"What is normal eating?" 5'1 43F 274.4>234.4=40lb lost

@ryanflc I have never heard of or thought of cheetos+salsa before lmao

And oh gosh this is so reassuring, truly. I swear the main thing I'm still struggling with is worrying I won't be able to maintain lol. Good to know that can fade over time.

Your meals sound way more filling though, maybe I'll borrow your meal plan!

And thank you for the encouragement... it helps a lot too!!
 
@joyinyah I recently moved into maintenance / weight gain would be okay mode, hitting around 1,800 - 2,200cal per day at 5’ 3”. I run 3-5 miles or cycle 90 minutes a day and do kettlebells workouts on my lower mileage days.
  • Breakfast @ 8AM: Protein waffle with PB2; coffee
  • Lunch @ 11AM: Tofu with steamed veg and crescent roll; diet soda
  • Snack @ 2PM: Apple with cinnamon dipped in soy yogurt; more coffee
  • Dinner @ 5PM: Veggie burger with steamed veg
  • Snack at 9PM: Oatmeal with berries and protein powder
 
@mb0854 Oh wow, lots of activity! Hopefully I will get there lol! I keep seeing people mentioning protein waffles, that sounds awesome! I'm going to look at some recipes!!

Thank you for the insight, I'm definitely writing these down!!
 
@joyinyah I'm in the middle of a reverse diet. Just recently pushed my calories up to 1850. In the morning I have a really large breakfast - like I feel like a hungry ass troll when I wake up. Lately its been a sausage, egg,and cheese on a bagel or bread. Other times it might be a protein shake and 2 eggs and 150g egg whites. For lunch I eat 6oz of either chicken breast or chicken thighs with 4oz rice/potatoes and 4 oz of some kind of vegetable I sautéed that week. I snack on Greek yogurt and granola or deli meat with cheese wrapped inside. For dinner I usually have a protein shake and since upping my calorie, I also do a high fiber cereal with berries. I weight lift 4x a week and get anywhere from 6-10k steps. I'm a little more lax on the weekend and have a glass of wine and chips haha
 
@joyinyah I'm a huge foodie and love cooking, but I honestly can not cook elaborate meals every single time since my calories are so high. Super simple is the way to go! And I read your comments and see that you stated you have mobility restraints. Honestly just improving your steps by 100 whenever you can js great. Consistency is key! And maybe you can try some bodyweight exercises if you can, or stretches to help with mobility. Of course listen to your body and don't go overboard, but a little bit here and there builds up and helps develop healthy habits.
 
@mattom Yeah I'm working on a few goals for mobility... I can do a few pushups now and a couple squats, and walk way more than I did before! Kinda hit a wall there, though, and none of them have gone up in awhile... half-scared I've hit my limit, but I'm still trying lol!
 
@joyinyah Congrats on your weight loss!! 40 lb in 2 months is AMAZING progress :)

I'm currently 5'1", 36, and around 115 lb. My primary goal has been to put on muscle and (maybe someday) see some abs and arm definition.

I used to diet on 1200 calories a day; I found it fairly doable...when I was motivated. When I lose motivation, it was so easy to fall off the wagon. After I started lifting weights, I increased my daily calories to 1500 and have been much happier :) I did have to drastically increase protein as well, so my meals are typically structured around a protein:

Yesterday:
  • Breakfast: Coffee with creamer
  • Lunch: Had to go into the office, so I prepped a roasted chicken thigh, carrot, potato, green bean, and hummus bowl the night before
  • Dinner: Ground beef tortilla bowls with avocado, lettuce, cheese, salsa
  • Snacks (I love snacks): Mozzarella string cheese, edamame, jerky, dried lentils, strawberries, a tea latte, rice cracker with peanut butter
Day Before:
  • Breakfast: Coffee with creamer, strawberry and protein smoothie bowl topped with blackberries, granola, banana
  • Lunch: Garlic flatbread with hummus and tomatoes tossed in olive oil, roasted salmon with an aioli sauce
  • Dinner: Chicken Caesar salad with avocado, topped with crispy fried onions
  • Snacks: Mozzarella string cheese, matcha latte, jerky, strawberries, mini kinder bueno chocolate, dried soybeans
 
@joyinyah A normal day in my normal life is about 1500 calories. That’s my TDEE, it’s the amount I eat to maintain and not gain.

On a normal day in my normal life (not on a diet, not trying to lose weight) I still log what I eat. It is a habit that becomes easy and very automatic when you’re used to it.

On a normal day I eat 3 square meals with not much snacking or eating after 9pm.

For breakfast, I eat a small container yogurt or a small thing of oatmeal, with lots of fresh fruit.

For lunch, I usually eat a 350 calorie sandwich or a 350 cal frozen meal, I like tattooed chef freezer meals a lot.

There is room in my diet for a daytime snack, especially if someone brings in something yummy at work. A few bites of a coworker’s homemade cake or a cookie or fries will be acceptable. Just a couple bites though.

Dinner is usually green veggies and a protein. Stir fry is my best friend. I eat a lot of vegetables. Broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, sweet potato. I could eat only veggies! But it is important to have protein so I like chicken thigh (which I cook in a pan on the stove with a little butter for 10 min) or salmon (cooked the same way). The veggies you can just steam. With this meal, If you aren’t adding any rice which I don’t, you don’t really have to worry about portion control and can eat as much volume as you want.

Might have some nicks ice cream or fruit for dessert. I looooveeee fruit!!!!

That’s a day for me!
 
@boldexample Hmm, I probably will still have to log everything at maintenance too, I think 🤔

Your dinner sounds really filling, and there's even room for lil snacks.

Lots of insight from your reply, thank you!! 😊

Also seeing you post reminded me I forgot to do the june points thing, sigh.
 
@joyinyah 5'0" and 120 pounds. I do IF and don't eat breakfast, so only coffee before noon.

Today I had a salad for lunch (spring mix, rainbow cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, deli chicken, and red wine vinegar) with a bowl of frozen mixed berries for dessert.

Afternoon snack, 3 rosemary Triscuits with a sliver of goat cheese.

For dinner, scrambled egg whites with yellow bell pepper and shitaki mushrooms, with a dash of seasoned salt mix. To drink, home-brewed green unsweet sun tea.

I definitely have days where I feel like eating the drywall, but also have days where I'm not that invested and I'm just eating for nourishment. It balances out.
 
@joyinyah Hello! Hooray for -40!

First, have you or are you in there or for trauma? It sounds like you are and are ready to get healthy….

I know there’s mixed opinions, but have you considered weight watchers? One thing it does, is teach people how to eat in their regular life…you sound like someone who could benefit from the program…

I actually lost 30ish on it when I was 17 and have stuck with it and all it’s evolutions since … and I’m 41! So yeah, nearly 25 years! At this point, I loosely follow the points, but have internalized the concept - which is really, make good choices 85-90% of time, watch your portions & don’t restrict/cut out anything.

That said, I focus now on getting 110-20 grams of protein a day. I lift weights most days and run 1-3x a week.

Here’s my menu :

Breakfast- lifts days , syntha 6 protein shake. Non lift days, egg and a banana

Lunch- tuna or egg salad (light mayo), some type of chips portioned out, a big bowl of grapes, a piece of cheese.

Snack- good black licorice & some fruit

Dinner- I cook for a family of 5 so it varies! Tonight was boneless skinless (trimmed) chicken thigh seasoned w taco seasoning, beans/corn, dollop of light sour cream, sprinkle of low fat cheese, avocado on 2 low carb wraps & a side salad.

Snack before bed - ff Greek yogurt & strawberries, 1/2 protein bar (quest), 5 crackers & a boiled egg

I eat bw 1800-2000 calories a day most days.

I eat a dessert I love and a drink or 2 on fri night and whatever I want sat night (usually some cocktails, and whatever I want if we go out or order takeout).

I love dessert & have no interest in fried stuff. I’m not a picky eater and love seafood ….

On weekends I try and double up my workout and prob eat closer to 2500 calories 1-2 days a week.

If I want to lose, I have to be stricter on the weekends. Overall, I stay the same.

I’m a petite 5’1” 117-119…I wear a 0-2/xs or xxsbut wear a DD…

I’m active overall w 3 kids & an active job (tho I’m off for the summer…)

This was long, but what I’ve learned is … eat as much as you can and the way you want to live. You’ll lose slower, but it’ll stay off.

Hope this helps! You’ve gotten a lot of good tips!
 
@ocean_soul Yes, I'm working on the therapy side of things! Thank you for caring enough to make sure ❤

I did weight watchers once, many years ago... I'm too good at manipulating myself lol... "oh, eggs are 0 points? 13 egg omelet for breakfast!" Which would be great if I wasn't eating 5 meals like that per day, lol.

Your meals sound really good though! I can definitely see eating similarly to that long term!

Lots of good insights, which is more helpful than y'all know!

Thank you very much! ❤
 
@joyinyah I’m trying to lose weight and this is what I eat:

Breakfast: high protein Greek yogurt + 1 cup fruit + 1 tbls caramel peanut butter

Lunch: salad (greens, roasted veg (cauliflower +carrots right now, I do a bunch on Sunday’s for the whole week) + half a cup of cottage cheese for protein and apple cider vinegar. Sounds bleh but I like it and it is healthy.

Afternoon snack: 1 scoop protein powder with almond milk

Dinner: not to fussy, I try to keep it to around 40g of protein. This week I had a calzone one day, a grain, veg, feta and chickpea bowl with pesto another day, tomorrow I’ll make some tacos

Edit: I should note that I try to put a lot of emphasis on eating tens of fibre and protein because I find that’s what keeps me feeling full and refraining from snacking. I aim for at least 100g of protein a day but fall short most days because it’s really hard.

Also, huge congrats on the progress so far! That’s awesome!!
 
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