food vs meal replacements

GuddaB
GuddaB Posts: 30 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
I´ve always been a picky eater especially towards meat products and honestly getting more and more disgusted by food in general for some reason.

So since I´m trying to get myself together and want to lose a lot of weight, I was wondering when it hits a certain time for me. If the though of 50/50 is good or bad ? ( 50% food . 50% meal replacements and protein shakes. liquids basically)
It just came to my mind and it has it´s different opinions all around. But what do you recommend/think?

I really am slowly trying to fix up my diet plan since I think that would help my process a lot.
just wondering if this idea would cause me to lose a lot energy? especially since i have a very slow hypothyroid and always tired.

Hope to hear from y'all :) , and I apologize if i come off as rude or ignorant , my English isn't very good. ><

Replies

  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    What you eat doesn't affect weight loss. How much you eat does.

    Just set your stats in MFP and set the goal to lose 0.5 lb per week. Then you can eat the foods you like, and if you stay at the calorie goal you will lose weight at the same time. :mrgreen:
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  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    GuddaB wrote: »
    I´ve always been a picky eater especially towards meat products and honestly getting more and more disgusted by food in general for some reason.

    So since I´m trying to get myself together and want to lose a lot of weight, I was wondering when it hits a certain time for me. If the though of 50/50 is good or bad ? ( 50% food . 50% meal replacements and protein shakes. liquids basically)
    It just came to my mind and it has it´s different opinions all around. But what do you recommend/think?

    I really am slowly trying to fix up my diet plan since I think that would help my process a lot.
    just wondering if this idea would cause me to lose a lot energy? especially since i have a very slow hypothyroid and always tired.

    Hope to hear from y'all :) , and I apologize if i come off as rude or ignorant , my English isn't very good. ><

    Why don' t you get your thyroid condition treated?

    I think 50/50 is way overkill. I use a (home made) meal replacement once in a while because I like the taste. If I did that every day though I would struggle to stay satiated. Nothing wrong with drinking some smoothies with protein powder and all the goodies though. Just don't commit yourself to needing to do 50% of your calories from them, there's no benefit of smoothies over "solid" food.
  • GuddaB
    GuddaB Posts: 30 Member
    @vinegar_husbands
    @galgenstrick
    I am on medication but since I started it long time ago , It hasn't really worked on me, and getting different kind of medication in my country from a doctor is quite hard most people say. So they have only been increasing the dosage and still it keeps getting worse.
    And thankyou for the information everyone :) , guess ill just start cooking veggies and smoothies then ><
    I always though that you HAD to eat a lot of meat and all that to see any proper results ><
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited May 2015
    GuddaB wrote: »
    @vinegar_husbands
    @galgenstrick
    I am on medication but since I started it long time ago , It hasn't really worked on me, and getting different kind of medication in my country from a doctor is quite hard most people say. So they have only been increasing the dosage and still it keeps getting worse.
    And thankyou for the information everyone :) , guess ill just start cooking veggies and smoothies then ><
    I always though that you HAD to eat a lot of meat and all that to see any proper results ><

    It's hard in any country. But It's worth it. I have to pay out of pocket to see my endocrinologist and for my thyroid medications. I wen't through probably a dozen doctors before I found one that was more up to date on the literature. Remember, you're paying them, and if they're not helping you, then you're just wasting your money and time. Find a new doctor, you wont regret it.
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  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    The issue I have with meal replacement shakes instead of meals on a regular basis is that they lack the minuscule nutrients found in real food, and vitamins and minerals are usually added and not in proportions that would be found in actual food, nor are they bio-identical. But I would say that MR are better than no food. And feeling increasingly "disgusted" by food may be a sign of an emerging eating disorder -
  • GuddaB
    GuddaB Posts: 30 Member
    @galgenstrick Hmm that´s true, thanks for that. Guess I´ll go and try calling up some doctors soon as i can and start searching. Although Did you feel a big difference finding the right medication?

    @vinegar_husbands Yea I go ever 3 months (requested by the doctor), and yes to all of those things.
    I suppose medication doesn't work on me easily always :P , Took a.d.d/adhd medication at a time and that didn't even work on me. But yea thankyou :)

    @maxit I suppose that´s true. I suppose it could be one but not that it´s any serious if so .
    Anyway Thankyou!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    What about making your own meal replacement shakes at home? I believe real food is always best over any shakes but you can make some at home. Do you have a vitamix or something like that? There is Tons of recipes online for home made smoothies that will taste great. I only use a meal replacement if I have to, but I definitely prefer the homemade ones compared to store bought
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
    The way I see it is if you have the time to have real food, do it - it generally tastes better, smells better, feels better etc. However that's not always possible (there's no way I'm getting proper meals in on 9 hour shifts with 2 hours of commuting, for example), so on those days I'll have a mixture of both.
  • Hollywood_Porky
    Hollywood_Porky Posts: 491 Member
    @Gudda I use meal replacements but if you look at my diary, the smoothies I make are very nutritious. Almond milk, whole milk yogurt, berries (or bananas), high quality protein powder, kale (or spinach). That's a vitamin package that is hard to beat when I compare to my evening meal this evening, which is a beef tenderloin and a baked potato. I hit my micros very well with meal replacements. Add Chia seeds - they add bulk to the diet as well.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    @Gudda I use meal replacements but if you look at my diary, the smoothies I make are very nutritious. Almond milk, whole milk yogurt, berries (or bananas), high quality protein powder, kale (or spinach). That's a vitamin package that is hard to beat when I compare to my evening meal this evening, which is a beef tenderloin and a baked potato. I hit my micros very well with meal replacements. Add Chia seeds - they add bulk to the diet as well.

    I think this is the only way I'm ever going to be able to get my calories in and better Micros any chance you could-- I'll just look in your Diary-- Thanks

  • Hollywood_Porky
    Hollywood_Porky Posts: 491 Member
    @Michael190lbs TY man. You made my day. Seriously - well there's two of you on here who made my day. I feel like I want to do cartwheels! :smiley:
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited May 2015
    GuddaB wrote: »
    @galgenstrick Hmm that´s true, thanks for that. Guess I´ll go and try calling up some doctors soon as i can and start searching. Although Did you feel a big difference finding the right medication?

    @vinegar_husbands Yea I go ever 3 months (requested by the doctor), and yes to all of those things.
    I suppose medication doesn't work on me easily always :P , Took a.d.d/adhd medication at a time and that didn't even work on me. But yea thankyou :)

    @maxit I suppose that´s true. I suppose it could be one but not that it´s any serious if so .
    Anyway Thankyou!

    Yes. I'm actually on 3 at once haha. Once I finally stabilized my levels, weight loss was easy, and energy was much higher.

    Make sure your endocrinologist tests you on Free T3, Total T3, Free T4, TSH, TPO antibodies, 25-hydroxyvitamin at the minimum. A full hormone panel is ideal, but can get pricey.

    You can find more support for your thyroid related questions here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited May 2015
    I once had a doctor that I asked about taking armour thyroid and she said "You know a lot of people feel better taking armour thyroid, but that's only because of the T3 which is a more available form of the thyroid hormone, but since T4 gets converted to T3 there really is no difference, so let's up your Synthroid dose and try to get your TSH closer to 1.00"

    Point is, find an endocrinologist that actually gives a **** how you feel on the medications and that is open to letting you try different ones. They are out there, I promise.
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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited May 2015
    GuddaB wrote: »
    just wondering if this idea would cause me to lose a lot energy? especially since i have a very slow hypothyroid and always tired.

    I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn. I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Food is fuel, and I'd rather eat real food than drink shakes. I never, ever waste my calories on meh food. You do not have to eat meat to lose weight. Weight loss is about how much you eat—not what you eat.
  • autumstars
    autumstars Posts: 1 Member
    I agree

    Iv just wasted three weeks on a diet that a lot of people have raved about but considering I already lost weight having a year gluten and dairy free it's a bit insane that I assumed a 600 cal high fibre and high protein diet riddled with dairy sugar and gluten would work for me

    Infant Iv lost my voice and have been run down ever since I started it

    Coming from an obsessive dancer who's try tons of extreme diets I can complete accept now , if I ate ten salads a day id be happier and more alive and more in shape than this meal replacement viscous cycle Iv got lost in xx
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