RATE MY MEALS

Leilacsb
Leilacsb Posts: 9 Member
edited February 2020 in Motivation and Support
H! Ive been off and on dieting for 2 years now. I went from really restricting calories, to trying keto, to intermittent fasting. So 2 years later ive gone up and down. And nothing stuck. I have colitis so many foods dont sit well (but I was eating them anyway LOL) and this year ive decided to focus on gut health and easy to digest foods. I came up with a nice flow for me, but I honestly have no idea if this is going to work or if Im an idiot and should do something else.

B: Greek yogurt 5oz, 2oz kefir, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup oats and 10 almonds

L: some form of homemade soup- this week im having 2 cups butternut squash with no added fats or sugar. 4 oz chicken

Dinner : also homemade soup - this week 3 cups potato leek soup ( more leek than potato) with no added fats and 4 oz chicken

This usually gets me to about 1200 calories which I feel full on. Ive been doing this for 1 week and my gut feels better, but Im not really changing much physically. I know its only been a week..... but I'm already feeling defeated. I dont weigh myself. I did that before and became so defeated and obsessive I decided not to ever do it again. I guess Im just looking for someone to tell me that what I'm doing will eventually work, or if I need to drastically change it, or just tweak it a bit.
Also Im 40 weigh 200lbs and am lightly active - I plan to start hitting the gym 4 days a week again on Sunday.
Thank you so much!!!!!

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    edited February 2020
    You do need fats for proper brain and body functioning, so make sure you're getting them.

    Here's a great couple threads to read:

    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-whats-the-best-carb-protein-and-fat-breakdown-for-weight-loss/

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    I'll let the next person take on the 1200.
  • Leilacsb
    Leilacsb Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you! I figured the almonds, yogurt and kefir provided enough fats, but do you think I need more? Like adding some fats to my soups?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    I think you need a certain amount of fat AND protein.

    Are you hitting that fat and protein number? It's super hard to do on 1200 calories.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    Read those threads. I have no idea how much you're getting.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Calories determine weight loss. So if you are asking if eating those foods will lead to weight loss, it depends if the serving sizes you are eating have you in a calorie deficit or not. You don't need to eat any specific foods or a specific schedule to lose weight, Just eat the foods you can, at the right calorie level.

    If you aren't going to weigh yourself, you are going to have to be super patient - the way we see ourselves in the mirror can be really warped. You simply aren't going to see a physical change every week.

    Also agree with @cmriverside about fat. It is necessary for good health and seems super low in your plan, so if you aren't eating it because of your colitis, make sure an RD is helping you put together as balanced a diet as possible. If you are avoiding it because you think you need to for weight loss, you certainly don't.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited February 2020
    If you have colitis, and eating soup for two meals works for you, great. I personally need to chew food to feel full.

    My concern is that you may have your calories set too low. 1200 is the lowest recommended calories allotment, and that is for elderly and/or tiny women. You state you are 200 pounds and lightly active, but you don't state your age or height.

    By eating such low calories, you may be setting yourself up for a binge. You'll be okay for a week or two and then BAM! STARVING!

    I'm 5'9, 45 years old, and can lose on 2000 calories per day. I can't let my calorie deficit get too low, or I get too hungry and sabotage my weight loss efforts.
  • Leilacsb
    Leilacsb Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you. I'm 40, and 5'6. I feel full and content on 1200. When Im not dieting I average 2000 a day. And Ive been getting bigger and bigger LOL. I eat for comfort, so Id keep packing it in after I was full.
    Im wondering how much of an increase is too much 🤔🤔🤔
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    Read this thread. It will probably answer a lot of questions for you.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Leilacsb wrote: »
    H! Ive been off and on dieting for 2 years now. I went from really restricting calories, to trying keto, to intermittent fasting. So 2 years later ive gone up and down. And nothing stuck. I have colitis so many foods dont sit well (but I was eating them anyway LOL) and this year ive decided to focus on gut health and easy to digest foods. I came up with a nice flow for me, but I honestly have no idea if this is going to work or if Im an idiot and should do something else.

    B: Greek yogurt 5oz, 2oz kefir, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup oats and 10 almonds

    L: some form of homemade soup- this week im having 2 cups butternut squash with no added fats or sugar. 4 oz chicken

    Dinner : also homemade soup - this week 3 cups potato leek soup ( more leek than potato) with no added fats and 4 oz chicken

    This usually gets me to about 1200 calories which I feel full on. Ive been doing this for 1 week and my gut feels better, but Im not really changing much physically. I know its only been a week..... but I'm already feeling defeated. I dont weigh myself. I did that before and became so defeated and obsessive I decided not to ever do it again. I guess Im just looking for someone to tell me that what I'm doing will eventually work, or if I need to drastically change it, or just tweak it a bit.
    Also Im 40 weigh 200lbs and am lightly active - I plan to start hitting the gym 4 days a week again on Sunday.
    Thank you so much!!!!!

    You have hugely unrealistic expectations...you aren't going to see physical changes in a week. Also, the more you have to lose, the longer it takes to see physical changes...also, they are slow so if you're just looking for them in a mirror you're likely to miss them. Progress photos are better...but like I said, meaningful physical changes can take a lot of time if you have a lot of weight to lose and weight doesn't typically come off where we want it to either. Personally, I lost in my extremities first...fingers, feet, arms, etc...that stuff isn't hugely visibly noticeable.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    edited February 2020
    Leilacsb wrote: »
    Thank you. I'm 40, and 5'6. I feel full and content on 1200. When Im not dieting I average 2000 a day. And Ive been getting bigger and bigger LOL. I eat for comfort, so Id keep packing it in after I was full.
    Im wondering how much of an increase is too much 🤔🤔🤔

    You feel content on 1200.

    Are you logging all your food?

    Those homemade soups, did you calculate the calories in them and log them by portion sizes?

    The reason I ask is that:
    1. If you aren't logging food it's possible you're eating more than you think, and that holds true when you thought you were eating "average 2000" - which is actually a good thing since 1200 is so low, but it skews your results and will lead to even worse nutrition numbers.
    2. You've been at 1200 for a week. Not really enough time to do any long-term damage, but 1200 will in time create physical and psychological problems. Hair loss. Fatigue, irritability, depression, sleeping a lot, confusion, lack of concentration. Not having the energy to finish workouts. Skin and nail problems which are exacerbated on lower fat plans.

    I mean, I get it. I started on this site at 5'7" 200. I input, "Lose 2 pounds per week," because why not, right? I got 1200, too. I logged food (mostly, I guessed at portions and used cups and spoons to measure which wasn't optimal) and exercise and I was eating more on exercise days, but my nutrition wasn't the best, and I wasn't logging accurately and I was probably eating worse than you.

    It took 3-4 months before it really started to hit me negatively. I did lose a lot of hair. I was sleeping 12 hours a day, my fingers and toes and heels were cracked and bleeding. I had headaches. One day I couldn't even do my treadmill walk and I knew something was up. My weight loss stalled.

    I upped my calories to 1600+ Exercise calories. Felt better, lost the next 40 pounds effortlessly and it took over a year for my hair to grow back in.

    Danger, is all I'm saying. Pay attention when your body rebels, and it will.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    Leilacsb wrote: »
    Thank you. I'm 40, and 5'6. I feel full and content on 1200. When Im not dieting I average 2000 a day. And Ive been getting bigger and bigger LOL. I eat for comfort, so Id keep packing it in after I was full.
    Im wondering how much of an increase is too much 🤔🤔🤔

    I ran your number through an online calculator, and got this... (You didn't state your activity level, so this is sedentary. Anything more than about 3000 steps per day, and calories would be more.)

    ni8zicwk3r8k.jpg

    BMR - the amount of calories your body would need with zero movement, basically bedridden

    TDEE - the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight

    1575 calories for weight loss. Sounds like a pretty good number to me, assuming you are weighing and logging all your food accurately.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • Leilacsb
    Leilacsb Posts: 9 Member
    Wow thank you for putting those numbers in. I guess i can add some olive oil to my soups and have a bigger serving of kefir. This really was awesome of you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!
  • Leilacsb
    Leilacsb Posts: 9 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Leilacsb wrote: »
    Thank you. I'm 40, and 5'6. I feel full and content on 1200. When Im not dieting I average 2000 a day. And Ive been getting bigger and bigger LOL. I eat for comfort, so Id keep packing it in after I was full.
    Im wondering how much of an increase is too much 🤔🤔🤔

    You feel content on 1200.

    Are you logging all your food?

    Those homemade soups, did you calculate the calories in them and log them by portion sizes?

    The reason I ask is that:
    1. If you aren't logging food it's possible you're eating more than you think, and that holds true when you thought you were eating "average 2000" - which is actually a good thing since 1200 is so low, but it skews your results and will lead to even worse nutrition numbers.
    2. You've been at 1200 for a week. Not really enough time to do any long-term damage, but 1200 will in time create physical and psychological problems. Hair loss. Fatigue, irritability, depression, sleeping a lot, confusion, lack of concentration. Not having the energy to finish workouts. Skin and nail problems which are exacerbated on lower fat plans.

    I mean, I get it. I started on this site at 5'7" 200. I input, "Lose 2 pounds per week," because why not, right? I got 1200, too. I logged food (mostly, I guessed at portions and used cups and spoons to measure which wasn't optimal) and exercise and I was eating more on exercise days, but my nutrition wasn't the best, and I wasn't logging accurately and I was probably eating worse than you.

    It took 3-4 months before it really started to hit me negatively. I did lose a lot of hair. I was sleeping 12 hours a day, my fingers and toes and heels were cracked and bleeding. I had headaches. One day I couldn't even do my treadmill walk and I knew something was up. My weight loss stalled.

    I upped my calories to 1600+ Exercise calories. Felt better, lost the next 40 pounds effortlessly and it took over a year for my hair to grow back in.

    Danger, is all I'm saying. Pay attention when your body rebels, and it will.

    I measure my food and enter my recipes into the recipe thinggy on this app, and it all comes out to about that. I really do feel full on 1200 calories a day. But knowing i can add more calories has me thinking Ill add some olive oil to my soups and have a larger serving of kefir in the morning. The kefir is whole fat, so 8oz is 200 calories. I really appreciate all of the thought youve put in to this. Its so nice to have support. Thank you so much.

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