Unhealthy life diet?

Vette8828
Vette8828 Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work in a country where food hygiene does not exist and I was constantly sick from either end, luckily rarely from both! I cannot cook as I live in a hotel.
A bad diet I know but I have gone onto a bread diet consisting of local pita bread with banana or vegetable sandwiches and canned food such as tuna, mackerel or baked beans.
I can live with the weevils in the flour, added nutrition I reckon.
I take vitamin supplements and my calorie intake is an easily controllable 1,200 per day, I have to scavenge in the fridge to keep at 1,200!.
Any opinions on this being long-term sustainable healthwise?
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Replies

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,312 Member
    edited January 2023
    are you a guy? Minimum is 1500... So a true 1200, probably not!

    But true 1200 is iffy as an assumption if you've only just started to log. Logging food and drinks is actually a skill that can be learned and improved upon.

    What is your TDEE? i.e. how active are you? Do you work on your feet. Sitting down at a computer? Do you walk around town? Do you hit the bar? Are these calories counted?

    Oils and butters are usually calorically dense. If you really are dangerously low on calories those and a candy bar should bring you back up.

    you want a reasonable deficit consistently applied. Not as big a deficit as you can tolerate till the day you give up because it is too much work for not enough benefit.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    If you're a man, then no, 1200 is not sustainable at all. You're wrecking your body with that, losing muscle mass, promoting osteoporosis, etc. Is it possible to move into a hotel apartment with kitchenette? Otherwise set up a microwave, a simple cooking plate and a few other things somewhere?
  • Vette8828
    Vette8828 Posts: 25 Member
    I am a man and have been logging food with MFP for several years. I hit a milestone today of 79 kgs for the first time in years, down from 110 kgs heaviest, a slow journey but worth it. I just feel like I am on the opposite of a junk food diet but still need to eat. I have no taste for dairy, sweets and very rarely eat meat except when at home, indeed I am moving towards being vegan.
    Also, at 65, had a recent heart scare and popping pills every day now. That put me back on track to control my weight. Weight loss is very complex!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Vette8828 wrote: »
    I am a man and have been logging food with MFP for several years. I hit a milestone today of 79 kgs for the first time in years, down from 110 kgs heaviest, a slow journey but worth it. I just feel like I am on the opposite of a junk food diet but still need to eat. I have no taste for dairy, sweets and very rarely eat meat except when at home, indeed I am moving towards being vegan.
    Also, at 65, had a recent heart scare and popping pills every day now. That put me back on track to control my weight. Weight loss is very complex!

    Congrats on your weight loss! If you have reached your goal weight, 1200 calories isn't sustainable, nor is 1500. What does MFP give you when you tell it you want to Maintain My Current Weight here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change-goals-guided
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    Protein is vital as we age to limit speed of physical decline from sarcopenia.

    Meat isn't essential, but speaking as a long term vegetarian myself (48+ years), I'm concerned that your protein quantity and quality may be lacking based on what you've described, especially at a shockingly low 1200 calories.

    Veganism is viable, certainly, but somewhat complicates nutrition, perhaps especially for those of us who are older. (I'm 67) It's not just protein, but B12, calcium, iron, etc. - things we may not metabolize as efficiently with age. Be careful.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,312 Member
    How long and how large was your most recent deficit? Are you still trying to lose or are you trying to maintain.

    When you say dairy, do you include Cheese or is it just milk and yogurt?

    It does sound as if fish is ok for you, but generally speaking other than salmon it is a fairly low Cal option.

    Eventual maintenance as a not small male who is not totally sedentary is more likely to be closer to the 2500s than the 1500s
  • Vette8828
    Vette8828 Posts: 25 Member
    I have another 4 kgs to go and the updated goals says 1500 calories per day to achieve that at 0.5 kg per week. Not liking dairy extends to all produce as I can't come to terms with squeezing a cow's tits and then drinking the milk! It seems so un natiral. I eat canned mackerel as is easy to judge the calories,
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    So, who says you have to eat or drink dairy products? Eliminate them from your diet--no problem.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,788 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    So, who says you have to eat or drink dairy products? Eliminate them from your diet--no problem.

    I think he was responding to the previous poster who asked what kinds of dairy he eats. He's simply reiterating that he doesn't eat dairy as he doesn't like it.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    Probably the most important thing for me as I age, 70 in 2 months is quality protein and that comes from animals and lots of it and lifting heavy things, often. It keeps me from being blown over in the wind and breaking bones and other nutrient deficiencies that never show up until the autopsy. Cheers
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,312 Member
    I interpreted part of your initial question to be how to increase calories given your restricted access to various good sources. I suggested a change to salmon as it has significantly more calories than mackerel. Mind you the size of the tin/can can also play into this. As well as whether you choose water or oil based cans and drain or do not drain the liquid.

    Traditionally bread and legumes and oils as well as sweets often with nuts are what provide calories in areas such as the one you describe.

    The un food and agriculture organization FAO has a web page. Search for dietary guidelines. They link to dietary guidelines of more than 100 countries some of which may be similar to your current location

    Eventually you may be back to a land of plenty. Don't let it all go by overdoing restrictions beyond the minimum you have to in other to achieve results. Calories in vs out still controls your weight and you really would like a flat trajectory giving you time to react at maintenance....

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