Is my routine a good method to follow? Newbie here!

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Replies

  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    This was helpful, thank you! Where do you reccomend I look up what an appropriate portion size would be?

    What is Spanx I haven't heard of that.

    For portion sizes ... measure your food. A box of cereal has the portion size right on the box .... however, if I just pour a bowl in the morning my "guesstimation" is way off. I need to measure my cereal. Use measuring cups (at the very least) ... or a food scale (even better). Fruit is generally a piece, or a cup of berries or a cup of watermelon. Veggies are typically low calories ... you can eat a lot of these. Log your food here and it will open your eyes.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/wallet-portion-control-size-guide

    As far as eating .... try to get as much unprocessed food as you can. The fruits & veggies are a good start. These have all the fiber & nutrients that they started out with. The problem with porcessed food .... added fat, added sugar, less fiber, less protein. You need to make the most of your calories when there are fewer of them.

    I have no problem digesting carbs, so I eat them. I try to eat whole grains. If I'm having bread with a meal, I don't also have potatoes or corn .... this is just starch + starch ..... I have a hamburger and salad ... not a hamburger and fries.

    Spanx is like a girdle

    I really appreciate your answers and help. Just want you to know that.

    I moved to my new duty station in January. And the majority of food around here is italian food (which happens to be pretty much my weakness) so I've been trying to stay away from white carbs because i assumed thats why i gained weight. Do you think if I brought more snacks to work to sneak in the extra calories would help? (I.e. fruits or almonds?). Also, should I just cut out a lot of my workout altogether? Because there's just no way I can get real meals in with my work schedule. I never thought about the starch + starch thing. That might have been another problem. When I get home I used to just eat whatever was around, and my boyfriend is italian so you can imagine all the pasta that was :)

    Again, thank you for your answers. This information is what I need.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The minimum caloric intake for insanity according to the diet guide should be 1700 calories
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,078 Member
    It's like deja vu, i thought i was looking at an old thread.
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    No. That's a stupid routine. And I think you know that. What are you looking for here? Do you want someone to say "Sure! Crash diet! Trash your metabolism! Fast is all that counts! Healthy doesn't mean anything. And screw sustainable. It's all about instant gratification after all."

    Quoted for truth.
  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

    Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?
  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

    Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?

    That's the thing, I'm not sure. Everything I've read screams "JUNK FOOD = BAD" but then I post on here and I get bombarded by people here saying that I'm not eating enough and very few give tips on how to improve.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

    Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?

    That's the thing, I'm not sure. Everything I've read screams "JUNK FOOD = BAD" but then I post on here and I get bombarded by people here saying that I'm not eating enough and very few give tips on how to improve.

    It can be "junk" but doesn't have to be. Why not throw in a steak here and there, or take a jar of peanut butter and a spoon and go to town. both have a lot of cals and are not what I would consider "junk" Just avoid diet and lite foods, and opt for full fat/sugar versions of foods.
  • qling
    qling Posts: 2
    This seems like a terrible set-up

    Go to a calorie calculator online (link to the one i use is here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    Put in your info and eat the calories that come up for "fat loss" you should only eat around 500 calories less than your maintenance. Remember that doing a huge deficit will only lead to your body feeling malnourished and you might have a harder time shredding the fat.

    Also given your current weight you don't seem to need to lose more weight. If you are not satisfied with your body and how you look I recommend that you instead change your strategy and start working out to get a more in shape body. Something like stronglifts 5x5 (google it) is good regardless of gender and size.

    Also you seem to be relying too much on shakes you should probably just try to make all your food in advance (e.g take 3 hours on a sunday to cook food for the whole week). Also you don't need to freak out about eating 6 times a day because science proves that what matters is the calories you eat not how many meals. Personally I find life to be a lot easier when I eat two meals a day and I can bulk or cut no problem.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
    Peanut butter and almonds are a healthy, calorie dense snack.
  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

    Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?

    That's the thing, I'm not sure. Everything I've read screams "JUNK FOOD = BAD" but then I post on here and I get bombarded by people here saying that I'm not eating enough and very few give tips on how to improve.

    I can be "junk" but doesn't have to be. Why not throw in a steak here and there, or take a jar of peanut butter and a spoon and go to town. both have a lot of cals and are not what I would consider "junk" Just avoid diet and lite foods, and opt for full fat/sugar versions of foods.

    Hmmm never thought of that. Good ideas :)
    What if I did a little of both? Dropped crossfit and ate like 1500 calories following your tips. Do you think I'd experience better results then? I'm sorry about all the questions. I'm just thankful to be getting some answers :). Thank you!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    I wouldn't call a 1000 calories with a moderate level of activity a good method. Doing a rough tdee calculation comes up with a TDEE of around 2200 calories... so you're eating at a 1200 calorie (2.4lb/week) deficit in the last 14 lbs of your weight loss... Losses of .5-1 lb a week are high at what you have left to lose and greater than 2lbs a week like you're aiming for is really strictly for the morbidly obese. At both 139lbs and 125lbs you're at a normal BMI (23.9 at 139lbs, 21.5 at 125lbs.)

    You're starving yourself and you're losing significant lean body mass at that caloric intake level.

    So what do you reccomend? Should I just cut out most of my workout? What are some ways I can get in some extra calories that's not junk food?

    Is junk food necessarily a bad thing, especially if it helps you get to a more appropriate calorie intake?

    That's the thing, I'm not sure. Everything I've read screams "JUNK FOOD = BAD" but then I post on here and I get bombarded by people here saying that I'm not eating enough and very few give tips on how to improve.

    First priority - get enough calories
    Second priority - have a reasonable balance of fats, carbs, and protein
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    nth priority - eat clean


    People eat clean, generally, for health reasons, not for weight issues. So we're kind of talking about 2 different things here. Based on your original post, getting enough cals would be MY first concern. Once you get a handle on that, then you can worry about the rest.
  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    This seems like a terrible set-up

    Go to a calorie calculator online (link to the one i use is here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    Put in your info and eat the calories that come up for "fat loss" you should only eat around 500 calories less than your maintenance. Remember that doing a huge deficit will only lead to your body feeling malnourished and you might have a harder time shredding the fat.

    Also given your current weight you don't seem to need to lose more weight. If you are not satisfied with your body and how you look I recommend that you instead change your strategy and start working out to get a more in shape body. Something like stronglifts 5x5 (google it) is good regardless of gender and size.

    Also you seem to be relying too much on shakes you should probably just try to make all your food in advance (e.g take 3 hours on a sunday to cook food for the whole week). Also you don't need to freak out about eating 6 times a day because science proves that what matters is the calories you eat not how many meals. Personally I find life to be a lot easier when I eat two meals a day and I can bulk or cut no problem.

    Good stuff! Ill give it a try too. Thank you!
  • qling
    qling Posts: 2
    Also you were asking for a "good diet" so I'll add this:

    Try to eat foods that you have prepared yourself that are not processed. Given your schedule and your eating you are the kind of person who takes this seriously and is prepared to eat healthy. Not like some who say "I wanna get in shape" but then say "well that food doesn't seem fun to eat".

    So for protein: Eggs, Cottage Cheese, chicken, turkey, beef, fish

    Carbs: ANY carb source is fine as long as you track calories but since you are eating so little and exercising so much I would recommend brown rice because it keeps you full.

    Fats: Healthy fats are vital for your body to burn. Generic peanut butter (obviously no sugar) and avocados are my favourite sources.

    A standard meal that I cook a lot when cutting is:
    1. Take 250g of turkey breast and cut it in small pieces to fry.
    2. When finished cooking the turkey add 300g of frozen veggie mix
    3. Add 100g (pre-cooked) of any ready boiled carb source (pasta, rice, couscous, etc.) which you first boil in a separate pan.
    4. Add some pre-bought sauce (e.g. tomato and onion sauce I use is 65 cal per 100g = tasty and win)

    Takes 20 minutes to cook and I usually make huge batches and pack in lunchboxes.

    Swap out the carb and meat/fish source and sauce you add to get completely different meals with same prep method and time.

    Hope I helped and good luck! you got this
  • dallasandrews1
    dallasandrews1 Posts: 22 Member
    Also you were asking for a "good diet" so I'll add this:

    Try to eat foods that you have prepared yourself that are not processed. Given your schedule and your eating you are the kind of person who takes this seriously and is prepared to eat healthy. Not like some who say "I wanna get in shape" but then say "well that food doesn't seem fun to eat".

    So for protein: Eggs, Cottage Cheese, chicken, turkey, beef, fish

    Carbs: ANY carb source is fine as long as you track calories but since you are eating so little and exercising so much I would recommend brown rice because it keeps you full.

    Fats: Healthy fats are vital for your body to burn. Generic peanut butter (obviously no sugar) and avocados are my favourite sources.

    A standard meal that I cook a lot when cutting is:
    1. Take 250g of turkey breast and cut it in small pieces to fry.
    2. When finished cooking the turkey add 300g of frozen veggie mix
    3. Add 100g (pre-cooked) of any ready boiled carb source (pasta, rice, couscous, etc.) which you first boil in a separate pan.
    4. Add some pre-bought sauce (e.g. tomato and onion sauce I use is 65 cal per 100g = tasty and win)

    Takes 20 minutes to cook and I usually make huge batches and pack in lunchboxes.

    Swap out the carb and meat/fish source and sauce you add to get completely different meals with same prep method and time.

    Hope I helped and good luck! you got this

    This is great. Thank you so much :)
  • Irenaekl
    Irenaekl Posts: 116 Member
    Im 5'4 and 139ish lbs. I want to get down to 125. I've been eating less than 1000 calories, taking 3 oxyelite pro supplements and the womans active vitapak a day. I'm also hydrating like crazy and doing crossfit workouts and the insanity program daily. I don't feel lethargic or anything but I want to drop weight ASAP. Is this a good routine to follow? My diet is pretty much as follows daily:

    Breakfast: 1 total lean shake and a banana

    Snack: 1 hard boiled egg

    Lunch: 1 total lean shake and an orange

    Snack: baby carrots and dip

    Dinner: some chicken and spinach.

    I just really want some insight because I have a set of uniform pants I need to fit back into soon. Thanks.

    Absolutely not!

    You're looking for a 'quick fix' and that's not what this site is about. Proper weight loss really depends on a complete change of eating habits which can be sustained on a permanent basis.

    Your method cannot be sustained - you are consuming far too few calories for the amount of exercise you are doing.

    You say you need to get into a pair of pants.. You might ...but what happens when you start to eat properly again? Do you do this again and again every time the pants get tight?

    As for what to eat... well - anything you want to as long as it provides enough calories and a good balance of protein/carbs/ fats/sugar/ salt etc

    Your weight is pretty much right for your height. Maybe you should just get the next size pants!
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    I don't recommend it, but i once lost significant weight (~60lbs) eating nothing but terrible fast food for a few months (to prove a point to someone on a 'mcdonalds is making everyone fat' kick)

    Calories in vs Calories out for strictly weightloss.

    You don't have a lot to lose, nothing wrong with some eggs, or bananas, or a wide variety of other foods... it's not that what you were eating is bad, it's just that you're starving yourself and trying to cut far to much too fast.

    If you're effectively burning say 2500 calories a day doing your normal routine and such, then a good amount to cut would be 500... and pretty much never should you be under 1200 at any circumstance.

    High calorie foods are common and there are some great ones for you, avocado is high calorie and GREAT for you. If you're finding yourself low on protein add some cottage cheese or greek yogurt. if you need a little protein and calories both add some peanut butter.

    If you find half way through your day that you're sitting at 1200 calorie deficit, consider a nice big steak and potato for dinner. If you find you're not going to have a busy day, eat a bit less calories so you're not over your expenditure. Nothing is daily set in stone. Be flexible with what you eat. If you're not working out that day you might only want 1200-1500 calories. If you're working out doing insanity and cross fit that day you might need 2000-2300 depending on how much you're doing.

    What I do is set my goal based off my sedentary tdee, then log all my exercise individually at 50% of what the site suggests then eat back those calories. It seems to be working well for me, but I'm a lot further from "fit" than you so I've got a lot more flexibility than you too.

    The fact you're exercising is GOOD. Just make sure on those days you eat enough to fuel your body and prevent significant lbm losses (eg: enough protein, enough calories)

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