ISO friends in similar predicament

texasredreb
texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
in Getting Started
I would love to follow/friend people in a similar predicament as I--mostly so I can peruse your diaries for food ideas!! But I will also offer my support!

I'm female, age 55, CW is 212, GW is 135, my calorie intake is currently 1275.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,418 Member
    I started almost exactly where you are, same age, same weight.. How is that 1275 working for you? I found that low number really difficult if I didn't get some exercise almost every day. 1500 (including exercise calories) seemed do-able.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,418 Member
    I guess I should add...I don't use the "friend" feature on here and my diary is closed. I'm no help whatsoever. :neutral:
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
    Thanks for responding. I can still "stalk" you on the message boards (in a benign and non-threatening way, of course)!

    The 1275 is a bit restrictive especially as far as breakfast and lunch. I've been able to have fairly normal dinners because I restrict my other meals to pre-made protein drinks/bars and a piece of fruit or some sliced veggies. Hence the reason for wanting to peak at others' diaries.

    I don't want the lack of variety for bfast and lunch to eventually de-rail me. I do swap out the pre-made protein foods for Greek yogurt and tuna pouches. I may also try some Lean Cuisine meals for lunch. I'm not willing to give up cream in my coffee, or my coffee so that is pretty much breakfast.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,418 Member
    When I first started I was set at about 1200 too. I think I lasted about three minutes on that. Once I found out that a walk would "earn" me more calories (and blunt my hunger) I was able to stick at 1500-1800 calories. I don't know how people make it work on 1200 (I am 5'8", so maybe shorter people can.) That jump to 1500 made a world of difference to me.

    I eat/ate a lot of vegetables. I cut way back on wheat products. Like I had one serving per day of a wheat product when I was losing, and it was whole grain. I focused on lean protein and one piece of fruit. Lots of beans for the fiber. Oatmeal. Eggs, Greek yogurt (the plain kind) cheese, nuts, basic foods.

    And yeah, I never gave up coffee but I did switch to milk and a tiny bit of chocolate syrup in it.
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
    Luckily, I rarely eat bread. I do love pasta and tortillas--and of course baked sweets! So far, I've cut the sweets out completely except for a single 2" cookie, one time.

    I've been experimenting with pasta substitutes such as zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash--both are okay. I also work in regular pasta about once a week.

    I just bought some low-carb, high fiber tortillas, but haven't tried them yet. I expect them to taste like crap, but if the filling tastes good, I'll deal!

    All most 100% of the meat I consume is venison, which is lower in fat but higher in cholesterol than beef. I don't eat eggs often. I love legumes and try to have them 1-2 times/week usually in the form of chili. I've also cut way back on cheese and alcohol. I've found that Feta cheese gives me lots of cheese flavor without a lot of cheese. Sparkling wine is very low in carbs and calories--I when I indulge, I usually go for Prosecco or Cava.
  • Faith4eva31
    Faith4eva31 Posts: 98 Member
    Somewhat of a similar predicament. CW 219 GW 175. I just changed my calorie intake from 1420 (1.5lbs a week) to 1200 (2lbs a week.) feel free to add me.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    texasredreb wrote: »
    Luckily, I rarely eat bread. I do love pasta and tortillas--and of course baked sweets! So far, I've cut the sweets out completely except for a single 2" cookie, one time.

    I've been experimenting with pasta substitutes such as zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash--both are okay. I also work in regular pasta about once a week.

    I just bought some low-carb, high fiber tortillas, but haven't tried them yet. I expect them to taste like crap, but if the filling tastes good, I'll deal!

    All most 100% of the meat I consume is venison, which is lower in fat but higher in cholesterol than beef. I don't eat eggs often. I love legumes and try to have them 1-2 times/week usually in the form of chili. I've also cut way back on cheese and alcohol. I've found that Feta cheese gives me lots of cheese flavor without a lot of cheese. Sparkling wine is very low in carbs and calories--I when I indulge, I usually go for Prosecco or Cava.

    Have you tried chickpea or pea or lentil pasta? I find these to have a slightly flatter flavor than regular pasta (so they benefit from a flavorful sauce/seasonings), but a similar texture. They're around the same calories as wheat pasta, but 2-3 times the protein grams per serving.

    (There are also black bean and edamame/soy pastas. I find those to have a very different texture from wheat pasta, so don't personally enjoy them in tomato sauce or the like; but I like them in pseudo-Asian preparations, like a peanut sauce made with peanut butter powder, with veggies mixed in; or just miso-based sauces with veggies. (I don't eat meat. Obviously, these dishes could include meat.) Some of the black bean pastas seem to go mushy (I like them OK in stew or soup where that texture blends in). Other black bean pasta, and the soy ones I've tried, are chewy in texture. Those chewy ones are the ones I prefer pseudo-Asian. They tend to have 20-25g protein per 2oz dry serving.)

    Parmesan cheese (the actual cheese, not the powder in a can) has a lot of cheese flavor for its calories, too. Another thing that us veg types like is nutritional yeast, which has a somewhat cheese-like flavor (vague), and adds protein and usually B vitamins.
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
    @AnnPT77 Thanks for the tips about other pasta options. I had no idea! I'm going to look for them.
  • joannegustyn1971
    joannegustyn1971 Posts: 50 Member
    I sent a friend request to you. We aren’t exactly in the same boat but the support is always nice. 😊

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