Lost 122 pounds in 7 months...unhealthy diet?

B

Buphiloguy75

New member
Here is my question:

I am male, 6"1", 35 years old, in September of 2009 I weighed around 410-415 pounds (hard to be sure because I didn't have a scale that could weigh me for the first month or so, until I dropped down into the 380s). I was miserable, and thinking of getting a lap-band operation when the thought dawned on me, what would be the practical upshot of the procedure? My stomach would shrink and I would eat fewer calories and thus lose weight. I did some research and came across the BMR, and Harris Benedict equation, and discovered my body needed about 4500 calories a day to sustain that weight. I also discovered that by cutting my calories I could start burning off the pounds. So i did. and it has worked unbelievably.

So here I am 122 pounds lighter and the other day a dear old friend asked me whether I was losing the weight in a healthy way. So I thought, I would share what I eat on a typical day, here, and let you guys judge...

I am 6"1" 288 pounds and male...

Breakfast:

1 Builder's Bar (by Clif Bars) 20g protein, 270 calories
1 Banana 110 calories
1 Multivitamin

Total: 310 Calories

Lunch:
1 6in Veggie Max (MorningStar Veggie Burger Patty) Sub from Subway, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, black olives, banana peppers, salt, pepper, oregano, and about 1tsp of parmasean cheese grated) 400 calories
1 Bag of Baked Lays Chips 120 calories
1 Banana or Apple 110 calories (at most)

Total: 630 Calories

Dinner:
3 Tacos (lettuce, 55g of Morningstar taco crumbles (80 calories), 100g of refried beans mixed with taco seasoning, fresh cilantro, garlic, chopped onion, and lime juice (80 calories), Light Sour Cream 2 tbsp (40 calories), and 3x Corn Tortillas (200 calories), Taco sauce 10 calories) 400 calories
1 Apple 120 calories
1 Builder's Bar 20g protein 270 calories

Total 790

Grand total 790 + 630 + 380 = 1800 calories.

I also eat, but do not count, Nonfat milk in my morning coffee, creatine chews after my workouts/jogging, raw vegetable snacks (carrot and celery) whenever I feel like it.

And I have occasionally eaten out, or with friends during this time, and when I do, I eat extra calories, but then i go right back to this sort of regimen. it has become second nature to me.

Is this healthy?
 
It wouldn't be what I'd consider an optimal eating plan - it contains too much processed and packaged food for my liking - but I wouldn't say it's unhealthy.

I will say that the builders bars, whatver those are look like a complete waste of calories to me. 20g of protein is about 120 cals - so that means the bars are another 150 cals of ... what? Carbs? Sugars? Probably junk. IMO, "protein bars" are nothing more than bad candy bars that are promoted as health items.

For 270 cals you could be having another whole chicken sandwich, or a huge omelet in the mornings with veggies and even a slice or two of bacon, or a double serving of steel cut oats with fruit and honey.

Just my opinion. As I said, probably not completely unhealthy, but IMO, not optimal.
 
KaraCooks said:
It wouldn't be what I'd consider an optimal eating plan - it contains too much processed and packaged food for my liking - but I wouldn't say it's unhealthy.

I will say that the builders bars, whatver those are look like a complete waste of calories to me. 20g of protein is about 120 cals - so that means the bars are another 150 cals of ... what? Carbs? Sugars? Probably junk. IMO, "protein bars" are nothing more than bad candy bars that are promoted as health items.

For 270 cals you could be having another whole chicken sandwich, or a huge omelet in the mornings with veggies and even a slice or two of bacon, or a double serving of steel cut oats with fruit and honey.

Just my opinion. As I said, probably not completely unhealthy, but IMO, not optimal.
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Thanks for the input Kara! I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, so chicken and bacon are strictly out of the question.

I do not want to advertise or violate any forum rules, but I did want to point out that Builder's Bars are quite nutritious. You can look them up on amazon and you'll find these features:

* High-protein bar made with 20 grams of the best quality soy and nut proteins
* Made with 100% natural, 30-35% certified organic ingredients, free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup
* Includes 23 vitamins and minerals, and no GMOs

I chose them specifically because they are the only all natural, non-processed, organic protein bars on the market, and they each have 40% of my daily protein needs.
 
It's probably a bit on the low side as far as calories go (considering your starting weight). But it's hard to argue against the results. You're obviously much healthier now than you were then. So keep at it...but it may be wise to up those calories a tad eventually. You still have a ways to go but as you get closer to your goal weight, you don't have as much fun to burn...and you don't want to wind up losing a lot of muscle along the way. It's probably safe to say 10-15 pounds of the 122 you lost so far has been muscle. But that's normal and I wouldn't worry too much. Think about it like this...your legs have 100+ less pounds to support all day long, obviously you'll lose muscle there!

And before I forget, congrats on what you've done so far! :)
 
20g of protein is NOT 40% of your daily protein needs. When you are eating a restricted diet, you want to maintain lean muscle mass as much as possible. That means raising your protein intake past the bare minimum that the RDA recommends (those recommendations are based on sedentary adults of average weight - NOT overweight adults who are eating calorie reduced diets to burn fat).

You should be eating about 1g of protein per every 1# of lean body mass. For someone of your weight, that's going to be around 150-180g of protein per day. So 20g of protein is approximately 14% of your overall protein needs, if you use the lower figure. It's barely 11% if you use the higher figure.

Also, I looked up the nutrition of these bars on their website. Yes, it's organic ... but I don't know why people think "organic" means magically better for you. You're still getting 5g of SATURATED (the bad kind) fat from these bars. You're still getting 20g of sugar from these bars. You're still getting 230mg of sodium from these bars.

Not a healthy option for 2x a day every day, in my book.

So you're ol-veg. That means for those 270 cals, you could be eating omelets. You could be eating quinoa or lentils. You could be eating steel cut oats with fruit. You could be eating Greek yogurt with honey and fruit. You could be eating large quantities of food for 270 calories - that didn't have 20g sugars and 5g saturated fats.

Obviously what you're doing is showing you some results ... but you did ask if others considered it healthy, and as I said, while it might meet basic needs, I certainly don't think shorting yourself on protein and eating packaged processed protein bars that are high in fats and sugars is optimal.
 
Your diet isn't really bad (not ideal), but you might want to cut out the body builder bars eventually. Right now, because of your weight and calorie restriction, you have a very high deficit which naturally means high weight loss. Your deficit will be decreasing and it's probably best to replace the bars with something else.

Congratulations on losing the weight though. Keep on going, make minor changes as you go on and you won't feel like you're actually dieting.
 
KaraCooks said:
20g of protein is NOT 40% of your daily protein needs. When you are eating a restricted diet, you want to maintain lean muscle mass as much as possible. That means raising your protein intake past the bare minimum that the RDA recommends (those recommendations are based on sedentary adults of average weight - NOT overweight adults who are eating calorie reduced diets to burn fat).

You should be eating about 1g of protein per every 1# of lean body mass. For someone of your weight, that's going to be around 150-180g of protein per day. So 20g of protein is approximately 14% of your overall protein needs, if you use the lower figure. It's barely 11% if you use the higher figure.

Also, I looked up the nutrition of these bars on their website. Yes, it's organic ... but I don't know why people think "organic" means magically better for you. You're still getting 5g of SATURATED (the bad kind) fat from these bars. You're still getting 20g of sugar from these bars. You're still getting 230mg of sodium from these bars.

Not a healthy option for 2x a day every day, in my book.

So you're ol-veg. That means for those 270 cals, you could be eating omelets. You could be eating quinoa or lentils. You could be eating steel cut oats with fruit. You could be eating Greek yogurt with honey and fruit. You could be eating large quantities of food for 270 calories - that didn't have 20g sugars and 5g saturated fats.

Obviously what you're doing is showing you some results ... but you did ask if others considered it healthy, and as I said, while it might meet basic needs, I certainly don't think shorting yourself on protein and eating packaged processed protein bars that are high in fats and sugars is optimal.
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Wow...I had not heard that I should be eating 180g of protein a day. How do I get that kind of protein without increasing calories to a ludicrous level? Simply eating greek yogurt or oats isn't going to do it right? it looks like 2 6oz Chobani vanilla fat free greek yogurts would give me 32g of protein for only 240 calories. I think I will switch to that for breakfast, thanks! and then I could have still have a banana and come in at the same calorie level with more protein, less sodium, no fat...but sadly 26g of sugar.

A Four egg omelet with large eggs, would give me 288 calories, 24g protein.
So maybe I could try that. Although it would can to microwaved or cooked in a nonstick pan (I never fry and I would never eat oil or butter).

How do you recommend loading up on low-cal protein? Because I have no idea how to eat that much protein w/o also eating 3000 calories in a day. Could I add Whey Protein, or some protein powder drink? Forgive me for being a little shocked by that estimate.
 
Whey protein powder is a great option, what about unflavored Greek yogurt? You cut out a lot of sugar that way. A lot. And you can add Splenda back in if you want (I like to add inulin because it's also fiber) and then I mix in frozen black cherries or other fruit. It's kind of like frozen yogurt ;)

The Fage 0% fat yogurt is 120 calories for 20g of protein. So you could get to 30g of protein in 180 calories which is quite good.
 
Jeanette401 said:
Whey protein powder is a great option, what about unflavored Greek yogurt? You cut out a lot of sugar that way. A lot. And you can add Splenda back in if you want (I like to add inulin because it's also fiber) and then I mix in frozen black cherries or other fruit. It's kind of like frozen yogurt ;)

The Fage 0% fat yogurt is 120 calories for 20g of protein. So you could get to 30g of protein in 180 calories which is quite good.
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My local supermarket doesn't carry the Fage unfortunately, but I think one across town does, I will for it next time I am there thanks.
 
I also get Oikos - unflavored. And Yoplait actually has a newly released Greek yogurt, but you can only get it in the single containers. They're about the same nutritionally as long as you get the plain/unflavored and I think the Yoplait is less expensive. (Although not 100% sure on that)
 
Wow...I had not heard that I should be eating 180g of protein a day. How do I get that kind of protein without increasing calories to a ludicrous level? Simply eating greek yogurt or oats isn't going to do it right?
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I can pretty easily get 120g of protein per day from non-animal based food sources.

To bump it further, it might be worth your while to consider adding a whey protein powder (a pure one, not one with bunches of other stuff) to your plan. I mix in 1 scoop of whey protein isolate into my Greek yogurt every morning and wind up with nearly 40g of protein just from my breakfast. IN fact my breakfast every morning is 7 oz Fage Greek yogurt, 1 serving (110g) of frozen wild organic blueberries, 1 scoop of whey protein, 1/2 cup of almond milk - whirled in a blender. It comes to about 400 cals, 42g of protein, and a good bit of other healthy vitamins and minerals.

Otherwise, yeah it can be a bit harder to do w/out animal proteins, but not impossible. I eat a lot of fish and shrimp ... that might or might not be an option for you.

For vegetarians, lentils are an excellent source of proteins. 1/4 cup of lentils contain 12g protein for 120 cals. They also contain nearly 12g of cholesterol lowering fiber, which is an excellent amount.

Also if you raise the amount of veggies that you eat, you have to remember that there are trace amounts of protein in all veggies. A serving of broccoli has 3g protein. A serving of spinach has 2g protein. A serving of brown rice has about 4.5g protein. Etc. As you add those thing to your diet, your overall protein amount will go up.

I would never eat oil or butter).
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I would suggest that you rethink that. Your body needs some healthy fats in order to function. You should be getting anywhere from 20% to 30% of your daily intake from healthy fats - things like olive oil, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, avocados, etc. Cutting fat that drastically can actually have a negative effect - it can keep you from being able to absorb certain fat soluble vitamins and it can result in dull skin and brittle hair and nails.

And, these healthy fat sources can also increase your protein. Almonds and peanuts are a great source of healthy fats and also contain 7g protein per serving. A serving of natural peanut butter (w/out sugars and oils added) will give you protein, vitamins, and healthy fats ... and make a nice addition to your breakfast or lunch (or even an afternoon snack).

I understand your shock. Most people don't realize that when eating at a calorie deficit they need more protein to maintain body mass. And that's not in a crazy "cut all carbs and eat only protein" manner. It's not about following something like Atkins or some crazy diet. It's about maximizing fat burn while minimizing lean muscle burn.
 
Also as to your comment about bananas - don't obsess over fruit sugars. The sugars in natural whole fruits are much different from processed sugars. There's no reason you shouldn't have a banana with breakfast. 5 bananas might be excessive. :) But most of us didn't get fat by eating a banana with breakfast or a handful of carrots with lunch or whatever. :)

Don't take what one blogger I follow calls the Carrot Train To Crazytown. :) Eating whole real foods is good ... and a banana or a carrot isn't going to make you fat.
 
KaraCooks said:
Also as to your comment about bananas - don't obsess over fruit sugars. The sugars in natural whole fruits are much different from processed sugars. There's no reason you shouldn't have a banana with breakfast. 5 bananas might be excessive. :) But most of us didn't get fat by eating a banana with breakfast or a handful of carrots with lunch or whatever. :)

Don't take what one blogger I follow calls the Carrot Train To Crazytown. :) Eating whole real foods is good ... and a banana or a carrot isn't going to make you fat.
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So I bought some Dannon Plain non-fat yogurt (11g protein, 110 calories, 115mg sodium, per cup/serving) and a pure whey powder mix (90 cal per 20g of protein). So in the morning I could mix

1 cup yogurt (11g protein, 110 calories)
3 scoops whey powder (60g protein 280 calories)
1 Banana (1g protein, 105 calories)
1 Multivitamin (0g protein, 1> calorie).

Total: (72g protein, 495 calories)

Lunch:

350g Cooked Lentils (w/garlic, herbs, salt, onion, hot sauce (31.5g protein, 400 calories)).
Gala Apple (1g protein, 80 calories)
2x hard bolied egg (14g protein, 160 calories)

Total (46g protein, 640 calories)

Dinner:

Tacos:
Soft Corn Tortillas 3 (4g protein, 200 Calories)
Morning Star Soy taco meat (20g protein, 160 calories)
Lettuce (nil)
Sour Cream Light (1g, 40 calories)

Total (25g Protein, 400 Calories)

Totals (143g protein, 1535 calories)

After Dinner:
1/2 cup yogurt (5g protein, 55 calories)
1 scoop Whey powder (20g protein, 90 calories)
1 Gala Apple (1g protein, 80 calories)

Grand total (167g protein, 1755 calories)

That would get me to 167g protein with quite a few calories left over. I could add some more fresh veggies to the lentils perhaps, or some oil. And it certainly looks like a lot more food than what I have been eating. In fact it looks a little daunting.

What do you think? I am going to try this tomorrow and see how it goes.
 
KaraCooks said:
That looks pretty close to perfect to me. :)
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Should I be concerned at all about getting too much protein? Should I mention that for exercise I have started jogging about 2 miles every other day and on the alternate days jogging one mile and doing upper body nautilus work (chest, lats, triceps, biceps, back, and shoulders 3 sets 10 reps).
 
If you're getting around 150g - 170g per day, there's no reason to be concerned. When you're working out and eating at a calorie deficit, that's not going to be anywhere near too much.
 
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