Making a "healthy" meal plan is futile

[MooseBreath]

I'm trying to lose weight. Over my 20s and after having 2 kids, I am no longer a good weight and I am trying to fix that. It is entirely because my portion control is crap and I love crisps.

I'm trying to eat healthier with weight loss in mind, without letting my children see their mother struggling with food. I also want them to know that moderation is key. We walk the dog every day for 45 minutes and have frequent dance parties and play active games throughout the day.

I thought my plan was healthy, but when I add up calories, it just works out that I won't be losing any weight at all (1722cal). No crisps, no sweets, no baked goods. But I don't know what to cut out without losing the energy to care for my boys and dog!
Breakfast: Raisin granola in a cup of milk
Lunch: Scrambled eggs, baked beans, and avocado with a slice of toast
Snack: Carrots, cucumber, and celery with hummus
Dinner: Baked gnocchi casserole with bacon

I don't see how I can make this better without starving myself. AIBU that demonstrating moderation will never work while I'm trying to lose weight?

Don’t cut back on carbs without finding out your amylase levels. You can do a cracker test to work that out. Also switching to brown is not good for gut health regardless of what everyone goes on about. There’s a reason all cultures ended up eating white as standard.

Idk I'm with you OP. That seems like a small amount. I've read that when women get older, estrogen levels drop and weight gain commences. They don't know why. But the good news is that if you eat protein it can help you maintain a healthy weight and you will get less cravings. Also, don't underestimate exercise! Last year I gained a little weight and I don't eat much. My husband and I started going running. I couldn't even breath at first lol. And don't get me wrong, I was running miles! I was going around the field as many times as I could. The weight come off surprisingly quickly.

My calculated calorie budget is 1665, but as long as I am in deficit of 2000, I should lose a small amount of weight.

It really makes me wonder how people can eat snack foods (actual tasty ones, not just fruit and plain popcorn) without sacrificing a filling meal.

I think your second modified diet plan is fine really, for a woman in her 30s. You will probably lose the weight when you go back to dancing. Agree you should not cut out carbs entirely.

I'd echo what bleakhouser said. Your snacks include hummus which usually is full of oil and is calorie dense. You need lots of steamed veg and lean protein. It's really tough to change habits, and accept that you have to change so many things about your diet. Try plain popcorn instead of crisps. Really good luck to you.

Improve the breakfast and you'll feel better all day.
Have the eggs / toast and avocado for breakfast. Skip the beans - they are quite sugary / salty. Aim to keep your blood sugar stable all day.
A mid morning snack of small handful of Brazil nuts or walnuts and a piece of fruit.
Lunch could be tin of tuna with some mayo, scooped up with some whole grain crackers. Or some chicken and salady things. Or leftovers from evening meal. Basically something with plenty of protein and veg.
Mid afternoon snack of something if you need it. Veg sticks and hummus.
Dinner - avoid the stodgy carbs. I try and stick by the idea of half the plate is veg, quarter of the plate is protein and quarter carbs.

Spice your popcorn, people

The principles I work on (when I'm concentrating) are, eat foods closer to their natural form. Favour complex carbs over more refined carbs. Bulk up on veg for added fibre. Use smaller plates/ bowls.

Nothing is off limits, but "not today" works well for things that are better consumed more sporadically.

I've always maintained a healthy build and sometimes do have to rein in more mindfully because life happens and we need to enjoy it. Annoyingly as a small, middle-aged woman, without adding in exercise my body's requirements are depressingly close to most people's idea of a calorie controlled diet, and I do like my food! Regular exercise and good muscle mass do help a lot.

Some of the comments on this thread are unhinged...

Your meal plan is fine, just pay attention portion sizes and log the calories. 1700 per day is low enough for weight loss.

Carbs are fine but stick to wholegrain- brown rice, pasta etc

As a low calorie snack I’ve been having logs of de-seeded cucumber with a little low fat cream cheese..

or small gem lettuce leaves with again, low fat cream cheese and some cooked chicken breast.

ill have them for lunch sometimes too; they’re actually really tasty (especially if you had big of chopped bacon to the cucumber)

I try to limit carbs but not eliminate them.

You will still lose weight on 1750kcal a day; any less and you’ll be hungry/restricting which will lead to binge eating. Keep moving, try to get 10k steps a day in and you’ll see the weight fall off.

Is the issue here your activity levels? And That will right itself when you're back to your dance teacher job soon right?

But there's no point getting defensive at people, you've had facts pointed out to you. Defending eating beans and avocado at the same meal isn't going to reduce the calorific content of either is it 🤷🏽‍♀️ cut carbs or don't cut carbs but accept that your choice will play a role in your weight management.

Plus OP, are you exercising.

Weight loss is pretty much calories in vs calories out. If you take away the calories you’ll burn from exercise then your meal plan is fine.

There are some weird responses on here... please don't cut out carbs all together, you won't last a week. Everything is fine in moderation.

The key to weight loss is calorie deficit. On average, in order to lose 1lb, you would need to burn 3500 calories. So if you burn an extra 500 calories a day, you would lose a 1lb a week. It's a good starting point.

So in theory, You absolutely can eat 1700 calories a day, as long as you burn 2200 in that day. (My Fitbit is my best friend for telling me the calories Iv burnt in a day) exercise is the key.

Your food diary looks good. Lunch is quite heavy, i would cut it down to one protein instead of three. And as everyone has said, gnocchi is calorie dense, so maybe swap for normal pasta and up the veg.

It's about changing your mindset, you will be hungry at first while your stomach shrinks, but keep yourself occupied and drink plenty of water. Good luck OP!

There was a study conducted in the 1940s on the effects of starvation on the body, so that people who had suffered malnutrition during the war could be rehabilitated successfully.

The participants were put on a ‘semi-starvation diet’ of 1600 cals a day.

Your diet sounds sensible, OP. If a little light in calories. Read The Fuck It Diet before you mess up your metabolism for life.

I recently lost a stone doing a few things. I generally skip breakfast to allow for a larger lunch or if I have breakfast it’s just fruit. Then lunch and dinner is normal meals just smaller portions and lots of vegetables. I also drink a lot of water during the day and try to keep my steps up.

Really?? What is that reason?

Sounds like you're doing great op.

It is tough but will be worth it and does get easier

Should have read through properly before commenting before - here's your answer: breakfast isn't key to me

Eating breakfast to 'kick-start metabolism' is a load of bollocks, can't quote a reference but I've read somewhere that the slight increase in metabolism from eating earlier does NOT have a positive benefit when you add in the extra calories that you end up eating.

So if you could fairly easily skip it, then absolutely do. Have water and black tea or coffee until lunch, enjoy a filling and balanced meal at lunch and dinner, and stop eating after dinner (ie don't graze / snack late at night).

All the best ❤️

It is a sensible food diary for someone just maintaining their weight, it is also one days food so doesnt say anything about the whole diet overall

But OP specifically asked about losing weight, so her diet will be very different to someone who is not wanting to lose weight. Portion sizes need to be smaller and the type of food might need to be different (its very individual)

Ultimately losing weight relies on a deficit and there are lots of different ways to achieve that deficit such as fasting, types of food intake, low fat, low carb etc, but ultimately it will reduce intake in some form or another.

For a lot of people things like sugary granola or high carb gnocci wouldnt be of a lot of use becuase they might cause more hunger but also they are fairly calorie dense, leaving not a lot of room or space for lower calorie and more nutrient dense foods. Hence why people are pointing that out. There are very nutrient dense foods that are also high calorie such as humous or avocado etc which one has to be careful about portion sizes or eking them out more

Thats what the other posts are about, not saying the diet is unhealthy overall

The outer parts of wheats/ rice (natural or what we call brown) are abrasive. The sharp husk parts pierce tiny holes in the gut and cause all manner of issues - both long and short term. This inflames your lining and can stop nutrient absorption. Bits of poop start flying about your body on a micro level. In the short term bloating, indigestion, discomfort etc.

People say white is a western thing but it’s not. Every culture came to the same conclusion of 100s if not 1000s of years that refined carbs are better. In China they eat white rice. In Mexico they eat refined corn products. In Italy white pasta, in U.K. white bread. Considering its a lot more effort to refine than not I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

I am learning a lot from this thread. I honestly thought granola, gnocchi, hummus, and avocado were genuinely healthy foods. They are advertised as such, and all of my health-conscious friends eat them regularly. This is why I didn't understand why my calories were adding up so quickly.

I think they are healthy but as they are high in calories not much good on a calorie counting diet.

This is just such terrible advice. If you eat things like egg white only you will be under nourished and over eat. Can't believe people want you to limit avocado too. These are the healthy foods/fats that fill you up without causing sugar crashes and over eating.

Forget calories. Go low carb and sugar - others are right though - ditch the toast and granola if possible. I would definitely eat (the whole) egg(s) for breakfast.

Remove all seed oils from your diet as far as possible (in nearly all crisps and fries and many processed foods) or only as an occasional treat. Replace with olive or coconut oil or grass fed butter. Don't be frightened of good fats, our bodies need them, they keep you full and help prevent blood sugar crashing.