts: 442 Member
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    Your diary is closed. But I would say a bowl of special K (which even with milk is probably no more than 250 cals) and a shake. (I would guess around the same range) is not even enough to sustain you without exercise...
  • Shannon0218
    Shannon0218 Posts: 9 Member
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    Sorry guys my diary was open too my friends only but I opened it too the public...
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    You aren't eating enough. You aren't eating enough by a lot. There are days where you aren't even hitting half of your goal calories. You are risking your health at these levels. Please try to hit at least 1200 calories a day, and probably more with the amount you exercise.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
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    Meal frequency isn't as important as overall macro nutrient intake and caloric intake.
    This. But you look like you aren't eating anywhere near enough. Also, some of those days half of your (very low) calories are candy. That's probably not the best idea.

    I would up your protein and fat and veggies significantly and if you need a chocolate fix, I highly recommend dark chocolate. It's much more satisfying than milk, imo.

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