not 100% sure what to do.
jtrain252
Posts: 148 Member
so a little about me
i weighed 335 at m y heaviest and right now im 323lbs im 5ft 9.
I have an unhealthy obsession with carbs and most other diets have failed for me.
ive been trying to eat as little carbs as possible my usual intake is 1400 calories 30-40 grams of carbs 90 grams of protein and 90 grams of fat. Is this ok? am i going to die of a heart attack. Essentially this is my day.
Breakfast-- 3 eggs 3 strips of butchers bacon 2oz of milk (mixed in eggs) some cheddar cheese
then for lunch i have a salad with chicken, bacon,onion and ranch. my snack is 2 string cheese, and then dinner is either a protein shake with water or if i wanna cook ill make hamburger and broccoli or steak and peas
obviously im down some wight but i dont wanna be in shape physically and die from a heart attack. i work 12 hours a day 5 days a week so this is easy for me to have and relitively cheap. I would appreciate any insights
i weighed 335 at m y heaviest and right now im 323lbs im 5ft 9.
I have an unhealthy obsession with carbs and most other diets have failed for me.
ive been trying to eat as little carbs as possible my usual intake is 1400 calories 30-40 grams of carbs 90 grams of protein and 90 grams of fat. Is this ok? am i going to die of a heart attack. Essentially this is my day.
Breakfast-- 3 eggs 3 strips of butchers bacon 2oz of milk (mixed in eggs) some cheddar cheese
then for lunch i have a salad with chicken, bacon,onion and ranch. my snack is 2 string cheese, and then dinner is either a protein shake with water or if i wanna cook ill make hamburger and broccoli or steak and peas
obviously im down some wight but i dont wanna be in shape physically and die from a heart attack. i work 12 hours a day 5 days a week so this is easy for me to have and relitively cheap. I would appreciate any insights
1
Replies
-
o and im intaking like 3000 grams of sodium by doing this which seems to me like its awefully high. id substitute the bacon for breakfast with something else if it was less salt but the same cals0
-
Do you like vegetables? I see no issue with going "low-carb" by reducing bread/pasta/cookies/cakes and the like, even if you want to limit starchy vegetables, like potatoes and corn. But are you getting any fiber? I know the science can be twisted to support pretty much any stance you'd like, but I'm fairly supportive of the "eat foods your great-grandparents would've recognized as food" general mentality - the fresh stuff at the outer edges of the grocery store - veggies, fruit, meat, fish and dairy. You seem to have the animal products covered pretty well, and they're all tasty choices, and very low-carb. I think there might be room in there for a few more green things, though. And some of the other colors, too, maybe. Or at the very least, a fiber supplement. But I'd advocate for more plants. They're not just what your food eats.3
-
Congratulations on taking steps to lose weight. I took a peek at your diary and it doesn't look like you are logging your food consistently. In terms of weight loss, calories matter most. If you choose to fill those up with more proteins and fats because that keeps you on track, then that's fine as long as it is sustainable for you. Unless you have a medical reason to avoid sodium (or sugar...), eat whatever foods help you stick to your calorie goal.
I would recommend getting a digital food scale that will allow you to weigh your portions in grams and log them regularly and honestly in MFP. Take a a look at some of the "sticky" threads in the Getting Started forum to learn more about using a food scale and setting a reasonable calorie deficit.
Because you have a lot you want to lose, you can start with a fairly high calorie goal, which will also help with adherence to the plan. Sometimes it's easy to want to select the 2lb per week goal, but the name of the game is "who can eat the most food and still lose weight wins."4 -
The trick isn't to limit carbs, it's to limit intake overall.
There may still be reasons for you personally to keep away from them. Some people find certain types of foods to be "triggers", meaning that once they start in on them they find it extraordinarily difficult to stop. If most carb-heavy foods are like that for you, yes, it would be better to limit them. Also, many find that different mixes of the three macronutrients result in more or less of a sensation of satiety, and obviously it's easier to limit your intake if you feel sated. If you find that when you eat lots of carbs you're still very hungry, that's a good reason to focus more on protein and fat instead. But, absent the above and unless you have some kind of diagnosed condition like diabetes, limiting carbs for their own sake won't be helpful.
All you need to do is to eat less than you take in. 1400 calories is VERY low though, and I'd strongly suggest you eat more. When we get as hungry as we do by limiting calories that severely, we're often more prone to binging. You also want to make sure you lose as much fat and as little muscle as possible, but when you're losing that quickly your body is more likely to burn lots of muscle. Slow and steady is the trick.
So enter your stats into MFP's fitness profile, tell it you want to lose 2 lbs a week (which would be appropriate at your weight), and eat that much.
Don't worry about sodium unless you know from experience it's causing you a problem. It does tend to make us retain water, which leads to an apparently higher weight, but that won't be a concern for you right now. (MFP is confusing this way. With some nutrients, it's giving you a limit; with others it's giving you a goal. 3,000 mg of sodium a day is a limit. You should not be trying to hit it.)
The further trick is to be stricter than you're used to with portion sizes. All solid foods should be weighed as far as is practical, and your intake should be logged by weight rather than as "one serving" or "one meal". Don't measure solids by volume unless you have to. (For instance, the shredded cheese I see in today's entry should have been weighed rather than measured. Nutrition labels that give information based on a volume serving size will also give the weight in grams. Use the grams as your standard instead.) Do your best to find reliable database entries, since the database is mostly user-contributed and its accuracy can vary wildly. Packaged, labeled foods are generally accurate, or at least close enough, but entries for other foods can be fanciful to say the least. Don't pick an entry just because it's the lowest.
As you lose more and more weight, you will almost certainly find that the number on the scale does not drop continuously. It might stay the same for a short time. It might even increase. Don't let that worry you unless it goes long-term. Weight loss is not linear, and lots of things might contribute to your weight at any given moment that have nothing to do with your actual mass. (Water weight, food in the digestive tract, etc.) The weight loss rate you set should work out as an average over the longer term, and not necessarily what you will exactly see week over week.2 -
The macros (other than protein) really don't matter as long as you are comfortable and I wouldn't worry about sodium unless your doctor tells you to.
Keep in mind that even diabetics eat up to 150 g of carbs a day. You can be lower carb without going that low if it is more to your liking.
I wouldn't like eating the way you have been. For me it is unnatural even though I don't really worry about a heart attack.
I encourage everyone to experiment to find exactly what you need to be happy and satisfied within your calorie deficit.2 -
As an adult male weighing 323 pounds, unless you're under a doctor's instructions, there's no reason for you to be restricting to 1400 calories. That's unreasonably low, and you can lose weight efficiently and effectively without needing to be so extreme. I'd highly encourage you to plug your stats into MFP and follow the calorie recommendation you get (making sure you're logging accurately, of course).
For some perspective: I'm a woman weighing 112 pounds. When I diet, I average 1500 calories per day and lose about 0.25-0.3 pounds per week. (I lose slowly on purpose). There's absolutely no reason you should be trying to eat less than I do.3 -
As others say, your daily allowance seems much too low to be sustainable. And that does seem like a lot of grams of fat/day. What are your cholesterol levels like? I think speaking with a medical doctor about that, first, might either set your mind at ease or get you to reconsider what you are doing--but worrying, without knowing if you *should* be concerned, is a waste of energy. 2nd, consider what type of carbs are your "obsession" because many high carb/low sugar foods are really good for you and may not trigger you if what you really mean when you say "carbs" are things like cake, cookies, pasta, etc. You can google "high carb, low sugar foods" and get some lists--potato, sweet potato, peppers, grapefruit--are those your obsession? If not, consider adding more carbs and reducing your fats (but talk to a doc if you can, first). Good luck.0
-
I would raise your calorie intake by at least 400 to help you lose a bit slower and hold on to more muscle in the meantime. I hear you on the carb cravings though and I feel the same way about cutting back on them. It really is easier if intake is lower for some people. You sound like you are gravitating towards low carb quite naturally. There are both keto and low carb boards here that are very supportive, and many people on those boards have lost weight and improved health markers eating this way. There is also tons of info and links there to read through and help you on your journey.0
-
The problem is incant seem to hit calories that high without eating junk. I've never been able to if I est healthy I always only manage to hit 1200 to 1500 st the most calorie wise. Again with my schedule it has always seemed impossible to prep 3 kids 12 hour days indknt have it in me to make these elaborate meals and store them. So I've always tried to limit calorie intake. I eat steakand veggies for dinner and salads for lunch and 3 egg bacon omelets for breakfast and barely hit 12001
-
As others say, your daily allowance seems much too low to be sustainable. And that does seem like a lot of grams of fat/day. What are your cholesterol levels like? I think speaking with a medical doctor about that, first, might either set your mind at ease or get you to reconsider what you are doing--but worrying, without knowing if you *should* be concerned, is a waste of energy. 2nd, consider what type of carbs are your "obsession" because many high carb/low sugar foods are really good for you and may not trigger you if what you really mean when you say "carbs" are things like cake, cookies, pasta, etc. You can google "high carb, low sugar foods" and get some lists--potato, sweet potato, peppers, grapefruit--are those your obsession? If not, consider adding more carbs and reducing your fats (but talk to a doc if you can, first). Good luck.
Pastas, chips crackers I binge I'll eat a while bag of goldfish or chips without even thinking about it. I'm not a fruit eater never have been I dont mnow if it's the texture or what but if I blend them im good but I womt eat them. I love potatoes mashed baked doesnt matter I could eatthem all day0 -
The problem is incant seem to hit calories that high without eating junk. I've never been able to if I est healthy I always only manage to hit 1200 to 1500 st the most calorie wise. Again with my schedule it has always seemed impossible to prep 3 kids 12 hour days indknt have it in me to make these elaborate meals and store them. So I've always tried to limit calorie intake. I eat steakand veggies for dinner and salads for lunch and 3 egg bacon omelets for breakfast and barely hit 1200
So eat junk. I'm losing a little bit for the summer right now, but to hit the calories I'm aiming for I eat 2 servings of ice cream most nights. There's nothing wrong with eating food you enjoy. You just have to eat less of it. If you eat those goldfish crackers, weigh a serving into a small bowl, then PUT THE REST AWAY and eat only what's in the bowl. It's a lot easier when you don't have more in front of you than you intend to eat. (And using a small bowl makes a serving look larger.)
You could lose weight on nothing but Twinkies, as long as you eat fewer calories of them than you burn. Not recommended because you'll feel like crap, but you'll lose weight.
But are you sure your logging is right? A 3 egg omelet is going to be between 300 and 500 calories, depending on how much bacon you use, what kind of fat you cook with and how much, and whether there's cheese. A broiled 10 oz top sirloin steak with 1/8" of fat left on is about 725 calories. You should be hitting 1200 easy. Looking at your OP, you certainly are, since your omelette is going to run higher than you think. (3 eggs = 216 cal. 3 strips thick-cut bacon = 180 cal. 2 oz whole milk = 19 cal. 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese = 225 cal. Total = 640 cal. If you cook it in a tablespoon of butter, add 100 cal more.) And when you figure in your salads, be sure to count the dressing. You'll be shocked at how many calories that can add.
There's nothing wrong with potatoes. I eat them most days. Cut up some red potatoes, add a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, maybe some thyme, roast on a baking sheet at 425 for 30 minutes or so -- yummy! Just control the amounts, is all.1 -
First things first. You have to log
For the past week, 5 days you have zero food logged and the 2 days you did enter your food into your diary you've only put 1 meal in so the day wasn't a complete log of your food intake.
Don't put the cart before the horse worrying about macros and good food and bad food and all that other stuff. Start using the app to track your calorie intake first. If you're not logging you've got no way to know how much you're eating. This is illustrated by the fact that you say you only manage to hit 1200 - 1500 calories but the food you listed in your original post could easily be close to 2700 calories. And that's only the food you mentioned so doesn't take into account cooking oils, condiments and the like so it's possibly even as high as 3000 calories. Or not, you don't know unless you log your food.
So, forget about good food/bad food, forget about carbs and protein, forget about all that stuff. Put your details into MFP, note your calorie target and for the next 8 weeks commit to just the following 3 things.
1. Weigh and measure everything you eat. Everything, the spray of oil in the pan, the squirt of sauce on your dinner, everything. Eat whatever you want just make sure it's weighed.
2. Log everything. If it passes your lips it gets logged. The good, the bad and the ugly. Eat whatever you want just make sure it gets logged.
3. Eat the calorie goal given to you by MFP. Make sure you're meeting your goal. If you do any exercise will add calories to your goal so eat some of them back if you want but stick to your goal. Eat whatever you want as long as it gets you to your goal.
g'luck5
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 432 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions