Advices on my diet plan
heythxlol
Posts: 11 Member
Hey everyone, I am looking for advice...
I’d really like to know what you guys think about my dieting plan, that I started 2-3 days ago!
I am 18 years old, 105kg/231pounds, 1.65m/5’4
My diet consists of 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For breakfast I always have 2 pieces of Zwieback (in english i think it’s rusk), with 1-2 grams of marmalade + 1 banana.
Then for lunch and dinner, I’ll have two of these dishes daily:
- Chicken breast with paprika and tomatoes in the oven
- Eggs with tomatoes&lettuce salad
- Broccoli with salad/spinach
- Cauliflower with salad/spinach
I eat Chicken breast almost daily, so my diet consists of literally a mix up of the things i wrote above.
For instance:
For lunch i’ll have broccoli&salad, then for dinner Chicken breast.
Next day cauliflower for lunch and again chicken breast for dinner.
I try to mix it up.
Sometimes i’ll have a fruit as a snack, during the day.
Only things I eat are meat (only chicken tho) Fruits and Vegetables. I do have Zwieback which I think classifies as healty carb, but that’s the only thing.
In my tomatoes salad I use only onions and oil.
When I do a lettuce salad I add vinegar & oil.
I am tracking the calories with MyFitnessPal and I am not surpassing 1200, most of the times I am at 900 calories. But at the end of the day I feel full.
Because i make sure to eat all my vegetables and I am also drinking a lot. (Only water ofc)
I also want to start drinking black coffee (only when I am tired in the morning tho)
I do not go to the gym sadly, because right now I am stuck at home for personal problems.
But after 1 month of this diet, I’ll start doing some exercise at home, just for 30minutes twice a week I think, and as time passes I’ll do more exercises.
It’s the first time I actually go on a real diet, and I’d like to know what you guys think about it! Please tell me if I should change something or Idk...
It’s a selfmade diet, I didn’t consult a professional.
As for my usual habits of eating, I used to eat more than 200g of pasta for lunch and for dinner packaged food like chicken nuggets & fried stuff. I also used to have some snacks, not many tho, but atleast 1/2 a day.
I plan on changing my lifestyle as soon as I lose the weight.
Thanks for any answers🙏🏻
I’d really like to know what you guys think about my dieting plan, that I started 2-3 days ago!
I am 18 years old, 105kg/231pounds, 1.65m/5’4
My diet consists of 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For breakfast I always have 2 pieces of Zwieback (in english i think it’s rusk), with 1-2 grams of marmalade + 1 banana.
Then for lunch and dinner, I’ll have two of these dishes daily:
- Chicken breast with paprika and tomatoes in the oven
- Eggs with tomatoes&lettuce salad
- Broccoli with salad/spinach
- Cauliflower with salad/spinach
I eat Chicken breast almost daily, so my diet consists of literally a mix up of the things i wrote above.
For instance:
For lunch i’ll have broccoli&salad, then for dinner Chicken breast.
Next day cauliflower for lunch and again chicken breast for dinner.
I try to mix it up.
Sometimes i’ll have a fruit as a snack, during the day.
Only things I eat are meat (only chicken tho) Fruits and Vegetables. I do have Zwieback which I think classifies as healty carb, but that’s the only thing.
In my tomatoes salad I use only onions and oil.
When I do a lettuce salad I add vinegar & oil.
I am tracking the calories with MyFitnessPal and I am not surpassing 1200, most of the times I am at 900 calories. But at the end of the day I feel full.
Because i make sure to eat all my vegetables and I am also drinking a lot. (Only water ofc)
I also want to start drinking black coffee (only when I am tired in the morning tho)
I do not go to the gym sadly, because right now I am stuck at home for personal problems.
But after 1 month of this diet, I’ll start doing some exercise at home, just for 30minutes twice a week I think, and as time passes I’ll do more exercises.
It’s the first time I actually go on a real diet, and I’d like to know what you guys think about it! Please tell me if I should change something or Idk...
It’s a selfmade diet, I didn’t consult a professional.
As for my usual habits of eating, I used to eat more than 200g of pasta for lunch and for dinner packaged food like chicken nuggets & fried stuff. I also used to have some snacks, not many tho, but atleast 1/2 a day.
I plan on changing my lifestyle as soon as I lose the weight.
Thanks for any answers🙏🏻
7
Replies
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The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.15
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Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think? I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
3 -
Your plan is too aggressive to be sustainable. Your goal of 1200 is too little. You need to eat more to lose weight in a healthy way or you'll end up with all sorts of unpleasant side-effects and health problems. You'll also very likely crash and binge.
Read the stickies at the top of the forums to get you started.
Put your stats into MFP and select a 1-2 lb weekly loss. Then eat the amount of calories MFP recommends.
As you get closer to goal, update your stats and MFP will apdate your calories.
I'm a similar hight to you and was 96kg. I started eating 1600 calories + any workout calories and lost 13 kg so far. I still eat 1450 calories now and I'm still losing weight. There is no need to do anything that restrictive to lose weight sustainably. I still enjoy all my favourite foods (pizza, Ice cream) within my alloted calories. That's what stops me crashing and binging (as I have in the past)
I hope that helps.
Good luck!9 -
Eat more. 1200 calories is the minimum for females. You need to up your calories and that can be reached easily. Nuts, peanut butter, really anything. All you need is a calorie deficit to lose weight. All foods in moderation and portion control. You don’t need to eliminate any food you enjoy, just stay within your calorie budget. Exercise for health. Walking is free, and you can do it anywhere.8
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Your plan is too aggressive to be sustainable. Your goal of 1200 is too little. You need to eat more to lose weight in a healthy way or you'll end up with all sorts of unpleasant side-effects and health problems. You'll also very likely crash and binge.
Read the stickies at the top of the forums to get you started.
Put your stats into MFP and select a 1-2 lb weekly loss. Then eat the amount of calories MFP recommends.
As you get closer to goal, update your stats and MFP will apdate your calories.
I'm a similar hight to you and was 96kg. I started eating 1600 calories + any workout calories and lost 13 kg so far. I still eat 1450 calories now and I'm still losing weight. There is no need to do anything that restrictive to lose weight sustainably. I still enjoy all my favourite foods (pizza, Ice cream) within my alloted calories. That's what stops me crashing and binging (as I have in the past)
I hope that helps.
Good luck!
First of all congratulations for the weight you lost!
Thanks for replying, I’ll follow your advice. But I have a question, does this mean that after you loose some weight, your body get’s ‘comfortable’ with the 1600 calories, therefore you have to reduce them, and start consuming less in order to continuing losing weight?
4 -
Your plan is too aggressive to be sustainable. Your goal of 1200 is too little. You need to eat more to lose weight in a healthy way or you'll end up with all sorts of unpleasant side-effects and health problems. You'll also very likely crash and binge.
Read the stickies at the top of the forums to get you started.
Put your stats into MFP and select a 1-2 lb weekly loss. Then eat the amount of calories MFP recommends.
As you get closer to goal, update your stats and MFP will apdate your calories.
I'm a similar hight to you and was 96kg. I started eating 1600 calories + any workout calories and lost 13 kg so far. I still eat 1450 calories now and I'm still losing weight. There is no need to do anything that restrictive to lose weight sustainably. I still enjoy all my favourite foods (pizza, Ice cream) within my alloted calories. That's what stops me crashing and binging (as I have in the past)
I hope that helps.
Good luck!
First of all congratulations for the weight you lost!
Thanks for replying, I’ll follow your advice. But I have a question, does this mean that after you loose some weight, your body get’s ‘comfortable’ with the 1600 calories, therefore you have to reduce them, and start consuming less in order to continuing losing weight?
Basically, yes, a heavier person needs more food to keep them going. So as you get smaller, your body needs less calories and to keep yourself in a deficit, you reduce your calories. It's all explained very well in one of the stickies but I can't post links from my phone so hopefully someone will come along and post the links for you. It really helps to read them!8 -
Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think?I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
It’s definitely possible that with oil based dressings on your salads and any oil/butter you’re possibly cooking your chicken with that you’re eating a bit more than the 900 you think you are. I would 100% start tracking your oil and dressing calories. They’re all there in the database so if you’re already tracking the other food items it’s just a few more items to track. Will give you a clearer picture to build on.
Do you weigh your food before tracking it? I’m being a bit nit picky but I’m asking about the marmalade, you’ve stated 1-2g of marmalade for two pieces of Zwieback. 2g of marmalade would barely dirty a teaspoon, let alone be able to cover two slices of what I think is a twice toasted item about the size of a small loaf bread slice.5 -
Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think? I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
You really, really need to count those calories. Fat has more calories per gram than either carbs or protein, so if you're not counting the fats you use in cooking and dressings your calorie estimates are going to be badly out.
Let's put it this way: a tablespoon of olive oil contains about 120 kcal. How much oil is in your dressing?6 -
Mix up your diet, count the oils, weigh everything but don’t restrict what you eat. You can eat whatever you want as long as it’s in your daily goal8
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BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think?I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
It’s definitely possible that with oil based dressings on your salads and any oil/butter you’re possibly cooking your chicken with that you’re eating a bit more than the 900 you think you are. I would 100% start tracking your oil and dressing calories. They’re all there in the database so if you’re already tracking the other food items it’s just a few more items to track. Will give you a clearer picture to build on.
Do you weigh your food before tracking it? I’m being a bit nit picky but I’m asking about the marmalade, you’ve stated 1-2g of marmalade for two pieces of Zwieback. 2g of marmalade would barely dirty a teaspoon, let alone be able to cover two slices of what I think is a twice toasted item about the size of a small loaf bread slice.
I don’t weigh my food, I just keep track of chicken breast weigh thanks to the box it comes with, since there are its grams written.
About the marmalade my bad, it’s about 4g/1 coffee-spoon, 8 calories on MFP
I’ll start tracking the dressings!
Thanks you!5 -
Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think? I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
You really, really need to count those calories. Fat has more calories per gram than either carbs or protein, so if you're not counting the fats you use in cooking and dressings your calorie estimates are going to be badly out.
Let's put it this way: a tablespoon of olive oil contains about 120 kcal. How much oil is in your dressing?
Yes, I’ll start tracking the oil ecc!
I’d say in my dressing for salad there’s a whole tablespoon of oil, in my oven baked chicken there’s a coffe spoon of oil!
But with salads: The dressing stays at the bottom of my cup, I mean, when I finish my dish almost the whole dressing is still there. I think i actually eat less than half of a tablespoon of oil.(while eating salad)
Please correct me if this reasoning is wrong0 -
Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think? I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
You really, really need to count those calories. Fat has more calories per gram than either carbs or protein, so if you're not counting the fats you use in cooking and dressings your calorie estimates are going to be badly out.
Let's put it this way: a tablespoon of olive oil contains about 120 kcal. How much oil is in your dressing?
Yes, I’ll start tracking the oil ecc!
I’d say in my dressing for salad there’s a whole tablespoon of oil, in my oven baked chicken there’s a coffe spoon of oil!
But with salads: The dressing stays at the bottom of my cup, I mean, when I finish my dish almost the whole dressing is still there. I think i actually eat less than half of a tablespoon of oil.(while eating salad)
Please correct me if this reasoning is wrong
I understand what you mean, that there is some liquid left once you’ve eaten the body of the salad, but the way I’d see this is that since there is no way to calculate how much of that is unadulterated oil and how much is the natural water content of whatever vegetables were in your salad. (Especiially if you’ve used salt, as salt draws out water from vegetables.) I would just log the oil and consider it as if you’d eaten it. It will have coated the items you ate!
I don’t know how others handle this though. Personally I don’t use salad dressing because I prefer it without.8 -
Redordeadhead wrote: »The first thing is not enough calories. Enter your stats in MFP and eat the number of calories it tells you, plus a portion of any additional exercise calories. Under eating has health consequences and 1200 is the absolute minimum a woman should eat for adequate nutrition.
Hey, thanks for your reply!
MFP says I have to reach 1200, it’s the ‘daily goal’, but I am not reaching them... But I was thinking that maybe, with the dressing etc calories are more than what I think and therefore maybe I am already at 1200, don’t you think? I am oblivious about the calories in dressing (oil, vinegar, salt...) so Idk.
To add to what the others have said about weighing food and counting oils etc., please bear in mind that the MFP goal is the number you should aim to hit if you selected an appropriate rate of loss per week. You should not be eating under the goal and definitely not under 1200.4 -
I think you food plan is great. Protein, veggies, few fruits, fats, fiber and the zwiebacks. You have everything covered. Best of luck12
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150poundsofme wrote: »I think you food plan is great. Protein, veggies, few fruits, fats, fiber and the zwiebacks. You have everything covered. Best of luck
Only not enough calories and/or potentially logged inaccurately.
OP I guess I would ask if you really think you’ll be satisfied eating this way for the long term. For me I would be bored eating such a limited number of foods day in and day out. Do you like other protein besides chicken- beef, pork, fish? Chicken with vegetables and salads is very typical diet food but there is no reason to limit. You can eat any foods - pasta, stir fries, curries, etc and still achieve your goals. Also I don’t see any allowance for treats in moderation. Nothing wrong with adding some sweets or anything else that fits your calories if you are also eating a balanced overall diet.6 -
You would do better on a more varied diet. I have done a similar plan and after a few weeks I could no longer tolerate either chicken or eggs. It was actually a few years before I could eat them again.
Also, as stated above, you really need to eat more. You have no fruit, no dairy, limited carbs - where will you get the energy to exercise, once you start? Then there are the health risks of too few calories. Losing hair is just the start of issues that come from limited eating. And you greatly increase the chance that you will get sick of dieting in a very short time and end up binging instead, leaving yourself heavier than you started.5 -
Try adding more protein, especially at breakfast. Eggs, greek yogurt, I will eat avocado at breakfast. What I have started doing recently is adding more calories at breakfast, I feel more satisfied as well as better overall. I have gone from avg 300cals to 400-450. This is working for me, I am also at 1200cal/day since October.2
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I plugged in your stats, guessed your activity level as moderately active(the middle of 5 levels offered) on a random website I googled. It said an average woman with your stats needs 2629 calories to maintain current weight.
You will be dealing with eating and weight in one way or another for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to educate yourself now, and use that education to your advantage for the long term.
One pound equals about 3500 calories, so you have to eat about 3500 calories less than maintenance to lose one pound.
With your stats, it’s generally accepted as healthy to lose about 2 pounds a week, unless you have a medical reason not to.
To lose 2 pounds, you would need to lower calories by 7000 (2 x 3500) a week, or 1000 calories a day, leaving you with 1629 calories a day.
This is a steep cut, from 2629 calories a day to 1629 calories a day is really a big change! You have come close to cutting calories in half! That’s a lot. So don’t be upset with yourself if you go over a little some days. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’ll lose a little slower.
As you lose weight, change your weight in MFP and it will automatically lower your calorie goal. It takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body.
Also as you lose weight, you will need to lower your weight loss goal per week, to 1.5, then 1, then to 1/2 pound as you
Get closer to your goal weight.
As far as what to eat, your body needs a variety of foods to make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals you need.
Right now there is a lot of talk about low carb, but your body needs carbs. Eat a variety of protein, fat and carb with every meal. It doesn’t matter for weight loss, but it does matter for good health.
5 -
I think other have covered most of it. I think you have the wrong goal. Almost everyone that tries to lose weight fails to do it. Many who do get to goal fail to stay there. With that in mind consider that losing the next pound should not be the goal. The goal should be how easy it is for you to lose the next pound.
Aside from the calories maybe a joyless monotonous routine of food will work for you. It does for a few people but how often do you think a plan like this is approximately the same as the overwhelming number of people who start then quit? It is in the ballpark of plans that I tried to execute in the past and I certainly failed.
Easy and simple. Be as kind to yourself as possible and try to lose weight while doing it. All you need is a calorie deficit and patience. It will take some time to get where you want to go but it is better than trying to rush and ending up back where you started time and time again... trust me... I know.6 -
WinoGelato wrote: »150poundsofme wrote: »I think you food plan is great. Protein, veggies, few fruits, fats, fiber and the zwiebacks. You have everything covered. Best of luck
Only not enough calories and/or potentially logged inaccurately.
OP I guess I would ask if you really think you’ll be satisfied eating this way for the long term. For me I would be bored eating such a limited number of foods day in and day out. Do you like other protein besides chicken- beef, pork, fish? Chicken with vegetables and salads is very typical diet food but there is no reason to limit. You can eat any foods - pasta, stir fries, curries, etc and still achieve your goals. Also I don’t see any allowance for treats in moderation. Nothing wrong with adding some sweets or anything else that fits your calories if you are also eating a balanced overall diet.
Sadly I do not eat any fish, and I don’t like the idea of eating beef/pork... But I plan on learning healthy meals that contain beef and slowly incorporating them in my diet!:)
I am totally scared of including sweets or pasta, even if it still fits my calories limit. It just makes me feel as if I am cheating. But that is tho something I’ll work on...0 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »You would do better on a more varied diet. I have done a similar plan and after a few weeks I could no longer tolerate either chicken or eggs. It was actually a few years before I could eat them again.
Also, as stated above, you really need to eat more. You have no fruit, no dairy, limited carbs - where will you get the energy to exercise, once you start? Then there are the health risks of too few calories. Losing hair is just the start of issues that come from limited eating. And you greatly increase the chance that you will get sick of dieting in a very short time and end up binging instead, leaving yourself heavier than you started.
I totally understand where you’re coming from, but I only eat chicken, even when I am not dieting, and I am really used to it!😂 Maybe I’ll get sick of eggs and other things, but I definitely hope I can find a variety of meals i can add to my diet with a little research.
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corinasue1143 wrote: »I plugged in your stats, guessed your activity level as moderately active(the middle of 5 levels offered) on a random website I googled. It said an average woman with your stats needs 2629 calories to maintain current weight.
You will be dealing with eating and weight in one way or another for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to educate yourself now, and use that education to your advantage for the long term.
One pound equals about 3500 calories, so you have to eat about 3500 calories less than maintenance to lose one pound.
With your stats, it’s generally accepted as healthy to lose about 2 pounds a week, unless you have a medical reason not to.
To lose 2 pounds, you would need to lower calories by 7000 (2 x 3500) a week, or 1000 calories a day, leaving you with 1629 calories a day.
This is a steep cut, from 2629 calories a day to 1629 calories a day is really a big change! You have come close to cutting calories in half! That’s a lot. So don’t be upset with yourself if you go over a little some days. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’ll lose a little slower.
As you lose weight, change your weight in MFP and it will automatically lower your calorie goal. It takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body.
Also as you lose weight, you will need to lower your weight loss goal per week, to 1.5, then 1, then to 1/2 pound as you
Get closer to your goal weight.
As far as what to eat, your body needs a variety of foods to make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals you need.
Right now there is a lot of talk about low carb, but your body needs carbs. Eat a variety of protein, fat and carb with every meal. It doesn’t matter for weight loss, but it does matter for good health.
Sadly, I am stuck at home and my activity level is 0.
2 pounds a week is exactly the goal MFP set for me!
Thank you so much for the insightful information u wrote. I’ll definitely ‘study’ that!
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corinasue1143 wrote: »I plugged in your stats, guessed your activity level as moderately active(the middle of 5 levels offered) on a random website I googled. It said an average woman with your stats needs 2629 calories to maintain current weight.
You will be dealing with eating and weight in one way or another for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to educate yourself now, and use that education to your advantage for the long term.
One pound equals about 3500 calories, so you have to eat about 3500 calories less than maintenance to lose one pound.
With your stats, it’s generally accepted as healthy to lose about 2 pounds a week, unless you have a medical reason not to.
To lose 2 pounds, you would need to lower calories by 7000 (2 x 3500) a week, or 1000 calories a day, leaving you with 1629 calories a day.
This is a steep cut, from 2629 calories a day to 1629 calories a day is really a big change! You have come close to cutting calories in half! That’s a lot. So don’t be upset with yourself if you go over a little some days. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’ll lose a little slower.
As you lose weight, change your weight in MFP and it will automatically lower your calorie goal. It takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body.
Also as you lose weight, you will need to lower your weight loss goal per week, to 1.5, then 1, then to 1/2 pound as you
Get closer to your goal weight.
As far as what to eat, your body needs a variety of foods to make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals you need.
Right now there is a lot of talk about low carb, but your body needs carbs. Eat a variety of protein, fat and carb with every meal. It doesn’t matter for weight loss, but it does matter for good health.
Sadly, I am stuck at home and my activity level is 0.
2 pounds a week is exactly the goal MFP set for me!
Thank you so much for the insightful information u wrote. I’ll definitely ‘study’ that!
You chose 2 lbs per week. MFP offers you the chance to input your weekly weight loss goals. I switched mine from 2 lbs to 1 lb per week early on and it's worked great.
Good luck!4 -
I think other have covered most of it. I think you have the wrong goal. Almost everyone that tries to lose weight fails to do it. Many who do get to goal fail to stay there. With that in mind consider that losing the next pound should not be the goal. The goal should be how easy it is for you to lose the next pound.
Aside from the calories maybe a joyless monotonous routine of food will work for you. It does for a few people but how often do you think a plan like this is approximately the same as the overwhelming number of people who start then quit? It is in the ballpark of plans that I tried to execute in the past and I certainly failed.
Easy and simple. Be as kind to yourself as possible and try to lose weight while doing it. All you need is a calorie deficit and patience. It will take some time to get where you want to go but it is better than trying to rush and ending up back where you started time and time again... trust me... I know.
I’ll try to follow yours- and everybody’s else advice.
I hope I’ll be able to, at least. Thank you!0 -
Weigh all solids, measure all liquids and log everything including oils etc in your dressing. Put your zweiback on the scales, set the scales to zero then add the marmalade on top. That way you'll see how much you're really eating. Once you have realistic figures, assuming you put pretty much the same amount of marmalade on your zweiback each day, you can just keep copying the previous day's entry. You don't need to be super-meticulous until you get much closer to your goal weight, but it helps if there's an element of realism to your figures. Then, if you really aren't eating 1200 calories a day (and with your stats even that's too low), eat more. Have a boiled egg or a handful of nuts to boost your numbers / as snacks if you find you need them.
Use the recipe builder to create entries for your salads so that you can quickly select whatever you're having that day. But you'll probably find, quite quickly, that you want (and need) more variety.
You say you used to eat 200g of pasta. I assume that's cooked weight and that the figure came from what was said on a package. I still eat pasta and so can you - I just eat less than I used to eat before.
Previously I'd weigh about 100g (dry weight) then throw in a bit more because I like the stuff. Now I weigh 50-75g, depending on how many calories I have left that day, and find that that's quite sufficient. Sure, I could happily eat more, but those 75g mean I'm losing weight and still eating things that I like.
I'm also more careful about what goes on my pasta - more tomatoes, more vegetables, less creamy sauces, less pesto, less cheese etc. Make your own, rather than buying packaged meals, if you can as you can control the amount of pasta, chicken and veg that goes in it.
I should add that 75g is what is says on the packets (in the UK) as a portion size. I think that makes about 170g of cooked pasta.
As you previously enjoyed fried foods, could you try baked equivalents? I sometimes have chicken (or fish) in breadcrumbs, but I put them in the oven rather than deep frying them. I also make potato wedges (1 large potato or 2 medium ones cut into 6 or 8 wedges is just enough), coated in a little melted butter and a sprinkling of smoked paprika and baked in the oven for half an hour. Still tasty but that way you're not consuming additional calories from absorbed oil.
If you make small, but meaningful, changes you're more likely to stick to it longer term than if you try to change absolutely everything in one go. If you really enjoy a particular food, eat it, but in moderation so that it fits your calorie goals for that day.
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As others have said, 900 is not a realistic number of calories. You will lose weight very fast at 900 and then go off the diet, because you will feel deprived and miserable; each day it will take a little more effort and mental gymnastics to keep up the motivation, and then one day there will be a trigger event (stress, night out with friends, a scale that refuses to cooperate by showing you a 2 pound gain when you basically starved yourself the previous day, whatever) that will be just the excuse you needed to exit the misery. Plus, it is not safe to eat 900 calories, but that's almost a moot point, because hardly anyone actually does that for more than a few weeks at most, before landing face down in an extra-cheese pizza and taking a year off from dieting.
The 1200 you're getting from MFP doesn't sound right either. Is that for 2 lbs/week? A handful of people can eat 1200 but it's still going to leave most people deprived and miserable, leading to diet failure (i.e. binging, then scale avoidance, then regaining the weight, etc.)
At 5'4" and 231 pounds, you are a person who enjoys food. You're not some waif whose idea of a perfect day is to sit with a good book and a baggie of carrot sticks. I think one useful thing for starting a diet is "to thine own self, be true". You have to deal with the person you are, not some fictitious person who loves broccoli more than life itself. You can make changes and maybe even big changes to your behavior over time, but you don't just wake up the next morning an entirely different person. You need a diet plan that respects who you are and works with you.
Some people succeed with going hardcore on the calories and simultaneously going hard core with the health aspect, eating lean protein and vegetables and so on. But for many, trying to do too many things at once is the beginning of the end. Why not try to nail down one simple thing -- lose 1 or 1.5 pounds per week. Figure out what that'd be calorie wise in MFP and just hit that number consistently for a few weeks, eating whatever you like. Once you have a few pounds and a little experience under your belt, and are feeling more confident and able to manage hunger, craving, etc., you can always get more aggressive and fine tune the plan. Nothing's to say how you diet 2 or 6 months from now has to be the same as how you diet in the first few weeks. Start easy and gently.6 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »I plugged in your stats, guessed your activity level as moderately active(the middle of 5 levels offered) on a random website I googled. It said an average woman with your stats needs 2629 calories to maintain current weight.
You will be dealing with eating and weight in one way or another for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to educate yourself now, and use that education to your advantage for the long term.
One pound equals about 3500 calories, so you have to eat about 3500 calories less than maintenance to lose one pound.
With your stats, it’s generally accepted as healthy to lose about 2 pounds a week, unless you have a medical reason not to.
To lose 2 pounds, you would need to lower calories by 7000 (2 x 3500) a week, or 1000 calories a day, leaving you with 1629 calories a day.
This is a steep cut, from 2629 calories a day to 1629 calories a day is really a big change! You have come close to cutting calories in half! That’s a lot. So don’t be upset with yourself if you go over a little some days. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’ll lose a little slower.
As you lose weight, change your weight in MFP and it will automatically lower your calorie goal. It takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body.
Also as you lose weight, you will need to lower your weight loss goal per week, to 1.5, then 1, then to 1/2 pound as you
Get closer to your goal weight.
As far as what to eat, your body needs a variety of foods to make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals you need.
Right now there is a lot of talk about low carb, but your body needs carbs. Eat a variety of protein, fat and carb with every meal. It doesn’t matter for weight loss, but it does matter for good health.
Sadly, I am stuck at home and my activity level is 0.
2 pounds a week is exactly the goal MFP set for me!
Thank you so much for the insightful information u wrote. I’ll definitely ‘study’ that!
Your activity level is not “0”. Scratch your nose=activity, go to the bathroom=activity, chew=activity.
I’m sure you do other things that you don’t think of as activity, they are just life. But they DO burn calories.
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I just banged your stats into an online TDEE calculator and it says your maintenance level for Sedentary is 2175 calories. A good starting point would be to set your cals for 1675, eat all of them every day, and work on losing 1 lb per week for a while.3
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