What can i eat?

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tbilder1
tbilder1 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im new to the diet thing, I want to drop at least 20 lbs of baby weight.
Iv been eating cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast,tuna on sandwich thins for lunch and salad with grilled chicken for dinner for almost a month. Iv lost 9 lbs doing this but im getting sick of these things, I need help on what i should eat to stay at 1200 calories a day. Any help would be appropriated.

Replies

  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
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    You can eat all kinds of things but, make sure your weight loss goals are set up correctly and not too aggressive so that you don't lose muscle along with fat. If you only have 20lbs to lose you should have your goal set to .5 maybe 1 lb a week. I eat 1370 for .5 lb a week loss because I only have 20 lbs left to lose.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    You can eat 1,200 calories of anything. But many people find that keeping the protein and fiber in their diet helps them feel fuller, especially on lower calorie levels (like yours).

    So if you feel okay on your current protein and fiber content, try swapping out different things. Try different fruits, different sources of dairy, different meats. You don't have to have tuna, you can try salmon. You don't have to have a sandwich thin, you can try a small serving of grain like rice or couscous.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Any food that you like that fits in your calorie goals. There are no magic foods that make you lose weight. It is all about the calorie deficit. Although by setting your calorie goal at the absolute minimum it will be harder for you to fit in a lot. With only 20 lbs to lose you really shouldn't be losing more than 1/2 lb a week.
  • Cave_Goose
    Cave_Goose Posts: 156 Member
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    Eat what you want, as long as you are staying in your calorie goals. But keep in mind, you get a lot more carrots with 1,200 calories than cheese cake. You've got to eat smart.

    Fiber and protein will let you feel fuller than carbs & fats.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Anything that fits in your calorie goal.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,995 Member
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    You can eat whatever you want that keeps you at 1200. I can't imagine eating cottage cheese. Tuna is good, I eat that a lot for lunch. Are you breastfeeding? If so you need to be eating more than 1200 calories per day. I like to eat boiled eggs in the morning. They are really filling for me and oatmeal and fruit. Greek yogurt is also good. The key to weight loss for me has been to continue eating the things I like in reasonable portions. I have my goal at 1300 and eat back about 75% of my exercise calories so I usually get about 1500 per day. If you are only trying to lose 20 pounds then 1200 is probably too low for you. Did you put in a 2 pound per week loss? That is really too aggressive for someone who only needs to lose 20 pounds. That would be an ok goal if you are obese. I would suggest changing your goal to .5 per week and then you will be able to eat more and still lose weight. It will just be slower. Remember, it took you a while to gain the weight, it will take a while to lose it. If you don't already have a food scale get one. That will help you to know that you are eating the correct portion sizes. There is no reason you should go a month eating nothing but cottage cheese, tuna and grilled chicken. That just makes me want to cry.
  • mpfand
    mpfand Posts: 98 Member
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    I like overnight oatmeal for breakfast. It's filling, full of calcium and protein and not too many calories. I'm on 1200 a day, too. For lunch a turkey wrap will keep me full. I usually have carrots or fruit with it. Sometimes I have string cheese with Triscuits or hummus, too. Dinner is a small helping of whatever I'm fixing for the family. I don't typically snack throughout the day but I almost always have a bowl of popcorn in the evening. Good luck!
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    One of my favorite meals is a taco salad. I lighten up my taco meat (I choose ground turkey or chicken usually) by sauteeing onions and peppers with the meat and then adding a can of black beans with the taco seasoning. Having just that over a bowl of lettuce is yummy! You can add whatever you want depending on the calories you have left...tomatoes, jalapenos, avocado, cheese, sourcream, salsa....all delicious!

    for breakfast I usually do hard boiled eggs, greek yogurt, or cottage cheese, then a snack of an apple or pear a couple of hours later.

    Weigh your food, try new things! Find those things that you like and experiment a little!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    A lot of people ask questions along the lines of: "What are the foods I can eat to lose weight?" So I thought it would be helpful to put together a comprehensive list of all the foods that you can eat while dieting!

    Meats:
    chicken (white or dark meat)
    turkey (again, white or dark)
    beef (lean cuts or less lean cuts)
    fish, shellfish, and seafood
    venison
    elk
    bison
    veal
    lamb
    mutton
    pork (including ham, bacon, boar, etc.)
    sausages
    offal meats (liver, heart, etc.)
    goat
    rabbit
    pigeon (squab if you want to be fancy about it)
    poussin (what is this even? it appears to be some kind of bird)
    squirrel
    goose
    duck
    grouse
    partridge
    pheasant
    quail
    snake
    alligator
    kangaroo
    ostrich
    turtle
    escargot (let's be honest: snails)
    frog
    moose

    And I gave up after the meats. By the time I was about to add camel, beaver, and alpaca meat, the project proved to be way too large.

    Is this what people want when they ask the question? Absolutely not in most cases. This list is on the nit picky side and nobody likes a nit picker. Many of them want a simple diet plan. Some of them are bored with their current options or don't have a lot of experience with foods and want more variety in their diet. Some of them are looking for those "10 Weird Foods" that will help with weight loss. A lot of them are just lost in the conflicting information of the diet industry. I get that.

    But I'm also trying to prove a point. The options are literally endless. And I mean that literally. Imagine this list stretching just through the produce section of the world. I'm not sure how long MFP allows posts to be, but I suspect we would find out with a list like that. Now add in all of the different cultures of the world and their various cuisines. Different taste combinations and cooking methods. The list would be huge!

    So what's my point? "What can I eat to lose weight?" by itself will give you an overwhelming number of responses. A lot of us boil the answer down to some variation on: "Things that you like that fit in your goals." That's not people being snarky just for the sake of it. That's a real answer and one that's meant to open the mind to some of the wonderful possibilities out there.

    There are a ton of foods to be discovered out there, but we can't tell what you'll like or not like. We don't know what will fit into your goals best. You're in this for the long haul and you have to be able to maintain once you reach your goals. Start with foods that you like, even if they aren't traditionally considered healthy. Find ways to make them fit into your goals. Figure out what keeps you feeling better throughout the day; it'll be different from person to person. Branch out and try new things. Read nutrition labels at the grocery store. Watch your macro and micro numbers to see how you're doing nutritionally. Include a new food in your diet every week. Try a new recipe every Wednesday. Check out sites like Eating Well, Cooking Light, Pinterest, Skinny Taste, or others. Whatever works best for you.

    It takes some time to build a personal food routine, but it will serve you better in the long run than sticking to a handful of recommended foods.
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
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    I eat anything in my calorie allotment.
  • InsipidDime
    InsipidDime Posts: 125 Member
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    Eat what ever you like if it fits within 1.2k calories. My diaries open and I tend to stick to about that daily if you'd like to take a look. There are tons of people on here who eat around that amount with open diaries too.
  • tbilder1
    tbilder1 Posts: 2 Member
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    Yes i am breastfeeding,had no idea diet would effect it. And thank you all for the responce
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,995 Member
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    @tbilder1 If you go too low on your calories it can reduce your milk supply. I believe you need an additional 500 calories a day when breastfeeding. You might check that though, it has been a while since I breastfed. But at this point keeping your supply up should take priority over losing the baby weight. I would definitely not try to lose more than .5 per week and then I would add an extra 500 to whatever calorie goal you get to cover the brastfeeding. And if you exercise eat back at least 50% of any exercise calories mfp gives you.

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