Not Meeting Goals Set by My Dietitian

danielleschuhmann
danielleschuhmann Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
I am currently working with a dietitian for the last four weeks. But, I am finding that I am having a hard time meeting my calorie and protien levels. My weight is 289 and my height is 5'6".

The following are the levels she advised:

1,800 calories
158 grams of Carbs
50 grams of Fat
180 grams of Protein

I have removed most junk food in my diet and added healthy foods.

Sample breakfast
2 eggs
2 slices of turkey bacon
2 pieces of whole wheat toast

Lunch
large salad with salad greens, tomatoes, onions, peppers, celery, carrots (all raw)
2 Tablespoons dressing
veggie burger with cheese, but no bread

Dinner
Grilled chicken
1/2 C stuffing

I am finding that I have not lose any weight and I am not meeting my goals.

Looking for advise.

Replies

  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    You should be losing on 1800 calories per day. The protein she suggested seems very high - 40% of your calories. That's a bit aggressive in my opinion.

    About not losing - do you weigh your food with a food scale?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited December 2016
    Hard time/not meeting your goals - you mean you are exceeding your calorie goal? You have to eat less than your TDEE, and do it consistently, to lose weight.

    The protein goal is extreme. To lose weight, you just have to stick to an appropriate calorie level. You need enough protein, but that is overkill. And very little fat.

    Why aren't you asking your dietitian for help, or if you have, and she can't help you, why are you working with her?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
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  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,959 Member
    edited December 2016
    Protein does sound a bit high to me as well. Do you think you could reach 135-160 grams a day? Though I have an idea how your dietitian came up with it. 289 lb * 80% lean mass * 0.8 g per pound of lean mass ~= 184 g protein. Maybe she is just using a standard assumption that you have approx 80% lean mass (which may not be correct for you).

    Some ways to get more protein... Try 3 or 4 eggs and one slice of toast instead for breakfast. Or add some sausage.

    Use a real burger instead of a veggie burger (since those are usually more fibre and fat than protein, given they are often made from beans).

    Bigger piece of chicken at dinner. Have some milk.

    Add higher protein snacks like yogurt and cottage cheese.

    Looking at your sample day, I don't really think all that will add up to 1800 calories. What else are you eating?

    At 1800 calories a day, you should lose about 1.2 lb a week, providing you're tracking and measuring correctly.

    Also check your entries to make sure they're right. Sometimes people make new entries and don't fill in lines such as protein. So maybe some entries are showing 0 protein when they actually do have some.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    Ring the dietician and get another consult.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Why did you see a dietician? Did they not give you a meal plan to follow? Here are some sample menus- https://patienteducation.osumc.edu/Documents/1800.pdf
    Do you have a medical issue that required a specific diet? Is your main concern weight loss?
    How far off are you from those goals? What does MFP give you for goals?

    If weight is your only issue, work on hitting your calorie goal. Don't worry about the rest. You should be losing with 1800 calories.
    Are you logging everything you eat? Check the accuracy of your logging. Get a food scale and use it.
    Are you eating dry toast? Cooking the eggs in any oil?

    I find it helpful to prelog my food for the whole day every morning in my food diary here. Then I can see if I am going to meet my goals and make changes until I do.

  • jagodfrey08
    jagodfrey08 Posts: 425 Member
    Okay, so my dietician recommended I eat no more than a 1/2 cup of complex carbs with any meal. I have to eat 100g of protein a day. It looks like you could do with some grilled chicken, turkey, salmon, etc at lunch. You could probably add 2 egg whites to your eggs and have 1 slice of toast for breakfast. I eat 5 times a day, every 3 hours. Metabolic eating as its called. It has helped me drop 40 lbs since June. My food diary is open if you want to check it out. I have to add protein in the form of Powerful Yogurt shakes, vegan protein cookies, and sometimes protein bars. It's tough to get the right amount of protein, but sometimes switching up what you eat can help.

    PS - Oscar Meyer Naturals makes a delicious line of deli meats with a good amount of protein and low calories. :)

    Perhaps even and protein shake will help you reach your goals.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I find protein one of the easier things for me to hit - with your eggs in the am, mix in some of the all egg whites (3TBSP is 5g of protein) - one of my go-to breakfasts is 3servings of that with about 4oz of shrimp and that eats up about 37g of protein for the day (and then I supplement with something carb-y - right now its an English muffin with a smear of butter and whipped cream cheese)

    my diary is open if you want other ideas - I cycle daily calories, but the week avg out to about 1800 a day
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    also try adding a pre-bed snack - I have a small; bowl of cereal and milk (230ish calories) that helps me with my goals (I use fairlife milk that has more protein than normal in it)
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i'd also recommend opening up your diary and make sure you are weighing everything
  • danielleschuhmann
    danielleschuhmann Posts: 9 Member
    I am working with my dietitian on my eating. We meet every two weeks. But, I felt that the goals my be a little high for me. I want to see what other people thought. I am measuring my food. but, I am waiting for my food scale to come in from Amazon.
  • danielleschuhmann
    danielleschuhmann Posts: 9 Member
    I am not meeting the 1,800 calorie limit each day. My calories are under that. but, I am not hungry and I am eating very well with a little treat each day.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    danielleschuhmann wrote: »
    I am working with my dietitian on my eating. We meet every two weeks. But, I felt that the goals my be a little high for me. I want to see what other people thought. I am measuring my food. but, I am waiting for my food scale to come in from Amazon.
    danielleschuhmann wrote: »
    I am not meeting the 1,800 calorie limit each day. My calories are under that. but, I am not hungry and I am eating very well with a little treat each day.
    1800 calories isn't much for someone your size, you should be losing weight steadily if you were eating consistently 1800 calories per day. If you ate less than 1800, you'd be constantly hungry. Neither too much or too little food is good. You will do better when you start using a food scale.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The food scale will help. And eat meat/seafood/Greek yogurt at lunch for more protein instead of the veggie burger (although 180 is extreme IMO, you must still not even be close to 130 with that diet).

    Also, you mention treats, but didn't tell us what it is, so that could be taking you over, depending on what it is.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    If you ate 1800 calories (or less) you would lose weight. You are not weighing or tracking your food accurately!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    sllm1 wrote: »
    You should be losing on 1800 calories per day. The protein she suggested seems very high - 40% of your calories. That's a bit aggressive in my opinion.

    About not losing - do you weigh your food with a food scale?

    In my opinion, the OP should be following the guidelines set by a professional who is working with her.

    Agree with use of a food scale.

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