Exasperation with meal planning...can someone tell me how to fit 3 meals into 1200 calories?
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PAV8888:
I eat fat today, I also eat LOTS of protein; and I know the minimum requirement, since I found the numbers 30 years ago.
I have, however, just found out that certain medications (and I'm sure my nervine is one), do something to histimine levels and increase feelings of hunger. So, there's that.
I'm not really that much of a binge eater, I pride myself on having learned as an adult, to only eat when hungry.....I developed and have been practicing this habit, for the past 30 years.
Through the fog of pain, anger, fatigue and frustration, of the last 7 years, I thought I was STILL doing this, and I likely was. I am NOT in the habit of sitting down and eating a half-gallon of ice cream, in a sitting. When I eat the chocolate, it's usually just half of the bar, NOT the whole thing, and not more then a couple of times a week. But because I have a cro-magnum body, even the half, 2x per week, was too frequent, apparently.
If I am being honest, there may very well have been times, over the last seven years, when learning how to deal with this chronic pain situation, caused me to be depressed and eat the whole candy bar.........I'm sure there were, obviously. But, I didn't pound down sweets and treats for that whole time. I am a clean eater, and have been, for the past 30 years, since I discovered the healthy benefits that clean diet and exercise can instill in a body.
I just got too overwhelmed, trying to get off the 6 medications that western medicine had me on, to worry about whether or not I was eating too much. It took me the last 3 years, to whittle down the medications to the single nervine and the CBD, which I just found last fall, and is turning out to be an incredible boon for the pain levels.
Yes, I AM one of those people, who if they aren't seeing results, get's annoyed and frustrated; call me a child, and it's probably true, I am not perfect and no doubt have lingering demons and phantoms from my very screwed up childhood, where I was never allowed to be one.
Be that as it may, I am also dealing with a LOT of medical limitations, and have been, since 2010, when I had the botched surgery.
Me and my body, ARE, one of the outliers. I know this, because I've been at this, for 30+ years, when I lost the first post pregnancy weights. I am aiming to prove that all the stuff you're saying on here, is wrong, about us outliers. We ARE exceptions to all known rules.
I plan on weighing myself only once a month, because anything more is too frustrating. I know the triggers that lead to frustration, from doing therapy for the last 20 years.
And oh, btw, I also struggle from PTSD, from said nasty childhood, where my 5 siblings tried to kill me, almost every day of it.
So, don't know if that makes you want to be more compassionate and less preachy, but I did not tell you to hold your breath, and do not care if you do or don't. Wait. Maybe I do. Please, feel free to hold it. Indefinitely!4 -
For the record; I believe the reason I didn't gain 30 pounds this last winter, (only 2) was because I had done the IF, quite frequently. I appreciate all of the suggestions and advice, and I DID say that. I will likely use many of them!
I feel confident I can prove many of the basics are false for some people, us outliers, to be exact. Those of you beyond the bell curve that can lose 10 pounds or more, a month....good for you! But, it's us outliers (on the other side of the curve) who make the numbers possible, because we can only lose 3-4 lbs per month, no matter the CICO numbers, or the MFP numbers, or any other scale you would like to throw at me.
Do I think I know what I'm doing?
Why yes, having been a dedicated vegetarian for the last 30+ years, I do. When I became vegetarian, you had to MAKE your own tofu, your own Soymilk and your own Tempeh. Yea, so I have a pretty clear idea of how to eat clean. Eating clean isn't the problem with outliers. Having a Cro-Magnum metabolism is; and I aim to prove it, to all you naysayers who are convinced that CICO means a darn thing.
See you all on the rebound. Hark.8 -
MonaRaeHill wrote: »For the record; I believe the reason I didn't gain 30 pounds this last winter, (only 2) was because I had done the IF, quite frequently. I appreciate all of the suggestions and advice, and I DID say that. I will likely use many of them!
I feel confident I can prove many of the basics are false for some people, us outliers, to be exact. Those of you beyond the bell curve that can lose 10 pounds or more, a month....good for you! But, it's us outliers (on the other side of the curve) who make the numbers possible, because we can only lose 3-4 lbs per month, no matter the CICO numbers, or the MFP numbers, or any other scale you would like to throw at me.
Do I think I know what I'm doing?
Why yes, having been a dedicated vegetarian for the last 30+ years, I do. When I became vegetarian, you had to MAKE your own tofu, your own Soymilk and your own Tempeh. Yea, so I have a pretty clear idea of how to eat clean. Eating clean isn't the problem with outliers. Having a Cro-Magnum metabolism is; and I aim to prove it, to all you naysayers who are convinced that CICO means a darn thing.
See you all on the rebound. Hark.
The vast majority on this site would never say 10 pounds a month was average, or to be expected, or even reasonable for most people. Perhaps if you are very obese and just starting out, for a few months. But 4-5 pounds, and 2-3 as you get closer to goal, per month is to be expected, perfectly reasonable, and a healthy rate of loss. You are not an outlier because you can't lose 10 pounds a month! And eating clean (however one chooses to define it) has exactly nothing to do with weight loss.
Also, what the heck is a cro-magnum metabolism? That one's got me scratching my head.13 -
I am Neanderthal and can still lose weight. Ask 23 and me.5
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I think OP's expectations are high due to ads or experience with fad diets. I'd done a few in my youth and usually they promised anywhere from 10-20 lbs. Weightloss per month. I remember one I did in my 20s-- I was happy that I had lost a few lbs. And honestly I probably had at MOST 15 lbs to lose. I called up the company for a coaching session included and they were not pleased with my weight loss (event though I was) and told Me I should be losing more and to drink a slimfast shake to replace a meal. I did it and the weight came off faster but it was really unnecessary. Until mfp I had no idea that 2 lbs. Per week was an agressive goal and usually recommended for people who were obese with 100 lbs to lose or more.3
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just my little attempt at some much needed humor.........cro-magnum metabolism = eat a piece of pemmican......run through the woods every day, all day.......eat another piece of pemmican.........every third day, throw in some vegetables.......lmao!2
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I also did make the point (because i am hoping beyond hope, that CICO is a 'real' thing), that too many calories are too many calories, even if they come in the form of salad.....with brown rice vinegar, for dressing. Some bodies just only need the minimal amount, then it's a question of how to learn to be 'okay' with that, on the mental side........ 0
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MonaRaeHill wrote: »I also did make the point (because i am hoping beyond hope, that CICO is a 'real' thing), that too many calories are too many calories, even if they come in the form of salad.....with brown rice vinegar, for dressing. Some bodies just only need the minimal amount, then it's a question of how to learn to be 'okay' with that, on the mental side........
Good news - CICO is a real thing. Why would you think it isn’t?
I’m having trouble understanding what your fundamental issue is, you’ve bounced around quite a bit in your posts. It started with you not being satisfied on 1200 cals and looking for meal ideas - people have suggestions but also suggested that maybe 1200 isn’t necessary. You’ve talked about a disability and other medical conditions - yet the amount of activity you describe is higher than many people who choose not to exercise. You described a diet where you said you eat zero fat, when called on that you said that you were just kidding. You describe yourself as an outlier that can’t lose, but then talk about weight loss of >10 lbs per month as your expectation. You say you’ve been doing this for 30 years and know what your body needs, so I’m really unclear on what you’re hoping to get out of this thread, if you know better than all the rest of us? In one of our posts you are committed to disproving CICO? How do you intend to do that? What controlled studies will you be engaging in?13 -
Regardless of how much of a special outlier you are, a careful reading would show you that the mechanism to adjust for your status was included with the advice. (The part where i discussed adjusting based on your trending weight results after several weeks)
Especially if you are actually an outlier, you don't get to defy common sense and research and manage to create a LARGER deficit, without issues, than the deficit non outliers can tolerate.
If you're an outlier you have to accept smaller deficits than people who have a higher (non outlier) TDEE. Yet you continue to view the effects of significant deficits and significant weight loss as minimums instead of, the reality if you're an outlier, dreamed for maximums.
You are aiming, as a concession, for 3 to 4 lbs a month and your think that if you don't see that drop in your once a month weigh in that you have failed.
Yet if you look through the numerous threads on weigh ins you would realize that you can absolutely lose 3, 4, or even 5lbs yet weight the exact same or even more in any two measurements taken 30 days apart.
And guess what in terms of appropriate expectations. You are still aiming for rapid weight loss suitable for a person with a TDEE of 2500 and a good amount of fat to lose!
The seldom to be found person who consistently looses 1lb a month will lose 12lbs by this time next year. 1.5 lbs means 18lbs.
Many more people will try for 8lbs a month and will weigh the same they do today, or even more, when this time rolls around next year.
If you are an outlier, older, and are unable to bring a high tdee to the table aiming for rapid weight loss (which would require a higher deficit as a percentage of your tdee in order to achieve) is counter productive and endangers your very precious lean mass.
As to whether you eat fats or not... you are responsible for the information you convey. Clearly upthread you indicated that you eat zero fat and several people reacted to that very bad idea.
Best of luck.6 -
I need...paragraphs. OP. Please.4
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OP, like others, I'm not really sure what information/advice you're actually looking for.
With that said, I will echo the advice to adjust your expectations. 2 pounds/week is too aggressive for most people. That's where a lot of people start because it sounds good, of course we want to lose as much as possible as fast as possible. The reality is, the bigger deficit we have the more muscle mass we lose. I wish I had known that at the beginning when I chose 2lbs/wk. Maybe my body fat would be lower than it is now.
Once I learned, I adjusted my goal to 1 lb/wk. I am now within the healthy BMI for my height (5'8", low 140s) and aim for .5 lb/wk. It's slow going, but sustainable and allows for the development of maintenance habits. Time will pass anyway; you can be frustrated trying to meet goals that are unrealistic and perhaps fail to meet those goals due to giving up because you've made things too difficult, or you can adjust your expectations and reach your goal and, hopefully and more importantly, maintain your weight.
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Well, it's not the first time I've been told that my expectations are too high.........I can appreciate and respect that. Yes, I bounce around, but I was explaining that even with a 0 fat diet, I've only ever been able to lose at the rate of 6 pounds per month, maximum, and that was when I was 20 years younger!
I never said that I no longer eat fat, just that I was worried that my previous bouts with no-fat diets, had somehow wrecked my metabolism........because of what I considered very slowwww weight loss, which, as it turns out, if I am to believe the posts of other peoples experiences, is not a slow weight loss......harumpfh, learn something new everyday, hey?
I can also appreciate that that particular advice is real.....because I HAVE seen studies that show we are genetically indisposed to not be able to lose more then 2 lbs per week.
Having said that, I HAVE seen many people on here, without much more weight then I have, to lose, lose 10 pounds a month, and lose it somewhat easily (or at least, that's what they had reported). I have/had no idea if that's reasonable, sounds like from what you are all saying, it isn't.
I have already taken a lot of the advice in this thread, to heart. Especially the one on lowering my expectations. I changed my goal to .5 pound per week, and if I lose more, great, but if I don't, at least there'll be SOME movement in the right direction..........
I also never said I know better then the rest of you.......just that I've been in this particular body for 57 years, and practicing being as healthy as possible, for the last 30 of that time....(I did not grow up with regular exercise as a tool, didn't discover the benefits until my early 20's)....so yes, I know this body, pretty well.
The 'controlled' study, will be........well..........me..........
I would NEVER presume to know more then anybody whose been at this for awhile........or else I never would have asked for help.........
p.s. I consider it good fun to bounce around and go on different tangents.........you never know where that might lead.......already, one of the best things to come out of this thread, is my purchase (for only $3.50) of the Thug Cookbook, which gave me some much needed guffaws, and some great recipes, too! What I really was wanting from this thread, were some links to some easy, simple, meal plans, for vegans. I got them, +, which was really good.
And to answer the question on TDEE, no, I don't bring a high one to the table. I appreciate the advice about it, tho.
Hows this for some paragraphs?2 -
GAH. My eyes. I wish someone would give me cliffs. No, there are no paragraphs there.8
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MonaRaeHill wrote: »because i am hoping beyond hope, that CICO is a 'real' thing
CICO is a "real thing" otherwise you have to suspend the laws of physics, or somehow you've managed to evolve photosynthesis and are making your own energy from sunlight.
The question is what your CO balance actually is. MFP and others will hive you an estimate based upon a population study estimate of RMR along with your own assessment of activity levels. The issue here is that such an estimate may be out by 20-30% depending on factors such as age, body composition, weight, height. If you are carrying a lot of body fat that will be metabolically inactive, although hauling it around does increase your consumption, but not the same as if you were that weight with a normal range FFM.
If you are truly tracking your CI accurately and are able to see the long term trend in weight loss you should be able to estimate how much you need to adjust your CO estimate to achieve your individual goal. Most studies show that we overestimate our activity levels and underestimate our calorie consumption and then claim a depressed metabolism as a result, when it's actually perfectly possible to eat healthily, but still consume considerably more calories than we think, after all that fits better into our own view of ourselves than the truth. Information won't change this self image, only you can do that. Perhaps it's easier to deny CICO than to change your world view, but it doesn't make it any less true.2 -
Believe it or not......I know of some 'raw' fasting believing foodies that think that the body can make protein from oxygen. Even I know that can't be right, but it did crack me up!
I'm not sure I know what FFM means, in this context.....explanation, please.
p.s...........bbell1985...... I know where there are some pretty cool cliffs you could jump off. I even have some bungie cords I could loan you.........no guarantees they will work...........they are OLD.
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*oxygen and sunshine........2
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MonaRaeHill wrote: »Believe it or not......I know of some 'raw' fasting believing foodies that think that the body can make protein from oxygen. Even I know that can't be right, but it did crack me up!
I'm not sure I know what FFM means, in this context.....explanation, please.
p.s...........bbell1985...... I know where there are some pretty cool cliffs you could jump off. I even have some bungie cords I could loan you.........no guarantees they will work...........they are OLD.
Are you okay?1 -
p.p.s. I am not denying that CiCo works and is real, just that it may not work for all, and that it hasn't worked for me, just about as often as it has, in the past. Because, like you say, 20-30% of an error is a pretty high number. (Most people would get fired, if they had that for an error rate, in their job). I have no long term trends of weight loss, to look at. I am hoping this, time, that will change. I won't hold my breath.5
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MonaRaeHill wrote: »Believe it or not......I know of some 'raw' fasting believing foodies that think that the body can make protein from oxygen. Even I know that can't be right, but it did crack me up!
I'm not sure I know what FFM means, in this context.....explanation, please.
p.s...........bbell1985...... I know where there are some pretty cool cliffs you could jump off. I even have some bungie cords I could loan you.........no guarantees they will work...........they are OLD.
Some people will believe the oddest thing.
FFM - fat free mass. So it's not as simple as RMR = X Kcal/lbs/h body weight as that assumes all body weight is metabolically equal, and it's not.1 -
WinoGelato wrote: »
If you are in maintenance why are you still eating at 1200 calories?I’ve been doing 1200 a day for over a year. It’s not that difficult, it just takes some planning and effort. It can be done, it’s not impossible. I’m not miserable and can live on 1200 a day just fine. I’m down 30lb and in maintenance.
I'm easing into it, upping my calories a bit each week to see how it goes. So I'm eating a bit more than 1200 these days.0
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