Any tips on losing weight? (vegetables, system, weight loss, infection)

[RunD1987]

Hi, 28 y.o. male...back history on weight/health. 14-16 weighed 240; 16-20 weighed 140-150; 20-24 weighed 150-160; 24-25 170-180; 25-26 190-240; 27-to now 210-220. I fluctuate a lot can drop down to 210 one week skyrocket up to 225 the following week my weight always fluctuates like that. Been hovering around 220-225 for right now.

I use to be an avid runner running 60-80 miles a week. Also four hour's a week at the gym and three hour's swimming a week. As you can see once stopped exercising the weight piled on. So been running consistently since this past May. The weight causes a lot of exhaustion, but finally broke 3 miles fees week's back just coming off a nasty sinus infection so been running off and on, mostly sleeping ha when I can.

Anyways end of August start of September joined the gym go about 3 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. Also do one day of the stationary bike which is another 30 minutes. At work usually work 3-4 day's can cover about on average 10,000 steps up to 12,000 steps so close to 5 miles a day I walk at work.

My goal is like to run a half by the summer and get myself down to 190. I am getting married in October of next year like to be 175. Think these are realistic goals regarding weight loss? Appreciate the insight.

As far as eating habits go I am pretty good. Do have a sweet tooth tough to shake at times. I eat mostly eggs,tuna, peanut butter, vegetables, pretzels, and hummus.

Basically I will do three times a week for breakfast vegetarian meal replacement shake with bananas,sometimes strawberries and Apple's in it. Also add in sugar free almond milk.
Other breakfast includes twice a week having scrambled eggs in the morning with salsa.
Two other day's having 2 packs of oatmeal with honey and a banana

From there normally have pretzels hummus and string cheese for a mid morning snack.

Have lunch usually 2 peanut butter and fluff sandwiches or one tuna sandwich with cheese/tomatoe both on wheat bread

Followed by afternoon snack of an Apple

Then dinner is usually another string cheese, a yogurt, usually chicken 2 pieces with 2 cups of a veggie usually cauliflower, broccoli, or baby spinach trying to get away from eating chicken going with more beans. Usually have a cup of rice or a cup of mashed potatoes or one baked potato with the meal.

Then come home have a packet of peanut butter crackers

Usually drink 2-4 cups of coffee a day depending on the day ha.
Water I am good drink 30ounces probably need more trying to get to 60 then to 80
Rarely drink soda mostly seltzer if anything and sometimes as a treat diet grapefruit soda.

Any idea on changes to help with weight loss seem like on the right path.

Appreciate the feedback.

[Labonte18]

Get you a calorie tracker app and record everything you eat. See where your caloric intake is.

You'll be surprised at how high it actually winds up being.. If you're honest about plugging in what you eat.

That pack of crackers? Probably about 210 calories.. 10% of what you should be taking in (Ballpark)

Not saying you're eating too much, but you need to track it to see where you're at.

[RunD1987]

I probably eat about 2,000 calories a day. Back when exercising a lot averaged 3,000 to 4,000 had to really cut back.
Breakfast is about 250 to 300
Snacks 1 150
Lunch 400
Snack 2 150
Dinner is about 600 to 800
Snack 3 is 300

[Meyerland]

You are underestimating your calories. Two packs of oatmeal is probably 320 calories and a banana is 104. That's over 400 calories right there. The honey could add 100 calories easily.(plain oatmeal packs might be less calories. Check the label. It might be 200 for both.)

Log your food intake and watch your calories. It's the only thing that works for me.

String cheese x2 = 160. Peanut butter crackers. -180.

We are at around 650-800 calories already, depending on how much honey you added.

[hawaiiancoconut]

Originally Posted by RunD1987

I probably eat about 2,000 calories a day. Back when exercising a lot averaged 3,000 to 4,000 had to really cut back.
Breakfast is about 250 to 300
Snacks 1 150
Lunch 400
Snack 2 150
Dinner is about 600 to 800
Snack 3 is 300

Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at dinner.

[stan4]

Whole food 90% plant-based diet.

[SophieLL]

Drop the carbs
Forget about sweets except some fruit here and there

[aneye4detail]

I'm also thinking you might be underestimating your calories. Try using Lose It (that's what I've been using for years) and log everything, and weigh everything and measure everything and count everything and overestimate your calories for a while and see what happens. For example, I drink a lot of coffee creamer, but I measure it with a tablespoon, even when I'm at the gas station. I have a measuring spoon on my keychain.

I eat avocados. I weigh them on my digital scale. I had a lot yesterday, 5 ounces, that's 250 calories for a delicious fruit! I had some sweets, I could only really estimate what those calories were, so I try to guesstimate on the higher end. All in all, yesterday, I had about 1900 calories. And that was me trying to be good. If I wasn't counting and wasn't caring, I'd probably would have have had 2500.

[Luckyd609]

Find a system that works for you. It all comes down to calories in vs calories out, but there are different approaches.
Some find going low carb to be the answer, others find eating from all the food groups works for them.
The best thing you can do is figure it out for yourself. Experiment with going low carb - it can be very effective however if you are not really dedicated it is easy to miss certain foods that will eventually derail you.
However some people find that eating from all the food groups too easy to over eat.
The bottom line is to focus on whole, fresh foods. Stay away from pre packaged, sugar dense, and transfatty foods. Drink lots of water, eat mono saturated fats and exercise as much as you can fit in.

[nightlysparrow]

Drinking so much caffeine puts you on an high, then drops you into a low energy cycle. When you're low, you will feel hungrier and eat more, especially carbs.