Does eating extremely light meals help lose weight?

[Foxhound3857]

I really urge you to check out www.sparkpeople.com. It will suggest meals for you that give you the nutrients and such you need and help you manage your calories to succeed in losing weight. When I started tracking my food intake I was shocked to see I took in very little protein..far less than I needed (proteins by the way help fuel your body and leaving you feeling full longer) and how high my carb intake was. It went a long way towards helping me make better food choices.

Will do. And I can safely say that protein is not an issue for me. I have a significant helping of meat (USUALLY lean meat, I trim the fat off my chicken and steaks) with every dinner. And I've got a lot of fish for the week.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Oh, also, I'm kinda hesitant to try PB&J sandwiches for lunch because of the high fat content in peanut butter. So I wanted to ask, should I stay away from that too?

 

[scrapquitler]

So if I replace my normal lunch with a bowl of spinach and tomato, my body will still think I'm skipping a meal?

My dinner is always at least 400-500 calories, and I drink roughly 300 calories a day in vitamin water.

That's not enough calories. You also need to have some fat in your diet (approx 30% of your calories) and protien. What you are doing now is NOT healthy in any way.

 

[Foxhound3857]

That's not enough calories. You also need to have some fat in your diet (approx 30% of your calories) and protien. What you are doing now is NOT healthy in any way.

I got that much from all the other posts, thanks. I'm gonna work to correct that.

I'm dead set on losing this weight and not compromising my health by doing so. I'm gonna post once a week with my progress. Tomorrow is day 7 for me.

 

[Coconut36]

Will do. And I can safely say that protein is not an issue for me. I have a significant helping of meat (USUALLY lean meat, I trim the fat off my chicken and steaks) with every dinner. And I've got a lot of fish for the week.

I generally have a lean meat with dinner too..it wasn't remotely close to meeting the suggested serving amount each day.

 

[charming23]

I would first cut that 300 calories worth of vitamin water out. It is empty carbs. I would then eat 5-6 small protein packed meals a day and find time to exercise at least 4-5 times for 30 minutes a week.

That is what I have been doing since November of last year and I have lost 52.3 pounds as of yesterday. 32+ pounds is difficult to do in 12 weeks without compromising your health.

I am 26, BTW

 

[thomas998]

Oh, also, I'm kinda hesitant to try PB&J sandwiches for lunch because of the high fat content in peanut butter. So I wanted to ask, should I stay away from that too?

Trouble with PB&J is that most people don't get good peanut butter, good peanut butter isn't that bad for you it is the stuff like regular Peter Pan that uses lots of sugar, palm oil and other nasty stuff that you don't want. You would need a sugar free whole grain bread and no jelly...

If you find you must have a snack between meals and aren't willing to eat things like carrots, try some thing like a piece of beef jerky, you can look on the package to see the number of calories which will help you track them, I think they usually only have about 80 per package.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I generally have a lean meat with dinner too..it wasn't remotely close to meeting the suggested serving amount each day.

I'm gonna do the research and figure out exactly how much protein I need in a day.

Expect another thread next week with an update on my weight loss progress.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Start here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm -- this tool helps calculate the amount of calories you need each day (and, this will change as you lose weight). You can also figure out the percentages of nutrients you *should* be getting.

As has been stated many times; a calorie is a calorie from a "simply losing weight" point of view and your body won't care if it comes from "vitamin water" or a hard-boiled egg. However, eating protein/fiber or complex carbs (or *natural* fat i.e meats, not processed), you'll feel full longer and be less tempted to snack on junk food.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Start here: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm -- this tool helps calculate the amount of calories you need each day (and, this will change as you lose weight). You can also figure out the percentages of nutrients you *should* be getting.

As has been stated many times; a calorie is a calorie from a "simply losing weight" point of view and your body won't care if it comes from "vitamin water" or a hard-boiled egg. However, eating protein/fiber or complex carbs (or *natural* fat i.e meats, not processed), you'll feel full longer and be less tempted to snack on junk food.

Thanks! I'll check it out now.

Thanks to everyone else as well. Even if I wasn't the easiest guy to put up with. I really do appreciate the insight and will use it the best way I can.

 

[RadioNate]

Oh, also, I'm kinda hesitant to try PB&J sandwiches for lunch because of the high fat content in peanut butter. So I wanted to ask, should I stay away from that too?

high fat, high calories, high sugar...I just looked it up in a simple calorie counting app. On wheat bread you are looking at 400+ calories for that sandwich alone. 18g of fat, 57g of carbs, 30g of sugar, 13g of protein.

You can eat almost 14oz of grilled chicken breast for the same amount of calories w/no sugar, 14g of fat, no carbs and 77g of protein. That is nearly a pound of chicken.

 

[Foxhound3857]

high fat, high calories, high sugar...I just looked it up in a simple calorie counting app. On wheat bread you are looking at 400+ calories for that sandwich alone. 18g of fat, 57g of carbs, 30g of sugar, 13g of protein.

You can eat almost 14oz of grilled chicken breast for the same amount of calories w/no sugar, 14g of fat, no carbs and 77g of protein. That is nearly a pound of chicken.

I'll avoid it then. Thankfully I've got lots of lean lunchmeats in my fridge right now.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There is a minimum number of calories a day that the body needs just to function. (not to be confused with maintaining weight)

Just a plug for what I do--but I would recommend South beach. I don't count anything and I hate measuring, so it is perfect. Phase I is a beast, but phase II is working beautifully. Weight loss varies--but I have been on it for about 7.5 weeks and have lost ~15-20 pounds. (my start weight was fluctuating by about +/- 5 pounds, so I don't have an exact starting weight. But I do know that 20 pounds more than what I weigh now made regular occurrences on my scale.)

I just really do not like counting calories and I know that sugar is my weakness. I cannot mentally nor physically grasp the concept of moderation--so for now it is out.

But I did go to a wedding last weekend where I made sure I ate what was healthy, but I did enjoy my fruity drinks from the open bar as well as a piece of wedding cake. I even had potatoes. But that is okay--I think that is the concept of moderation. I didn't gain anything and 1 week later I have lost a pound.

One thing that helps me is that veggies, I do not limit myself--and my proteins and fats, I do watch the portions to some degree. But once you fill up on veggies aka rabbit food--it becomes a lot easier to deal with portion control on other things. You truly won't be hungry for lots of it.

I assure you I am getting plenty of calories. But I have not a clue of what they are. Since I really don't like counting them.

Just my$.02.

Good luck!

 

[Foxhound3857]

Thanks Lisa! That's one good thing about the raw spinach I'm eating. Double the fiber of most vegetables, so it doesn't leave me feeling empty.

 

[RadioNate]

I'll avoid it then. Thankfully I've got lots of lean lunchmeats in my fridge right now.

It isn't really about avoiding, it is about making choices. I eat peanut butter toast all the time but when in full on weight loss mode do I want to waste 400 calories on one little sandwich or do I want to eat a lot of chicken. Somedays it might be the sandwich and then I do an extra workout or chose a different meal at another time.

It isn't always such a simple example but something like Eat This Not That might be helpful for you.

It is about being conscience of what you are eating so you can feel full, enjoy your meals AND lose weight.

 

[Foxhound3857]

It isn't really about avoiding, it is about making choices. I eat peanut butter toast all the time but when in full on weight loss mode do I want to waste 400 calories on one little sandwich or do I want to eat a lot of chicken. Somedays it might be the sandwich and then I do an extra workout or chose a different meal at another time.

It isn't always such a simple example but something like Eat This Not That might be helpful for you.

It is about being conscience of what you are eating so you can feel full, enjoy your meals AND lose weight.

If it matters right now, I'm eating a portion of chile-marinated beef over a bed of spinach, with a piece of garlic bread.

 

[kwelch10377]

While you need to pay attention to what you are putting in your body, it really isn't that difficult. A friend of mine is a professional athlete and gave me a lot of great advice when I needed to try and lose weight. One that he told me that really helped was to basically eat the same things (healthy things). I ate 5-6 smaller meals a day and had a list of foods that for the most part stuck to. Here is what I pretty much eat:

All veggies and fruit
lean chicken
fish
quinoa
quinoa or barilla plus pasta
brown rice
nuts
olive oil
eggs
some cheeses (string cheese is a great snack)
spices
orange juice
oatmeal
acai juice
whole wheat bread, english muffins or crackers
chicken stock
peanut butter
popcorn (air popped at home)


It doesn't seem like a lot, but I never really felt like I was eating the same things over and over, even though I pretty much was. I do treat myself to ice cream once or twice a week and I usually eat out once a week, but I watch what I order and don't go overboard. By eating the same things your body gets use to processing these foods and knows how to metabolise them. Eating balanced meals is also key, you always want a veggie and a protein.

 

[Foxhound3857]

While you need to pay attention to what you are putting in your body, it really isn't that difficult. A friend of mine is a professional athlete and gave me a lot of great advice when I needed to try and lose weight. One that he told me that really helped was to basically eat the same things (healthy things). I ate 5-6 smaller meals a day and had a list of foods that for the most part stuck to. Here is what I pretty much eat:

All veggies and fruit
lean chicken
fish
quinoa
quinoa or barilla plus pasta
brown rice
nuts
olive oil
eggs
some cheeses (string cheese is a great snack)
spices
orange juice
oatmeal
acai juice
whole wheat bread, english muffins or crackers
chicken stock
peanut butter
popcorn (air popped at home)


It doesn't seem like a lot, but I never really felt like I was eating the same things over and over, even though I pretty much was. I do treat myself to ice cream once or twice a week and I usually eat out once a week, but I watch what I order and don't go overboard. By eating the same things your body gets use to processing these foods and knows how to metabolise them. Eating balanced meals is also key, you always want a veggie and a protein.

Orange juice and cheeses (except american cheese) are big ones for me. I'll give some of those others you recommended a try. Acai juice in particular sounds good. Thanks!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thanks Lisa! That's one good thing about the raw spinach I'm eating. Double the fiber of most vegetables, so it doesn't leave me feeling empty.

Your welcome--

I had read somewhere (south beach forum maybe?) that you should strive for 2 cups of vegetables at lunch and again at dinner.

My favorite is actually peas, followed by broccoli and cauliflower.

Also--consider beans...sometimes, I will just have a can of cannelini or black beans as a meal. But don't do things like baked beans that have sugar and other things added.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Your welcome--

I had read somewhere (south beach forum maybe?) that you should strive for 2 cups of vegetables at lunch and again at dinner.

My favorite is actually peas, followed by broccoli and cauliflower.

Also--consider beans...sometimes, I will just have a can of cannelini or black beans as a meal. But don't do things like baked beans that have sugar and other things added.

I just came off the refried beans. But I do like ranch beans.