Hi chicas (and dudes?),

When I go on a diet, I REALLY go on a diet. Here's what I'm eating:

9-10 am - Piece of fruit in morning
1 hr later, some milk tea
2-3 pm - meal: usually salad with chicken or fish
7ish - carrots or another fruit or cucumber
9-10 pm - tea (only cuz its friggin' cold right now)

Is that bad? Oh I sip water all day. I used to eat all day, sweets, big meals 3 times a day.

My exercise routine right now:

Morning Jog/walk (mostly walk) for 30mins to an hour. Right before bed, some light weights and sit ups and stuff.

What say you?

Do you know about how many calories a day you're eating? I think you could end up getting really hungry after a few days of eating like that. I would eat more then just a piece of fruit in the morning, unless that's all you can manage to grab in the morning. And, you might want to add another veggie or fruit to the lunch. And, some more meat at 7 for some more protein. Some, nuts and yogurt would be a good addition too.

I think you could eat a lot more and still lose weight. You should look at a site that suggests a calorie amount for your height and weight. I eat 1200 calories a day, and I eat more then that.

I don't want to come off as preachy, but you know it's supposed to be a lifestyle change for the most part, right? I don't see how eating that way would be sustainable for very long. Honestly, I have done diets like that in the past, but one weird PMS day or someone looks at me wrong and it becomes a year-long binge!

You can eat a whole lot more than that -- lean protein, complex carbs, low-fat dairy and tons of fruits and veggies. Your body will get the nutrition it needs, and you will settle in to a routine of not being hungry, losing weight, and feeling good. The biggest key to my losing weight this time has been realizing that I am not being punished and I don't have to suffer *at all* to do this. A bit of discomfort from time to time with cravings, but no starving or suffering!

Also, my sleep doctor says no exercise right before bed -- it stimulates you and it takes longer to get into that good deep sleep you need.

I do hope you will rethink your plan a bit, hopefully some others will pop on to give their take on it. Best wishes to you!!

Eat more. At 270, eat a lot more. Food is not the enemy, and not eating doesn't prove anything. Here's what I said recently in another thread on this subject:

It's not about having a super-strict plan, it's about sticking super-strictly to a reasonable, livable plan. It's got to be something you can do 365 days in a row. It's got to be something that you can do even the week you work 14 hour days for seven days straight, even the week your dog dies, even the week you get strep throat, even the week of your birthday, even the week you mom visits, even on vacation, even Christmas.

You find that plan--and it's out there--in a year you'll be looking forward to bathing suit season and in two years people will be saying "I just can't imagine you overweight. That's so weird".

Schmead...wonderful WONDERFUL response!!

How long do these "diets" usually last? That doesn't look like a sustainable plan at all, which you've probably figured out.

Why not visit a nutritionist to get an idea of what healthy eating looks like, somewhere between the 2 extremes you have chosen.

I don't wanna sound harsh but frankly you are hurting yourself and your weight loss efforts and you seriously need to take things more seriously. You are literally starving yourself eating that much food especially when you combine it with that much cardio. It is foolish. You will look terribly unhealthy before long, and you are already probably losing a lot of lean muscle mass. You might be losing weight now but you are destroying your metabolism and it will be way harder for you later on. I think you have an eating disorder. Get help!

Welcome to 3fc!!

We're all about healthy weight loss here, and hopefully we can give you some information to create a sustainable lifestyle!

The truth is that you are setting yourself up for failure by dieting to such extremes. Sure, you might lose weight for a while on your plan. But at some point it's going to stop working. Maybe it's a piece of cake at an office party. Or a stressful day that has you reach for one of your trigger foods, or just getting sick and tired of the same food every. single. day.

But at some point you are going to go off plan. And you may even really spiral out of control. And before you know it, you're off plan. You're gaining weight -- all the weight you lost and then some. And you think 'Well, that's it. Diets don't work'.

I say this because it happens all the time. I've been on this site over 5 years, and that is one of the most common stories around. But it doesn't have to be that way!

As you've been reading in the other posts, the way to a more successful result (where you lose the weight and KEEP it off), is to find a plan that's sustainable for you! For many of us it means eating real food 3-6 times a day. The details vary a lot.

You should also know that our weight determines how many calories we burn a day. So a person who weighs 165 (your goal) will burn fewer calories doing everything than you do now. And by everything I mean, everything. Bruthing your teeth, driving your car, working out, sleeping.

So, people who weigh more need more to fuel their bodies to just do basic activities. Generally, it isn't recommended that anyone eat fewer than 1200 calories/day! You are probably eating half of that. There are certainly people who can and do eat less than that to lose, but generally those who sustain it are the people who are much smaller than you are now.

The good news for you is that means you can eat quite a lot of food AND still lose weight regularly, and sustainably.

How many calories? Well, to be honest that really depends on a lot of factors. We are all different. But if you're interested in learning more, we can certainly give you more info. If you don't want to actually try calorie counting now, we can still give you some ideas to get started more sustainably.

Your diet is way too rigid, I am afraid you will not be able to keep going on such little food for very long. Do you have any ideas how many calories a day you are eating ? Doesn't look like much to me, You can eat a healthy well rounded diet and still lose weight.

How many calories are you taking in daily? I am 5'8 and I eat anywhere from 1650-1850 calories each day and I have lost between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds every week so far. You definitely need to add more food in there.

My experience in the past has been that if I try and cut down too much, I start to feel I am deprived. When I feel deprived in a short period I do something about it. That something is always overeating on a binge. My last binge lasted four (4) years.

This time I am eating at reasonable calorie level and a well balanced diet coupled with that four letter word exercise. I don't feel deprived this time. As a matter of fact I can see this as a life style for me not just as another diet.

Larry,
----------
Insanity -- Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results

Something more acceptable would be:

Breakfast:
quiche with veggies
1 orange

Lunch
Grilled chicken or fish with salad that contains, tomato, onion, an ounce of cheese, 2 tbsp of dressing, and any other veggues you like. This should be a pretty large salad.

Snack:
Yogurt or apple with peanut butter.

Dinner
Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Summer Squash Casserole

At 270 pounds you should be eating 1800 calories. Your meal looks too low to get all the nutrients you need.

Also I'd say the exercise is okay IF you up the calories to 1800 a day.

LIke others have said this is for life- don't restrict so bad you binge later (which is what MANY of us have done).

Very low fat, very low protein, sets you up for muscle loss.

You say "when I go on a diet...I really go on a diet"
^
That implies that you've done this before. Obviously it hasn't helped you lead a sustainable healthy lifestyle ~ so why keep repeating what doesn't work?

At the end of the day, all long-term maintainers will tell you the same thing - only a sustainable healthy plan works.

Good advice! I see you've not been back since you posted this. I hope you take time to follow the suggestions; otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Hello Ladies!

Thanks for all the advice. When I said I really go on a diet - I HAVE done this sort of thing before, lost like 10 pounds and kept it off. I understand that its a lifestyle change.

Schmead, I don't think this is punishing myself. Before, my eating was having sensible meals 3 times a day (with a few sweets mixed in). I don't feel like my portions were big, but I still wasn't losing any weight. I've replaced the chocolate bar with fruit, and the chips or crackers with cut veggies. Really, that's ALL I've done. I never really drank too many sodas or anything too and don't drink alcohol.

Does anyone know where I can find a good calorie counter? Maybe that would help me figure out what zone I need to stay in.

Beerab, thanks for that - that looks like a good plan as well. Although I might feel like I'm eating too much and get out of control. That's my fear.

Heather, when you say "needs calories to carry you through the day" are you talking about having low energy and stuff? Because honestly, when I'm doing a diet like this, I have MORE energy than I would when I eat a whole 3 meals a day. Could it be that my body is different?

Thanks guys for responding. Ruth it takes me awhile to get around to posting here, but I intend to stay. You guys are super cool.

Oh and.. when do we get the cool weight meter thingies?