Tips from a Guy who dropped 180lbs

Thank you for your response, the first thing I would do is ask your trainer why they want you to eat more food then you are comfortable with. My guess is they are worried about muscle lose due to cutting to many calories, they are probably thinking 2200 calories is your maintenance level and you are burning about 500 or so from your workouts which creates a deficit of about 500 calories. Typically I can cut about 700 or so before I start to notice a loss in lean mass but everyone is different and it's better to stay with caution. That being said there are a few things I can suggest.

1st- Talk to your trainer and find out there reasoning
2nd- Try to build up gradually to 2200 calories if necessary. Start with what you are comfortable eating then gradually build up over the course of a month, say introduce 100 extra calories each week via an apple a day for example.
3rd- Coconut oil in your shake is a great source of 150 to 300 extra calories, a great source of healthy fats and will make your shakes taste amazing.
4th- Look at your fiber intake, if its more then say 40g, then seriously consider swapping, your Chia seeds for example for some healthy fats like coconut oil.
5th- Look at what part of the day leaves you feeling the most bloated, what you ate last and consider swapping whatever it was in your last meal that made you feel to full for something else..
6th- Most important in my book, your diet seems pretty clean but read the nutritional labels on your packaged foods, your tortillas, salsa, almond milk and especially your protein powders. If it the list of "Other Ingredients" looks like a shopping list for a Chem Lab, or you see things like Sucralose, artificial flavoring, natural flavoring, or dyes, swap your protein powder and opt for something else like Teras Grass Fed Why.

Artificial sweetners and preservatives will leave you feeling bloated and generally like crap, and will make it difficult to hit your calorie goals, not to mention the fact that they are terrible for you.

Thats my advice... Oh and one other 7th, go on a nice long relaxing walking after that last meal and enjoy the scenery. It will help you process all the food and may help you sneak in a few extra calories after. Oh and 8th, when building up, let your hunger dictate how much you need, as you become more beast, you will want to eat more.

Thanks again, and hope some of that helps.

Jesse

leann8939 wrote: »

Thanks for getting back to me.
I think he said I'd lose better with my calories up because of my workouts.

Completely agree with the protein powder! I'll look into the kind you mentioned and "Vega" which is plant based. I hate the flavor and they are loaded with crap.
Salsa and tortillas are homemade so no secret crap and the almond/flax milks are unsweetened.
Great idea about the coconut oil. I'll add some in somewhere.
I guess I'm too full from all the water too!

I'm just 6 weeks in, so I'm sure my appetite will increase more with the million squats and rep after rep of weights.

Thanks again!
Leann

Honestly, my biggest tip, the single thing that helped me the most is, get tested for sleep apnea. If you have it (and it's common if you are over weight) wear the mask (CPAP machine) at night... It really will change your life... Other than that, how I started and this was my Docs advice, I wouldn't eat anything after 6p and I would go on a walk after dinner.... The battle is fought in the kitchen and gym, but it's won first in the mind