Hey all,
Having to retype this entire thing so I’m going to keep it short lol.
I’m a 6’2 215lbs 22 year old male who is on a weight loss journey (down 2lbs so far). However, my diet is still awful and I am looking to build healthy and lasting dietary habits so that I can actually keep the weight off.
I am on an unrelated medication which has the side effect of almost entirely destroys my hunger cravings, so the only way I will actually eat enough is if I cram as much as possible into a single meal, and then try and get a snack in before bed.
So my question boils down to how sustainable is this potential meal plan?
Side note: a large part in this was staying low cost and limiting trips to the grocery store as much as possible. I reckon if I freeze everything I can I’d only have to go to the grocery store every 2-3 weeks, which is definitely ideal.
by Latea987
4 Comments
Hi, I’m not an expert but I’d say this is a good start.
I have Some suggestions for your “one meal” plan, but feel free to ignore this if you don’t need it:
If you want to bulk up your smoothie, you could try adding oats or nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc) into it. They are both calorically dense but still nutritious. Oats are super cheap too so that’s a plus.
As for the plate, you could start doing mixed vegetables (there are frozen steamed veg mixes out there) so that you can add more variety in your diet and don’t end up with a nutrition deficiency.
For the protein, chicken breast is fine but you’ll likely get bored of it quickly. Maybe try some different sauces on your chicken (teriyaki, bbq, etc) to spice it up. Or, you could opt for fish, ground beef, or obviously whatever is available to you.
Lastly, you could try to add a small portion (about 1/2 cup) of rice, pasta, or bread. You can skip this, but if you don’t feel like having that smoothie on some days, just add some extra carbs on the plate to make up for it.
Anyways, I wish you well on your weight loss journey and hope you get the results you want. Sorry for this long winded comment, btw.
How many calories is this?
From some rough back of envelope math your calories come out somewhere in the 1250-1400 calorie range so you should definitely look into bulking that up, it’s too low for a man of your size.
And while this meal plan might be fine for short term weight loss while you’re on medication it also doesn’t seem very sustainable in the long term. Do you plan on eating one boring meal and a smoothie for the rest of your life?
A healthy relationship with food will be you learning how to make a variety of meals that fit your dietary needs so you can sustain your changes in the long run.
Men should get a minimum of 35 g of fibre a day. You’re getting some with the broccoli but not nearly enough.
I don’t think this is enough calories for you in general anyways, but with almost exclusively protein sources I know for sure you’re going to feel hungry basically all the time.
Fibre is a game changer for weight loss though, for me personally, when I prioritize reaching my fibre goals instead of counting calories is the only time I see consistent weight loss. On the flip side, I gain weight almost immediately when I stop focusing on it. I just don’t feel hungry when my fibre intake is significant, so I basically don’t snack at all and I don’t make random late night meals either. I just eat my meals as planned and don’t think much about it, which frees up mental space too.
Downside to this is that you have to start over if you fall of the wagon and stay off it for a while. Fibre can lead to some nasty intestinal blocks if you don’t ease into it.