Planning out a diet

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself. I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself. I've downloaded the nurtion
guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories. Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180
calories) for breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.
That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place . So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

Thanks.

PS If there's a proper level of fat intake for my size I'd like to
know that too so that I could better plan out my meals.

On 14 Oct 2004 12:42:39 -0700, (Michael Gaskins)
wrote:

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself. I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself. I've downloaded the nurtion

It's waaay too low. You'll be hungry & lethargic & ready to eat the
wallpaper after a while. The general idea is to cut 500 calories below
what you maintain your weight at. That will (in theory) get you a loss
of 1 lb / week. In practice, you'll actually have to go a little lower.
Adjust as needed.
Don't know what your maintenance level is? Then aim for 10 - 12x your
bodyweight in calories and adjust as needed.
Are you going to exercise too?

guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories. Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180
calories) for breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.

But you're eating like ****! Other than figuring out how to measure
food, my suggestion is to learn a little about good nutrition and how to
eat. Restaurants & frozen food aren't intended to be sustenance. That
stuff is made to taste good.
You can get more food into your calorie budget if you make better food
choices of higher nutritional value. Fast foods should be occasional,
not your main source of your diet.

That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place . So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

The physical quantity of food *IS* measured in calories.

On 14 Oct 2004 12:42:39 -0700, (Michael Gaskins)
wrote:

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself. I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself. I've downloaded the nurtion

It's waaay too low. You'll be hungry & lethargic & ready to eat the
wallpaper after a while. The general idea is to cut 500 calories below
what you maintain your weight at. That will (in theory) get you a loss
of 1 lb / week. In practice, you'll actually have to go a little lower.
Adjust as needed.
Don't know what your maintenance level is? Then aim for 10 - 12x your
bodyweight in calories and adjust as needed.
Are you going to exercise too?

guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories. Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180
calories) for breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.

But you're eating like ****! Other than figuring out how to measure
food, my suggestion is to learn a little about good nutrition and how to
eat. Restaurants & frozen food aren't intended to be sustenance. That
stuff is made to taste good.
You can get more food into your calorie budget if you make better food
choices of higher nutritional value. Fast foods should be occasional,
not your main source of your diet.

That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place . So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

The physical quantity of food *IS* measured in calories.

One time on Usenet, (Michael Gaskins) said:

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself.

Hoo boy, get ready for several disparate opinions, Michael. :-)

I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself.

Hey, that's my daily caloric goal too. But I'm about six inches
shorter than you are.

I've downloaded the nurtion
guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories.

Definitely! That's why I love calorie counting -- the freedom to
choose what will satisfy you.

Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180 calories) for
breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.
That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place .

Not really; simply substituting lean meat and salsa for the ground
beef and cheese on a taco makes a big difference in calories.

So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

Weight loss, IMO, is mostly in numbers. You could stuff yourself
with celery all day (185 11 inch stalks = 1606 kcals) or go hungry
on one cup of peanut butter (1517 kcals). You'd lose weight either
way, but a nice balance between the two would allow you to be full,
and still meet your caloric goal.

Speaking of numbers -- a pound of fat is roughly 3500 kcals. Cut
that many calories and you'll lose one pound.

PS If there's a proper level of fat intake for my size I'd like to
know that too so that I could better plan out my meals.

I highly suggest a nutrition/diet program such as fitday.com or
dietpower.com -- I use the latter and wouldn't have lost as much
as I have without it...


--
J.J. in WA * 275/232.5
Goal #2: 215 By Dec 31 '04
Goal #3: 195 by May 31 '05

One time on Usenet, (Michael Gaskins) said:

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself.

Hoo boy, get ready for several disparate opinions, Michael. :-)

I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself.

Hey, that's my daily caloric goal too. But I'm about six inches
shorter than you are.

I've downloaded the nurtion
guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories.

Definitely! That's why I love calorie counting -- the freedom to
choose what will satisfy you.

Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180 calories) for
breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.
That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place .

Not really; simply substituting lean meat and salsa for the ground
beef and cheese on a taco makes a big difference in calories.

So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

Weight loss, IMO, is mostly in numbers. You could stuff yourself
with celery all day (185 11 inch stalks = 1606 kcals) or go hungry
on one cup of peanut butter (1517 kcals). You'd lose weight either
way, but a nice balance between the two would allow you to be full,
and still meet your caloric goal.

Speaking of numbers -- a pound of fat is roughly 3500 kcals. Cut
that many calories and you'll lose one pound.

PS If there's a proper level of fat intake for my size I'd like to
know that too so that I could better plan out my meals.

I highly suggest a nutrition/diet program such as fitday.com or
dietpower.com -- I use the latter and wouldn't have lost as much
as I have without it...


--
J.J. in WA * 275/232.5
Goal #2: 215 By Dec 31 '04
Goal #3: 195 by May 31 '05

"Michael Gaskins" wrote in message
om...
Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself. I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself.

Many in the group suggest 10 x current weight as the amount of calories
needed to lose weight. You could always start there and adjust accordingly.
1600 might still be slightly low for you. No harm in starting there and
raising it if you experience the same symtoms as before.


I've downloaded the nurtion
guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories. Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180
calories) for breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.
That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place . So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

Let me guess....23, lots of restaurants and cake for breakfast. Would I be
correct in assuming you don't cook too much at homeG The cake for
breakfast reminded me of a Bill Cosby show where his wife was screaming at
him for feeding cake to the kids for breakfast. He thought it was sensible
breakfast food since it contained eggs and milk. Oh well....I'm straying
here.

Back to diets. It isn't necessary to change everything at once. You might
want to use www.fitday.com to journal your food and track your calories for
a few days. This will give you the protein/carb/fat ratio in addition to
the calories you're eating. You can start making adjustments based on these
numbers. A good starting point might be that cake for breakfast even though
it does contain eggs and milk. I like oatmeal mixed with protein powder and
ground flax seed for breakfast. You can buy the instant type (without the
added flavors) if you like it. Eggs, cereal, fruit and even some
non-traditional foods such as cottage cheese are good breakfast foods. I'm
sure others in the group will have some good breakfast suggestions as I
seldom eat anything but the oatmealg

Just keep making the adjustments until you're eating healthier foods for all
meals. Another site you might want to check out is
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html Check out the "eating" section.
It's geared toward women but full of great information for everyone.

Hope to see you posting often.

Beverly


Thanks.

PS If there's a proper level of fat intake for my size I'd like to
know that too so that I could better plan out my meals.

"Tony" wrote in message
news
On 14 Oct 2004 12:42:39 -0700, (Michael Gaskins)
wrote:

Hi. I'm coming here to see if you guys could help me plan out a diet
for myself. I'm currently 23, male, about 5'10", and 230lbs.
Naturally I'd like to lose some of this weight. Getting under 200 is
my main goal, though if possible I'd love to get down to 175 or so.
Now, I had first decided that I'd try and limit myself to 1200
calories per day. I was on this plan for nearly a week, but after
reading a bit (and waking up tired even after having plenty of sleep)
I decided that this probably isn't the best plan for me to follow.
So, after looking around, it looks like a 1600 calorie per day diet
would be more approriate for myself. I've downloaded the nurtion

It's waaay too low. You'll be hungry & lethargic & ready to eat the
wallpaper after a while. The general idea is to cut 500 calories below
what you maintain your weight at. That will (in theory) get you a loss
of 1 lb / week. In practice, you'll actually have to go a little lower.
Adjust as needed.
Don't know what your maintenance level is? Then aim for 10 - 12x your
bodyweight in calories and adjust as needed.
Are you going to exercise too?

guide for most of the restuarants I visit, and have been checking out
the labels on most foods I eat. Here's where the problem crops up: if
I work the numbers right, you can fit quite a bit of food into 1600
calories. Heck for today I ate a very small piece of cake (180
calories) for breakfast, a frozen meal (300 cal) and an 8oz can of
lite peaches (120 cal) for lunch, and for supper I had planned on
getting some of the freesco-style Tacos from Taco Bell. The chicken
and grilled steak ones are listed at 170 cals each though, so I'd have
to eat 5 or 6 of those things in order to make my daily calorie count.

But you're eating like ****! Other than figuring out how to measure
food, my suggestion is to learn a little about good nutrition and how to
eat. Restaurants & frozen food aren't intended to be sustenance. That
stuff is made to taste good.

I've found that most restaurants have enough healthy choices on their menu
to make it possible to eat out quite often. I seldom cook at home and eat
most of my meals out. A grilled chicken breast or fish with a vegetable and
salad can be found in most restaurants. Even the fast food places can
usually provide you with a salad and grilled chicken - just watch the
dressing choices.

I've often made a quick meal at home with a frozen entree such as WW or
Healthy Choice and added a fruit or salad. Frozen foods are often a little
higher in sodium than I like though. Morningstar Farms makes some good
tasting frozen veggie burgers for another quick meal when you add a
vegetable, fruit or salad.

Many people don't enjoy cooking and these types of choices are much better
than the things commonly ordered at fast food establishments. Cooking with
fresh ingredients might be the best way but it's possible to eat healthy in
restaurants and using frozen foods too. It's just a matter of learning to
make wise choices.

Beverly






You can get more food into your calorie budget if you make better food
choices of higher nutritional value. Fast foods should be occasional,
not your main source of your diet.

That seems like the kind of eating that got me here in the first
place . So my basic question is, when on a diet plan, is it ok to
just go by the numbers, or does the physical quanity of food
(regardless of calorie count) still play a part in this?

The physical quantity of food *IS* measured in calories.

"Beverly" wrote in
:


Let me guess....23, lots of restaurants and cake for breakfast. Would
I be correct in assuming you don't cook too much at homeG The cake
for breakfast reminded me of a Bill Cosby show where his wife was
screaming at him for feeding cake to the kids for breakfast. He
thought it was sensible breakfast food since it contained eggs and
milk. Oh well....I'm straying here.

Well, not really . It was my birthday Monday so I am trying to slowly
polish off what's left of the cakes. Unfortuneatly I got 3 of the darned
things from various relatives so it's taking a while. To be honest I
often skip breakfast (sometimes I'll get coffee or tea).

I really don't like sweets that much. The problem is the food that I do
like isn't healthy either. I'll often eat at my parents for dinner, and
that's home cooked food, but I'm from the southern US. Traditional
homecooked food isn't exactly healthy down here . During lunch I'll
normally eat out (I have managed to sometimes eat one of the Healthy
Choice dinners as lunch, but I usually don't end up keeping to that for
more than a week and a half or so). I never get burgers (not for a
health reason. just don't like them), but I do find myself eating a lot
of Chinese food, chicken strips, and seafood (fried shrimp/fish, etc). I
think that's what's got me so out of whack. I'll get to the restaurant
and it's always so tempting to get a size larger (afterall, it's only an
extra $1 to get the really big meal).

I don't think I'll be able to completely give up those types of foods
(nor am I sure I want to), but by going on the calorie diet and looking
at all the nutrional info ahead of time, I'll hopefully be able to plan
out a lunch excursion beforehand, that way I'll know exactly how much I
can eat and not cross the line.

As to exercise, I'll be doing some exercise, but I'm not sure how much.
Don't laugh, but what I have been doing is playing a video game (with a
mat, not a controller) called Dance Dance Revolution. It's a fun way for
me to get into it and it really is a nice work out if you do it for an
hour or so.

Mike

"Michael Gaskins" wrote in message
...
"Beverly" wrote in
:


Let me guess....23, lots of restaurants and cake for breakfast. Would
I be correct in assuming you don't cook too much at homeG The cake
for breakfast reminded me of a Bill Cosby show where his wife was
screaming at him for feeding cake to the kids for breakfast. He
thought it was sensible breakfast food since it contained eggs and
milk. Oh well....I'm straying here.

Well, not really . It was my birthday Monday so I am trying to slowly
polish off what's left of the cakes. Unfortuneatly I got 3 of the darned
things from various relatives so it's taking a while. To be honest I
often skip breakfast (sometimes I'll get coffee or tea).

Now I understand. Happy Belated Birthday! I've been known to do about the
same thing with Cherry Cordial ice cream in the past. I would buy some and
have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it was goneg I finally
switched to just buying the occasional ice cream cone at the store and not
bring it home.

I really don't like sweets that much. The problem is the food that I do
like isn't healthy either. I'll often eat at my parents for dinner, and
that's home cooked food, but I'm from the southern US. Traditional
homecooked food isn't exactly healthy down here . During lunch I'll
normally eat out (I have managed to sometimes eat one of the Healthy
Choice dinners as lunch, but I usually don't end up keeping to that for
more than a week and a half or so). I never get burgers (not for a
health reason. just don't like them), but I do find myself eating a lot
of Chinese food, chicken strips, and seafood (fried shrimp/fish, etc). I
think that's what's got me so out of whack. I'll get to the restaurant
and it's always so tempting to get a size larger (afterall, it's only an
extra $1 to get the really big meal).

My ex was from Tennessee and if the food at your parents is anything like it
was at his parents it included a lot of fried items, mashed potatoes with
gravy, creamed vegetables, yummy desserts, etc. The best thing to do here
is simply cut down on the portion size and enjoy your parents company.
Eating out really isn't too tough if you just choose wisely. I know you're
aware that fried is not the best choice. How about switching to grilled
chicken and seafood? One of the restaurants I frequent offers their meals
with 1 or 2 pieces of grilled chicken. I often order two and simply save
one for my lunch the next day. It's great cut up on top of a salad. You
might consider eating the amount of calories you've allotted for your lunch
and save the remainder of the meal for later.

I don't think I'll be able to completely give up those types of foods
(nor am I sure I want to), but by going on the calorie diet and looking
at all the nutrional info ahead of time, I'll hopefully be able to plan
out a lunch excursion beforehand, that way I'll know exactly how much I
can eat and not cross the line.


You have the right idea and attitude here. There's no reason to give up
everything you like. Do take a look at those things you don't really love
and see if you can find a lower calorie substitute. Are you a soda drinker?
If so, do you drink diet or regular?


As to exercise, I'll be doing some exercise, but I'm not sure how much.
Don't laugh, but what I have been doing is playing a video game (with a
mat, not a controller) called Dance Dance Revolution. It's a fun way for
me to get into it and it really is a nice work out if you do it for an
hour or so.

I think I've seen that game advertised. I have grandkids your age so I'm
not up-to-date on all the latest video gamesg Any type of exercise is
helpful. Are there any type of sports you really enjoy? Walking is always
a great exercise. Working with weights is great, too. I force myself to
do some weight training and walking on the treadmill but my main source of
exercise is biking. I'm always trying to encourage people to bike!

Beverly






Mike

Beverly wrote:

The cake for
breakfast reminded me of a Bill Cosby show where his wife was
screaming at him for feeding cake to the kids for breakfast. He
thought it was sensible breakfast food since it contained eggs and
milk. Oh well....I'm straying here.

And wheat! I remember that! lolol

--
On the bike . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03