I’m trying to lose weight and was told that hwo I eat about 800-1000 calories a day is too low and lowers my metobolism which will prevent weight loss. I’ve looked up some meal plans and can’t really afford stuff like chicken breast, steak, or salmon every week. So that is why I’m wondering how I can eat 1500 calories a day. Are there some alternatives that I can do?

Also I’d like to ask, say I exercise and burn say 500 calories would I have to eat those calories back or no? I ask cuz I’ve been told yes and told no.

23 points
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Have you looked into animal-free alternatives like tofu, beans, or lentils?

Tofu has fewer calories than chicken per 100g, though it also doesn’t have as much protein for the same size.

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10 points

I do eat beans and lentils on occasion maybe I should try more? I’ve tried tofu never cared for it lol.

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5 points

Beans and lentils are great for protein as well as being much cheaper than meat. You should definitely have them every day.

If you have the time and energy to do so, get dry beans and soak them overnight then cook them; they’ll have less sodium and give you less gas that way.

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4 points

I’ll def look into that I never knew that :)

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1 point

this is not universally true, beans are about as expensive as ground pork here in sweden, and it’s not that rare to find the ground pork on sale and thus significantly cheaper than beans.

Frozen peas however are hilariously much cheaper and can simply be thawed in the microwave.

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4 points

More beans and fish. Skip the skin on chicken as well.

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3 points

What’s wrong with chicken skin?

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2 points

I have seen people eat it straight out of the package before, which is absolutely disgusting.
Not everyone will like every food, even when prepared correctly.

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10 points

Eggs. They’re the most perfect source of protein and they can be prepared a dozen different ways. They’re also dirt cheap. A large size egg is like 80 calories and 6 grams of protein. So $2 in eggs will get you 60 grams of protein a day and just over half your calories per day.

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110 points
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800-1000 calories a day is too low and lowers my metobolism which will prevent weight loss.

If you do it for real for a while, nothing can prevent weight loss.

I’ve looked up some meal plans and can’t really afford stuff like chicken breast, steak, or salmon every week.

Eat real vegetables and fruits. Fresh, where ever possible. You wouldn’t believe how cheap you can feed yourself if you do your cooking yourself.

Avoid all processed food. Avoid all sugar.

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9 points

If he’s undereating, maybe some sugar in moderation. Humans need calories, maybe a granola bar or something

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14 points
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Yes maybe, but strictly only the kind that you can see before you eat it (like, two pieces into your coffee)

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7 points

Is that because you know exactly how much you’re using?

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14 points

Yeah I usually do my best to eat vegetables and fruits whenever I can at least. And I’m trying my best to cut back on sugar it’s hard lol but I’m getting there.

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25 points

Liquid sugar is the worst, IMHO.

Things like soda, fruit juices, energy drinks,etc are way too easy to consume without realising just how much.

It’s very easy to consume ¼ of a pound of sugar a day in just a few drinks.

Drink water.

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2 points

Yep water and matcha are my go tos for drinks.

And yeah I agree about the liquid sugars def considering trying to make natural juices at least

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2 points

I feel you, sugar is hard. I find it easier to eat a tiny bit of something sweet like once a week than to cut it altogether. My cravings are too strong when there’s no vision of fulfilling them at least a bit :)

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2 points

cut back on sugar

One type of snack/dessert I do: get a slice of high-fiber bread (toasted, or not), and put a bit of honey or jam on it. Much better than a pastry, bc I can control exactly how much sugar is there.

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1 point

what has worked for me is just trying to skip out on sugary stuff as often as possible and instead eating regular food that i really enjoy, eventually i just stop really craving sweets that much and now the only sweets i tend to want is stuff like cinnamon rolls and chips, which is more savoury than sweet honestly.

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48 points

Frozen fruits and vegetables are also fine. Canned fruits in heavy syrups – not fine.

If Chicken breasts are out of budget then Eggs, Egg Whites, or Beans are probably going to be needed to hit some kind of protein macros.

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12 points

Yeah I usually go for frozen fruits and veggies since they are “fresher” lol

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7 points

They unironically might be the freshest fruits and vegetables in the store! So same here

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12 points

I’ve long said that the best place to loose weight is at the grocery store. You pretty much only ever go to the outside edge. Buy potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, squash and zucchini, radishes, carrots and any other vegetables you like. Bulk is what works here. Then go buy what protein you can afford. Skip anything that has been processed beyond meat and milk.

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-1 points

“Avoid all sugar”

Right. Avoid fruits.

But seriously. Fruits have very little benefit for health. They have health benefits vegetables have, but with sugars also in them. Fruits are sugared veggies.

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4 points

Sugared veggies is good. As you say, fruits do have the health benefits vegetables have, which is not “very little”. They’re full of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and above all, fiber. Sugar is not all bad either. Evolutionalrily, we probably like sugar exactly because it is present in fruits and eating fruits is beneficial for us. If you ate only fruits all day, then it would be bad for you, but I’m pretty sure in reasonable amounts fruits are an important part of a healthy diet.

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-1 points

Your mostly correct, except there are no fruits that are an important part of a healthy diet. You can have some as a treat or whatever, but they are not important, and simply do what veggies do, but with a spike of sugar.

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2 points

Measuring and establishing some boundaries by plant, rather than type, could be useful to op.

Peppers and carrots can be higher in sugar than expected. Relative to their positive flavor impact on a salad, a cutup strawberry or two adds only a small amount.

Grouping plants into fruit or veg might not be effective for calorie monitoring. Would need to know what they want to eat, and search for nutrition info. Thus a plan.

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5 points
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That’s such a dumb take. Fruits are like the second best thing after vegetables in their ration of satiation per calorie.

Added sugar is completely different beast from the sugar in fruits and vegetables.

You would need to eat an ungodly amount of fruits for it to be bad for your health.

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1 point

They’re still in the “good for you” category, but completely unnecessary for health. Anything you can get from fruit you can get from vegetables and it reduces your sugar intake that way.

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3 points

be carefull with rapid weight loss though, my ex got gout because of it

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2 points

Also gal bladder problems are a real threat when loosing weight quickly.

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3 points

Try being a pescatarian, shrimp and tilapia are fairly cheap, and finding non-animal protein is actually fairly easy if you branch out a little.

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2 points
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That’s only a fish diet right? I wouldn’t be apposed but I do love my meat though lol

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9 points

shrimp and tilapia are fairly cheap

This varies hugely based on location, primarily distance from the ocean. Pound for pound, beef and pork are far cheaper than basically any seafood in my region.

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7 points

Here is a site that has some good lists: https://survival-mastery.com/diy/food_preserv/high-calorie-vegetables.html

Also, the number of calories you eat should be based on your current weight and the types of activities you plan on doing through the day. Calorie intake is variable!

Here is a chart for weight vs calorie intake vs activity:

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9 points
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As far as I know: forget this thing about the lowered metabolism. Your body needs the energy it needs for basic functionality.

You may feel less active, lowering the energy used above the basics, but still your heart, lungs, brain, temperature management and all the other stuff need roughly the same energy. If your body does not get it from food then it will use up the fat.

But eating this low level of calories you must make sure that you consume all needed vitamins, minerals and enough protein.

And being less active may end up in a decline of muscle mass. In the end that may lead to lower basal metabolsk hastighet, but not your metabolism shutting down.

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3 points

So then that lower metabolism stuff isn’t true? I was told that because I’ve also lifted weights to get muscle and was told that since the calories i eat will lower my metabolism I won’t gain the muscle and lose the weight I want.

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2 points

There is a great book in German called " Fett Logik überwinden" ( Overcome fat logic) that scientifically clears up a lot of the myths around gaining and losing weight. What you write about are the classics mentioned in this book.

You need the protein and minerals as building blocks for the muscles. That is why you need to take special care to ingest enough of them with that low calories.

More muscles burn more energy even when idle, that helps losing weight. Looks like you did that right.

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1 point
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I see, looks like the book is available in English.

Conquering Fat Logic

How to Overcome What We Tell Ourselves about Diets, Weight, and Metabolism

Nadja Hermann

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8 points

So then that lower metabolism stuff isn’t true?

No, it’s not. Just a coping mechanism for people to feel better about not being able to stick to a diet necessary for weight loss. Calories in, calories out. Maintaining a calorie deficit (i.e. consuming less than you burn) is what results in weight loss.

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3 points
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2 points

Ik when I tend to use fat loss and weight loss interchangeably

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4 points

Metabolism does play a part, but people of all metabolisms can lose weight.

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1 point

If you’re running on a deficit it will inhibit muscle growth yes because your body won’t have the materials it needs to build new muscle as quickly (this could also be the case if you weren’t on a deficit but eat a garbage diet) but that doesn’t mean you won’t make gains at all. Whoever’s telling you this metabolism stuff probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about and it shouldn’t be what you’re focusing on. Start with lowering your calorie intake and go from there. I’d suggest getting a calorie tracking app to help you figure out a diet plan that keeps your carbs/protein/fat in order and do moderate workouts while you’re dieting. I’ve used myfitnesspal in the past but I’m sure there are other options.

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