Looking for advice

Hello,

I just registered to this site today. Three-and-a-half weeks ago I started my diet. Actually, I don't even want to say that. Because it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. "Diet" implies temporariness. Let's say this is diet that will eventually become my permanent way of life.

I've tried to put myself on diets before. Both attempts lasted maybe three weeks before I finally just gave up. It wasn't that I couldn't get results, I just found myself getting depressed. I think I was possibly way too strict with myself.

As of three-and-a-half weeks ago, I was a 266lbs, 6'0'', 21-year old male. Today, I am a 252lbs, 6'0'', 22-year old male. I don't know anything about dieting. Okay, that's not entirely true. I know what a calorie deficit is. Exercise makes you lose calories, food makes you gain calories. Somewhere along the line, it's a good idea to achieve good nutrition, too, I think.

I think I'm doing okay on the exercise front. I take a 35-40 minute walk every workday on my lunch break, and I do 30 minutes (10-11km) on the stationary bike every day. I haven't had trouble fitting that into my schedule, and it hasn't been particularly strenuous. Does that seem like a healthy amount of exercise?

My issue has been with my diet. I'm clearly doing this all wrong and I don't know where to start with explaining this.

I've been eating maybe 1000-1200 calories a day. That's a rough estimate since I don't actually count calories. I tried that on a previous diet and it was just impractical (I have no idea how much a "gram" is). For breakfast, I usually eat a low-fat yogurt (70 cals). For lunch, I usually eat a small can of flavoured tuna (80-180 cals). At some point in the workday, I usually eat a piece of fruit. And for dinner, I eat whatever my dad made (stirfry, spaghetti, pizza, whatever) in a small portion. And then after my bike ride, I usually drink a fruit smoothie (with ~3 servings of fruit in it).

Now before you say anything, I know 1000-1200 is not nearly enough. I've done my Google searches, so I know that. This site is suggesting 2100 for me. My problem is that I have no idea what to eat. Everything is bad for you. Everything. Whenever I'm trying to decide if I should eat something, I Google it and some site will tell me it's high in something and I shouldn't eat it.

So I'm looking to find out once and for all what I should be eating and how much. I'd love if some could give some specific examples rather than general suggestions. If I did decide to go up to, say 1750 calories a day, what would be an exemplar meal plan? Keep in mind that I don't do the grocery shopping or cooking in my household, but I can do a little of eahc if necessary.

I've allowed the scientists scare me into believing that more than 2 pounds a week is too much to lose, and that I'll just gain it all back. To me, this is very discouraging. So, it's going to be MONTHS before all of my work even becomes noticeable? And if I do push myself and rush through this diet to get visible results, it'll all be spoiled? I find this depressing. But if it's the right thing to do, I'm willing to try.

Would a weekly goal of 3 pounds a week be out of the question? I could scold myself for overshooting it as well as coming up short.

Also, I've been doing something sort of unorthodox and I'm wondering if it's maybe not been a good idea. I don't diet on Sundays. Literally, I eat whatever I want for one day of the week (right after my weekly weigh-in). For me, this has been helping me stay motivated. Dieting seven days a week makes it seem like it's never going to end. If I constantly have this weekly light at the end of the tunnel, I find it easier not to cheat on the other six days. I really want a cookie now. But if I just make it through the next two days, I can have five on Sunday. So is this erratic caloric intake healthy? Would eating 4000+ calories on Sunday make up for low intakes during the workweek? Or is this just screwing with my system?

Anyways, that was sort of a long and unorganized post. But if anyone has answers to any of the questions I posed, I'd deeply appreciate it. I've made it this far (3.5 weeks is far for me), and I want to get this figured out before I lose myself.

Thanks

Alrite, first on the nuritional anything that comes from nature is majority of the time good for example fish, meat,veggies, fruit, bread( whole wheat),etc.

Now for the losing over 2 pounds a week, it seems that the general consensus on these boards is its bad for you. I disagree but for arugments sake we will say stick to 2 pounds a week therefore a defict of 1000 calories a day, now I also disagree with the caloric calculator and would say you should eat around 2000 cals a day and that would put you into a 500 calc defict  and plus the your activity would put would put you around 1000 calc defict.

 I didnt answer all your questions just the ones that stuck out to me.

You should aim to lose 1% of your body weight a week, for healthy results. At your current weight, 2.5-3 pounds a week is fine. But, as you lose weight, you will need to adjust your goals to account for you current weight.

For calorie rich nutritious foods, look at tuna, peanut butter, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chicken breast, veggies, fruits, salmon...and don't do the fat-free versions, if you go full fat and in moderation, you will feel fuller longer.

I would also throw in some weightlifting (if you do both in one day, do weights before cardio for better results).

Sounds like you're off to a great start, keep it up!!

Welcome to this site and happy birthday! ;) Kudos to you for being smart and deciding to do it the healthy, long-lasting way. Sounds like you have done your homework, but be careful not to go overboard on that.. Everything, and I mean each and every single food item, can, and most likely has been linked to at least a few of the ugliest diseases out there. (and if by some miracle it still hasnt, you can bet your last buck theres a big team of scientists out there working on it right now!)

A comedian, I think Carlos Mencia, wittily pointed out how 9/11 has changed the way things are in the US. Before, african american people used to be thoroughly checked in every airport; now, middle eastern people are.

A similar thing is going on in the food world. When I joined CC less than a year ago, the forums were oozing with studies on how dangerous saturated fat is for health and how it increases cholesterol. Now, recent studies show that saturated fat actually benefits you and your cholesterol, and refined carbs are the devil. It is darn well crazy and confusing and makes me want to punch myself in the face for avoiding butter like the plague!

My point is to make your own study. See what foods make you feel energized, full, satisfied, happy - experimenting for a bit is worth it if you want to be healthy for life. The nutrition report on here is a great starting point, but I would hardly call it the weight loss bible or anything.

Oh, and for larger meal samples, you should check the weight gainers forum (threads with menu plans). Sounds counter intuitive, I know, but since you need so many calories, it might just work. Leave out the junk food from an average 3000-3500 plan and you have just what you need.

(just to be on the safe side: no, I am not implying all weight gainers eat junk food, but I have seen that many of them do, which is a good thing, as they are recovering from EDs and facing their food fears)

Congrats on your decision to get healthier!  I think you'll love this website.

First, I think what you have been eating is way too restrictive.  No wonder you feel depressed!  It really does have to be a permanent lifestyle change or it will not work long term.  You need to focus on the journey, not the destination.  It doesn't matter how long it takes to get there as long as you're progressing towards your goal.

Try not to think of any food as "good" or "bad".  Use the tools on the website to accurately log your caloric intake and output.  That's what really matters the most.  I think the concept of splurging now and again is fine, just be sure you don't splurge too much or too often.

I think your excercise level is fine.

Hang in there!

Whew!  That's a long post!  But here's my take...

First off, congrats on your birthday, and on losing 14 pounds! :)  And for the record, I started my life style changes back on March 10.  Since then, I've gone from 207 pounds to 175 pounds, and re-worked my eating habits entirely.  At my peak weight loss weeks, I was averaging between 2 and 3 pounds per week.  Currently, I'm trying to level things off, but still trying to lose another 5 pounds.  I've also thrown in a bunch of exercise each week (cycling, running, swimming, and weight training).  I'm a 6' guy, 41 years old.

Second, the amount of exercise sounds good, especially if it's a level that you think is sustainable.  At some point, though, you'll likely find that it's not challenging you, and you're ready for more.  I'd suggest throwing in some weight training, but that's a whole other issue to deal with.  As a guy, you want to try to keep your muscle mass intact while still losing fat.  And I think weight training while cutting calories may help with that.

So you know that 1200 calories are too low.  To give you examples of what you could do differently (based on the example you gave), here goes. 

1. Don't eat the low fat yogurt.  Eat regular yogurt.  Or add some cereal (Kashi is good), nuts, or raisins to it.  Cook up some hardboiled eggs on Sunday, and eat those with your breakfast throughout the week.  You could also look at a meal replacement/protein shake for breakfast, but in your case, not the "pure protein" ones.  One that has a mix of carbs and protein.
2. Don't eat just the tuna.  Cut up some red pepper strips, and have that with the tuna.  Add some pasta (warm or cold, whatever you like).  Maybe some salad dressing for flavor.  I really like a tuna-spinach salad, with a can of tuna, a handful of baby spinach, some peppers or tomato, and some dressing.
3. Can't help you much with your supper, since you weren't very specific.  But try to eat 4 to 6 ounces of protein, a cup of carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes), and a bunch of veggies (salad, brocolli, etc).  A food scale can be cheap, and it will help you judge your portions better.
4. Eat snacks between each meal.  A piece of fruit in between meals, a healthy granola bar, whatever.  I cut up a pineapple every Sunday, and throw it into bags to have ready to throw in my lunch box.  I often have a cup of frozen blueberries for my after dinner snack.  Try eating 5 or 6 times per day.

To give you some ideas, here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast (5:00 am):

• 1 cup Kashi GoLean cereal (200 calories)
• 3/4 cup skim milk (63 calories)
• 1/2 ounce raisins (90 calories, one of those little boxes)
• Total - 453 calories

Lunch (11:30 am):

• Homemade Sante Fe Beans and Rice (brown rice, salsa, kidney beans, cheese, tomato sauce - 330 calories - about 1.5 cups)
• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (81 calories)
• Total - 453 calories

Dinner (7:30 pm):

• Homemade beef stew (441 calories, healthy bowlful, about 1 pound)
• 1 slice whole grain bread (110 calories)
• 1 teaspoon light margarine (35 calories
• Total - 586 calories

Snacks:

• 7:30 - 2 cups chocolate milk after my morning workout (336 calories)
• 10:30 - 100g of pineapple (50 calories)
• 1:30 - 10g of dark chocolate (50 calories)
• 3:30 - Kashi Chewy Granola bar (120 calories)

Total for the day was about 1900 calories.  I wouldn't call this a perfect plan, but it's an example of what I eat.  In particular, this day was light in protein, so I could have tried to address that while still keeping in my calorie limit.  I also don't do most of the shopping or cooking in my house, although I will either tack items onto the grocery list if I want them, or just stop by the store on the way home.

And your Sunday "cheat day" is not unorthodox.  Many people have cheat meals or days.  Knock yourself out.  Some people feel that erratic eating helps keep their bodies from getting used to a particular caloric level.  Personally, I think I'd feel unwell going up to 4000+ calories in a day, but whatever works for you.  I use my cheat meals to have a beer or two, as well as perhaps a more luxurious dessert.  It usually happens when we get together with friends/family.

Feel free to post back in here, or drop me a message if you have any questions.

Clint

Oh, and one thing I've suggested to some other people starting out, and was suggested to me.  Take some measurements (besides the scale).  Shoulders, chest, waist, hips, butt, thigh, calves, biceps, forearms, neck.  Do this on a weekly basis.  Also take pictures on a weekly or monthly basis.  Use this for motivation later, to show yourself how far you've come.

Clint

Lots of good advice up above!  I wanted to add one link that you might find helpful (it's been linked in Ask Mary before, I believe):  http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_ Food_Intake_Patterns.pdf ;

It provides a basic breakdown of what you should expect to eat in a variety of calorie ranges.  I found it helpful, although I don't stick to it exactly.

One other thing - didn't see anyone mention this, although perhaps I missed it while skimming.  There is nothing inherently wrong with having a "cheat" day as you described it.  Lots of people do that.  However, eating 5 cookies on your cheat day is bordering on a binge - that's a lot of calories for not much nutritional benefit.  I don't give myself a weekly cheat day, because I know there are going to be enough other times that I go over my goal intake for special events - birthdays, weddings, random dinners out, etc.  Sometimes I just go over because I'm hungry :)  My point is, if this is truly a lifestyle change, I feel like I should be able to incorporate some discretionary calories in each day, whether that's chocolate, an extra serving at dinner, a drink, or whatever.  Having an all-out cheat day just seems like an all-or-nothing mentality, and I know that doesn't work in the long run for me.  You may be different, and if it works for you, then by all means keep it up!

Original Post by awestendorf:

Lots of good advice up above!  I wanted to add one link that you might find helpful (it's been linked in Ask Mary before, I believe):  http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_ Food_Intake_Patterns.pdf ;

It provides a basic breakdown of what you should expect to eat in a variety of calorie ranges.  I found it helpful, although I don't stick to it exactly.

One other thing - didn't see anyone mention this, although perhaps I missed it while skimming.  There is nothing inherently wrong with having a "cheat" day as you described it.  Lots of people do that.  However, eating 5 cookies on your cheat day is bordering on a binge - that's a lot of calories for not much nutritional benefit.  I don't give myself a weekly cheat day, because I know there are going to be enough other times that I go over my goal intake for special events - birthdays, weddings, random dinners out, etc.  Sometimes I just go over because I'm hungry :)  My point is, if this is truly a lifestyle change, I feel like I should be able to incorporate some discretionary calories in each day, whether that's chocolate, an extra serving at dinner, a drink, or whatever.  Having an all-out cheat day just seems like an all-or-nothing mentality, and I know that doesn't work in the long run for me.  You may be different, and if it works for you, then by all means keep it up!

 I dunno... 5 cookies isn't a "binge" to me.  A box of cookies, maybe.  5 Oreo's, for example is 2.5 servings (they suggest 2 per serving) and is only 400 calories.

But given the lifestyle changes I've made, even on my cheat days I'm still aware of making healthy choices and portion control, for the most part.  But it means that if I go out for supper, I'm not going to worry about whether the dish I picked out will fit in my caloric budget for the day.  Or if having a beer or dessert will put me over.  I'm still not going to choose the 22oz rib-eye steak with baked potatoes and extra butter and sour cream, followed by the Chocolate Decadance dessert...  If nothing else, I'd probably puke it all back up again anyway. :)

Oh, and for the original poster... When I was really cracking down on my diet, I stopped with all alcohol, chocolate, pop, etc.  Was super strict for a few months; perhaps too much so.  Now that I'm nearer to my goal, I allow myself treats, and include that in my daily caloric budget.  Try to keep it down to 150 or so calories per day.  That might mean a beer, 2 squares (20g) of good dark chocolate, or a VitaTop (semi-healthy muffin top, again in chocolate).  But if I'm over for the day, or it looks like I'm going to be going over, that treat is the first thing to go.  Or the next days treat, if I blew my supper goals but already had my treat.

And you mentioned being discouraged by a 2 pound per week lose, and it taking too long to get where you wanted to be... Keep in mind how long it took you to put on the weight.  Taking it off in less than a year should be great!  I know it might be nice if it was faster, but hey.  Also keep in mind that by taking longer, you'll be setting up healthy patterns for the future.  The longer it takes to lose the weight, the longer you have to build up sustainable habits that will keep it off in the future.  But 2 or 3 pounds per week... I don't think it would hurt you to lose at 3, if that's what your target is.  But I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, either.

Clint

Hey Triple,

Congratulations on your decision. You'll find that logging calories using this site is the best way. You'll learn to make better decisions on what you eat. Your going to learn what foods are easy for your body to turn into energy (beans, veggies, oats, and other complex carbs) and your going to learn that the Doritos, Twinkies, and other junk foods are wasted calories that bog you down instead of giving you energy. It's real evident when you start counting the calories and stopping at your calorie limit. I cannot say enough for how this site has educated me on the subject of food and energy.

Keep up the exercise, increase it as you can and eat right. Please save my name and keep in touch. I'll help in anyway I can as will the many others using this site. There's a lot of good people here going through the same thing you/we are. CONGRATULATIONS!

Original Post by pbear999:

 I dunno... 5 cookies isn't a "binge" to me.  A box of cookies, maybe.  5 Oreo's, for example is 2.5 servings (they suggest 2 per serving) and is only 400 calories.

But given the lifestyle changes I've made, even on my cheat days I'm still aware of making healthy choices and portion control, for the most part.  But it means that if I go out for supper, I'm not going to worry about whether the dish I picked out will fit in my caloric budget for the day.  Or if having a beer or dessert will put me over.  I'm still not going to choose the 22oz rib-eye steak with baked potatoes and extra butter and sour cream, followed by the Chocolate Decadance dessert...  If nothing else, I'd probably puke it all back up again anyway. :)

Good point - I assumed he meant something like chocolate chip cookies, which are usually anywhere from 100-200 cals a pop...so 5 of those would be a lot of empty calories.

I think your point that on your cheat days you are still aware of portion control and healthy choices is really the key.  Some people seem to take their cheat day as a free-for-all, and that's what I really have a personal problem with.  I agree that having the occasional meal (or day) where you don't actually count is fine - I just had one on Saturday :)

PS If you can eat a 22oz ribeye - WOW!  It's a stretch for me to eat more than 6 oz of meat at a time now.

Original Post by awestendorf:

Original Post by pbear999:

 I dunno... 5 cookies isn't a "binge" to me.  A box of cookies, maybe.  5 Oreo's, for example is 2.5 servings (they suggest 2 per serving) and is only 400 calories.

But given the lifestyle changes I've made, even on my cheat days I'm still aware of making healthy choices and portion control, for the most part.  But it means that if I go out for supper, I'm not going to worry about whether the dish I picked out will fit in my caloric budget for the day.  Or if having a beer or dessert will put me over.  I'm still not going to choose the 22oz rib-eye steak with baked potatoes and extra butter and sour cream, followed by the Chocolate Decadance dessert...  If nothing else, I'd probably puke it all back up again anyway. :)

Good point - I assumed he meant something like chocolate chip cookies, which are usually anywhere from 100-200 cals a pop...so 5 of those would be a lot of empty calories.

I think your point that on your cheat days you are still aware of portion control and healthy choices is really the key.  Some people seem to take their cheat day as a free-for-all, and that's what I really have a personal problem with.  I agree that having the occasional meal (or day) where you don't actually count is fine - I just had one on Saturday :)

PS If you can eat a 22oz ribeye - WOW!  It's a stretch for me to eat more than 6 oz of meat at a time now.

You're right on the cookies... It all depends.  I'm not fortunate enough to get home-made cookies around here, so I think of Oreo's and Fudgeo's and stuff like that.  Or maybe I am fortunate that my wife doesn't make them, and leave them smelling up the house with chocolatey temptation. :)  I just eat Fudgeo's when I donate blood... That's my reward to myself for going, and I usually sneak 2 packs of them (4 cookies). :)

 I agree with you on the free-for-all cheat days!  I usually go for one meal/evening rather than a whole day, and even then, I try to do some serious cardio that day to minimize the damage. :)  An hour bike ride at 15+ km/hour, or a 30 or 40 minute jog makes me feel less guilty.

And I haven't had a big steak for a long time.  Since I've started watching my portions, my stomach has "shrunk" appreciably, which is nice.  But 6oz of meat is my usual portion size now.  But I'm a 6' guy, and I'm doing weight training, so I'm also trying to get in more protein than some.

Clint