Here's my diet plan, Suggestions? changes? help in general

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kr00k3dd
kr00k3dd Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,
So I'm new to actually dieting.. I've done crash diets before, but this time i'm trying to do it the right and healthy way.
I've basically made my own diet plan and I would like some feedback on it.

1,200 calories a day
I've been eating things like lowfat greek yogurt, lean lunchmeats on whole grain pitas, veggies,
and I've been working out every other day for 30mins-1 hour.

Long story short, Foods you would suggest, Foods I should stay away from other than the obvious (for ex: things that say healthy or diet foods that are actually really bad for diets "diet soda" ect) Exercises that are really good to try...
What has worked for you??

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  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    where did you get the number 1200 from? what worked for ME - getting accurate numbers from here on MFP - putting in my stats and getting the correct number, figuring out how much exercise i am doing and adjusting the numbers. that 's for starters.

    what works - being consistant, being honest with yourself (i.e., logging everything), exercising, and using a kitchen scale. i eat *mostly* healthy (salads, lower fat dairy, lots of chicken, veg) with the occassional not-so-healthy. I have been losing slowly but surely. the last few weeks i've been a bit "off" and the scale /clothing absolutely reflect that.

    I don't suggest you stay away from anything - as long as you can fit it in your diet, it's fine by me. You may find, over time, that it's better FOR YOU to eat more salads and roast veg and less pizza and take out but there is no right or wrong here.
  • kr00k3dd
    kr00k3dd Posts: 6 Member
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    The 1200 came from this site and the calculator on here.
    Another one gave me 1600 though.

    Thanks for the advice! how much have you lost and how long have you been on your current plan?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    The 1200 cal this site offered you is on the assumption that you will eat back exercise calories so be sure to log your work outs and aim to NET at least 1200.

    Eat foods you enjoy. Try not to get into he mindset of 'good' and 'bad' foods. Aim to eat a varied diet which incorporates healthy fats, lean protein, fruit and vegetables and of course it's fine to leave room for a little of whatever else you fancy.

    According to your our ticker you'd like to lose 100lbs so initially aiming to lose 2lb per week should be fine for you. However as your weight decreases you should adjust your goal aiming to lose only 1lb per week to ensure you're mostly losing fat, and not muscle mass.

    Good luck in reaching your goals.
  • kr00k3dd
    kr00k3dd Posts: 6 Member
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    so assuming I burn 1000 calories a day, I should be eating 2,200 calories?
  • KatyE213
    KatyE213 Posts: 446 Member
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    Yes thats correct, but make sure not to overestimate the calories you burn. Ie, using the figures on this site, which tend to be too high in my experience.
  • NathanielJL
    NathanielJL Posts: 15 Member
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    Honestly, if you've burned 1000 calories after your work out, it isn't essential to load up with an extra 1000 calories (to 2,200 calories). Then all your work that you've done is going through that food you're putting down your throat. What you should do is find alternatives, such as (if you're trying to lose weight and gain a better body and fill full at the same time), eat a protein bar or drink 2 cups of water. For me it's work in that general direction and I've noticed a significant change because my appetite has completely vanished. Besides that, the workouts I've been doing are more weight training (4x times a week) than cardio (only once a week) - since I'm concentrating on building lean muscle as well as burning fat.

    In your situation if you are like me, do some light weight training + cardio and you should see some changes within a few weeks. However, if you're simply trying to tone up and slim, stick to a strict diet (which you are at 1200 calories), and just do cardio (3 times) with a little bit of light weights (1-2 times a week). People might say weights won't help with burning fat and all, but it truly does. You'll feel the burn after the workouts and you sweat like crazy - but try and find circuit weight workouts.

    Oh, don't forget to drink 8-10 cups of water per day. It'll help with getting rid of your hunger cravings.
  • Nenny1985
    Nenny1985 Posts: 122
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    Go you! I'd suggest adding plenty of protein and include lots of strength training. Strength training is awesome in lots of ways and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest. Also try doing interval training where possible, ie doing short bursts of intensive exercise. All the best.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
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    You shouldn't need to drop down as low as 1200. Find out what your maintenance calories are and minus 200-500 calories. Don't forget to add any exercise calories too.
    I wouldn't say diet soda is bad, it shouldn't hurt your weight loss anyway, and can help if you are craving sugar but don't have any spare calories.
    You may not be getting enough fat from the food you mentioned, you need enough fat for your body to be healthy and function properly, so around 0.3g-0.5g of fat per pound of bodyweight is probably a good amount.
    In terms of losing weight it shouldn't matter too much what you eat as long as you hit your calorie goals, but whole foods with plenty of micro- and macro-nutrients are good. The usual: fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, quality meat and fish, nuts and seeds, eggs, etc.
  • kr00k3dd
    kr00k3dd Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for all the suggestions you guys :)
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    and another thing - try the 1200 (plus added exercise cals) for a few weeks and then re-assess. you may need to change things in your diet, you may need to change your exercise, you may be retaining water for some reason, etc etc.

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