What am I alowed to eat???

Hi Guys,

I'll start by letting u guys know whats up. Im 18, im 158cm and i weigh 74 kilo. Im really trying to loose some weight. i really dont eat much but i do tend to go for the unhealthy stuff. Ive been 70 kilo sinds i was 11 and i never lost weight or got really heavier although i was exercising ( boxing and participating in school sports). I'm trying to eat 5 x day like everybody tells me too and im trying to exercise 3x a week combining cardio and weights together.

But when it comes to food, it seems like everything i normally eat is not good at all. I love bread, but i cant eat that, i cant eat granola, i cant eat too much fruit, i cant eat too many nuts or too much or brown rice. I dont even know what to eat for breakfast anymore because evertything is soo bad.

Does anybody know what i should eat or skip to actually see results? I'm also worried that ill never loose weight, im not a lazy person at all. I struggle to eat up to 900 calories a day normally :(.

Thanks guys

Replies

  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    Anything you want!! :wink: Provided you measure and log it and it fits into your allowances.

    Who says eating bread, granola, fruit, nuts or brown rice is bad for you? If you don't have diabetes, coeliac disease or other allergy you can eat anything you want, as long as you count the calories, get enough protein to be able to repair your body, enough fibre for your guts to work properly and enough fluids (water is good) to keep you hydrated.

    White bread is less good for you than wholemeal, processed cereals are not as good for you as wholewheat cereals. In both these cases the fibre helps to fill you up and keep your digestion on the move. Brown rice is great - but make sure you measure your portions.

    Nuts have healthy forms of fats and are good for you provided you measure them and don't have too many.

    If you do lots of exercise you burn more calories (as I'm sure you know) and on MFP you eat the EXTRA calories you earn over your "daily activity" level.

    If you struggle to eat over 900 calories a day you're choosing the wrong foods and need to add more of the healthy proteins, wholewheat or un(over)processed vegetable carbs and healthy (unsaturated) fats to your meals and snacks.
  • shawntyxl
    shawntyxl Posts: 12 Member
    Anything you want!! :wink: Provided you measure and log it and it fits into your allowances.

    Who says eating bread, granola, fruit, nuts or brown rice is bad for you? If you don't have diabetes, coeliac disease or other allergy you can eat anything you want, as long as you count the calories, get enough protein to be able to repair your body, enough fibre for your guts to work properly and enough fluids (water is good) to keep you hydrated.

    White bread is less good for you than wholemeal, processed cereals are not as good for you as wholewheat cereals. In both these cases the fibre helps to fill you up and keep your digestion on the move. Brown rice is great - but make sure you measure your portions.

    Nuts have healthy forms of fats and are good for you provided you measure them and don't have too many.

    If you do lots of exercise you burn more calories (as I'm sure you know) and on MFP you eat the EXTRA calories you earn over your "daily activity" level.

    If you struggle to eat over 900 calories a day you're choosing the wrong foods and need to add more of the healthy proteins, wholewheat or un(over)processed vegetable carbs and healthy (unsaturated) fats to your meals and snacks.

    Thanks for the advice! I saw one of these videos and other people telling me basically that these things are bad. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHDrYEHQaY
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I'm confused by the question...

    You are allowed to eat whatever you want. You go n to say "i cant eat bread, i cant eat granola" etc. Why can't you eat these foods? Are you saying you can't eat these foods because of an intolerance?

    You then go on to say you are only eating 900 calories a day. I doubt this very very seriously. Many people believe they are eating "only 1200 calories a day" and then when actually followed or tested are consuming upwards of 2-3000 calories a day.

    The only thing i could suggest would be to stop trying to eliminate certain foods from your diet that you think are "good" or "bad" or "healthy/unhealthy". This isn't a very positive or helpful way of thinking about food and will only make binging and falling off track more easily.

    Eat what you want. Track the calories. Measure the food you are eating and do log absolutely everything you are eating. Don't try and estimate the amount of calories you are burning during exercise and eat it back unless you have the proper equipment to do so. Be consistent and give it time.

    If you're still having problems and you've eliminated (to the best of your ability) the possibility that you are underestimating calories eaten, overestimating calories burned, and have no food intolerance then go check yourself out with a doctor to make sure there isn't some underlying medical issue at hand.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I am sure you can eat over 900 calories a day otherwise you wouldn't need to lose weight.

    As for what you can eat...as the other poster said...whatever you want just stay at a "REASONABLE" deficet.

    My diary is open feel free to take a look at my normal eating habits.

    and by that I mean don't look over the holidays...but the weeks and months previous to that.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Anything you want!! :wink: Provided you measure and log it and it fits into your allowances.

    Who says eating bread, granola, fruit, nuts or brown rice is bad for you? If you don't have diabetes, coeliac disease or other allergy you can eat anything you want, as long as you count the calories, get enough protein to be able to repair your body, enough fibre for your guts to work properly and enough fluids (water is good) to keep you hydrated.

    White bread is less good for you than wholemeal, processed cereals are not as good for you as wholewheat cereals. In both these cases the fibre helps to fill you up and keep your digestion on the move. Brown rice is great - but make sure you measure your portions.

    Nuts have healthy forms of fats and are good for you provided you measure them and don't have too many.

    If you do lots of exercise you burn more calories (as I'm sure you know) and on MFP you eat the EXTRA calories you earn over your "daily activity" level.

    If you struggle to eat over 900 calories a day you're choosing the wrong foods and need to add more of the healthy proteins, wholewheat or un(over)processed vegetable carbs and healthy (unsaturated) fats to your meals and snacks.

    Thanks for the advice! I saw one of these videos and other people telling me basically that these things are bad. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHDrYEHQaY

    Just so you know... this guy "mike chang" although very attractive is completely full of ****. All of his videos are laughable at best and he has a real agenda trying to sell you his "program" on his website.

    He is not any different than the hundreds of supplement companies and diet plans out there trying to scam you out of money in exchange for some half-assed "research".
  • Why can't you eat brown rice, fruit, or nuts? While it's true nuts are high caloric, they're still fairly healthy. Fat keeps you satisfied and most nuts have good fats in them. Rather than eliminating whole foods, why not limit your portions? Learn what a proper portion looks like. Measure and log consistently. If you don't think you can control your urge to overeat, perhaps you can temporarily remove those foods from your regular diet until you feel more familiar with portions. Honestly, unless you have diabetes I don't see a reason to limit fruit. Eat a wide variety and enjoy the nutritional benefits and taste. Brown Rice and other whole grains such as oats and barley are great. You get fiber which will keep you full and a good balance of nutrients.

    I eat all of the foods you mentioned and I've seen results. If you're worried about how processed some granola is from the store, make your own.

    Breakfast ideas:
    1. real oats with almond milk and fresh fruit. Add chia seeds, cocoa powder, crushed nuts, etc. to dress it up. Or make overnight oats. There are plenty of recipes online.
    2. 3 egg omlette. Add lots of veggies such as spinach, peppers, garlic, onion, etc. You can also add cheese or some meat. I like doing scrambled eggs with a serving of pesto and parmesan cheese. Goat cheese and onion is also good.
    3. Some people like to make protein powder pancakes. Or you can try whole wheat flour. Emphasize fresh fruit as a topping rather than tons of butter and syrup. Or splurge with really good real maple syrup.
    4.Greek yogurt and fruit. Add chia seeds and nuts for an extra boost.
    5. In place of oats, you can substitute quinoa.

    Other things you can try: leftover meats, boiled eggs, peanut butter on whole wheat toast, etc.

    Try incorporating whole foods, log your meals, and find sustainable macros. Fats and proteins keep you full. Water helps you recognize actual hunger. If you use a lot of your calories on liquids (soda, juice), drink more water. And don't be afraid of carbs. There are plenty of healthy options. Also, you should be eating more than 900 calories a day. You may not be losing because you're not eating enough.
  • shawntyxl
    shawntyxl Posts: 12 Member
    I've been tracking my food since october, and i do count calories. So everything i eat in total is always 850 - 900 calories a day. But thanks for the advice
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
    If your goal is strictly weight loss you can eat anything as long as you are at deficit.

    If your goal is health and long term persistent weight loss then it might be a good idea to look
    at substitutions,replacements, etc. You can still eat whatever you like, just move the position
    from a cornerstone to a sometimes snack.

    Many things in the video have been pandered as health foods, good for you, etc. I think he
    is partially right in pointing out that it is mainly junk food. You can still eat it, just realize it's
    not as healthy as it purports to be.
  • If you think you're truly only eating 900 calories a day, that's too low. Have you ever figured out your BMR and your TDEE? That make be a good point to reevaluate your calorie needs.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Are you trying to gain weight, but struggle because you can only eat 900 calories? Sorry confused.

    You're allowed to eat anything unless you have some allergies or a medical condition.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Hi Guys,

    I'll start by letting u guys know whats up. Im 18, im 158cm and i weigh 74 kilo. Im really trying to loose some weight. i really dont eat much but i do tend to go for the unhealthy stuff. Ive been 70 kilo sinds i was 11 and i never lost weight or got really heavier although i was exercising ( boxing and participating in school sports). I'm trying to eat 5 x day like everybody tells me too and im trying to exercise 3x a week combining cardio and weights together.

    But when it comes to food, it seems like everything i normally eat is not good at all. I love bread, but i cant eat that, i cant eat granola, i cant eat too much fruit, i cant eat too many nuts or too much or brown rice. I dont even know what to eat for breakfast anymore because evertything is soo bad.

    Does anybody know what i should eat or skip to actually see results? I'm also worried that ill never loose weight, im not a lazy person at all. I struggle to eat up to 900 calories a day normally :(.

    Thanks guys

    a lot of what you have here is rubbish, but it's okay. it's the kind of stuff that a lot of people tend to believe when it comes to dieting.

    first, there are no bad foods. eat your bread and nuts, and fruit. geez, fruit is good for you!!! enjoy it! brown rice is a staple of my diet.

    eating five times a day is a common diet tip for many people, because many people these days have problems with portion control. if they have 5 smaller meals they can feel satiated when they get to dinner and have a small meal. personally, i ate like that when i started, but found myself way too hungry at night. so i started eating less during the day, and more at my meals. i generally skip breakfast now, so i can have more calories during the day. besides, i'm not usually hungry until about 11am anyway.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Why dont you try and vary your diet and really up your protein.

    Do you like the following?
    eggs
    oats ... my favourite is porridge with a spoonful of peanut butter
    cottage cheese
    nuts
    protein shakes for breakfast with fruit

    instead of bread i eat alot of ryvitas and rice cakes??

    Try and eat foods that will fill you up for longer. Ie I love granola but within an hour I am hungry, porridge I am full for hours

    snack on nuts/fruit/carrot/toms/celery sticks etc
  • togmo
    togmo Posts: 257
    Everything is bad, everything will kill you. It just depends on who you listen to.

    Eat whatever you want but the less processed a food is the better. It is hard to put on weight if you eat lots of vegetables, easy to put on weight if you eat lots of take away...
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    A pinch of this:
    I'm confused by the question...

    You are allowed to eat whatever you want. You go n to say "i cant eat bread, i cant eat granola" etc. Why can't you eat these foods? Are you saying you can't eat these foods because of an intolerance?

    You then go on to say you are only eating 900 calories a day. I doubt this very very seriously. Many people believe they are eating "only 1200 calories a day" and then when actually followed or tested are consuming upwards of 2-3000 calories a day.

    The only thing i could suggest would be to stop trying to eliminate certain foods from your diet that you think are "good" or "bad" or "healthy/unhealthy". This isn't a very positive or helpful way of thinking about food and will only make binging and falling off track more easily.

    Eat what you want. Track the calories. Measure the food you are eating and do log absolutely everything you are eating. Don't try and estimate the amount of calories you are burning during exercise and eat it back unless you have the proper equipment to do so. Be consistent and give it time.

    If you're still having problems and you've eliminated (to the best of your ability) the possibility that you are underestimating calories eaten, overestimating calories burned, and have no food intolerance then go check yourself out with a doctor to make sure there isn't some underlying medical issue at hand.

    A dash of that:
    a lot of what you have here is rubbish, but it's okay. it's the kind of stuff that a lot of people tend to believe when it comes to dieting.

    first, there are no bad foods. eat your bread and nuts, and fruit. geez, fruit is good for you!!! enjoy it! brown rice is a staple of my diet.

    eating five times a day is a common diet tip for many people, because many people these days have problems with portion control. if they have 5 smaller meals they can feel satiated when they get to dinner and have a small meal. personally, i ate like that when i started, but found myself way too hungry at night. so i started eating less during the day, and more at my meals. i generally skip breakfast now, so i can have more calories during the day. besides, i'm not usually hungry until about 11am anyway.

    And I'd say /thread. They have it covered. :drinker:
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I've been tracking my food since october, and i do count calories. So everything i eat in total is always 850 - 900 calories a day. But thanks for the advice


    How do you measure your food?

    Honestly you would be very hard pressed to be eating 800-900 calories and not lose weight. Is it possible there is an error in your tracking?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Medical conditions aside, you can eat anything you want. There are very few foods that are actually bad for you. Get a balanced diet that includes a good amount of nutrient dense foods (fruit, veggies etc), a good amount if fats from different sources and a reasonable amount of protein - the rest, eat what you want.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Medical conditions aside, you can eat anything you want. There are very few foods that are actually bad for you. Get a balanced diet that includes a good amount of nutrient dense foods (fruit, veggies etc), a good amount if fats from different sources and a reasonable amount of protein - the rest, eat what you want.

    ^This. And here are some links with some good tips and info:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://body-improvements.com/2013/05/24/undiet-your-diet/

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-myth-of-good-and-bad-foods-by-eric-helms-588801
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    You can eat. Anything and everything. IN MODERATION!!!! Log what you are eating..and be brutally honest with it. Make healthy choices, but don't eat things you don't enjoy just because someone said they were good for you. You have the best tool right here...MFP. It works, if YOU make it work!
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Um. Eat food? :huh: :huh: :huh:
  • You can eat anything ... just in moderation. Portion control.
  • healthymissfit
    healthymissfit Posts: 648 Member
    if you've been tracking, why are you only eating 900 calories a day? that's not sustainable and that's why you're not losing weight. figure out your tdee like the rest of us and make a REAL attempt. eat what you want, so long as it fits your macros (check out iifym.com)
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    Thanks for the advice! I saw one of these videos and other people telling me basically that these things are bad. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHDrYEHQaY

    Ultimately, eat whatever makes you feel good. You should really think about how you feel after a meal and if it isn't better than you felt before the meal, then you probably need to make some changes.

    There are certainly some rules of thumb that you can follow to help with this but the ultimate guide is your own body. Don't get too wrapped up in what is "good or bad" because you can always find conflicting suggestions. Just pick something, anything really, and stick with it.

    Good luck.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    You can eat anything ... just in moderation. Portion control.

    This!^

    Losing weight AND keeping it off forever, generally means lifestyle changes. Find healthy foods that you will eat forever. Not "diet" substitutes that you "have" to eat for now.

    Staying full on 1400 net calories requires that I eat a decent amount of protein, fat & fiber. Protein helps me keep muscle while on a diet. Dietary fat is necessary for so many bodily functions (absorbing vitamins, etc) ....and fiber is good for digestion.

    Eating too few calories (900 certainly qualifies) .....will help you lose "weight" .....as in muscle+fat. A modest calorie deficit will help you maintain muscle (if you are eating enough protein & adding strength training).....you will lose mostly fat.

    Re: exercise. Again, lifestyle change. What exercise will you keep doing, even after the weight is off. You don't need to combine cardio & weights in the same workout....just do what you like to do.
  • 4daluvof_candice
    4daluvof_candice Posts: 483 Member
    I've been tracking my food since october, and i do count calories. So everything i eat in total is always 850 - 900 calories a day. But thanks for the advice
    open your diary
  • 4daluvof_candice
    4daluvof_candice Posts: 483 Member
    I've been tracking my food since october, and i do count calories. So everything i eat in total is always 850 - 900 calories a day. But thanks for the advice
    open your diary

    TDEE you should be eating:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1838
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2107
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2375
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2643
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2911

    *** to maintain your current weight***

    *** to lose ***

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1470
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1685
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 1900
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2114
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2328

    these numbers should be easily obtainable since you only eat 900/day:huh:
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    You are allowed to eat food. Just don't stop eating food
  • 00NL
    00NL Posts: 171 Member
    count your calories
    eat whatever you want

    all these people have experience. listen to them
  • shawntyxl
    shawntyxl Posts: 12 Member
    How do you do that?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    How do you do that?


    How do you do what? Count calories and eat what you want?
    Invest in a scale and weight everything you can measure the rest with measuring spoons and cups. Log everything. Stay within your calorie goal.


    If that is not what you were questioning, It is helpful if you quote the post you are referring to.