Exasperation with meal planning...can someone tell me how to fit 3 meals into 1200 calories?

Options
12345679»

Replies

  • krael65
    krael65 Posts: 306 Member
    edited February 2018
    Options
    MonaRaeHill wrote: »
    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.

    CICO is not something you use, or something that works or doesn't work. It's something that happens in our bodies.

    Every body consumes calories: CI
    Every body expends calories: CO

    CICO is just a representation of the math involved, depending on whether you eat more or fewer calories than you burn.

    What may or may not work for every body is using the estimations of calories (either in or out) provided by tools such as MFP.

    (ETA)

    Which is why so many people here advise to someone who is not losing:
    1) be meticulous with your logging, use a food scale and check entries for accuracy.
    And
    2) start with MFP's calorie recommendation, but tweak with your own actual data if you're losing too fast, too slow or not at all.
  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
    Options
    OP, what is your expectation of a reasonable loss rate? I think that is really the root of this, when you don't get these astronomical losses you throw up your hands? I'm thrilled if I lose 1 pound a week!
  • krael65
    krael65 Posts: 306 Member
    Options
    karahm78 wrote: »
    OP, what is your expectation of a reasonable loss rate? I think that is really the root of this, when you don't get these astronomical losses you throw up your hands? I'm thrilled if I lose 1 pound a week!

    I'm thrilled with 2 pounds a month!
  • MonaRaeHill
    MonaRaeHill Posts: 145 Member
    Options
    karahm78:

    I do not know what would be a reasonable rate loss for where I am at, with my current age/medical challenges/weight, frustrations, etc..........it's why I asked about it, and presented my history..........

    I have lost 10 pounds in a month, b4, when I was really heavy (235 lbs was my heaviest post pregnancy weight)......I was young then, however, and working like a dog, as I mentioned; and eating 0 fat, 0 sugars. I also think body composition changes a LOT, over time. I succeeded at that partly because I had never exercised regularly b4, so my body was like: "What is this fresh new hell?" but cooperated anyhow (I didn't really give it much choice). I realize now, that maybe that was too aggressive for where I am at currently, health-wise.

    Lets face it, tho, we've all heard (haven't we?) about competitive athletes who, when they got older and slowed down, put on weight because they could no longer keep up that pace. My body is used to exercising regularly, because I adopted the habit for 20 years, so when I couldn't the first 3 years, after my injury, it totally crapped out. I do not believe I was over-eating that much. Between the drugs suppressing my metabolism, (but also making me hungrier), and the chronic pain, throwing off my activity game, I just couldn't do what I had been doing, for years. I DO believe that my metabolism was trained to operate at a certain rate, and when it couldn't do that anymore, well, then, it's not unreasonable that I gained a bunch of weight..........it does happen, even if one does everything they can, to prevent it!

    I am glad to hear that others are happy with what to me, (from my own experience, nothing else), seems a minimal weight loss per month. I am trying to get in that mode of thinking, which is another reason why I've posed the questions I have.

    So, to end this thread, (hopefully), I will try and work towards being content with a weight loss of 4 pounds a month. And to not give up, when pain rears it's ugly head and I am forced to back off a bit. And to try not to despair when my weight loss stalls even though I have been doing everything right, for months..........I fully realize getting my head around all this, will not be easy. I tend not to shy away from hard work, but with all these challenges, I definitely need all the advice, support and cheering, that I can get!

    So, once again, thank you all. See you on the rebound(er) <grin>, hopefully!
  • Kadoober
    Kadoober Posts: 289 Member
    Options
    You need Minimalist Baker. Regardless of how many calories you're eating, here are a bunch of simple and delicious vegan recipes for you.

    https://minimalistbaker.com/recipes/vegan/

    I would eat these sweet potatoes every day, if my husband wouldn't burn out on them.

    https://minimalistbaker.com/mediterranean-baked-sweet-potatoes/
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Options
    Kadoober wrote: »
    You need Minimalist Baker. Regardless of how many calories you're eating, here are a bunch of simple and delicious vegan recipes for you.

    https://minimalistbaker.com/recipes/vegan/

    I would eat these sweet potatoes every day, if my husband wouldn't burn out on them.

    https://minimalistbaker.com/mediterranean-baked-sweet-potatoes/

    I have a love hate relationship with vegan recipe blogs... I'm not vegan but I'm especially fond of plant based foods, and most of these blogs love to use weird ingredients and things I don't have access to. Don't mind me. Just venting since it's Lent and I can't just substitute weird ingredients with animal based ones like I usually do. I will, however, be making those lentil stuffed eggplants this Sunday. They look like something I'm going to enjoy and the ingredients look approachable or substitutable. It just sucks having to weed through tons of recipes each time to find one with normal ingredients.
  • MonaRaeHill
    MonaRaeHill Posts: 145 Member
    Options
    amusedmonkey and Kadoober: THANK YOU. I will def. check into that! Sounds good.
    For now, I am just trying to get my metabolism geared back up into the swing of things...so shakes and veggie soup for now, (short-term), but yea, when I get used to all the work, again, I will definitely be looking for more resources.
    I also just found Eating Well(s) Vegan Page. That looks easy enough, but the minimalist is awesome.......some good fare, there!
    I love sweet potatoes, too. White ones, not so much, as my mother used to make gallons of potato salad.....I guess cause she got the tater's free from the guy up the street.......she was the only one who would eat it, it would sit in the fridge and turn weird. Blek.
  • MonaRaeHill
    MonaRaeHill Posts: 145 Member
    Options
    you could make those raw oreos with coconut manna..........I still have some of that in my pantry, from my raw food diet attempts........... (TOO much fat on that diet, didn't budge my weight a bit). Some of those raw foodies were living on 25 grams of protein, but 100 grams of fat, daily. After doing it for 6 months, I decided it just wasn't for me. I need at least 65 gms of protein and certainly NOT 100 grams of fat, no matter how good the fat is.........seemed like a malnutrition venture to me..........lawdy.
  • plain_lemon
    plain_lemon Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    @ms_havisham offers a nice suggestion.
    I think I will try it too. Log your main meal early so you can see how to play with the remaining balance.

    I feel your pain, though. I would like to do 1200 but always end up eating more like 1500/1600. Some days I go waaay over. That’s probably why I’m not losing any weight. Lol.

    Yeah, 1200 is hard to do.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    edited February 2018
    Options
    I’m currently on 1300, and there’s no problem at all.

    Breakfast: Small bowl of fruit, some Skyr yoghurt
    Lunch: Veg-based soup with a small roll or slice of really nice bread, or some Quorn cocktail sausages with red pepper and fine beans and a little bit of peanut butter
    Dinner: Chilli with cornbread, or a Quorn escalope with potato waffle and sweetcorn, or a baked potato with a little cheese and baked beans, or quite a lot of things, really!
    Snacks: Banana, a couple of small oat biscuits, maybe quarter or half of a protein bar

    And I exercise, so I quite often have enough wiggle room in my calories for a small chocolate or similar. I only increase my calories when I start feeling tired all the time.
  • kelleemayling5459
    kelleemayling5459 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    - Breakfast -
    Yougurt granola and blueberries
    Total 225 calories

    - Lunch -
    Prepackaged Caesar salad from Walmart
    Total 230 calories

    - Dinner -
    Turkey sandwich with a small bag of chips and yellow mustard
    Total calories around 300


    *That should leave plenty of calories for snacks throughout the day. I've been eating this for 2 weeks and have lost 13 pounds. Not sure if it's the healthiest but all is very tasty and I dont even feel like I'm restricting myself!

    Feel free to add me !
  • kelleemayling5459
    kelleemayling5459 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Forgot to mention I use 40 calorie bread for my sandwich!

Categories