Can changing my eating habits to this diet help me see a change of weight?

K

Kyleschmidt

New member
I'm 16, 5'11, and weigh 156 pounds. At the beginning of the year, I weighed about 152ish. I want to lose a few pounds before summer and start progressively jogging more each week.

Here's what I eat every day at school.
Morning:
1 pack (two pastries) of Grape poptarts
1 Propel

Lunch:
3 Chicken strips
about 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes
1 roll
1 liter of water

Dinner just depends on where I'm eating and whether or not I'm eating at home or eating out.

------

Here's what I would like to change my diet to:

Breakfast:
1 banana
2 cups of milk
1 Propel

Lunch:
Salad w/ ranch dressing
4 Saltine crackers
1 liter of water

Dinner:
Salads, grilled chicken, or tilapia


Plus - I was planning on jogging and sprinting 2-3 times a week, and drinking plenty of water.


If I start this diet tomorrow, could I see a change in weight?
And also, feel free to add anything or subtract anything to the new diet.
Tips are well appreciated!

Thanks for your help. :)
 
At the tender age of 16, perhaps you should speak to your parents about this diet.
 
Hi Kyle,

I agree with Ray- you should talk to your parents (as they may be able to help you- or may hinder you if you don't tell them what you're trying to achieve).

If you don't want to or want different advice, generally, it's hard to say without knowing weights or calorie amounts (and I'm not familiar with some of the foods). I think this diet probably goes a little too far in the wrong direction in places.

I'd cut the energy drink (is that what "propel" is? I had to google it). Chances are it's empty calories that you don't need (very few ordinary people actually need energy drinks). I don't see the breakfast keeping you full even if it might be low calorie (have you tried oatmeal? You can get a very filling serving and keep it low calorie if you're careful about what you add- I'd also suggest switching from whole milk if you haven't done so, you'll save some calories).

I wouldn't go with crackers at all- they're probably high calorie (and if they're not they're probably small and not very nutritious)- can you get another form of grain, like wholegrain bread, rice (made just with boiling water), or couscous? Salad is good, but it may not be very filling (watch that ranch dressing- that may be very high in calories and thus counterproductive. Can you eat the salad without?)

Salad is good, but what about some variety? Steamed vegetables are still very low in calories (or boiled, or sauteed in a little and/ or low fat cooking spray or oil). Grilled chicken is good, as is fish, but it depends on how much and what you put with it (are you going to eat it plain?)

Are you allowing yourself low calorie snacks so you don't get hungry and tempted by, say, vending machines?

It also depends on your calorie needs. At your age, I would stress not taking this up on your own. Talk to your parents about it, but in order to lose weight, you need to calculate your calorie needs and reduce it by a set amount per day. But you don't need to and shouldn't go hungry or miss out on vital nutrients.

I'll say this again, but you need to talk to your parents.
 
Are you in Canada or the US (or somewhere else)? You could start by looking at the food guide or food pyramid. If you are in Canada there are numerous free resources for teens that are accessible through the school and your family doctor. Again - parental support is very important for long term success (unless you are living on your own already.).
 
That's a good idea. Here's Australia's version (different countries have slight variations in their recommendations) and here's the homepage for healthy eating from England's National Health Service:
 
I'd add in more protein for sure. Salad with crackers is not as good as salad with a few oz of lean meat. I'd also watch the ranch dressing, and maybe use oil and vinegar and some actual cheese. Or no dressing at all. It's sooo easy to overload with dressing.

Truth told it doesn't sound like you're really overweight, I'm guessing maybe you feel flabby? You are still growing (until you're in your early 20s!) so gaining weight isn't necessarily such a bad thing.

However, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with eating more healthy foods than pop-tarts ;)

For breakfast I'd also eat like oatmeal or something, rather than just a banana and milk. Propel is just artificially sweetened water if I remember right? Either way, banana & milk is better than the poptarts :)

You may also want to look into weight lifting. I've heard that when you put on muscle at your age it's much easier to keep it - which can make life much easier for you later on :) Also, if you're working out and you gain weight because you're still growing, it's less likely to be flab and more likely to be lean.

Overall I don't see anything wrong with the diet, although obviously portion sizes matter! I think you'd be fine if for example for lunch you had chicken strips with veggies or salad or fruit - I'm guessing the mashed potato is loaded with butter? ;) It's always a good idea to get plenty of your non-starchy veggies in.

Anyway, hope this helped!
 
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