Weight loss questions

Hi guys,

I'm a 21 year old male, weighing 16st 10lbs.

I started dieting around 6 weeks ago, and my weight was 17st 8lbs.

I think I'm doing alright so far (2lbs p/week) but I just have a few questions.

This is my current day:

10am: Weetabix Chocolate 2 (only type of Weetabix I can handle) / Aldi Nutty Muesli with Low Fat Greek yogurt

2pm: Low fat Greek yogurt and fruit smoothie

4pm/5pm: Green tea

6pm: Canned tuna with lettuce (Warburtons thins) / Birds Eye Chargrilled Fish / Linda McCartney or Quorn meal / Chicken breast piece

8pm: Fruit

As for exercise:

Minimum of 45 minutes of walking a day (moderate pace)

Minimum of 35 minutes on treadmill (intense walking pace on medium incline, can't run because of a health issue)

What do you guys think? Anything I should change/add?

Also, I love eating canned tuna. I buy the John West tuna chunks in no drain brine. However it's getting pretty boring now, as I'm either eating it plain or with brown Warburton thins. Any other way of eating canned tuna?

I'm not good at cooking at all, as you can probably see with my meal plan. I also am a bit lazy and like my food to be ready in 30 minutes or less!

Thank you for the help guys.
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Replies

  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    That doesn't look like much food for a 21yo male. How many cals?
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    sllm1 wrote: »
    That doesn't look like much food for a 21yo male. How many cals?

    Breakfast: 200kcals
    Smoothie: 250kcals
    Dinner: 350kcals

    Snacks: 150-200kcals

    It's probably just over 1000 but I feel completely full at the end of the day, and have been for the past 6 weeks. I also have a cheat day on a Saturday (donner kebab 1000 calories!)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Eat more. If you aren't hitting 1500 calories, please do so. Ideally you should be eating the goal MFP gave you plus a portion of your exercise calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    sllm1 wrote: »
    That doesn't look like much food for a 21yo male. How many cals?

    Breakfast: 200kcals
    Smoothie: 250kcals
    Dinner: 350kcals

    Snacks: 150-200kcals

    It's probably just over 1000 but I feel completely full at the end of the day, and have been for the past 6 weeks. I also have a cheat day on a Saturday (donner kebab 1000 calories!)

    You're wanting to lose muscle are you?
  • sebedina
    sebedina Posts: 161 Member
    Yeah it doesn't sound like much food at all. Maybe add more protein so you don't get hungry. Tinned salmon is nice too. How many calories are you eating?
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    sllm1 wrote: »
    That doesn't look like much food for a 21yo male. How many cals?

    Breakfast: 200kcals
    Smoothie: 250kcals
    Dinner: 350kcals

    Snacks: 150-200kcals

    It's probably just over 1000 but I feel completely full at the end of the day, and have been for the past 6 weeks. I also have a cheat day on a Saturday (donner kebab 1000 calories!)

    You're wanting to lose muscle are you?

    What am I doing wrong?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    No, no, no, not enough food for you. You need more calories and more protein. Make your body a calorie burning machine instead of training it to exist with too little sustenance. It will backfire.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Eat more. If you aren't hitting 1500 calories, please do so. Ideally you should be eating the goal MFP gave you plus a portion of your exercise calories.

    I have a small appetite (I'm obese, yes, but that's because I was bed ridden for the past 4 years and was eating a lot of junk food in bed).
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You need a few more calories to prevent unintended effects like hair loss and wasted muscles.

    Add a biscuit to your yogurt and a slice of hard cheese with your evening fruit. Do you like eggs?

    For exercise I suggest walking on alternate days to give your muscles time to recover and get stronger, and on "off" days do some weight bearing exercises.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    sllm1 wrote: »
    No, no, no, not enough food for you. You need more calories and more protein. Make your body a calorie burning machine instead of training it to exist with too little sustenance. It will backfire.

    I'm having at least a can of tuna or a piece of chicken breast a day, with a greek yogurt smoothie? That's like 30g protein.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    You need a few more calories to prevent unintended effects like hair loss and wasted muscles.

    Add a biscuit to your yogurt and a slice of hard cheese with your evening fruit. Do you like eggs?

    For exercise I suggest walking on alternate days to give your muscles time to recover and get stronger, and on "off" days do some weight bearing exercises.

    I do have eggs on alternate days. Been told they're bad for cholesterol (family history in this area).

    As for weight exercises, recently bought and been using a weight resistance band.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    sebedina wrote: »
    Yeah it doesn't sound like much food at all. Maybe add more protein so you don't get hungry. Tinned salmon is nice too. How many calories are you eating?

    I have Young's Salmon pieces at least once a week too. The thing is, at the end of the day, I'm full. Anything extra and I'm stuffing myself aren't I? And I think it works out at just over 1000kcals.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    Can I say: if I have breakfast, I skip lunch. And if I have lunch, I skip breakfast.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    You need a few more calories to prevent unintended effects like hair loss and wasted muscles.

    Add a biscuit to your yogurt and a slice of hard cheese with your evening fruit. Do you like eggs?

    For exercise I suggest walking on alternate days to give your muscles time to recover and get stronger, and on "off" days do some weight bearing exercises.

    I do have eggs on alternate days. Been told they're bad for cholesterol (family history in this area).

    As for weight exercises, recently bought and been using a weight resistance band.

    Eggs are not bad for cholesterol, that has been disproven a while ago. Enjoy your eggs!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2016
    I'm in awe that you are capable of typing - if you are indeed eating what you are saying. Yes, it's that bad, I'll just let Woody Allen say it for me - the food is really terrible, and such small portions.
  • JamesMonozyme
    JamesMonozyme Posts: 14 Member
    on 1000 calories you'll have little to no energy, your stress levels will be sky high and ultimately after losing the weight I believe you'll gain all back if you put your body through that stress (happened to me). I'd advise you eat 1600 to 1800 calories per day with exercise. Eat some more protein also. I'm losing the weight I've gained back now so you're more than welcome to add me (as is everyone else) and I can give you advise on my experiences and i'll support you on your journey.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    That's a tiny amount of calories for your age and size.
    I'm old enough to be your granddad, almost five stone lighter and lose weight on more than double the amount of calories you are eating!

    Have a read of this....
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    And would strongly suggest adding some strength / weight training to your exercise. If you have already lost muscle mass through being bed-ridden the last thing to do is lose what precious muscle mass you have though an inappropriately large deficit.

    It's not a race, start to build good habits for life so change your mind-set from just focussing on rapid weight loss.
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm in awe that you are capable of typing - if you are indeed eating what you are saying. Yes, it's that bad, I'll just let Woody Allen say it for me - the food is really terrible, and such small portions.

    Which food is specifically wrong for me?
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited August 2016
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    How would you feel about trying this:

    180ish grams of protein a day (720 calories)
    60 g of fat (540 calories)
    135 g of carbs (540 calories) - remember at least 25 g of fibre

    Gives you 1800 calories. That's a split of 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs.

    There are other splits you could try though (such as 30% protein, 30% fat, 40% carbs - it's one I see recommended often).
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    on 1000 calories you'll have little to no energy, your stress levels will be sky high and ultimately after losing the weight I believe you'll gain all back if you put your body through that stress (happened to me). I'd advise you eat 1600 to 1800 calories per day with exercise. Eat some more protein also. I'm losing the weight I've gained back now so you're more than welcome to add me (as is everyone else) and I can give you advise on my experiences and i'll support you on your journey.

    Thanks will add you now. Which protein would you suggest?
  • wxqas7
    wxqas7 Posts: 11 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    187g???? Wow. That's an insane amount. How do I do that?
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited August 2016
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    187g???? Wow. That's an insane amount. How do I do that?

    Ummm. Good question. I've never had to get up quite that much myself, since I'm smaller so I only need around 110 plus (and female). So... I suggest a big chunk of meat/fish with every meal. Plus dairy, legumes, eggs, and nuts... and maybe a protein powder if you're still having trouble. I'd also recommend having 3 meals a day to help out with you getting in more calories. No need to skip them.

    Oh and to clarify, you should still be able to lose weight effectively while eating 1800 calories a day.

    And I'm really not kidding about watching out for mercury poisoning. Try making meals that use ground meat like beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, etc. Those are very easy meats to cook. Put them in the frying pan and push them around with a lifter until all the pink is gone and it's cooked all the way through!

    I also found cooking chicken breast in the oven in foil was easy. Take a chicken breast, season it with what you like (I like Cajun mix), wrap it loosely in foil, place on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350°F for about 25-40 minutes (small (200 g) chicken breast = 25-30 mins, large (300+ g) = 40 min). Cut into it to see if it looks like you could shred it and that the pink is gone (you can always put it back in the oven if it's not done). You can do many at a time. If you put a tin foil sheet on a cookie sheet, then line the chicken up, and put another tin foil piece on top. Fold the edges of the foil together to create a seal. Watch out for steam when you open it up.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    I'm in awe that you are capable of typing - if you are indeed eating what you are saying. Yes, it's that bad, I'll just let Woody Allen say it for me - the food is really terrible, and such small portions.

    Which food is specifically wrong for me?

    That's not it. You are eating too few calories overall. You are getting too little protein and fat and fiber. You are getting too little variety. Aren't you hungry? You said you are obese - you didn't get obese by eating 1000 calories per day. Eat enough food, good food, food you like, every day.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    sllm1 wrote: »
    That doesn't look like much food for a 21yo male. How many cals?

    Breakfast: 200kcals
    Smoothie: 250kcals
    Dinner: 350kcals

    Snacks: 150-200kcals

    It's probably just over 1000 but I feel completely full at the end of the day, and have been for the past 6 weeks. I also have a cheat day on a Saturday (donner kebab 1000 calories!)

    You're wanting to lose muscle are you?

    What am I doing wrong?

    Starving yourself
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    187g???? Wow. That's an insane amount. How do I do that?

    You don't need that much. That's ridiculous. I think a common equation used to figure protein is .9 grams per pound of lean body mass.

    My personal dietician recommended that I just take my height in inches and 8 gram per inch. I am 71 inches tall therefore I should get 71 grams of protein
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    187g???? Wow. That's an insane amount. How do I do that?

    You don't need that much. That's ridiculous. I think a common equation used to figure protein is .9 grams per pound of lean body mass.

    My personal dietician recommended that I just take my height in inches and 8 gram per inch. I am 71 inches tall therefore I should get 71 grams of protein

    wouldn't 8 grams per inch be more like 500+ ?????? that is crazy too!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Eat more and add veggies in.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    My personal dietician recommended that I just take my height in inches and 8 gram per inch. I am 71 inches tall therefore I should get 71 grams of protein

    if you're 71 inches getting 71g of protein that's 1g per inch not 8?
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited August 2016
    wxqas7 wrote: »
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Watch out for mercury poisoning. Tuna is a once a week fish.

    30 g of protein a day isn't enough. You should probably be having 187 g a day at least. (0.8*body weight in lbs). That 750 calories in protein alone. Then you need fat and carbs too.

    187g???? Wow. That's an insane amount. How do I do that?

    You don't need that much. That's ridiculous. I think a common equation used to figure protein is .9 grams per pound of lean body mass.

    My personal dietician recommended that I just take my height in inches and 8 gram per inch. I am 71 inches tall therefore I should get 71 grams of protein

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

    I got my recommendation from there. That's assuming 1 g of protein per lb of an assumed lean body mass. Usually higher protein is recommended for men (especially when they're still growing, he's 21) which is why I picked 1 g. I assumed a 20% body fat.

    However, if he wants to do 0.8 g per lean body mass and if his body fat is more like 35% instead of 20%, then perhaps as low as 122 g of protein a day. But definitely more than 1 g per inch height a day (at most if he's tall 77 g?). And WAY more than 30 g a day.
  • blk0110k
    blk0110k Posts: 39 Member
    I love hot sauce in tuna... and on my roasted potatoes... and omlets. mmmmm