Frustrated and Struggling

[GingerFoxx]

I am 23 years old, about 5'7" or 5'8" and currently weigh 140lbs. I have been vegetarian almost 7 years. I work full time in an office which keeps me at a desk in front of a computer for 8hrs a day. My daily exercise consists of my daily walk to work each morning (about 15-20mins) and a the same walk home, depending the weather.

have recently gotten back into yoga and have been doing that 2 or 3 times a week for about an hour each session. Some of the classes are more intense than others, so I wouldn't consider it rigorous exercise. I have a hard time getting motivated to work out, particularly in the winter time.

Now my dilemma... I am trying to get back to what I consider my ideal weight, which is between 130 and 135lbs. This is where I feel happiest and most comfortable with myself. I am having a hard time. I cook all my own meals and keep track of portion sizes and caloric intake (I average about 1300/day based on recent estimates) I think I should be eating more, but I don't know how much more for my level of activity. Maybe I am eating enough. I researched online but get all sorts of different estimates.

I wanna lose the weight but don't know where that proper balance is for me, calorie-wise. Then, once I reach the ideal weight, I am concerned with how much to eat to maintain it. I have a big appetite which makes it easy for me to overeat if I am not careful.

The other aspect that is frustrating me is deciding how many calories to eat at each meal. My breakfast at 8 o'clock averages about 350 calories and my lunch at noon, about the same. Then I go home at 5 and cook dinner and usually have a mid-evening snack to make up the rest of my daily intake.

I don't want to endanger my health but I want to get back to my comfortable place and develop a lasting dietary plan that will keep me in good health. As it stands now I am discouraged and keep splurging, thereby erasing any progress I may have made toward my goal. I need help, insight, whatever you folks have to offer.

Thanks!!

[Ilurvebroccoli]

Could you maybe post a full body picture of yourself?? I would say not to focus on the weight, cause it will only depress you. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you may also have some muscle weighing you down. Yoga isn't really rigorous, its a good strength trainer...I would add in some pilates. I do pilates 3x a week and its GREAT. Go for around 1500 cal on non workout days, and 1700-1800 on workout days. Make sure you're getting at least 35g of protein daily as well. Could you tell us what all you're eating to make up your daily intake?? The type of food matters as much as how many calories you're eating.

Thanks

[GingerFoxx]

Could you tell us what all you're eating to make up your daily intake?? The type of food matters as much as how many calories you're eating.

Thanks

As I mentioned in my original post, I am vegetarian, but not vegan. My typical breakfast consists of:
-a slice of whole grain toast
-a boiled egg
-a packet of instant oatmeal
-an orange
-tea

My lunch is usually something similar to:
- about 4 soy chick'n nuggets
- a carrot with a little hummus
- a granola bar
- a small apple

Dinner usually consists of:
-1.5-2lbs of whatever veggies strike my fancy ( i like pretty much everything),
- a little brown rice or whole wheat pasta, sometimes potatoes or lentils.

I do vary my dinners a lot and am a better than average cook, so that is just a very general idea of what my dinner includes.

Then as a snack i will usually have about half a cup of nonfat yogurt, some fruit jam and ground cinnamon for flavour, and a sliced banana.

[Ilurvebroccoli]

Geez. Well your food intake looks great. Do you know about how much protein you get in a day? It looks like you get a good amount. I would switch out the soy nuggets occasionally for something not breaded like deli slices or a veggie burger, grilled. Just to mix it up a bit.

Are you fixed on reaching that certain weight, or would you be fine just being in your best body?

[Poppy]

I honestly think you should up your exercise. I know it's hard in the winter, but if you build a little more muscle, you'll naturally burn more calories. 30-40 minutes of walking and yoga a few times a week really isn't much exercise for someone your age. Is there a gym nearby where you could do some strenght training and could you maybe go for a jog or a bike ride a couple of times a week?

[Kiseki]

You think you're fat or something?

I weigh 140 and I'm only 5 foot 3!

You're eating healthily and exercising. So why not stop worrying so much over a few pounds?

[GingerFoxx]

I do not mean to sound obsessive about my weight by any means. I guess the issue for me is always in maintaining. I am not terribly unhappy where I am, I just need to determine how to stay in my current range so I don't end up out of shape.

I am still trying to find that balance where I am eating enough but not too much. Since being active is tricky for me these days, I just want to do what is best for my body.

Does anyone know of a really accurate website for helping me to evaluate my dietary needs? Perhaps that is all I really need at this point to not be so concerned that I am doing something harmful one way or another.

For those of you who are currently maintaining a steady weight, how do you divide up your calories throughout the day?

[GingerFoxx]

You think you're fat or something?

I weigh 140 and I'm only 5 foot 3!

You're eating healthily and exercising. So why not stop worrying so much over a few pounds?

You're absolutely right. I shouldn't woory so much. I am trying to be content with where I am at but also develop a healthier lifestyle where I don't have to worry about losing or gaining too much. I don't wanna end up out of shape in either direction and wishing I had made these changes sooner.

[Shamandura]

Your diet and exercising routine sounds great! If anything, I would say your not eating enough, if 1300 is all your getting, at your height and age. I'm 25 yrs old 5'10 145-150lbs give or take(I gain and shed like crazy) and get about 2000 calories a day and do not work out, atm. It sounds like your heading in the right direction, maybe just up your excercise, but I wouldnt cut anymore calories.

[greensgood]

Agreed about 140lbs not being overweight for that height at all, i am much shorter and almost the same weight too. i go by how my clothes fit, not what the scale says.
also you mentioned wanting to be 135-130lbs, which is really only about a 5 lbs difference from where you are now, you probably are 135 at times due to water weight and retention.
if you are focused on eeking out those last few lbs, i highly suggest the green tea diet. i didn't believe it would do anything, and i was very surprised on how it keeps those few extra lbs off. i learned about it here on veggieboards, just drink green tea 2-3 times a day everyday and it will help with those last few annoying lbs.

[Poppy]

Sparkpeople is a good, free website for tracking nutrition and fitness.

www.sparkpeople.com

[Digger]

Sparkpeople is a good, free website for tracking nutrition and fitness.
Sparkpeople is what I use.

It's useful for tracking your daily food intake and quite motivating as well.

I highly recommend it.

[GingerFoxx]

Thank you for your insight and advise everyone. I think I really need to clear my head of any preconceived thoughts regarding my current weight and diet and approach the matter with a fresh view.

I will check out SparkPeople and take some time this weekend to really develop a proper healthy gameplan for reaching a level of contentment and satisfaction with myself. I think perhaps that sort of change is all I need to reach my goals effectively.

I think I may have just been stuck in that holiday rut of temptations and the hype of New Year's health resolutions. As I mentioned, I am not that unhappy with my current weight as I may originally have come across, I maybe just needed a little nudge to stay on the right, healthy track.

Tonight... I think I'm gonna go do some restorative yoga. (=

[Kiseki]

You're absolutely right. I shouldn't woory so much. I am trying to be content with where I am at but also develop a healthier lifestyle where I don't have to worry about losing or gaining too much. I don't wanna end up out of shape in either direction and wishing I had made these changes sooner.

I just think you are being a bit obsessive about your weight. Knowing your current size, I'd say you are pretty damn thin! You should be careful about how much you put into this. I myself almost developed an eating disorder cuz I was so worried over 10 pounds- gaining a few more or not being able to maintain.

Just keep up what you are doing. Exercise every day if you like, but not more than 1 hour. And your diet is fine.

[Kiseki]

Agreed about 140lbs not being overweight for that height at all, i am much shorter and almost the same weight too. i go by how my clothes fit, not what the scale says.
also you mentioned wanting to be 135-130lbs, which is really only about a 5 lbs difference from where you are now, you probably are 135 at times due to water weight and retention.
if you are focused on eeking out those last few lbs, i highly suggest the green tea diet. i didn't believe it would do anything, and i was very surprised on how it keeps those few extra lbs off. i learned about it here on veggieboards, just drink green tea 2-3 times a day everyday and it will help with those last few annoying lbs.

Don't do this! Green tea contains a lot of caffeine and you are basically using a cheaper form of speed. I've gotten heart palpitations drinking lots of green tea.

[dont_eat_bambi]

You think you're fat or something?

I weigh 140 and I'm only 5 foot 3!

You're eating healthily and exercising. So why not stop worrying so much over a few pounds?

You are not fat. No way if you are that tall and only way that. I was 143 for quite a few years and I am 5' 6.5 " I was usually a size 6. :eek:

[jAded]

Don't do this! Green tea contains a lot of caffeine and you are basically using a cheaper form of speed. I've gotten heart palpitations drinking lots of green tea.

It's not that high in caffeine, it contains less than coffee. A lot of experts recommend drinking a few cups a day for general health as it's high in anti-oxidants.

[Kiseki]

It's not that high in caffeine, it contains less than coffee. A lot of experts recommend drinking a few cups a day for general health as it's high in anti-oxidants.

Well, I can't drink caffeine. Better safe than sorry. :rockon:

[jAded]

Well no wonder you got heart palpitations then?!

[synergy]

Drinking a couple of cups of green tea a day is perfectly healthy as long as you aren't sensitive to caffeine.

I found my last couple pounds melted away when I was drinking 2 cups a day and upped my exercise.

[ProudVegan]

There's a lot of pros and cons to drinking green teas, but the cons were mostly focused on the caffeine. There are caffeine-free green tea that are pure and organic. I brought one from the vegan trade show.

To the OP, i think you're fine, but I would suggest you eating less sugary based foods. I am struggling to lose the last 7lbs but its mostly cuz i eat a lot of sweets and dont exercise much (anymore). I eat whole foods cooked at home and dont eat out unless its a vegan restaurant. But hopefully I can get motivated again... or at least find the time to!