Not sure what I'm doing?

ashrox15
ashrox15 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I have just started this week on dieting and exercising and am NOT giving up. Iam over weight since having a baby and need to make a change for both of us, but I don't no if what I'm doing will help me loose weight.
So I am planning on going to the gym 5 days a week for 40mins of cardio and then weights and for breakfast Iam having 1 slice of toast with peanut butter and some watermelon or on rush days 2 slices. Then for lunch I have an optifast shake and then for dinner I have whatever I want within reason but I cook it so it's already healthy and I know what to stay away from and such I'm not after recipes or anything just want to know if this diet and exercise will work or am I doing it wrong. Ps I also have snacks in between such as fruit or rassberry liccori because I can't live without it lol but have completely stop chocolate!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If what you're eating is enough calories to put you in a sustainable deficit, then you'll lose weight
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Weight loss happens when we take in less calories than we burn. While its great that you are planning on working out which helps burn some calories its how much you eat is what matters.

    How much weight do you need to lose?

    Put in your stats on this site, it will calculate how many calories you are to eat to lose x lbs per week.
    There's nothing wrong with having snacks, plan for them each day and work them into your total calorie intake.

    All the best.
  • ashrox15
    ashrox15 Posts: 4 Member
    I need to loose a good 15-20 kilos. Iam 5.8 and weigh 95 kilos. I do put my food in and it always says I'm not eating enough but it fills me what else can I do or change?
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Eat more. Under-eating does you no favours in the long run.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Weigh your food on a food scale, in grams and make sure you choose correct entries in the database (the entries are user submitted and can sometimes be off by quite a bit).
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    MFP wont let you close out your diary if its under 1200 calories. If that is what's happening, you aren't eating enough - you need to think of food as fuel for your body.
    The meals you described having above seemed light in calories, not sure about the shake but usually they aren't heavy in calories either although mostly have good nutrition (?).
    How many calories does MFP tell you to eat per day?
  • ashrox15
    ashrox15 Posts: 4 Member
    My mfp goal is 1200.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    That doesn't sound enough given your height and current weight. The only thing about MFP goals are that when you exercise you earn calories through exercise and are meant to eat most of them back (I say most as the calorie burns are inclined to be over estimated in general)
  • ashrox15
    ashrox15 Posts: 4 Member
    Does anyone have meal plan that they can suggest for me?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited November 2016
    Well we can give you ideas based on what we eat?

    so for me when I was losing it went like this: (1400 cals plus exercise cals)
    1 or 2 poached eggs on whole wheat toast for breakfast/with butter/ tea
    banana or yogurt for mid morning snack
    lunch - salad / sandwich / wrap - filled with plenty of protein
    afternoon snack - 2 Rich Tea Biscuits or 1 Chocolate digestive (cookie)/ coffee
    Dinner - meat/fish with veg e.g beef casserole, 3 different veggies plus potato/rice
    PM snack - some nuts/ apple/ or a chocolate mousse/ coffee

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited November 2016
    ashrox15 wrote: »
    Hi I have just started this week on dieting and exercising and am NOT giving up. Iam over weight since having a baby and need to make a change for both of us, but I don't no if what I'm doing will help me loose weight.
    So I am planning on going to the gym 5 days a week for 40mins of cardio and then weights and for breakfast Iam having 1 slice of toast with peanut butter and some watermelon or on rush days 2 slices. Then for lunch I have an optifast shake and then for dinner I have whatever I want within reason but I cook it so it's already healthy and I know what to stay away from and such I'm not after recipes or anything just want to know if this diet and exercise will work or am I doing it wrong. Ps I also have snacks in between such as fruit or rassberry liccori because I can't live without it lol but have completely stop chocolate!
    What to eat and whether to exercise or not and how much, does not really mean a lot when it comes to weight loss. To lose weight, all you need to do is eat less and/or move more, and do it for a long time, but HOW you do that is up to you. Losing weight is simple, but not always easy. To make it as easy as possible, you need to eat less and/or move more in a way that is easiest for you to do for a long time.

    ashrox15 wrote: »
    I need to loose a good 15-20 kilos. Iam 5.8 and weigh 95 kilos. I do put my food in and it always says I'm not eating enough but it fills me what else can I do or change?
    ashrox15 wrote: »
    My mfp goal is 1200.
    MFP gives you a calorie number based on your height, weight, sex, age, activity level AND desired weight loss rate - a big flaw in my opinion, as most people want to lose as fast as possible, but there are natural limits to how fast you can lose in a healthy way. A larger body naturally burns more energy just by being alive, and you can lose weight just by reducing your intake slightly. Logging your food accurately will tell you if you are eating the appropriate amount. 1500-1700 calories seems to be a better goal than 1200, because it will be easier to stick to, but you need to be accurate so that you don't inadvertently exceed your allowance, because in that case, you won't lose weight.

    ashrox15 wrote: »
    Does anyone have meal plan that they can suggest for me?
    You can find free meal plans online, or buy one, or get one from a dietician, or in here, it doesn't matter, what matters is that it suits you and that you follow it. The person that knows you best (your preferences, allergies, beliefs, schedule, cooking skills, work/family/social life etc) is you. The person that has to follow the plan is you. I think the person best suited to set up a meal plan for you is you.
  • susannekb
    susannekb Posts: 31 Member
    I've similar stats to you I'm 5'8" and I did weigh 85kilos (down to 75 at the moment) and to loose a kilo a week mfp had me at 1400 a day. A typical day for me is
    - porridge with s/line milk and dried fruit
    - green leafy salad with a protein (fish, chicken, eggs) and I'd add in olives and stuffed peppers and maybe some fata. Or soup with crackers
    - dinner would be whatever I fancy - stir fry chicken loads of veg keep an eye on the cals in the sauce, beef casserole, curry etc I eat most of my cals at dinner
    - snacks through the day would be fruit, nuts, crackers sometimes a piece of chocolate.

    This would be a normal day for me and I don't see this as a diet. I see it as sustainable eating habits. I don't deny myself anything because I'm the type that will go mental if I'm not alllowed.

    I personally couldn't eat only 1200 cals I'd get weak. Try eating more energy dense foods like nuts and avocados as they can bump up your daily intake with very little volume. If you are working out that much you'll need to fuel your body properly.

    Good luck with it all.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    You don't need to eat according to a meal plan. You can eat anything. The only requirement is that you weigh iy on a digital scale and log all the food using the correct entries. If you do that, you'll lose. Also you have to eat at you limit, not below it.
  • kristinhowell
    kristinhowell Posts: 139 Member
    There's some really good advice here, so all I'll add is be consistent (log all your food, every day, and use a scale to be accurate) and enjoy all things in moderation. Find what works for you - it might not be what works for someone else, but you have to get to know your own body. And last, trust the MFP system - it's worked for so many people. Don't get discouraged, and give it time. Good luck!
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