"Replacement" Foods

Options
jamielyons26
jamielyons26 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
Hi. I am a first time mother to a seven month old boy. I gained quite a bit of weight from my pregnancy, but lost twenty pounds before I even left the hospital after giving birth to him. But unfortunately, the weight loss stopped at that, and now seven months later, I still am much heavier than I was before my pregnancy (before pregnancy I wasn't in the best shape either). I started working (waitressing 5-6 days per week) after my son was three months old, and saw no change in my weight. So then I started doing 4-5 workouts a week (usually 30 minutes of Calisthenics broken up into fifteen or ten minute intervals). And still no weight loss! So my diet has had to change (still in keeping with the other changes I have made). First, I have given up pop (I was drinking close to one 2-liter of coca-cola a day)...It's been two weeks since I have had a sip of pop. I also replaced the 2% milk in my house with almond milk, brownies for No Pudge Fudge brownies made with Plain Greek yogurt, chips for veggie chips, and dip for hummus. I also started eating breakfast everyday (egg whites with a slice of bread or chicken noodle soup). I have increased my water intake by 75% and I am now counting calories, staying within 1200 calories/day. What I need is helpful hints. Advice to keep me on track. I would love to hear of other foods I could incorporate into my diet so that I am not stuck eating the same foods everyday.
«1

Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Options
    You can still eat all of the foods if you want to and not eliminate items you enjoy, unless you have some type of medical condition. A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight and that can be done with a wide range of foods. (Exercise for fitness) If you are not losing weight, there is a miscalculation somewhere along the way. Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week and that is where the 1200 calorie goal came from?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    #1 thing to understand. pregnancy didn't make you overweight. over eating did.

    # 2 working out has little do to with weight loss- and appearance. It is a function of diet- like 80+% a function of diet. Remember professional body builders- they are not professional lifters- they are professional DIETERS. They manipulate their diet so their body responds to training to get a visual result.

    You will never be able to out workout a bad diet.

    And even eating 'clean' won't help you if you are eating to much of it. no pudge fudge? bah- if you want a brownie- have a brownie.

    just make sure you leave room in your calories for the day and are hitting your macro's reasonably well.

    You don't need to change every little thing in your house- I LIKE eating my own food that I cook- and I LIKE wht is considered 'clean' food- but I do not really follow 'clean eating/dirty eating' I just like eating that way- but I have ice cream almost every night- and eat candy easily 2-3 times a week... finding a way to balance what you like with what you have- and eating it in moderation is key- finding a healthy relationship wtih food- something sustainable.

    so my finally thought- this is not a two or three month process- you should be aiming to lose roughly a pound a week- sometimes it's less sometimes it's more- it's an AVERAGE. it didnt' come on over night- it's not going to leave over night. It's a slow steady process.


    Don't worry about rushing it or stalling- just figure out what your deficit needs to be- eat that and re-evaluate every 3-4 weeks. (I was cutting at 1900 calories- lost a little- and my body adapted- and I stopped cutting- and just started maintaining- I had to drop my calorie count again- down to 1700. now it's even lower if I want to lose. don't forget- it's not a static one time fits all- you have to make little adjustments as you go- like driving a car- you don't just point and press the gas pedal- hands on the steering wheel- focused- shifting a little left and and a little right- just to go in a straight line? right? same concept.
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    Yes. MFP set my calorie intake at 1200 to lose two pounds per week. I really am portioning everything and counting everything. And doing the exercises as I said. I am hoping my weight loss efforts start to show soon. I want to be able to fill my kitchen with good food because it helps to create that healthy lifestyle that I am looking for. Of course I don't cut out any food completely but it would be nice to know of alternatives just to broaden my food knowledge.
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    #1 thing to understand. pregnancy didn't make you overweight. over eating did.

    # 2 working out has little do to with weight loss- and appearance. It is a function of diet- like 80+% a function of diet. Remember professional body builders- they are not professional lifters- they are professional DIETERS. They manipulate their diet so their body responds to training to get a visual result.

    You will never be able to out workout a bad diet.

    And even eating 'clean' won't help you if you are eating to much of it. no pudge fudge? bah- if you want a brownie- have a brownie.

    just make sure you leave room in your calories for the day and are hitting your macro's reasonably well.

    You don't need to change every little thing in your house- I LIKE eating my own food that I cook- and I LIKE wht is considered 'clean' food- but I do not really follow 'clean eating/dirty eating' I just like eating that way- but I have ice cream almost every night- and eat candy easily 2-3 times a week... finding a way to balance what you like with what you have- and eating it in moderation is key- finding a healthy relationship wtih food- something sustainable.

    so my finally thought- this is not a two or three month process- you should be aiming to lose roughly a pound a week- sometimes it's less sometimes it's more- it's an AVERAGE. it didnt' come on over night- it's not going to leave over night. It's a slow steady process.


    Don't worry about rushing it or stalling- just figure out what your deficit needs to be- eat that and re-evaluate every 3-4 weeks. (I was cutting at 1900 calories- lost a little- and my body adapted- and I stopped cutting- and just started maintaining- I had to drop my calorie count again- down to 1700. now it's even lower if I want to lose. don't forget- it's not a static one time fits all- you have to make little adjustments as you go- like driving a car- you don't just point and press the gas pedal- hands on the steering wheel- focused- shifting a little left and and a little right- just to go in a straight line? right? same concept.


    No **** pregnancy didn't make me overweight...I gained weight while pregnant though, which is why I gave that information out and when you grow a vagina and carry a child you go ahead and try not to gain weight when you can no longer work because of risks from the pregnancy and have to stay at home all day and have different cravings all day. I am sorry but when you are miserable it's not easy to say no to food especially when you are eatting for two...I never blamed anybody but myself...and I am on the path of a healthy lifestyle which means I am done blaming anyways. But thanks for the other info..despite the fact that you are a little inconsiderate. However you didn't give me any other foods ideas, and I am not looking to eat ice cream daily or candy. You obviously have a faster metabolism than me otherwise I wouldn't have posted this for help...duh. People use this thing to brag which is borderline what you are doing.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Options
    Try to reset it to one pound per week. Log accurately. Weigh everything. Be patient.



    P.S. Nobody is being inconsiderate.
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    Try to reset it to one pound per week. Log accurately. Weigh everything. Be patient.



    P.S. Nobody is being inconsiderate.

    Thanks.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Options
    Try to reset it to one pound per week. Log accurately. Weigh everything. Be patient.



    P.S. Nobody is being inconsiderate.

    Thanks.

    Read this and all of the links in it:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?page=1#posts-16625920
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Options
    I have increased my water intake by 75% and I am now counting calories, staying within 1200 calories/day. What I need is helpful hints. Advice to keep me on track. I would love to hear of other foods I could incorporate into my diet so that I am not stuck eating the same foods everyday.

    Change your goal. By your ticker, it shows you're trying to lose 25 lbs. Update your goals on here to either 1lb or .5lb per week. You'll get a more realistic goal for eating. Don't suffer through that 1200 calorie cycle of hate.
  • Colombianchick29
    Colombianchick29 Posts: 298 Member
    Options
    sounds like your on the right track. Eating breakfast, giving up soda and just making healthier choices is what works for me. I still have snack attacks some days and other days im really good. In general I noticed that the food I eat makes a big difference for the wieght loss/ gain/ I can work out really hard and not loose any weight, acutally gain weight unless I watch what I eat.
  • Colombianchick29
    Colombianchick29 Posts: 298 Member
    Options
    1200 calroes works fine for me. I eat a nice breakfast a reasonable lunch and a smaller dinner. I have healtheir snacks ( strawberries/ banana peanut butter) compared to chips & soda as I was before. I am satisfied w/ the 1200 calories. it was hard at first, but now im used to it, and fell sick if I over eat. everyone is different. what works for one person wont work for nother. you just have to figure out your body & what works for you. At one point i started eating back my work out calories, and started gaining weght! So I realised that just didnt work for my body. Trial & error.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    No **** pregnancy didn't make me overweight...I gained weight while pregnant though, which is why I gave that information out and when you grow a vagina and carry a child you go ahead and try not to gain weight when you can no longer work because of risks from the pregnancy and have to stay at home all day and have different cravings all day. I am sorry but when you are miserable it's not easy to say no to food especially when you are eatting for two...I never blamed anybody but myself...and I am on the path of a healthy lifestyle which means I am done blaming anyways. But thanks for the other info..despite the fact that you are a little inconsiderate. However you didn't give me any other foods ideas, and I am not looking to eat ice cream daily or candy. You obviously have a faster metabolism than me otherwise I wouldn't have posted this for help...duh. People use this thing to brag which is borderline what you are doing.

    I'm not being inconsiderate. and I'm not bragging- I'm stating something. And these somethings are to help you understand how to make the appropriate changes.

    it's hard to fix things if you don't know HOW they happened- or HOW to fix them. I was trying to give you a FRAME WORK to help your life. Replacement foods won't do jack if you don't understand how this process works. You can replace all your food with "health food store" crap and still not lose any thing.

    I don't need to grow a vagina- i already have one- but thankfully it doesn't rule my body- or tell me what to do. or how to behave- or how to treat people.

    i would also like to point out- that most women say "eating for two" no. no you aren't. If you were eating for two- you'd be eating close to 3500-400 calories.

    Assuming the baby is at 8 MONTHS... and it's 10 lbs (that's average right?) your average woman is what one hundred and something lbs? lets go with that sure why not. 150.

    10 lbs of 150

    that's not even 1/10. But even if we GO with 1/10th of that... youre average calorie intake for a woman is 1500 calories? 1/10 of that is...ohhhh little mental math? 150 calories (see what I did there)

    So at best you can justify an extra small meal- maybe 2-300 calories.

    that's not eating for two.

    regardless of that... because it's completely irrelevant to the conversation.....

    I was only pointing out that substituting and replacing food ISN"T THE ANSWER. sure it can help... but learning how much you are supposed to eat and what that looks like- is. And I was gently trying to say- not brag- that you can still eat the things you love in life.

    My metabolism isn't that fast- I just work hard- and I know what I eat.

    as far as "good food"

    chicken
    steak
    veggies
    eggs
    milk

    these are things I eat on a regular basis- a lot. I eat a lot of them. I'd say eggs make up 90% of my breakfast and chicken and steak make up 100% of my dinners. fix them however you like- but you need protein, fat and carbs- whatever combination of that you come up with is totally up to you.
  • Colombianchick29
    Colombianchick29 Posts: 298 Member
    Options
    some food ideas: i make spinach & banana smoothies in the mornings. whole wheat bread one slice with peanut or nut butter and top it with strawberries and babana usually curves my sweet tooth. Soda once in a while i get either a diet , or if im really craving, i get the small can, and usually take a while to finish it now. Starbucks I get the tall-sometimes grande-skinny* iced hazelnut or caramel macchiato both well under 200 calories ( compared to the 500 calorie drink i used to get). I do the cooking in my house so I bake everything, beef, chicken sausage whatever. I really try to avoid frying anything, but do it occasionaly when i am pressed for time. Substitue white rice for brown rice. Hope I gave you some new ideas.
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    I have increased my water intake by 75% and I am now counting calories, staying within 1200 calories/day. What I need is helpful hints. Advice to keep me on track. I would love to hear of other foods I could incorporate into my diet so that I am not stuck eating the same foods everyday.

    Change your goal. By your ticker, it shows you're trying to lose 25 lbs. Update your goals on here to either 1lb or .5lb per week. You'll get a more realistic goal for eating. Don't suffer through that 1200 calorie cycle of hate.

    I just changed my weight loss goals to 1.5 pounds per week and it gave me over 400 more calories to eat per day. Thanks for the advice.
  • elsdonward
    elsdonward Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    right - the pop you were drinking was the worse thing you ever did. Do not even drink juice as it is sugar water. It will take a small amount of time to get over the soft drink metabolic effect helped by water - Try porridge and honey each morning if you like substitute with meusli. Lunch have natural carbs and natural protein - like vegetable soup with bacon in it? etc

    Just avoid all junk - keep on truckin with the workouts and you will demolish the weight
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Options
    Eat whatever you want, but within your calorie goal.

    Remember that with MFP, you eat the allotted calories then when you exercise it gives you MORE calories to eat, because the calculation on MFP for the amount of calories you need to lose weight does NOT include exercise, it adds it in after you log your exercise. So, if you exercised and burned 300 calories, you eat 1200 + 300 = 1500.

    I agree that you should change your goal to 1 pound a week, or even half a pound a week. This will be more sustainable.

    You have to figure out what changes in your foods is going to help meet your goals. The best way to do that is to log consistently and see what things tend to put you over your goals and what else you like that you might substitute. Or just knowing that if I have this piece of pizza for lunch, then I am going to have to look for a lower calorie dinner to compensate, like an omelette, or fish. Quitting pop is a great place to start.

    Editing to add: Pre-logging what you plan to eat can help you.
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    1200 calroes works fine for me. I eat a nice breakfast a reasonable lunch and a smaller dinner. I have healtheir snacks ( strawberries/ banana peanut butter) compared to chips & soda as I was before. I am satisfied w/ the 1200 calories. it was hard at first, but now im used to it, and fell sick if I over eat. everyone is different. what works for one person wont work for nother. you just have to figure out your body & what works for you. At one point i started eating back my work out calories, and started gaining weght! So I realised that just didnt work for my body. Trial & error.

    one thing the site does is add your workout calories to the amount you can eat for the day. I'm glad I read your posts. I should keep in mind that I'm not working out just so i can eat more
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Options
    I have increased my water intake by 75% and I am now counting calories, staying within 1200 calories/day. What I need is helpful hints. Advice to keep me on track. I would love to hear of other foods I could incorporate into my diet so that I am not stuck eating the same foods everyday.

    Change your goal. By your ticker, it shows you're trying to lose 25 lbs. Update your goals on here to either 1lb or .5lb per week. You'll get a more realistic goal for eating. Don't suffer through that 1200 calorie cycle of hate.

    I just changed my weight loss goals to 1.5 pounds per week and it gave me over 400 more calories to eat per day. Thanks for the advice.

    probably still too aggressive for the amount you have to lose.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    Options
    No **** pregnancy didn't make me overweight...I gained weight while pregnant though, which is why I gave that information out and when you grow a vagina and carry a child you go ahead and try not to gain weight

    lolwut?
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    No **** pregnancy didn't make me overweight...I gained weight while pregnant though, which is why I gave that information out and when you grow a vagina and carry a child you go ahead and try not to gain weight when you can no longer work because of risks from the pregnancy and have to stay at home all day and have different cravings all day. I am sorry but when you are miserable it's not easy to say no to food especially when you are eatting for two...I never blamed anybody but myself...and I am on the path of a healthy lifestyle which means I am done blaming anyways. But thanks for the other info..despite the fact that you are a little inconsiderate. However you didn't give me any other foods ideas, and I am not looking to eat ice cream daily or candy. You obviously have a faster metabolism than me otherwise I wouldn't have posted this for help...duh. People use this thing to brag which is borderline what you are doing.

    I'm not being inconsiderate. and I'm not bragging- I'm stating something. And these somethings are to help you understand how to make the appropriate changes.

    it's hard to fix things if you don't know HOW they happened- or HOW to fix them. I was trying to give you a FRAME WORK to help your life. Replacement foods won't do jack if you don't understand how this process works. You can replace all your food with "health food store" crap and still not lose any thing.

    I don't need to grow a vagina- i already have one- but thankfully it doesn't rule my body- or tell me what to do. or how to behave- or how to treat people.

    i would also like to point out- that most women say "eating for two" no. no you aren't. If you were eating for two- you'd be eating close to 3500-400 calories.

    Assuming the baby is at 8 MONTHS... and it's 10 lbs (that's average right?) your average woman is what one hundred and something lbs? lets go with that sure why not. 150.

    10 lbs of 150

    that's not even 1/10. But even if we GO with 1/10th of that... youre average calorie intake for a woman is 1500 calories? 1/10 of that is...ohhhh little mental math? 150 calories (see what I did there)

    So at best you can justify an extra small meal- maybe 2-300 calories.

    that's not eating for two.

    regardless of that... because it's completely irrelevant to the conversation.....

    I was only pointing out that substituting and replacing food ISN"T THE ANSWER. sure it can help... but learning how much you are supposed to eat and what that looks like- is. And I was gently trying to say- not brag- that you can still eat the things you love in life.

    My metabolism isn't that fast- I just work hard- and I know what I eat.

    as far as "good food"

    chicken
    steak
    veggies
    eggs
    milk

    these are things I eat on a regular basis- a lot. I eat a lot of them. I'd say eggs make up 90% of my breakfast and chicken and steak make up 100% of my dinners. fix them however you like- but you need protein, fat and carbs- whatever combination of that you come up with is totally up to you.

    do you think protein is better than carbs? I read an article that said the more protein you eat, the harder your body works to break down the food which means more calories burned. What do you think about that. (p.s. I didn't gain the weight because i was in the mind set that i was eating for two...i gained it because i was stress eating...it was the first time i was out of work in five years...and i hate being stuck indoors which is what happened because it was winter).
  • jamielyons26
    jamielyons26 Posts: 10
    Options
    Eat whatever you want, but within your calorie goal.

    Remember that with MFP, you eat the allotted calories then when you exercise it gives you MORE calories to eat, because the calculation on MFP for the amount of calories you need to lose weight does NOT include exercise, it adds it in after you log your exercise. So, if you exercised and burned 300 calories, you eat 1200 + 300 = 1500.

    I agree that you should change your goal to 1 pound a week, or even half a pound a week. This will be more sustainable.

    You have to figure out what changes in your foods is going to help meet your goals. The best way to do that is to log consistently and see what things tend to put you over your goals and what else you like that you might substitute. Or just knowing that if I have this piece of pizza for lunch, then I am going to have to look for a lower calorie dinner to compensate, like an omelette, or fish. Quitting pop is a great place to start.

    Editing to add: Pre-logging what you plan to eat can help you.

    I really like the idea of pre-logging, yesterday i made the mistake of eating a bagel from panera bread without checking into the calories... it was 400 calories with the butter i used..boy was i annoyed at myself.

Categories