Looking for some help

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dahlgrenmad
dahlgrenmad Posts: 33 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am a 53 year old woman who needs a new hip. The doctor told me in October that I had to loose 40 or better yet 50 pounds before the surgery could be done to reduce the risks. Then he told me that I had to stop my 2 15 minute walks per day, use handicapped parking and a walking stick. Exercising was going to cause too much damage to my hip while I lost the weight. The solution, no carbs.
That was in October. After a few weeks of being deeply depressed, Insaid, ok, let's do this. I 'be been logging my foods and I modified the nutritional percentages so carbs are at 15 or 20% (I can't check right now). Anyway, as of today I'm down 17 pounds and I made it through the holidays gaining only 1 pound. I've lowered my daily calories to 1200 but I'm really having a difficult time eating enough protein without totally killing my percentage fat goal. Does anyone have any recommendations? Several days during the last week I haven't even made it to 1000 calories and my protein percentage is in the 40's. I'm at a total loss on what to do. I'm not hungry but I know not eating enough will stall my weight loss. How do I get more protein without the fat?

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  • chrissic
    chrissic Posts: 6 Member
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    Vegetable protein plant based, beans
  • ercarroll311
    ercarroll311 Posts: 295 Member
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    You're eating way too little, it sounds like. I'm 115 lbs and while I am able to exercise more, I'm still eating 1800 calories and losing weight, 2200 or more to maintain. I'm not a big advocate for carbs being that low. I lost 60 lbs with carbs at 40% and fat/protein at 30%. In terms of getting protein without the fat, I'd just focus on lean protein sources (chicken, white fish, low fat cheese). Some protein supplements might be a good choice, also. I'm careful to make sure I'm getting plenty of fiber, so that could help ensure your carbs aren't just empty things like chips and you'll stay more full.

    Hope this helps some! Best of luck, and congrats on your progress so far!
  • typhoon34
    typhoon34 Posts: 2 Member
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    Sardines/ Tuna / Grilled chicken are almost pure protein with almost no fat.
    I am not a big proponent of protein powders as I don't like anything that is "processed", but you can try whey protein isolate powder - 100% protein, and nothing else.

    Pickup a rotisserie chicken for $5 from Costco perhaps.. ?
  • jenwil1999
    jenwil1999 Posts: 38 Member
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    First off, congratulations! You've lost almost half your goal! 17 lbs is great!

    I don't know the details of your situation, but I would agree with @ercarroll311 that you probably need more than 1200 calories. Personally, I have more than 50 lbs to lose and find that 1350 is a good goal for me. I also use a fitness tracker and sometimes "eat back" about half my exercise calories (so if I workout to burn 300 calories, I might eat an additional 150 for the day). I also agree that you could probably up the carb percentage. It's really just the calorie deficit that leads to weight loss. However, you know your body best and clearly you're making progress.

    You were asking for recommendations, so here's a Chicken Salad base recipe that gives 94 calories / 1 g fat / 17 g protein.

    1 can of chicken
    1 c. greek yogurt
    2 stalks celery
    Add lime, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

    I use canned chicken breast from Costco (12.5 oz can has 7 oz meat). Also, I usually use 1 avocado and only 1/2 c of yogurt, but I wanted to give you the lowest calorie / fat with the highest protein. You can also add almonds for a bit of a crunch and more protein. Dried cranberries for sweetness. I sometimes mix in random other spices too. Really, anything you want - it's just a flexible base.

    Confession, I've always hated chicken / tuna salad... but it turns out it was just the mayo I hated! Which is exactly the most unhealthy ingredient.
  • dahlgrenmad
    dahlgrenmad Posts: 33 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the encouragement and tips. Yesterday I was down all day with a migraine - barely ate or drank anything at all. After the miracle of pharmaceuticals, I was fine but dehydrated this morning. I weighed myself but really didn't put much stock in the number after basically no food yesterday. Today I ate my 1200 calories and as I was getting ready for bed, I decided to weigh myself again. Figured it would be where I was on Tuesday - NOT! The night weigh-in says I'm down 19.5 lbs! I'm so excited. I can tell you with 100% certainty that this as has been a huge factor in my reaching this goal. I'm totally motivated to keep going!
  • jenwil1999
    jenwil1999 Posts: 38 Member
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    Congrats! It's always so encouraging to see those numbers lower than expected! Sounds like you're on track to schedule a surgery in a few months!
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    Costco sells a low carb protein drink

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