I think your diet sounds very healthy, but for me, I couldn't lose weight on 1800 calories.

If you like carbs, that's great :) So is having the occasional treat. If we didn't, we'd all break and we'd find ourselves on the floor in the kitchen at 4am with a sleeve of oreos in our mouth..just me, huh?

I would actually learn to cook with less oil and butter. Chicken broth or vegetable broth can actually knock your meal plan down into the 1600 calorie range if that would be something you were interested in :)

owlsteazombies, almost every month, I make a batch of very gelatinous chicken stock. I often cook my grains in it. I have never tried sauteing with it. I probably couldn't make egg fried rice with it and certain other things, but I think it may work for softening onions and garlic and such things. Is that the kind of thing you are talking about?

Originally Posted by AprilRT:
owlsteazombies, almost every month, I make a batch of very gelatinous chicken stock. I often cook my grains in it. I have never tried sauteing with it. I probably couldn't make egg fried rice with it and certain other things, but I think it may work for softening onions and garlic and such things. Is that the kind of thing you are talking about?

Not really..stock is different than broth, but if you have a good nonstick pan, you don't even need butter or oil to fry an egg.

And yea, it would work for onions, garlic, all sorts of veggies to soften them..but then I eat vegetables just shy of raw.

Originally Posted by owlsteazombies:
Not really..stock is different than broth, but if you have a good nonstick pan, you don't even need butter or oil to fry an egg.

And yea, it would work for onions, garlic, all sorts of veggies to soften them..but then I eat vegetables just shy of raw.

As a serious home cook I've heard this before but I don't buy into it. Stock or broth is pretty much the same and has always been used interchangeably.

I think that carbs are a "hot button issue" on the forum because they are a hot button issue in our lives. I have to be very careful with carbs because the more I have the more I want and then that leads to bingeing. I don't feel good if I have no carbs at all, but eating the OP's diet would send me into a tailspin and I'd hit 200lbs again on the quick. I'm only pointing it out because I've been there, I've lived in carb land and I know what can happen to me and to many in carb land.

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
As a serious home cook I've heard this before but I don't buy into it. Stock or broth is pretty much the same and has always been used interchangeably..

I don't wanna deviate too much from the topic of this thread, but there actually is a small but important difference between stock and broth. Stock is usually just used as a base; you don't really eat it as is as it has no seasonings and tastes bland. You use it to make soups and stews. Broth on the other hand does have seasonings; i.e., salt, and can be eaten alone. I use vegetable stock all the time as I don't eat red meat or poultry and I can clearly taste the difference between stock and broth if I take a sip straight from the box. It's important to know the difference if you're on a limited diet, such as low sodium. Using stock or broth can really stretch out your meals, make them more filling, and let you be more creative with what you make. I've been on a soup making streak since the end of November. Every Saturday I buy a bunch of vegetables and make either a stew or chowder with them, divide them out into lunch sized containers, and take them to work throughout the week. It's really filling but also low calorie. And this is the perfect weather for soup!

Stock/broth either way. Same thing but different? The gelatinous wording is what concerned me..

Carbs might work for the OP, but I started out eating special k every morning and having tons of rice, couscous and quinoa..and all that made me was hungry. Stupid hungry. A few times it almost sent me into a binging spiral.

But having said that, this is her plan and what motivates her. So I'll be here to support, disagree or not :)

The difference between stock and broth is a matter of debate with various "experts" all having thier own opinion. I actually have a cooking blog and wrote an artice about this topic a long time ago. It is one of my post popular articles haha.

Typically, at the most fundamental level, broth is though of as what you get by simmering meat in water, without or without spices, seasonings, and/or veggies to make meat flavoured liquid, ie, broth. When this is chilled it remains liquid

Stock is made mainly of bones and connective tissues and is typically simmers far longer than basic broth, but there is no law, though some would argue that. When it is chilled, it become gelatinous like jello.

Either product can be used to make a soup or can be flavoured to be drunk on its own. In either of these cases I would happily call either one, "broth".

The gelatinous nature of well made stock is very desirable, good for your digestive tract and may be good for your joints, though this is not yet proven. I also like the mouth feel of stock more than simple broth. More rich. It also have far more protien.

Anyway, the suggestion to try to use less fat is good. I currently don't use too much, I do not think, but I definitely use some. I account for all of the fat in my calorie estimations and fats are good for you in small quantities, so I am not too concerned about it. But it is a good suggestion to consider adding flavour with broth in lieu of fats once in a while. I can see how it can be a useful occasional skill.

While I agree with the carb and calorie discussion here; especially as it applies to me...the real question here is the OPs plan and how this higher carb, fairly high calories plan will effect her. My main question is wondering how this plan is different than the way of eating that got the plan's designer to 300lbs in the first place.

The main thing I'm thinking is that this poster sounds like a real foodie at heart. It can be hard for someone who really enjoys cooking and food. Preparing provides opportunities for lots of bites, licks, tastes that don't always get included in the calorie tracker. Homemade food is harder to accurately track, too. Does the pot of soup really have 12 servings? Did you include every ingredient, spice, etc when calculating calories?Did you really only eat one serving? Are you tempted by the by leftovers?

What is the calories difference between a basic broth and one that is gelatinous? Because it sounds like some could be more fatty and calories dense than others. AND one I'm especially curious about is whether the 1/2 c of rice is dry or cooked because that makes a big difference. Rice is definitely a trigger food for me...makes me want to eat and eat and then eat again an hour later.

mariposssa,

The differences between this plan and my old way of eating:

Regularity in eating and sleeping patterns is one big thing. I would go up to 24 hours at times without eating, or only eat once or twice on some days with hours and hours between eating. Other times, I would cook whatever I felt like cooking (or whatever I had available, like when I had to eat whatever junk I got at the food bank), be it healthy or not, and eat till I felt satisfied, without being very mindful of my portions. While the food in my plan are common foods that I typically eat, I would eat bad stuff FAAAAR more often than the once or twice a month that I plan on doing now. I'd say I ate bad stuff about half the time for the last year since we have had money again, and before that, for almost three years, I basically had to live on peanut butter, mac and cheese, canned soups, and half rotten vegetables that we got from the food bank. That was the time that I really gained my weight.

In fact, I was up to 309 pounds two months ago, and have eaten close to this diet, but with quite a few naughties in there. Far more than I aim for. I think we had pizza twice, Tim Hortons sandwiches with a cold coffee drink a couple times, a burger and fries from 5 guys, and a few desserts here and there, PLUS I was not eating or sleeping regularly, and I still managed to lose 10 pounds by eating meals like the ones in my plan about 70% of the time. I was also eating only two times a day typically and sometimes three.

A cup of homemade chicken stock has approximately 20 calories. My batches come out to be around 2 to 3 cups worth each month. So I see that as negligible.

I am also measuring everything fairly precisely now. I scoop my food into my bowl or my plate with measuring cups. All measurements that I have estimated are foods in their cooked state.

Licking and tasting is something that I should keep tabs on though. That is a very good thought. I will be veeery careful!

One thing that I can say, to my credit, is that I do have very strong will power. When I put my mind to it I am very good at sticking with an eating plan. I have in the past and know that I can again. If dinner is to be one half cup of rice and beans then that is what it is. Also, luckily for me, I do not have any negative reaction to the carbs so far. the first day I felt hungry, but then I realized that I stupidly did not drink a lot of water that day lol. I felt the same way the next morning after breakfast but then remember that I have to DRINK! lol since I have been staying hydrated I feel absolutely no hunger, no cravings, though I do look forward to fun food days, that I know are coming, because they are allowed to come! w00t! I am making chocolate eggnog tomorrow lmao! Aren't I a great dieter?

I have a question, and I want you to think on it. Your plan is ok and will probably work, for right now.

As you lose your 5lbs per month, your caloric needs are going to change. What's your longterm plan? Are you going to add exercise to balance out these carbs and treats?

I was in the same boat last summer and I started out with changing little things, and then I had to cut my calories and what I was eating, it just wasn't working anymore.

I'm just interested in the plan in 6 months time when your weight drops and your BMR drops under the (I guessed) 2152 it is now.

if eating this way is a healthier and more sustainable option than what you have been eating, I say try it... however...
1875 calorie wise might not have you losing weight like you'd expect, if you don't want to count calories then see how your weight goes for a few weeks without, if the scale's not moving in the right direction, maybe consider counting calories or reducing portions.

I thought I could eat the same thing over and over again when I started, then I got really bored, I would suggest coming up with about 5-6 different options for each meal, different ways to season/cook the protein, different vegetables, etc.

owlsteazombies,
Great questions and I have definitely thought about those things.

I hope that after I lose a bit of weight my joints will be able to handle more activity. I hope to, sometime in the next 3 months I HOOOPE! get into physical therapy to help that along, but until then I do what I can as far as exercise, which is lots of Pilates style floor movements, though I am definitely limited to how much I can do with them, and I have a small elliptical machine that is just the feet parts and it is about a foot wide and a foot and a half long, under my desk and I use it while seated in my desk chair. For now, I am doing 30 minutes on it every other day and it is enough to get my heart rate up and get a tiny sweat in. I am adding more time little by little VEEEERY slowly. I hope to, by perhaps the middle of next year be able to afford a gym membership too. There is a killer nice one nearby me that has a woman's only heated salt water pool. I drool when I think about it. I absolutely love working out, really. I used to go to the gym every other day back when I was fit, and always felt SO good!

When my caloric changes come, I have plenty of room in my diet to adjust things. Many serving sizes can be cut in half. Maybe I can utilize your idea to modify some of my common recipes by making chicken broth a more prominent ingredient than the fats and oils that I tend to use. Some of my regular meals and snacks are a bit more calorific than others. I could make sure that I eat the less calorie filled ones more often than before. I will obviously change my base diet from time to time as well and whole new recipes will surely emerge, but the goal will always be for good proteins, good micro-nutrients, veggies, healthy fats, and deliciousness. I can just always make sure that I am eating what my body needs. And of course have occasional cookies.

This is basically the way I am thinking about things for now. I am not an expert on nutrition but I do know my share. I am sure that I will have questions as I go, and I love all of the advice from everyone. I am not completely sure that this diet is right for me. I feels right for now. It is fairly easy to keep up with the shopping and cooking for this plan, it is affordable, and it is adjustable. But I am not married to it. I want to at least start with this, and make changes as I go. If big changes are needed, I would even like to try to do them somewhat slowly. I need to develop a rhythm to my life again. I have been out of wack for far too long.

Its a great place to start :)

And as my needs changed, I discovered skinnytaste.com and it's been a complete lifesaver. I can make all sorts of great things (husband approved) that are healthy and within my plan :)

Starting off slow, I totally get that. When I first started, I could barely walk around the house without getting winded.

I'm glad to hear this is well thought out and you sound like you want your body to be in the place your heart and mind are.

Let us know how it goes. If I could give one piece of advice, try not to think of food as "good" or "bad." Food is never the enemy. Eating something "bad" makes you feel "bad" and you battle too much with negativity to ever feel good. Just make good choices as much as you can and don't beat yourself if you fall off plan.