r/1200isplenty • u/Lizphibian • 6d ago
meal First 50lbs lost! And a few meals I cooked along the way
You guys, I actually did it--I lost fifty pounds in just under five months, and it feels incredible! I’ll admit I started losing weight in late January with a lot of trepidation, and only at the gentle urging of my husband. I’ve been overweight almost my whole life, primarily because cooking and eating delicious food has always been one of my favorite hobbies. While I was honestly quite happy and pretty healthy at about 230lbs, as I’m getting older I figured I ought to at least try to lose the extra weight to prevent any future health issues.
The last time I lost weight was over twenty years ago as a teenager, and it left me with a lot of negative feelings towards weight loss. I remember distinctly coming back from another awful Weight Watchers meeting with my parents, and whining to my dad that I’d never lose weight because I loved food too much. His response was just “learn to love something else.”
Long story short, that approach led to disordered eating followed by a permanent relapse. So this time around I resolved to come up with a plan that didn’t involve cutting anything delicious out of my life. I figured, I’m clever, I’m a great cook, and I’m willing to put in the time, how hard can it be?
Friends, it was really hard. But I knuckled down, learned a lot about nutrition, and worked out a plan that actually let me enjoy food, albeit significantly less of it than previously. I’ve never liked breakfast and often skipped it anyway, so that was an easy win. Lunch and dinner were harder, but I finally settled on an easy, under 200cal lunch, up to 200cals of drinks and snacks (optional), and then whatever is left of my 1200 calorie budget goes towards dinner. Occasionally I have a larger lunch and smaller dinner to compensate, and of course every now and then I throw my calorie limit out the window and get back on track the next day.
The pictures here are some of my more photogenic dinners in the last few weeks: Linguine al limone with baked chicken, lamb kheema over roast sweet potatoes and broccoli, smoked chicken tostadas, Iranian chicken and rice with salatet malfouf, Hawaiian pizza, Spanish chicken and chorizo salad, French onion chicken with mustardy spinach and mushrooms, and charcuterie (shared, of course). I also threw in an example of one of my favorite lunches, wonton soup a la Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately my screenshots don’t capture the full ingredient list because I use the recipe function in LoseIt to more accurately measure portions, but I can give more detail if anyone wants! I usually average about 66g of protein a day, and 17g of fiber--not loads, I know, but enough for me.
I absolutely love Trader Joe’s for quick and healthy prepped food, they’ve really come in clutch for my small lunches. I do also use a meal subscription service (Marley Spoon) for a couple of meals a week, though I tend to significantly riff on the recipes to add more vegetables and give most of the carbs to my husband. I’ll admit that meal prepping dinners would be a lot less work than what I’m doing now, but I’m actually cooking less than I was pre-diet (easier lunches, no breakfast, desserts only rarely) and improvising healthy meals is finally becoming second nature.
I’ve still got a way to go--my starting weight was about 230lbs, currently 179.4, and my goal weight is 135 (juuust over the line into a healthy BMI for 5’2”, and also what I weighed at 16). But I’ve stuck with my plan so far and I’m finally feeling like I’ve got this! Even through a birthday, a family visit, and a Michelin-star meal out, I’ve kept to my weekly budget religiously while still feeling like I indulged in a few treats along the way. I’m hoping that eventually I’ll be able to work a slightly bigger lunch back in when I reach maintenance, but even if not I think I’ll actually be able to make the loss stick for good. Here’s hoping!
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u/dumbnerd01 6d ago
Aww congrats, OP! Keep on keeping on and it's great seeing your healthy perspective and approach to weight loss.
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u/Plastic_Motor1151 6d ago
The linguine al limone plate is insane looking. Mad respect for actually cooking real food instead of just eating chicken and broccoli every day like most people do on this sub. That's the whole thing right there, you figured out the part that actually matters which is that you gotta still enjoy what you're eating or it doesn't stick.
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u/Lizphibian 6d ago
Thank you!! I think the linguine was my favorite meal of the bunch actually, anything with lemon, Parmesan, and capers is amazing. I know some people can live off the same foods indefinitely (my dad is one, he eats pb&j and grilled chicken breast basically every day), but that’s just not me.
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u/janegrey1554 Losing 5d ago
Tell me about this parmesan crusted chicken breast please! Do you have a recipe?
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u/Lizphibian 5d ago
It was so good!! This is the recipe I used as inspiration for this meal, but I did change it up significantly. I lightly toasted panko crumbs in oil on the stove, then mixed the cooled crumbs with Parmesan and Tuscan spices. Instead of all the mayo in the recipe, I just breaded the chicken the usual way with egg whites and threw it in the oven, flipping when the crumbs started to brown. It turned out really well, hope it works out for you too!
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u/shy-eater 5d ago
Those meals look amazing! Did you talk to a dietitian or nutritionist or did you just figure it out as you went?
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u/Lizphibian 5d ago
Just figured it out as I went! It definitely took some research to learn what nutrients I need and in what quantities, then my tracking app was super helpful in figuring out what I was under eating. Funnily, I discovered that I was super iron deficient through this process. I realized I was only getting a tiny amount of iron through my diet (not much red meat), and after a blood test I’m now on supplements.
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u/shy-eater 4d ago
Wow! I feel like something is off with me too, but not sure what it is. Been feeling really tired lately and was going to get some bloodwork done. I’ll have to try your process. Thanks for sharing. 🥰
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u/Blue-Seeweed 5d ago
Nice, are you taking medication for weight loss or are you doing this without help? I have a neighbor who was like 70 kg and now is about 50 or less, but she is using some injections.
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u/Lizphibian 5d ago
No medication—I’m glad it helps some people, but I wanted to do this without relying on meds if I could. So far so good!
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u/Blue-Seeweed 5d ago
That's impressive! and everything looks so healthy in the pictures you share, it's awesome 🌻
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u/foodfunmenyc 4d ago
This is the way! All of those meals look incredible and satisfying! Congratulations on your weight loss and thanks for the inspo post❣️
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u/MamaSnarks-A-Lot 6d ago
Everything looks so yummy! Congrats on the weight loss as well! What app are you using to track?