Losing a bunch of weight looking for opinions on diet

So I'm 506 and started tuesday on logging and attempting to lose weight. I initially tried looking for a diet plan but as a picky eater I instead just made my own and have been going with it, I know many recommend starting slow but I decided to try to make the lifestyle jump because the going slow didn't work for me in the past sadly. Thus far it's going good I feel. I've been hungry occasionally but nothing terrible. Was wondering if someone could take a look at my log and see if it looks okay or if there is something recommended to add or avoid? Any help is appreciated. Thanks all, love the community so far. height is 6 1-6 2 also

Replies

  • tirtoilgaming
    tirtoilgaming Posts: 6 Member
    I just worry about eating too much and falling back into that trap I basically went to peoples diaries who are at weights I want to be at and took the calories they're eating and try to hit around it. I also find it difficult to stay within the sodium levels when eating more with my picky eating habits.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    You are under eating. You should not be below 1500.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I just worry about eating too much and falling back into that trap I basically went to peoples diaries who are at weights I want to be at and took the calories they're eating and try to hit around it. I also find it difficult to stay within the sodium levels when eating more with my picky eating habits.

    You're going to binge so hard if you're that heavy eating so little. This weight isn't coming off in 6 months. Make a plan that will get you there and severely restricting calories isn't it.
  • Zombielicious
    Zombielicious Posts: 246 Member
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    You're eating very little.

    I'd suggest eating more. You're basically eating around what my BMR is and I'm a 27 year old, 117 pound woman.

    Agreed. You're eating waaaaayyyyy too little for your height and weight. If you're not eating enough, you may send your body into starvation mode and your metabolism will slow down.
  • Austex_Egger
    Austex_Egger Posts: 44 Member
    You can't look at is as a "diet plan". YOU need to change what you are doing. Diets fail, lifestyle change is (or should be) forever. Agree with the above. You are not eating enough. I'm 6'4 and an old guy. My goal is 1600 and have been losing relatively well. If I read you OP correctly, you're at 506lbs? Can't be too picky of an eater. Find the foods you like, get a scale, measure everything, go by the caloric intake the tool recommends and stick with it. You have years of loss ahead of you and the maintenance for the rest of your life.
  • tirtoilgaming
    tirtoilgaming Posts: 6 Member
    I try and aim for 1500 but get sodium blocked big time. still trying to find ways around the sodium wall haha. I dont necessarily feel bad. Aside from the first day I've felt good but I deff dont want to cause any problems
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I try and aim for 1500 but get sodium blocked big time. still trying to find ways around the sodium wall haha. I dont necessarily feel bad. Aside from the first day I've felt good but I deff dont want to cause any problems

    Just keep logging everything you eat, and look for areas to make improvements. Your sodium may be off the charts today, but then you make a small, healthy change and that will affect your sodium/calories, etc. Small, sustainable changes are how you are going to eat this elephant (laughing at my own pun! :D )
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    With your stats, you are substantially underfeeding...

    I'm 42 and 5'10" on a good day and 190 Lbs currently...and with exercise I will drop about 2 Lbs per week on about 2,000 calories...
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    I try and aim for 1500 but get sodium blocked big time. still trying to find ways around the sodium wall haha. I dont necessarily feel bad. Aside from the first day I've felt good but I deff dont want to cause any problems

    You won't feel bad right away, but that doesn't mean it isn't causing problems.

    So many people quit diets because they start out aggressively trying to strip off weight, then they ht the wall and binge and quit. Or they manage to continue undereating and don't realize the damage they are doing until the symptoms are obvious and the damage is done.

    I am a 5'4" 130 lb female, and I'm eating more than you are. Eat the calories MFP is giving you. Please take care of yourself :flowerforyou:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    So I'm 506 and started tuesday on logging and attempting to lose weight. I initially tried looking for a diet plan but as a picky eater I instead just made my own and have been going with it, I know many recommend starting slow but I decided to try to make the lifestyle jump because the going slow didn't work for me in the past sadly. Thus far it's going good I feel. I've been hungry occasionally but nothing terrible. Was wondering if someone could take a look at my log and see if it looks okay or if there is something recommended to add or avoid? Any help is appreciated. Thanks all, love the community so far. height is 6 1-6 2 also

    Look for permanent lifestyle changes......things you are willing to change forever. Because losing weight is just the first step.

    I eat regular food. However, when I log "typical" portions there are times I'm disappointed. This makes me look for ways to change things to make them a better fit.

    Example: I can never expect to eat a full plate of pizza again. Never having pizza is not a lifestyle change.....not gonna happen. So I found that I can have a couple slices with a side salad. I can have pizza more often when I change to a thin crust. I can make may own pizza with fewer calories (still) using turkey pepperoni.

    Find permanent changes. A "diet plan" may help you with step 1.......but then you're still left trying to figure out the forever part.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited March 2017
    I try and aim for 1500 but get sodium blocked big time. still trying to find ways around the sodium wall haha. I dont necessarily feel bad. Aside from the first day I've felt good but I deff dont want to cause any problems

    I don't have a medical reason to avoid sodium. I am anemic, so swapped out Sodium for Iron. I find it's easier for me to stick to a calorie deficit if I meet my fiber goal, so swapped out Sugar (which is really covered under carbs anyway) for Fiber.

    ETA - I'm 23 years older, five inches shorter, female, and lose weight just fine while eating a lot more than you do.

    Please eat more. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for binging/burnout.
  • tirtoilgaming
    tirtoilgaming Posts: 6 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    So I'm 506 and started tuesday on logging and attempting to lose weight. I initially tried looking for a diet plan but as a picky eater I instead just made my own and have been going with it, I know many recommend starting slow but I decided to try to make the lifestyle jump because the going slow didn't work for me in the past sadly. Thus far it's going good I feel. I've been hungry occasionally but nothing terrible. Was wondering if someone could take a look at my log and see if it looks okay or if there is something recommended to add or avoid? Any help is appreciated. Thanks all, love the community so far. height is 6 1-6 2 also

    Look for permanent lifestyle changes......things you are willing to change forever. Because losing weight is just the first step.

    I eat regular food. However, when I log "typical" portions there are times I'm disappointed. This makes me look for ways to change things to make them a better fit.

    Example: I can never expect to eat a full plate of pizza again. Never having pizza is not a lifestyle change.....not gonna happen. So I found that I can have a couple slices with a side salad. I can have pizza more often when I change to a thin crust. I can make may own pizza with fewer calories (still) using turkey pepperoni.

    Find permanent changes. A "diet plan" may help you with step 1.......but then you're still left trying to figure out the forever part.

    I deff agree with that that's what I kind of did with what I'm eatting, the only thing I've ate that I probably wouldn't keep around is cottage cheese but I'm ready to make the adjustment for a lifestyle change if it means a better life. I just dont want to take it slow with the change. I know the weight will take time to come off but I dont want the eat 3000 calories then eat 100 less and so on so forth. Want to jump in since when I did the working slow in the past I failed.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2017
    TeaBea wrote: »
    So I'm 506 and started tuesday on logging and attempting to lose weight. I initially tried looking for a diet plan but as a picky eater I instead just made my own and have been going with it, I know many recommend starting slow but I decided to try to make the lifestyle jump because the going slow didn't work for me in the past sadly. Thus far it's going good I feel. I've been hungry occasionally but nothing terrible. Was wondering if someone could take a look at my log and see if it looks okay or if there is something recommended to add or avoid? Any help is appreciated. Thanks all, love the community so far. height is 6 1-6 2 also

    Look for permanent lifestyle changes......things you are willing to change forever. Because losing weight is just the first step.

    I eat regular food. However, when I log "typical" portions there are times I'm disappointed. This makes me look for ways to change things to make them a better fit.

    Example: I can never expect to eat a full plate of pizza again. Never having pizza is not a lifestyle change.....not gonna happen. So I found that I can have a couple slices with a side salad. I can have pizza more often when I change to a thin crust. I can make may own pizza with fewer calories (still) using turkey pepperoni.

    Find permanent changes. A "diet plan" may help you with step 1.......but then you're still left trying to figure out the forever part.

    I deff agree with that that's what I kind of did with what I'm eatting, the only thing I've ate that I probably wouldn't keep around is cottage cheese but I'm ready to make the adjustment for a lifestyle change if it means a better life. I just dont want to take it slow with the change. I know the weight will take time to come off but I dont want the eat 3000 calories then eat 100 less and so on so forth. Want to jump in since when I did the working slow in the past I failed.

    Extra calories would give you a daily treat and a restaurant meal here or there. That's the test. Those are the things you need to tweak.

    Eating just diet food for the rest of my life is not realistic for me. When I go the the lowest possible calories (1200 for WOMEN).....it's all just "diet" foods for me. Then when I get to goal I don't know what a serving of chips, or a serving of ice cream even looks like.
  • hellobaconplease
    hellobaconplease Posts: 108 Member
    edited March 2017
    You could double what you are eating and still lose weight. I eat more than you and still lose weight. I'm 4'11" and weigh less than half of what you do.

    Where's all your protein and fat? Aren't you insanely hungry??
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    So I'm 506 and started tuesday on logging and attempting to lose weight. I initially tried looking for a diet plan but as a picky eater I instead just made my own and have been going with it, I know many recommend starting slow but I decided to try to make the lifestyle jump because the going slow didn't work for me in the past sadly. Thus far it's going good I feel. I've been hungry occasionally but nothing terrible. Was wondering if someone could take a look at my log and see if it looks okay or if there is something recommended to add or avoid? Any help is appreciated. Thanks all, love the community so far. height is 6 1-6 2 also

    Look for permanent lifestyle changes......things you are willing to change forever. Because losing weight is just the first step.

    I eat regular food. However, when I log "typical" portions there are times I'm disappointed. This makes me look for ways to change things to make them a better fit.

    Example: I can never expect to eat a full plate of pizza again. Never having pizza is not a lifestyle change.....not gonna happen. So I found that I can have a couple slices with a side salad. I can have pizza more often when I change to a thin crust. I can make may own pizza with fewer calories (still) using turkey pepperoni.

    Find permanent changes. A "diet plan" may help you with step 1.......but then you're still left trying to figure out the forever part.

    I deff agree with that that's what I kind of did with what I'm eatting, the only thing I've ate that I probably wouldn't keep around is cottage cheese but I'm ready to make the adjustment for a lifestyle change if it means a better life. I just dont want to take it slow with the change. I know the weight will take time to come off but I dont want the eat 3000 calories then eat 100 less and so on so forth. Want to jump in since when I did the working slow in the past I failed.

    with over 200 pounds to lose there's not going to be a quick fix regardless. there are going to be stops and starts and slow loss and fast loss and sometimes the scale will jump up for a few days and sometimes it won't budge for weeks. what you're doing now though is setting yourself up for an unhealthy ride through it all. even if you can somehow manage to adhere to such a restrictive plan for the long haul (and it's a long haul regardless of how quickly you shed the weight because once it's gone you've got a lifetime of keeping it off) you're not giving your body the nutrients it needs. you're going to sacrifice a lot of lean body mass along with the fat you're losing and that includes muscle loss in your heart as well. and you're not creating a balanced approach that will set you up to succeed in maintenance.

    assuming you will an average of 2 pounds a week (a healthy but aggressive goal with your current weight but will likely decrease the closer you get to goal) you're looking at 2 years of work. with a reasonable calorie goal those 2 years can actually be pleasant.

  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    You are definitely committed, which is the main trick to losing weight. It sounds like you're scared of falling into bad habits if you let the pressure off yourself. I get that; especially if you tried before and gained back the weight (which has happened to me and many of us.)

    Do you have any insight into what caused you to stop last time? Like, was it that weight loss was too slow and you got frustrated with the lack of progress? Was it that the high calorie foods were in the house and were just too tempting?
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    assuming you will an average of 2 pounds a week (a healthy but aggressive goal with your current weight but will likely decrease the closer you get to goal) you're looking at 2 years of work. with a reasonable calorie goal those 2 years can actually be pleasant.

    Just a comment that, even though it is higher than MFP suggests, I think this person can lose more than 2 lb per week. At 330, I started losing 15 lb per month for 3 months. Given my weight, I don't think it was an issue.

    But he still needs to eat more than he is.
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    assuming you will an average of 2 pounds a week (a healthy but aggressive goal with your current weight but will likely decrease the closer you get to goal) you're looking at 2 years of work. with a reasonable calorie goal those 2 years can actually be pleasant.

    Just a comment that, even though it is higher than MFP suggests, I think this person can lose more than 2 lb per week. At 330, I started losing 15 lb per month for 3 months. Given my weight, I don't think it was an issue.

    But he still needs to eat more than he is.

    you're right, i was trying to simplify but my thought process was that the 2lbs could be a hypothetical average to cover more loss in the beginning and slower loss at the end of the process. that obviously didn't come through because i didn't explain it even a little bit. lol.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    You're eating very little.

    I'd suggest eating more. You're basically eating around what my BMR is and I'm a 27 year old, 117 pound woman.

    Agreed. You're eating waaaaayyyyy too little for your height and weight. If you're not eating enough, you may send your body into starvation mode and your metabolism will slow down.

    no to starvation mode.it doesnt exist. a starving person doesnt hang on to weight or fat. it doesnt work that way.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    op you can eat more and you should,.weight loss takes time. you didnt put in on fast(or at least I doubt you did) so it wont come off fast. even if it comes off fast at first it will slow down. have some patience and do it the slow way,the healthy way.
  • tirtoilgaming
    tirtoilgaming Posts: 6 Member
    You are definitely committed, which is the main trick to losing weight. It sounds like you're scared of falling into bad habits if you let the pressure off yourself. I get that; especially if you tried before and gained back the weight (which has happened to me and many of us.)

    Do you have any insight into what caused you to stop last time? Like, was it that weight loss was too slow and you got frustrated with the lack of progress? Was it that the high calorie foods were in the house and were just too tempting?
    The previous times I found it difficult to stay within things like sodium while still getting my calorie goal and seeing me fail daily on certain parts I believe led to me giving up.

  • ejnxyz
    ejnxyz Posts: 33 Member
    Add a ton of vege's. Fruits and Veges. Foods with fiber. It looks like you have a very incomplete diet for basic vitamins and minerals. Possibly use a program that gives you the complete breakdown with a grade? or something similar? Perhaps take a multivitamin until you know you have it correct with food only?
  • tirtoilgaming
    tirtoilgaming Posts: 6 Member
    ejnxyz wrote: »
    Add a ton of vege's. Fruits and Veges. Foods with fiber. It looks like you have a very incomplete diet for basic vitamins and minerals. Possibly use a program that gives you the complete breakdown with a grade? or something similar? Perhaps take a multivitamin until you know you have it correct with food only?
    vege's are my biggest problem, only a handful I enjoy like cucumbers, lettuce, carrots and celery. A multivitamin is deff something I plan just broke at the moment, when I get paid next week I'll deff be starting on those!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Here's the thing about sodium: it may temporarily lead to water retention, but it's not going to impede fat loss. I think (and I am not a dietician; this is just my own experience), if you were taking in more sodium than recommended before you tried to lose weight, it's probably not going to hold you back too much. You might actually be taking in less now as your calories have decreased.

    I'm a 45-year-old woman, 5'3 with a starting weight of 254. This is what 3 months of sodium and weight loss look like for me:

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    As you can see, despite my going way over sodium most days, the weight is dropping. If there's a medical reason for you to be on a low-sodium diet, that's one thing. If you're concerned about your blood pressure, dropping the weight is going to do a lot toward getting it under control. (And I think they're now saying that a high-sodium diet doesn't cause HBP after all. Or that the link is a bit more complicated.)
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    ejnxyz wrote: »
    Add a ton of vege's. Fruits and Veges. Foods with fiber. It looks like you have a very incomplete diet for basic vitamins and minerals. Possibly use a program that gives you the complete breakdown with a grade? or something similar? Perhaps take a multivitamin until you know you have it correct with food only?
    vege's are my biggest problem, only a handful I enjoy like cucumbers, lettuce, carrots and celery. A multivitamin is deff something I plan just broke at the moment, when I get paid next week I'll deff be starting on those!

    Hey, you're speaking to kin here. I hate most veggies or salad stuff too. So you know what I do? I don't eat them! I eat the veggies I DO like, but nowhere is it written that you must eat ALL THE VEGGIES to lose weight.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
    Enter your stats in MFP's fitness profile, tell it how fast you want to lose weight (for now 2 lbs/week is good, give your starting point) and what your daily non-exercise activity is like, and then eat as many calories as it tells you to. You don't want to be losing too much muscle, and you don't want a diet so low in calories that it's unsustainable, and you need to get adequate nutrition.

    Don't worry about other macros right now, just focus on calories. If you're getting a really unbalanced diet you might want to supplement, but if you only eat food you enjoy that's OK. Make it easy on yourself. The easier it is, the more likely you are to stick with it, and sticking with it is the important thing.

    Every 10-20 lbs that come off, have MFP recalculate your daily calories so that you don't stop losing. And be sure to record your exercise; cardio will provide you with extra calories you can at least partially eat back. (If you're not exercising, don't worry. It's not necessary for weight loss.)
  • mandalunia
    mandalunia Posts: 128 Member
    I was nearly 300 pounds and 5'2 47 year old woman when I started loosing. I started at about 1700 calories a day and was losing a little more than 3-4 pounds per week at first. I'm telling you this because when you are heavy you can eat more and still loose as rapidly as is safe. The first few months staying at 1700 calories I was getting more than enough success to keep on track and not derail. I never feel deprived and I got really fast results considering my age and starting weight. I totally understand the need to make a drastic change so you can feel like you are committed. I promise 1700 calories or even 2000 or 3000 calories is a drastic but sustainable change. I have lost over 90 pounds in 7 months and each pound loss has meant I could exercise more and keep the positive cycle going. Use the time to reeducate yourself about portion size, about what foods you can give up ( I only went cold turkey on soda) and what you can eat in moderation. Trust me you will see results without setting yourself up for failure. Plus now that I am in the second half of my weight loss journey I have to be much more strict about my calories to get the loss I am aiming for and it is so much easier because I don't feel like I have been dieting for the last 7 months.

    However you decide to go forward I admire your decision to make a change and I know how hard it is to just make the decision to live your life differently. You can do it.
  • LessofAJ
    LessofAJ Posts: 29 Member
    Can I recommend a podcast that has been helpful to me? It's called Half Size Me and is hosted by Heather Robertson, who has lost and kept off 130 lbs for many years. It really helps me get out of the "diet mentality" and more of a lifestyle change/long-term perspective.