Hi Kristip,
Wow, thank you so much for such a prompt and detailed response! Yes, I totally relate to the need to eat under 1000 calories. I am very small boned, too. At 125 pounds I looked OK (per everyone else, but very curvaceous and I think a healthy weight for me is probably 110-115. Thus, I have a looong way ahead of me… I can also relate to your comment about being hungry while doing lots of cardio, although I do seem to favour eating more fruit, not necessarily more calories. That is not good, because of my PCOS I should be avoiding fruit, but I find it difficult. I eat only low glycemic index foods (berries, cherries, apples, pears, plums, and occasionally nectarines – they are my vice), but still, I eat too many (even when worked into my caloric daily intake).
Thanks for providing a sample of your meal plan. I think the key is the fact that you are eating only a few fruit servings. My sample plan is this:
Breakfast (within 10 minutes of waking –6 am) – 2 boiled eggs, 4 kalamata olives, 1 apple and 1 plum (or a nectarine). If I remove the fruit I get hungry during the morning.
Lunch (11:30 am – 12 pm)- Brussels sprouts (300 g) plus cod fish (350g), or some green string beans plus mussels or sardines. I try to eat protein and vegetables at lunch and dinner.
Dinner (5pm) –1 eggplant or some cauliflower (sometimes as much as one full head of cauliflower) or some Bruxelles sprouts or any sort of green vegetable plus fish or eggs (I only eat fish/seafood and eggs as animal products).
Evening snack: (this is my problem) – 300 g cherries (I know, that is a lot, I absolutely love them) or 250 g strawberries or 2 apples etc – various combinations of fruit.
My problem is that I have always eaten very clean and healthy and I have been exercising regularly and (most of the time intensively) for the past 10 years. Since February 1st 2012 I cut all grains and dairy and all processed food, except for some occasional (once a week) cans of sardines or mussels. I guess I made up for all the things I have been deprived of (I love bread with herbs) by eating more fruit. As a result, it is getting more and more difficult to keep my weight in check. Also, no alcohol, no added sugars, as well.
In conclusion, I think I have my answer, I will have to cut most fruit, cold turkey… I will try and do that for a week or two and see what happens. I will keep you guys posted.
I would like to express how grateful I am that you took the time to write into such detail, I really appreciate it. Every little thing counts, especially for us shorties. It is hard to some of my friends to understand that, all of them are recommending me to eat more
The fact that I was eating under 1000 calories when I was at a better weight does not seem to persuade them that I simply gain if I eat 1500 calories, as they suggest.
Have a great day and I look forward to reading your updates! Best regards, everyone!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kristip
Honestly, in all my research (and I have a slow desk job, so there's substantial research time!), the not under 1000 calorie recommendation is NOT scaled to us short people. I have done perfectly well at 900 calories and while there are days that I feel hungrier than others, I'm not starving in the least. I am short and small boned, so I have been doing the 900 but then not sweating the small stuff like the calories in some seasonings or olive oil added to veggies, etc.
The biggest thing for me was making the decision that I am wanting to lose weight and bulk and NOT TO TONE WHAT I CURRENTLY HAVE. So I will walk a few times a week and will just be generally active if given the chance. I am not overtly "exercising". Maybe some body weight exercises here and there, but only things that are mentally relaxing. I will transition to that under the 115 lb mark as I lose the last little bit. The problem with exercising now is that cardio straight up makes us little people HUNGRY. Not just garden variety hungry, but dizzy, tired, irritable hungry. Without exercise I don't get that. If I had the access, I would totally do 20-30 minutes of weight training each day. But I don't right now, so that's fine.
Right now my meal plan looks like this:
Breakfast (usually around 2 hours after waking, so around 8 am): 2 eggs beaten with a tablespoon of skim milk and cooked in a microwave, cup of black tea with 2 tbsp skim milk, no sugar.
11:30: Light greek yogurt. 80 calories of delicious. I get vanilla cause it reminds me of pudding. lol.
1:30: Peppered Beef Jerky- 1 ounce, 80 calories. Sits in my stomach for a while! I don't usually like Jerky, so the peppered helps me chew it.
3:30: A fruit. 1 cup of watermelon or 1 small peach or half a large apple. If I've walked and am feeling tired sometimes I'll do the apple with a serving of peanut butter. Occasionally I'll do a serving of simply salted microwave popcorn instead if I'm feeling munchy.
Between 6-7, dinner: Whatever everyone else is eating- Papa Johns? only one big slice, maybe 1 1/2 if I'm hungry. 6 inch Subway sub. Small pork chop and lots of veggies. somewhere around 400 calories usually.
NO alcohol. NO added sugars.
Ta da. Seems to be working for now (knock on wood). Your mileage may vary!!!
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(my own fault!!!)
to all who made their goals! This was a very successful month for many of you. I have hung out in the featherweights section on and off for YEARS now and many times I wouldn't see a single person really losing weight in a month-long daily weigh-in thread. You guys rocked it.