How much of sweet stuff is ok?

[Sprining]

I need to loose a couple of kgs and then maintain. I’m 5.4 with a small frame, so feel the extra kgs.

Today I’ve had
Breakfast:
Lots of black coffee
A slice of brioche
Half a delicious chocolate/almond croissant
Full fat yogurt with strawberries and banana
Handful of raw almonds

Late lunch
3 egg omelette with cheese and tomato
Homemade strawberry and tomato salsa
Homemade air fryer fries
Steamed carrots, peas and beans
Spinach
Coffee and a custard tart.
A very small piece of dark chocolate

That’s it. I won’t have dinner as I usually don’t.

Exercise - a one hour walk, probably 7,500 steps.

That’s too many calories I guess...? I usually do t have that much sugar but these days I am craving sweeties, maybe Covid stress?

You could swap the brioche for half a seeded bagel and avocado. Have a sprinkle of cacao powder on the yoghurt (it's sugar free) Have fruit instead of the custard tart.

I'd allow a treat personally once or twice a week and plan it. You might not fancy it every time but you won't beat yourself up over it either.

It's all calories in and calories out, but tbh. It sounds like you're eating multiple desserts with every meal. Are you addicted to sugar?

Your question about 16:8 - I'd assume you'll already be doing 16:8 unless your late lunch is very very late or breakfast very early.

Your meals sound high carb low protein and veg, so shift to these groups for treats and you'll lose weight if all else is equal.

5'4 here. And around 10 stone.

B: coffee with cream

L: smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and spinach wilted in butter

D: home made chicken Kiev with salad and avocado. Olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing. Raspberries and blueberries in double cream.

I don't eat to a calories deficit - eat around 1550. Keep carbs below 50g a day. I've lost 2 stone. No exercise.

I don't eat any sweet stuff at all - apart from the berries.

Thanks for all the thoughts! 😊

To pp
I tend to eat at 10 am and 5 pm, so it does translate into 16:8, and maybe because of that I eat too much carbs and sugar in the morning for instant energy?
Yes, I think I am getting addicted to sugar, and prior to Covid lockdowns, I rarely ate sweets. I naturally prefer savoury stuff.
But a wonderful local bakery, working from home, DH having a sweet tooth have been my downfall 😃
I love vegetables, but this time of the year is lean. For example I caved in an bought green beans. But they are from Kenya! The carrots, spinach and potatoes are local. Peas are frozen. And I can get nice asparagus as well.

I love salads and usually have a big salad for dinner, but then I gobble the carbs in the morning.

When I look at MFP, I met my protein needs in the day, but had too much fat and carb. As many of you mentioned!

So new routine , starting today -
9 am Black coffee in the morning with a slice of sweet brioche (I know!)
Breakfast a bit later (10 am)
Two small and thin wheat free toasts (almost the size of crackers) with marmite and cheese with two boiled eggs. Lots of coffee
And I’ll made a date and nut small roll (like two date with nuts rolled in unsweetened cocoa)

Mid day -
Plain full fat sheep’s milk yogurt. With half a banana and some nuts.
An orange and cod liver oil

Dinner at 5 pm
Sautéed carrots and green beans
Salad with lots of leafy greens and apples and nuts. With a apple cider, maple syrup and olive oil dressing
Soft sheep’s cheese.
Maybe a soup too.
Followed by a coffee and date roll

And I do have a HIIT 30 minute work out around mid day. So some calorie burn there.

Is that still too much sugar and carb?

You can have sugar and carb if you want and lose weight. It's calorie deficit or not. You'll know if you're in a calorie deficit because you'll be losing weight.
James Smith talks sense or look up team rh on Facebook.
The only reason low carb and 16.8 work is because they limit how many calories you eat without you having to count them, for people who'd rather fast and cut whole food groups than count calories. The end result is the same, calorie deficit or not.
7500 steps is very low - if you can increase your activity level, ideally to 15000 steps a day, you'll really increase your calorie burn. It needs to be sustainable so don't start doing workouts you hate, try different things to get something you enjoy and can keep up.
MFP sets your calories really low and it'd be hard to get your micronutrients on it. I'm 5'6, 135lb and lose weight on 1800 calories. If I tried to eat 1250 calories I'd be mad with hunger by dinner time probably.

Count your cals over 7 days. So long as the total is under/at the weekly calorie allowance you will lose.

So you can have the almond croissant once a week as long as its balanced against all you other meals.

I remember last year I did the same walk twice a day and I was slim. So from next week, I try to do a walk in the morning along with one in the evening. I get stressed about not starting work right away, but I am not expected to start before. 8.30, so there is time for a walk. Need to adjust my thinking, I think 😊
I’ve cut down HIIT to twice a week as I felt I wasn’t getting enough done during the working day.

It was half an almond croissant @BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

😃

250 cals nevertheless 😵

I do think 1250 cals is about right for my age. I’m 50 and peri - and small boned.

I’d love to be able to eat like I used to when I was younger

@willithappen

Please don't do 1200 calories. Your body needs far more than that. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose. Talk to a trained professional and have them work out your macros for you. Put it into my fitness pal and work it that way.

I'm 5'5, 145lbs, desk job but play rugby so was training twice a week and I was put on 1700 calories and that's the lowest my trainer would have me on.

Those sound like maintenance calories though? The OP wants to lose weight.

I do three session of strength/weight training per week and try to get out for walks as much as possible.

Breakfast - I have fat free Skyr with berries and protein powder. I have an almond milk latte too.

Lunch - chicken or smoked salmon with some brown rice and salad or veg

Dinner - chicken or fish with sweet potato/potato/rice and lots of veg.

If I have calories left I have more Skyr or I might have a protein bar.

@MotherOfGodWeeFella nope - in general 2000 is the maintenance calories for a female. However as I mentioned it's different for everyone which is why you really need to get someone to work them out properly for you.
1200 isn't enough.

I think 1800 sounds a bit high...1400 is moire likely to maintain.

But type of calorie and when they are consumed may matter?

I try to eat grains only in the morning and sweets mostly before noon.

And a nice break from 5/6 in the evening to 9 am.

I think the sweets came to 600+ calories yesterday. The trouble is that even if I restrict it to once a week, there will be another day I have wine. And another day I have a takeaway...

Being a vegetarian means that most protein sources are also calorie heavy and often carb-y too, eg lentils. So not sure how to do a high protein fast day to make up for the extras during the week.

[quote willithappen]@MotherOfGodWeeFella nope - in general 2000 is the maintenance calories for a female. However as I mentioned it's different for everyone which is why you really need to get someone to work them out properly for you.
1200 isn't enough. [/quote]
Actually nope: 2000 is the average stated for adult females in the UK. Lots of people will need more, lots of people will need less. It's actually fairly meaningless as anyone consuming fewer than 2000 calories a day on average and not losing any weight will know.

Your 1700 is based on your height, weight and physique as you probably have good muscle tone with the rugby training. I say that because mine are the same as yours.

If I ate 2000 calories a day I would put on weight, fat basically. To lose weight I need to eat fewer than 1700 calories a day.

@MotherOfGodWeeFella did you read my post properly? I said it's different for everyone. 'In general' = average.

1200 is not going to cut it and I'll stand by that.

Also 1700 is for me losing weight actually, which worked and even when I was silly and trying to hit that 1200 one I lost more with working to my trainers macros than trying to do 1200

Yes I did read your post properly In general doesn't mean on average. It means as a general rule, ordinarily or in most cases.

It's been shown that you can safely lose weight and body fat on 800 calories a day. It's not designed to be done for life, but it works. Now if you aren't overweight or obese then there's no need to cut calories that far and indeed it would be unsustainable.

You mention macros which is interesting because if the OP replaces her sweet treat foods with high protein foods she's far less likely to feel hungry and crave sweet foods.

I can't remember the source, but I read somewhere that about 20% of your calorie intake can be less than wholesome (ie sugar/crisps/insert less than healthy treat of choice, and if the 80% comes from good/healthy calories, your diet is ok.

I'm not a diet expert OP but I think the question is always "Is it worth the calories?" For you - like me - sounds like the answer is often yes.

What I've tried to cut out is the sort of sugary crap that I don't even really feel or enjoy e.g. jammy toast for breakfast, fizzy drinks, handful of biscuits, stuffing in chocolate after dinner. Instead I tend to have toast and marmite/peanut butter, water, sliced up carrot or a rice cake etc. So I still enjoy sweet things but it'd be more like the a smaller amount of chocolate after dinner (e.g. a triangle of toblerone) or a small bit of cake/scone in the afternoon that I'll really enjoy and make the most of, if that makes sense?

Oh another thing of "empty calories" in your day would probably be the cheese in your omelette. A three egg omelette is loads of protein anyway (I'm veggie too) - you could do tomato and onion or some fresh herbs or some kind of tasty low cal sauce (e.g. hot sauce)

I like the thinking about are the calories worth it?

The almond croissant ones definitely were, it was utterly delicious fully of almond-chocolate goodness. The custard tart? Less so!

Dh mad the omelette and added a bit of fresh crumbled gaits cheese. I normally don’t, for the reason you mentioned, I’d rather enjoy cheese on its own.

I think the sudden dip in calorie requirements after 50 have been quite a surprise and I’m adjusting to that

What about swapping for sweet treats which are fewer calories. For example a kit kat is i think 99 calories, a fibre one Brownie about the same, a low fat yogurt rather than full fat.

Everyone is different but I know for me cutting down on carbs and eating more protein helps me lose weight more easily. As others have said, some carbs like the croissant are very high calorie for what they are - you don't really feel full after eating a croissant... compared to having an omelette or Greek yoghurt & berries for breakfast, for example.

At the end of the day it's best to find a way of eating you can stick to long term, though. Going very low calorie or low carb for a short time isn't helpful if you then go back to your old eating habits after a month or two. I know carbs are my weakness too so much sympathy! Intermittent fasting works quite well for me as it means I can eat some treats in moderation on the non-fast days.