Critique my food choices please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Thanks all for the constructive critique.

Starting tomorrow, no more honey in my berries.

I will work on swapping the turkey bacon (I thought preservative free was healthyish) for either cottage cheese or babybel.

I wish I liked legumes but I just don’t. I can stomach some hummus. I wish I liked grains and oatmeal but I just don’t. I have tried.

I can’t increase the protein, I have to watch how much total I get every day.

I hate meal prep so if I have to make my own salads I will be less likely to. That is why garden cup works for me. Even if it has more sodium I am still under my total recommended amount daily.

I have been at this for 3 weeks and dropped 4 pounds though I am pretty sure that is water weight. But I am going to keep at it.

Adding more movement is a good idea. I purchased a walking pad to put in my home office (I WFH every day) so that I can hop up between meetings and get in additional 15-30 minute walks.

I will keep at it!

You’re doing great, OP. Keep it up!

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you’re doing so great!! I can only imagine how hard it’s been to make these changes. Take a moment to appreciate yourself for that!

[Anonymous]

How are you not losing weight on this diet? You’re eating almost nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Thanks all for the constructive critique.

Starting tomorrow, no more honey in my berries.

I will work on swapping the turkey bacon (I thought preservative free was healthyish) for either cottage cheese or babybel.

I wish I liked legumes but I just don’t. I can stomach some hummus. I wish I liked grains and oatmeal but I just don’t. I have tried.

I can’t increase the protein, I have to watch how much total I get every day.

I hate meal prep so if I have to make my own salads I will be less likely to. That is why garden cup works for me. Even if it has more sodium I am still under my total recommended amount daily.

I have been at this for 3 weeks and dropped 4 pounds though I am pretty sure that is water weight. But I am going to keep at it.

Adding more movement is a good idea. I purchased a walking pad to put in my home office (I WFH every day) so that I can hop up between meetings and get in additional 15-30 minute walks.

I will keep at it!

That’s weight loss reality. A pound a week is normal. It’s not just going to magically fall off overnight. If you’re losing you’re in a calorie deficit and it’s working. You just need to give it time. It’s going to take a while.

[Anonymous]

You're doing great, OP! If the turkey bacon gives you joy, keep it at lunch. You are allowed some delicious things, even on a careful diet like yours.

Keep it up!

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, please don’t eat under your BMR. Look up TDEE and subtract 250-500 calories from that to lose. For example, my BMR is like 1200, but my TDEE is roughly 1700. I eat 1350 to lose and also eat back my exercise calories. It’s not good for your body to go below BMR—Google it. Very consistent message on this from experts and research. It sets you up to fail if you eat that little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost about 45 pounds in 7 months eating about twice as much as you're currently eating with a similar amount of exercise. (From 160 to 115 at 5''4). Are you not seeing any results?

Wow!! That’s amazing! Great job! (Not OP)

[Anonymous]

Breakfast: Add plain greek yogurt to your berries, lose the honey.

Dinner: make your own salad with chicken and learn to make a simple vinaigrette. Less salt than store bought even if it's the "healthy one".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost about 45 pounds in 7 months eating about twice as much as you're currently eating with a similar amount of exercise. (From 160 to 115 at 5''4). Are you not seeing any results?

well how about you share how you accomplished it and contribute some constructive advice on what OP can eat rather than gloating about your success.

[Anonymous]

This is a really clean diet. Please don't listen to the person who told you not to eat lunch.

A couple of questions --

Are you frequently hungry? I would be, but if you're not, I guess keep at it.

Do you eat fish? You could throw salmon on a salad a couple of times a week. That has good fat that fills you up and keeps your hair and nails nice.

I agree with the suggestion to switch up the walking. A couple of times a week, do HIIT or work some running into your walks. And definitely lift weights if you aren't already.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for the encouragement!

I don’t feel all that hungry honestly so I think I can stick with it.

I do want to work my way up to some more intense walking or even a little running but I also want to be careful with my joints as well. So I am taking it slowly and will ratchet up intensity as I go.

Based on experience I am pretty sure that if I eat over 1,400 calories a day I will not lose weight. I think for better or worse that is just how my body operates. Hence why I am trying to stick to around 1,200. At some point if I am in maintenance mode I can go a little higher.

Being restricted in how much protein I can have a day means I also just can’t eat a ton. The protein adds up pretty easily.

To the poster who recommended cooked veggies over raw ones, I actually really prefer raw which is why salads works so well for me (or just a plate of raw veggies).

[Anonymous]

Your BMR is the amount of calories your body burns in a comatose state. You are supposed to subtract 500 calories from your TDEE to get the amount needed for healthy weight loss. As someone else with an autoimmune condition, I've found that dropping my calories too low can cause symptom flare-ups and increase my fatigue levels. I really think you need to run this new eating plan by your specialist. Your caloric intake is crash-diet-levels low.

[Anonymous]

OP I'm wondering how much fat you're getting in your diet. It doesn't seem like enough to support healthy hormone levels.