In need of alot of input! New diet plan?

[DidiDidums]

Hi everyone! I have a big favour to ask from all of you really!

Just for reference, this is me- http://weight-loss.fitness.com/before-after-between/48484-so-far-182-down-164-struggling-2.html

What I really want to ask you all is some input on me writing up a new diet plan.

My problem is, I seem to be eating too little calories at the moment (around 1000 max a day) consisting of foods such as fruit and yogurt for breakfast, tuna, flatbread wraps, raisins, fruit, salads for lunch, and recently (which I also decided to scrap) weight watchers dinners as I have a huge problem with portion control, which they seemed to solve.

I've researched and been told many a time that it's too little and that it will work for a little while then my body will just get used to it.

My problem is, when i've eaten 1200 to 1800 cals before, my weight just doesnt seem to change?

Maybe I was just eating the wrong things?

I'd really appreciate some help in comprising a new diet plan, which I can control and stick with and lose some weight on!

As for excersise, I recently joined the gym and try to get there about 6 times a week for an hour at a time which really seems to be helping!

Any advise would really be appreciated!

Thank you all for your support, Didi!

 

[fortyfour]

Oh, i wrote a post without reading your link and then i had to delete it after i looked at your link. It would take me some time to try to provide some help for you as there's a lot to respond to based on your first post in the link. You give lots of clues as to why you are having problems. You obviously know yourself but you just haven't yet found a way to deal with all the issues.

I know you may not like all the food in my diary and may prefer to eat things like chicken and meat more often but i suggest you read my diary right through. Apologies in advance if you find it boring.

However, i must say right off the bat, that your speed of weight loss is excellent and you should not try to make it happen too much faster by reducing your calorie consumption radically, as this will increase the likelihiood of failure. You were doing fine. You are doing fine. Be happy that the weight is coming off. I mean THE SCALE IS GOING DOWN, YOU ARE GETTING SMALLER. That's what' you want isn't it? You've got time to do this right. Don't sabotage it by forcing the pace.

What we need to help you figure out is how to make it less unpleasant and less difficult to continue losing at your current pace.

I have lost the same amount of weight as you in approximately the same amount of time and I am thrilled with the results and really really happy with my food. It's been easy but that's largely because I am in total control of my food whereas you are not.

But i will not support you to lose weight on a low calorie diet. You must eat a healthy amount of calories daily and be patient if you want the results to last long term.

I will come back later for further input. Don't be disheartened.

 

[DidiDidums]

Hi fortyfour! I will deffinately read through your diary as soon as I have 5 minutes!

Really, I don't WANT to be on a low cal diet, I suppose what i'm asking is, how can I increase my calorie intake without sabotaging my weightloss. Because I have been on so many diets in the past, with so many different methods, I guess it's got the the point where i'm just so confused about what I should actually be doing, what I should actually be eating, and how much of it I should be eating!

Althought the amount I have lost over the time I have lost it is good, the methods haven't exactly been brilliant. I'll have a great month, 1300 cals a day, lose 10lbs... then I'll have a 1 month stall, decide it's cause i'm eating too much, lower my intake to 1000... lose 5lbs, stall, and lower again.. and this will go on and on and up and down... and along the way i'll have 'You're doing great keep going' then 'You're eating too little it's not healthy'

and THIS is why at this point i'm just so confused!

I'm pretty sure i'm not eating enough fibre, and protein, but i'm getting to the point where i'm just worrying that these foods are going to stop me from losing.

I guess that's a much better explaination of my problem! :/

Thanks for reading

 

[amy1985]

Really, I don't WANT to be on a low cal diet

Now, this, depending on what you mean by it, is a big whopping great red flag for me right there. You want to lose weight but you don't want to be on a low calorie diet? All weight loss is based on having less calories than you burn (and while it's possible to get there through exercise, nutrition is an easier way to go)

If you mean "I don't want to eat under 1200 calories a day", then good, because that's really bad for you. No adult should eat under 1200 calories a day. (Although I will ask, how are you calculating your calories? Do you get the ingredients from your mum's recipes and run them through a calorie calculator? If your calorie goal is 1500 and you think you're eating that but your mum's meal is 800 calories instead of the 500 you were expecting, then it's no wonder your weight loss is slower or stalls. You'll need to figure that out- ask for a list of ingredients, as accurately as you can, and run it through a recipe calorie calculator, which you can find online. Or even just guess- if she's made lasagna, does she have the packet lying around with instructions on how to make it? What's in the food? The size of the portion may not tell you anything, because the calories in food vary so widely. Is it possible to make your own dinner?)

I also think you might be expecting too much of this, or at least too much regularity. You can't just pick a number (or even calculate a number) and expect to lose x a week until you get down to your goal. The numbers will change as your weight and therefore needs/ metabolism changes, and you'll have to change accordingly. You seem to know that, but you're opting for, frankly, stupid measures to try and work around it.

Bread can be quite high calorie as a snack, I'd avoid it if I were you. Opt for fruit, as you've already been doing, vegetables, or rice cakes.

As to "what you should be eating", if you calorie count (preferably weighing your food and putting it through a calorie calculator, guessing will get you nowhere), theoretically you can eat whatever you like, as long as it's within your calorie allowance. (If you haven't already, find a daily calorie needs calculator that takes exercise into account and work out your maintenance, then cut by between 500 and 1000, as long as that number isn't below 1200) However, nutrition is very important. See this PDF document (sorry it's commercial, it's just the most succinct and easy to understand version I can find) for an understanding of the kinds and proportions of foods you should be eating for a nutritious diet: You need to find food that you enjoy, that's filling, that fits those nutritional requirements, and is within your calorie aims.

Feel free to check out my diary- like Andrea I eat healthily, but I don't have a restricted diet (I eat pretty much anything), and I calorie count so you can see what my intake looks like (I aim for 1385-1885, and try to eat nutritiously) and what calorie counting can look like if you do it systematically (breakdowns of macronutrients depends on what system you're using- I wouldn't bother except the calorie counting program I use makes it easy).

 

[fortyfour]

Well i've quoted from your first post here from the link so i can easily address it and other readers will know where we are coming from.

So far 182 down to 164 and struggling

You are doing great. Be happy.

Hi! I used to be around 210 and went down to 182 about 2 years ago, and recently decided to get straight back on the weightloss journey! I have lost 18lbs in the last 3 months, which was a bit of a struggle as i'm used to losing the weight much quicker than that ordinarily, but for the last month I have pretty much stayed the same which has resulted with a slight downfall on the diet front.

The problem isn't really in my regular meals, I tend to have fruit like pinapple, banana or strwberries for breakfast, half a sandwich with usually boiled egg of ham in it and another banana, and my meals are often whatever my Mum cooks (which isn't always a square meal with lots of veggies, mostly pasta) but I try to stick with small portions.

Are you really not able to cook for yourself. I think you are old enough aren't you. Maybe help your mum in the kitchen if you can't cook your own meals. I think you need to negotiate cooking with your mum. Also start doing your own shopping, even if it just means buying some extra things that she is not buying that you think you need. You need to be open iwht your mum. Don't be blaming. Tell her what you want to achieve and what you think you need to do to achieve that. If you think she wouldn't like the direct approach. Just gradually introduce changes and ask her to go along with you or to make allowances a little bit at a time. Don't forget its her kitchen and her house so you need to be sensitive to her ownership. Also mothers can sometimes feel very challenged by their daughters telling that what they do is not a good way. The more confrontational you are, the harder it will be to get your way. If she refuses to help you, then you need to find clever ways to get around her obstacles. The best way is by cooperation, and negotiation. Caring and sharing. OFfer to cook a meal for her? you know there are many good ways of going about this but what you do and what works best depends on the family dynamics.

Even though you have college and work, you really should take a bit more responsibilty for your own food. (saying that i am thinking you are in your early 20s and not your late teens).

So I guess i'm still having alot of trouble with snacking between meals. I put on all of the weight before by binging out of boredom, and although I haven't 'binged' for a long time, i'll go for the odd biscuit or two, or slice of bread almost everyday recently. I seem to have lost the part of my determination on that side of things. I'd also like to eat healthier dinners, but because i'm so busy with college and Work, and recently i've been trying to go to the gym everyday, I often have whatever I can quickly.

Slow down. Find the time you need to give your food. I am sure you've got time somehow somewhere. One of my lecturers once said to our class. "Don't tell me you haven't got time, make time!" That's so true. Look where you are wasting time and use your time more effectively. It doesn't take long to prepare a meal. But if you do'nt know what you are doing, i know its not that easy either. That's when something like following a meal plan can be a good idea. When you do have time, sit down and write out a meal plan for the week ahead. If you are short of ideas, look at some on the internet, or look at my diary or amy's diary. The first time you try to do this will be hard and time consuming but after that it will be easier. Don't include a lot of complicated recipes you've never heard of before. Aim for simple foods. Or even if you only plan your breakfast and take away from home lunches that would make a big difference.

I love pasta. I think its great and i do'nt have a problem with it on my diet. I have a few recipes i think for ways of eating it that i think are healthy and tasty and include vegetables. If your mum just wants you to eat pasta with no vegies, then say you will make a salad to go with it. My sister even puts salad in her pasta. I tried it a few times but decided i don;t care for it. But there you go. Or you can just go dig up a zucchini from the fridge, chop it up and fry it in a tiny bit of oil then toss it in your pasta. I like chopped raw tomato in my pasta. But then i like tomato in everything. Adding a vegetable or two to your pasta will make it more satisfying.

Its great you are going to the gym. Pace your activities and don't wait til you get home to eat. Take a sandwich or lunch to school or work with you. Have some fruit in your bag so that you can eat it at an appropriate time to fend off cravings and hunger.

I'd really love to lose another 26lbs bu the end of July as i'm going on holiday with my boyfriend, and have NEVER been able to wear a bikini before..

I think you are trying to lose too much in this period of time. How much will you weigh by then. Looking at your photos, i don't think you need to lose so much to look good in a bikini. You already look pretty good. You've got the curves to look good when bigger than skinny. I mean you have a real bust! Lady it won't take much for you to look hot in a bikini. Aim for 2.5 pounds a week and no more. Its just going to be too hard for you to achieve your goal and as you battle to get there you will lose heart frequently and get depressed and then probably binge and yo yo some more. You need to remain emotionally on an even keel for weight loss to be steady.

Pleassseeee help if you have any ideas of what I can do to change things, healthier yet satisfying snacks that I can graze on?

My diary is full of healthier meals. I don't snack so much. If your meals are substantial you won't need to snack much. And then fruit will get you by. And lots of useful tips, info and ideas. Also keep your food diary and write it up every day in detail of what you eat. We can then give you good feedback. Ask questions on your diary so readers can respond appropriately too. But if you get caught short, a cappucino with full cream milk will keep you going a long time. A skinny latte will keep you going a bit less longer but might be enough to do the trick. Fruit, salad vegetables. I am not a fan of nuts for snacks as they are high in fats and calories for little weight. Don't forget to drink a glass of water as your first line of action when you feel hungry between meals. Have a piece of fruit handy or even half a chicken, cheese or boiled egg sandwich for an after gym recovery snack. They say its good to eat soon after gym and that the food should be both carbohydrate and protein. But if its only a half an hour before you get home, you can probably go without the snack.

Well that's all i can think of for now. Good luck and stay in touch.