What do you eat to lose weight?
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MizMimi111 wrote: »It's not what food you eat rather how much of it. For your health some foods are better than others but there are not specific foods that will help you lose weight. Eat the food you like within your calorie allotment.
I don't know what I should set my calorie goal at if I'm honest with you...I've gained a lot of weight from silly crash diets and juices cleanses. I'm 4"11 and I weigh 75.3kg to date. I set it at 1200 but I'm not really seeing any results. At least not the kind that other people get so I know I'm not doing it right. At the same time I don't want to eat too little and then put the weight back on later when I've lost all the chub.
What did MFP set your calorie target as? If you input your stats (height, current weight, goal weight, rate of loss) MFP will give you a target based on that information. Depending on how much you have to lose you can choose a loss rate of .5 - 2lb a week.
Now that you know the crash diets and juice cleanses don't work you can take the time to learn good habits around eating that will serve your for a lifetime and keep the weight off long term. It's what I'm learning too.2 -
MizMimi111 wrote: »It's not what food you eat rather how much of it. For your health some foods are better than others but there are not specific foods that will help you lose weight. Eat the food you like within your calorie allotment.
I don't know what I should set my calorie goal at if I'm honest with you...I've gained a lot of weight from silly crash diets and juices cleanses. I'm 4"11 and I weigh 75.3kg to date. I set it at 1200 but I'm not really seeing any results. At least not the kind that other people get so I know I'm not doing it right. At the same time I don't want to eat too little and then put the weight back on later when I've lost all the chub.
Thats what mfp does for you - put your stats in, and a sensible rate of loss, and follow what it says!
Being petite makes it difficult as you naturally need less calories due to your height. This may mean you have to be very careful with logging, or add more activity (normal daily activity and exercise) to increase your deficit1 -
Generally, it's not about what you eat. It's about how much. If certain foods cause portion control issues, you have to factor that in.2
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Thanks! You know I think it was a customised one because I just re-entered all my details and it changed to 1410. It was set a long time ago but I never really used MFP...eventually I just forgot about it. I've only just started again. I feel like I've ruined my metabolism by doing all the stupid juice cleanses. That even if I eat less I don't really see much result...perhaps I'm just being impatient and that after a long time of eating veggies and salads with lean proteins il see some weight loss.0
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Thanks! You know I think it was a customised one because I just re-entered all my details and it changed to 1410. It was set a long time ago but I never really used MFP...eventually I just forgot about it. I've only just started again. I feel like I've ruined my metabolism by doing all the stupid juice cleanses. That even if I eat less I don't really see much result...perhaps I'm just being impatient and that after a long time of eating veggies and salads with lean proteins il see some weight loss.
Juice cleanses have unlikely ruined your metabolism. Be consistent and accurate with your logging over a decent amount of time and perhaps consider tracking your weight daily on a trending app. Fast weight loss is not the best way to go, you're likely to be more successful long term (from a loss and maintenance perspective) by taking it slower.
You also don't need to only eat protein and vegies. You can eat what you like, just make it fit. Eating nutrient dense choices most of the time is great for health, but it doesn't mean you should be restrictive and think you need to cut foods out completely2 -
It's tough to not be impatient. I'm the same way. I try to focus on other small goals to help myself feel accomplished, not just focus on the scale. Avoiding the breakfast sandwich when I buy my morning tea, prepping healthly lunches for the week, drinking enough water - stuff like that. I know it sounds mundane and boring but it helps with not always focusing on the scale.
And remember if you add purposeful exercise, you'll get more calories too. Whether you eat back all those calories or less will take some experimenting.
Stay patient, you can do this!0 -
A wide variety of food in appropriate amounts to reach my calorie targets. I eat enough, but not too much. I eat the same whether I'm trying to drop some weight or maintain...if I want to drop weight, I just eat a little less. I'm off to the climbing gym in a few and after that I'm having tacos...1
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MizMimi111 wrote: »It's not what food you eat rather how much of it. For your health some foods are better than others but there are not specific foods that will help you lose weight. Eat the food you like within your calorie allotment.
I don't know what I should set my calorie goal at if I'm honest with you...I've gained a lot of weight from silly crash diets and juices cleanses. I'm 4"11 and I weigh 75.3kg to date. I set it at 1200 but I'm not really seeing any results. At least not the kind that other people get so I know I'm not doing it right. At the same time I don't want to eat too little and then put the weight back on later when I've lost all the chub.
I'm also 4' 11 and the last weight was 143 before I stopped looking at the scale but I went up another pant size before I decided to lose weight, so I start close to where you are.
You say you are not getting results like other people but we are smaller and have a smaller deficit, 1500 is sedentary maintenance so to lose anything we have to be mindful and remember it's not going to happen quickly.
I did the crash diets, I won't mention all of them. I stopped looking at food as good or bad and stopped dieting and just made small changes. Use mfp the right way, set it to lose .5lbs (.25kg I think) and remember it is slow and steady at this size. I'm still losing weight (slowly) at approximately 1500. This time don't diet just make sustainable changes and the you won't go back to eating "normal" and regain because normal will change and you will think eating enough for your new size is normal. Good luck and add me if you want.0 -
MizMimi111 wrote: »It's tough to not be impatient. I'm the same way. I try to focus on other small goals to help myself feel accomplished, not just focus on the scale. Avoiding the breakfast sandwich when I buy my morning tea, prepping healthly lunches for the week, drinking enough water - stuff like that. I know it sounds mundane and boring but it helps with not always focusing on the scale.
And remember if you add purposeful exercise, you'll get more calories too. Whether you eat back all those calories or less will take some experimenting.
Stay patient, you can do this!
Thank you!0 -
MizMimi111 wrote: »It's tough to not be impatient. I'm the same way. I try to focus on other small goals to help myself feel accomplished, not just focus on the scale. Avoiding the breakfast sandwich when I buy my morning tea, prepping healthly lunches for the week, drinking enough water - stuff like that. I know it sounds mundane and boring but it helps with not always focusing on the scale.
And remember if you add purposeful exercise, you'll get more calories too. Whether you eat back all those calories or less will take some experimenting.
Stay patient, you can do this!
I'm going to do my best to not give up, and keep it simple.2 -
Rebecca0224 wrote: »MizMimi111 wrote: »It's not what food you eat rather how much of it. For your health some foods are better than others but there are not specific foods that will help you lose weight. Eat the food you like within your calorie allotment.
I don't know what I should set my calorie goal at if I'm honest with you...I've gained a lot of weight from silly crash diets and juices cleanses. I'm 4"11 and I weigh 75.3kg to date. I set it at 1200 but I'm not really seeing any results. At least not the kind that other people get so I know I'm not doing it right. At the same time I don't want to eat too little and then put the weight back on later when I've lost all the chub.
I'm also 4' 11 and the last weight was 143 before I stopped looking at the scale but I went up another pant size before I decided to lose weight, so I start close to where you are.
You say you are not getting results like other people but we are smaller and have a smaller deficit, 1500 is sedentary maintenance so to lose anything we have to be mindful and remember it's npt going to happen quickly.
I did the crash diets, I won't mention all of them. I stopped looking at food as good or bad and stopped dieting and just made small changes. Use mfp the right way, set it to lose .5lbs (.25kg I think) and remember it is slow and steady at this size. I'm still losing weight (slowly) at approximately 1500. This time don't diet just make sustainable changes and the you won't go back to eating "normal" and regain because normal will change and you will think eating enough for your new size is normal. Good luck and add me if you want.
I think this is the best way for me. In the mean time I'm trying to be more active and workout more so that...I don't feel to guilty...if I eat a little more of something I enjoy.
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Everyone's different and experimenting to find what works for you is the best thing you can do. I find that having a light breakfast (about 200 kcal), a slightly bigger lunch (around 300 kcal) and a bigger dinner (500-700 kcal) means I still have room for plenty of snacks throughout the day (especially dessert after dinner!) or a second helping of dinner if I feel like it.2
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scarlett_k wrote: »Everyone's different and experimenting to find what works for you is the best thing you can do. I find that having a light breakfast (about 200 kcal), a slightly bigger lunch (around 300 kcal) and a bigger dinner (500-700 kcal) means I still have room for plenty of snacks throughout the day (especially dessert after dinner!) or a second helping of dinner if I feel like it.
I am excited... everyone has given very good tips. Instead of thinking about what I can't eat I've spent it looking at these great tips and reading other people's success stories. I'm gonna try give all of this a go and see what works best for me.
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And here I am adding more Asian foods to meet my goals. Curries are inexpensive tasty and filling. You can reduce the calorie load in a meal the fastest by reducing (without eliminating) the fat content.
Do you use a food scale?2 -
@Robocop27 based on the photo of your meal, I'd suggest adding a bunch of vegetables to the meat dish when cooking. Cut back or eliminate most of the oil in the recipe, and use the recipe logger feature to know how many calories it has. Cut back on your rice portion, because rice is relatively high in calories and you have to eat a lot of it to feel full. My suggestion of adding vegetables to the meat will add stomach-filling volume to help replace the rice, with fewer calories.
Your meal looks delicious.1 -
Like all these people have said, it's not what you eat, it's how much. Calculate your calories at maintenance and just eat that much. I'm also Asian, trying to maintain 115lbs. I do fasting/one meal a day. I get to eat as much as I want -rice, pasta, cake, muffins, you name it. As long as I keep it at 1500-1600, I'm good! And believe me, it is pretty hard to eat more than that in one sitting! It is truly satisfying and I don't feel deprived of anything!0
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When you restrict yourself from certain food groups, you end up craving it and won't be able to do it for long. That's why crash diets don't last and you will be back to gaining right after. Do not limit yourself , but find what works for the long run.0
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I'm Asian so I love eating curry and rice. I just find that my metabolism is just not the same as it use to be growing up because now I can't keep my weight off when I go back to eating normally...this is a pic of what I cooked a few days ago for me and my family.
Then you need to change what your "normal" is. You have to eat less to lose weight, period. You can eat the same things, just smaller portions, and in some cases, much much smaller portions. It really is that easy.0 -
the amount of oil/ghee/butter you put in gives it that extra richness to the sauce... I have actually purchased one and started using it two days ago for a my meal prep.And here I am adding more Asian foods to meet my goals. Curries are inexpensive tasty and filling. You can reduce the calorie load in a meal the fastest by reducing (without eliminating) the fat content.
Do you use a food scale?
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@Robocop27 based on the photo of your meal, I'd suggest adding a bunch of vegetables to the meat dish when cooking. Cut back or eliminate most of the oil in the recipe, and use the recipe logger feature to know how many calories it has. Cut back on your rice portion, because rice is relatively high in calories and you have to eat a lot of it to feel full. My suggestion of adding vegetables to the meat will add stomach-filling volume to help replace the rice, with fewer calories.
Your meal looks delicious.
Ha ha thank you. Yeah that's what I'm thinking of doing...I figured if I do decide to have rice with a meal instead of having basmati rice I might opt for brown rice in a smaller portion than normal.
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