14 lbs in over 100 day???

Vanessadk0604
Vanessadk0604 Posts: 48
edited December 18 in Health and Weight Loss
So i have been on MFP for about 110 days. I have currently lost 14 lbs. i know i should be excited about those 14 lbs but i just feel like i should lose more then that. My starting weight was 360lbs and my goal weight is somewhere around 200.

A lot of my issues are due to the fact i cant cook and i'm allergic to seafood but i do go over to my boyfriends house alot where his mom is on WW so all of her meals are healthy.

I guess i just want to know what other people think. Do i just need to try harder or are 14 lbs in 110 days a good thing???

Replies

  • I personally am not very fond of fish either (I'm allergic to some too), so I've had the same kind of problem.

    I've found that turkey is a good low-carb cure-all type of food.

    Buying a cook book is well worth it. I personally LOVE indian food, and a lot of it is pretty healthy, and it's EASIER to cook than it tastes.

    Easy book to start off with is Step-by-step curry & chilli
    ISBN 978-0681013490

    Not everything is simple, but most things are.

    Oh yeah, try the Rogan Josh (500 cal for a HUGE high protein 2 cup helping!) or Saag (400 cal for 2 cup serving)
    Or Mulligatawny (Indian style chicken soup)...
    ...Ok, i'll stop. But, really. Try it. They're easy to cook.


    I typically substitute lean beef for lamb.
    Most of the recipes are "Toss this stuff into a pot and come back in an hour".
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    How many calories are you eating each day?
  • ya another issue is that i'm VERY picky.
  • What is acceptable to your palette?
  • How many calories are you eating each day?

    I started at 2800ish
    I recently went down to 2580
    and then today (due to me gaining another 1 lb) took it down to 2500
  • What is acceptable to your palette?

    Not much, i like chicken, turkey is ok, i like beef. Thats it meat wise. I dont really like veggies, corn and peas are about it. i do eat a pretty good amount of fruit. i like all the bad things, pasta, cheese, bread those kind of things
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    How many calories are you eating each day?

    I started at 2800ish
    I recently went down to 2580
    and then today (due to me gaining another 1 lb) took it down to 2500

    What are you doing for exercise and what do you do when you are not exercising (on your feet all day? sitting much?).

    I would initially suggest dropping down to about 2000, roughly.
  • How many calories are you eating each day?

    I started at 2800ish
    I recently went down to 2580
    and then today (due to me gaining another 1 lb) took it down to 2500

    What are you doing for exercise and what do you do when you are not exercising (on your feet all day? sitting much?).

    I would initially suggest dropping down to about 2000, roughly.

    I usually go AT LEAST twice a week to the gym for at least a hour each, recently i haven't been to lucky due to life. lol but even so i would still go for walks like once a week if not more usually about a half hour.
    I work as a Receptionist so i'm sitting down ALL day but i only work usually 2-3 days a week

    I was thinking of dropping down to 2000 but i dont want to put my body into starvation mode bc its not use to eating that little so i wanted to do it slowly
  • thefreebiemom
    thefreebiemom Posts: 191 Member
    Numbers wise its almost a pound a week. What do you have your weight loss goal on MFP set to? You can choose between .5, 1, 1.5 or 2lbs per week I think. Not supposed to healthily lose more then 2lbs per week but sometimes it happens.

    Are you adding exercise in with your calorie modification? Even walking for a few minutes a day and gradually increasing it to 30 min or more a day will help with the calorie goals and make you feel better too.

    Personally, I am a very very picky eater, always have been. I have been logging my food for almost 2 weeks now and my starting goal "diet" wise is to cut back on the amount of each thing that I am eating and picking things that are a little healthier. My vice is soda and its very hard to keep track of how much soda I am drinking so when I use my phone to put it in to my diary it helps me keep it to just 1 soda instead of refilling the glass. I know soda is one of those things that should be immediately cut out but I really kind of don't want to so for now I am working on cutting back.

    Maybe you could get your boyfriends mom to teach you a few of your favorite recipes that she makes?

    An easy healthy recipe that I make is to take some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sprinkle lemon pepper or another tasty seasoning on them and then stick them in the oven. 350 degrees at least 15 - 20 minutes just keep checking to make sure they aren't pink in the middle and note that time that it took. I flip mine over once just so they don't stick to the pan and cook more evenly but I don't think you have to. The lemon pepper seasoning is calorie free though its got a bit of sodium if you are watching out for that and the chicken is under 200 cals.

    If you buy a package with a few breasts in it and cook them at the same time then you can put each breast in a ziplock bag and then eat them just as a piece of chicken, or on salads (if you eat them), on sandwiches with those little thin buns, or cut them up and wrap them up like a taco. My SO cuts them into pieces and mixes them in with instant brown rice and whatever leftover corn or whatever we have. If you have the money they sell chicken breasts in the lunch meat section. Different flavors and you just cook it for 60sec in microwave and then done for sandwich or salad or whatever.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I was thinking of dropping down to 2000 but i dont want to put my body into starvation mode bc its not use to eating that little so i wanted to do it slowly

    Based on your information I would consider somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 calories. You don't have to worry about "Starvation mode".

    Please read this article by Steve Troutman. I would also encourage you to read the other articles on this page. Steve has great things to say:

    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/#starvationmode
  • aniwani
    aniwani Posts: 110
    What are you eating ... and what is your work out routine... for me I make sure to keep healthy snacks around the house and lots of water that helps a ton with the dieting!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Let me additionally say that you shouldn't be disappointed right now. You've lost about 1lb/week and there's a lot of people that would love to have that.

    I'm simply suggesting that you've got room to increase your rate of loss a bit provided you're not miserable by reducing intake a bit more. 2000 (even 2200ish) should still be plenty of calories provided you're making reasonably good food choices.
  • Numbers wise its almost a pound a week. What do you have your weight loss goal on MFP set to? You can choose between .5, 1, 1.5 or 2lbs per week I think. Not supposed to healthily lose more then 2lbs per week but sometimes it happens.

    Are you adding exercise in with your calorie modification? Even walking for a few minutes a day and gradually increasing it to 30 min or more a day will help with the calorie goals and make you feel better too.

    Personally, I am a very very picky eater, always have been. I have been logging my food for almost 2 weeks now and my starting goal "diet" wise is to cut back on the amount of each thing that I am eating and picking things that are a little healthier. My vice is soda and its very hard to keep track of how much soda I am drinking so when I use my phone to put it in to my diary it helps me keep it to just 1 soda instead of refilling the glass. I know soda is one of those things that should be immediately cut out but I really kind of don't want to so for now I am working on cutting back.

    Maybe you could get your boyfriends mom to teach you a few of your favorite recipes that she makes?

    An easy healthy recipe that I make is to take some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sprinkle lemon pepper or another tasty seasoning on them and then stick them in the oven. 350 degrees at least 15 - 20 minutes just keep checking to make sure they aren't pink in the middle and note that time that it took. I flip mine over once just so they don't stick to the pan and cook more evenly but I don't think you have to. The lemon pepper seasoning is calorie free though its got a bit of sodium if you are watching out for that and the chicken is under 200 cals.

    If you buy a package with a few breasts in it and cook them at the same time then you can put each breast in a ziplock bag and then eat them just as a piece of chicken, or on salads (if you eat them), on sandwiches with those little thin buns, or cut them up and wrap them up like a taco. My SO cuts them into pieces and mixes them in with instant brown rice and whatever leftover corn or whatever we have. If you have the money they sell chicken breasts in the lunch meat section. Different flavors and you just cook it for 60sec in microwave and then done for sandwich or salad or whatever.

    I do have it set at 1 lb a week but i just seem to gain then lose then gain then lose the gain and gain then lose. its just irritating

    Yes i add whatever i do, even if its only for 10 min i'll add it. I try not to eat my exercise calories unless i need to but i dont make a point to eat them.

    Ya, i cut out pop too. I use drink at least 2 2 liters a day. i cut it out cold turkey and i didnt lose a lb. i havent had pop in over 6-9 months. i cant even stand the taste anymore. i drink 6-14 glasses of water a day

    and i would have her teach me but i dont like left overs and i have no one to cook for :-/ and i dont want to cook for just me

    The chicken idea sounds good but i dont know what kind of seasoning and again i cant cook, i dont like baked chicken, i live in Michigan so grilling is ok like 4 or 5 months outta the year and pan frying is to messy.
    and i dont like brown rice i like white rice of course bc its more calories
  • duhblond
    duhblond Posts: 138 Member
    Hello.
    Have you tried switching to wheat instead of white for your carb intake?
    Also puree vegetables.... like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, carrots, and broccoli to go in your pasta sauce and such.
    Some things are very easy to cook and if you plan out your meals you can eat healthy and cook minimal amounts.
    Easy things to cook are crock pot chicken, baked chicken, white rice (a rice cooker makes that foolproof just watch your intake amount for it) :)
    You can do it. Just keep it up!
  • In my opinion, 14 lbs is great! Don't get discouraged, you are doing fine.
  • aniwani
    aniwani Posts: 110
    Try getting a fry pan... Table spoon olive oil ... chop up mushrooms and onions chop a little garlic and throw it in the pan with chicken breast... add a little of your favorite low cal sauce... 10 mins tops and you are in business! There are veggies out there you would prob like... gotta force your self to be adventurous... My bf HATES green stuff as he calls it but I have been making him try some new things and he is often really surprised! Maybe grilled carrots or zucchini ...

    or try this one... take a giant dark purple egg plant... slice it in 1/2 inch slices... lay on cookie sheet. Cover both sides in salt ... like really cover them in salt!!! little olive oil splashed on top bake 350 for like 20 mins flip add another 10 mins or so they should look a little withered but not totally sunken in. Take them off cookie sheet and wash with water to remove the salt coating... Add a tiny bit of salt and pepper and they have a really hot buttery flavor to them... I know it sounds like a scary recipe for veggie haters but I swear it'll win you over!
  • thefreebiemom
    thefreebiemom Posts: 191 Member
    Sorry most of my post was written before all the replies were made but the picky eating part should still apply. I am not an awesome cook but I am a good cook (its just that most of my things are plain because I don't like weird sauces or anything) so if you want any tips or anything your more then welcome to friend me if you want.

    Oh and when I say picky eater I mean severe picky eater. The only topping on pizza I will eat is pepperoni sometimes bacon depending on where its from, I don't eat hamburgers, I don't eat 95% of condiments. Only ketchup which is what I eat on any kind of chicken fingers or nuggets, no honey mustard etc etc for me. Definitely no mayonnaise yuck! The only Chinese food I eat is General Tsaos and it took me years of trying one bite of my SO's in order to get to like it. The only lunchmeat I will eat is salami even though I will eat "real" turkey or ham like is cooked in the oven. Oh and since I don't like hamburgers any out to eat place is a chicken sandwich and I eat those plain. Chicken and bun!! I do eat BBQ sauce but only on pork or beef or chicken in roast form or cooked on a grill. Yeah and the worst part is no matter how hard I try I can't get my self to stomach eating lettuce so no salad for me :(. I've been trying to eat oatmeal for breakfast and I can't because the texture makes me feel sick, but I can eat oats in granola bars, go figure.
  • You also mentioned Weight Watchers. Are you aware that some of the "healthy" frozen dinners are aligned with the WW points program? They are also great for getting a full meal while managing your caloric intake. I personally like Healthy Choice and Lean Cruisine. Many of the dinners are really tasty.

    Tomato Pesto by Lean Cruisine is my absolute favorite.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Thats roughly 1 lb a week, which is a very healthy rate of weight loss. Remember, you don't quit and go back to "normal" when the weight is gone, so you want this to be something you can sustain long term.

    Just a suggestion but you might find it helpful, in the long run, to learn to cook. Maybe your bf's mom can teach you; if you ask right she might be very flattered by the request.
  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,243 Member
    There are some good reciepes going on here. I can't really cook either...I'm 28 but I have the palate (preference) of a 5 year old. If I could, I would live on grilled cheese, fries and chicken nuggest for the rest of my life if I could.
  • There are some good reciepes going on here. I can't really cook either...I'm 28 but I have the palate (preference) of a 5 year old. If I could, I would live on grilled cheese, fries and chicken nuggest for the rest of my life if I could.

    I'm right there with you and i LOVE bacon cheeseburgers :-D
  • You also mentioned Weight Watchers. Are you aware that some of the "healthy" frozen dinners are aligned with the WW points program? They are also great for getting a full meal while managing your caloric intake. I personally like Healthy Choice and Lean Cruisine. Many of the dinners are really tasty.

    Tomato Pesto by Lean Cruisine is my absolute favorite.

    My issues with the frozen meals because i was doing that for a while, is that there is SOOO much sodium and i already consume alot of sodium even though i never add salt to ANYTHING
  • thefreebiemom
    thefreebiemom Posts: 191 Member
    Numbers wise its almost a pound a week. What do you have your weight loss goal on MFP set to? You can choose between .5, 1, 1.5 or 2lbs per week I think. Not supposed to healthily lose more then 2lbs per week but sometimes it happens.

    Are you adding exercise in with your calorie modification? Even walking for a few minutes a day and gradually increasing it to 30 min or more a day will help with the calorie goals and make you feel better too.

    Personally, I am a very very picky eater, always have been. I have been logging my food for almost 2 weeks now and my starting goal "diet" wise is to cut back on the amount of each thing that I am eating and picking things that are a little healthier. My vice is soda and its very hard to keep track of how much soda I am drinking so when I use my phone to put it in to my diary it helps me keep it to just 1 soda instead of refilling the glass. I know soda is one of those things that should be immediately cut out but I really kind of don't want to so for now I am working on cutting back.

    Maybe you could get your boyfriends mom to teach you a few of your favorite recipes that she makes?

    An easy healthy recipe that I make is to take some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sprinkle lemon pepper or another tasty seasoning on them and then stick them in the oven. 350 degrees at least 15 - 20 minutes just keep checking to make sure they aren't pink in the middle and note that time that it took. I flip mine over once just so they don't stick to the pan and cook more evenly but I don't think you have to. The lemon pepper seasoning is calorie free though its got a bit of sodium if you are watching out for that and the chicken is under 200 cals.

    If you buy a package with a few breasts in it and cook them at the same time then you can put each breast in a ziplock bag and then eat them just as a piece of chicken, or on salads (if you eat them), on sandwiches with those little thin buns, or cut them up and wrap them up like a taco. My SO cuts them into pieces and mixes them in with instant brown rice and whatever leftover corn or whatever we have. If you have the money they sell chicken breasts in the lunch meat section. Different flavors and you just cook it for 60sec in microwave and then done for sandwich or salad or whatever.

    I do have it set at 1 lb a week but i just seem to gain then lose then gain then lose the gain and gain then lose. its just irritating

    Yes i add whatever i do, even if its only for 10 min i'll add it. I try not to eat my exercise calories unless i need to but i dont make a point to eat them.

    Ya, i cut out pop too. I use drink at least 2 2 liters a day. i cut it out cold turkey and i didnt lose a lb. i havent had pop in over 6-9 months. i cant even stand the taste anymore. i drink 6-14 glasses of water a day

    and i would have her teach me but i dont like left overs and i have no one to cook for :-/ and i dont want to cook for just me

    The chicken idea sounds good but i dont know what kind of seasoning and again i cant cook, i dont like baked chicken, i live in Michigan so grilling is ok like 4 or 5 months outta the year and pan frying is to messy.
    and i dont like brown rice i like white rice of course bc its more calories

    The little packages of fresh chicken breasts in the lunch meat section sound like they would be good for you to try. I got some for my SO for lunch at work because he works 17hrs per day and is tired of peanut butter for lunch. They come 2 to a pack. There are different flavors, mesquite, or lemon pepper. Each of the 2 breasts are individually sealed. You just take one out and it cooks for 60sec and then you have a perfectly prepared chicken breast. I understand about the left overs I'm not a fan either. The reason I make the baked lemon pepper chicken now is because I like rotisserie chicken from the store and that's the easiest way to make it without an actual rotisserie. It really tasted almost like it was grilled. If you like grilling you could get one of the little George Foremen grills. Very easy to clean no greasy mess splattering like frying. I like garlic salt for chicken on the grill.

    I cook for 4 so my roasts are pretty big, BUT I think you could get around that by asking your butcher to cut the roast you want to buy into smaller chunks. Like 1 roast would make 5 cuts like the size of a steak I guess. Then put the "roast" pork or beef doesn't matter into a slow cooker with a tiny bit of water at the bottom to prevent sticking and sprinkle garlic salt on it, or seasoned salt, or just plain salt and pepper. That't it. No crazy recipes.

    In the store the seasonings I mentioned are:
    Lemon Pepper (for chicken)
    Seasoned Salt (for pork mainly)
    Salt and pepper (anything)
    Garlic salt (chicken or roasts)

    They will be easy to find and named exactly like that. I grew up southern so no weird recipes for me just plain old down home cooking.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I was thinking of dropping down to 2000 but i dont want to put my body into starvation mode bc its not use to eating that little so i wanted to do it slowly

    Based on your information I would consider somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 calories. You don't have to worry about "Starvation mode".

    Please read this article by Steve Troutman. I would also encourage you to read the other articles on this page. Steve has great things to say:

    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/#starvationmode

    Interesting article.

    OP: I usually never recommend eating less - but in this case, this is a really good suggestion.
  • mangotruck
    mangotruck Posts: 28 Member
    I know I've already spammed the hell out of your profile but I really want to help you. The Weight Watcher's Smart Ones have an average of 400-600 mg of sodium. Compared to eating fast food or a can of soup, that's doing pretty good. Lean Cuisines are also one of the leaders of lower sodium microwave meals.

    I'm a full time student and I work full time. I don't have time or the place to cook, either, so I get that. But there are still things you can do. Eggs can be easily made in the microwave, there are decent microwave meals out there, get a bag of mixed vegetables from Meijer and some low fat dip. Look into buying almonds or Pop Chips. Popcorn is also good provided there's not a ton of butter on it. Protein bars and shakes are good if you're on the go.

    Subway is such a good place to eat but eat a six inch sub and get one of the Fresh N Fit sides or whatever. The reason you are going up and down is most likely because of water weight so keep an eye on the sodium in the lunch meat and biscuits and cheese. Read labels

    You gotta be adaptable if you feel like this lifestyle isn't working for you anymore.
  • aniwani
    aniwani Posts: 110
    Oh I totally forgot ... Go to your local grocery store and look for Shrataki Noodles I am not sure if I am spelling that correctly but they are like 20 cals a bag and taste like buttery Asian style noodles. Rinse well and pan fry Super easy and ultra filling ... and a little meat and some low cal terriaki sauce and you will have a yummy filling like 200ish cal meal My best friend just told me about them and I can't believe how good they are !

    Also eggs, sausage, bacon, broth/ soup... all super filling and low cal

    Or string cheese =)

    gotta get cookin girl!
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
    Dropping it down to around 2,000-2,200 is a smart idea considering you're 6'1. You're not going to go into starvation mode.

    Also, try cutting down on the amount of fast food you eat. Looking at your diary; you seem to eat a lot of mcdonalds, pizza, etc.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Firstly, 14 lbs is great, and I personally believe that slow and steady is better than too fast. So, well done for what you've achieved so far. If you want to make some more changes, I'd definitely recommend learning to cook. I know this might sound harsh, but you're really just making a choice not to. Learning some simple dishes from a cookbook, or from the millions of recipes on the internet, is not that hard. I've lived alone and I know it's not much fun to just cook for yourself, but with a little effort and determination, you can make it a habit. Think of it as a commitment to your own health. Set yourself little challenges of new dishes and it can even be fun! Recipes can easily be scaled down for one person. You can also make things ahead of time in bulk and divide into portions and freeze them. Then, during the week, you can just take something out of the freezer and it's as easy as a ready meal.

    I also know what it's like to be a picky eater, because I was for years (still am a bit!) Again, it just takes a bit of effort and determination to try new things, and not just try them once, but a few times to get your palate used to them. Kind of like getting a kid to start liking something! Since I started on MFP I've found myself eating (and eventually liking) a whole load of new foods. There are still some things I just won't eat, but I've been surprised how many things I've started to like. Even if you don't want to do that, with a bit of creativity you can still tweak recipes to fit what you do like.

    I don't mean this to sound too harsh, but you've got to decide if your weight loss is worth stepping out of your comfort zone. It can be done without learning to cook, but being able to cook for yourself will make it so much easier for you to control your calorie intake, as well as sodium. And wouldn't it be kind of fun to have your boyfriend over to your place and cook for him? Maybe even his mother too, and repay the favour? :smile:
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