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| Forums: January 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: too few calories in this diet? | |||
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| veggiemilf
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 3 |
too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 10:22 AM I must be missing something in this diet! When I look at what is listed in the menus each day and add up the approximate calories (even taking into considering getting more than one designated "serving"), it does not seem like enough calories. Less than a 1000 a day. Isn't this unhealthy? I think I would feel faint if I ate this little. And for the record I have been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years and often eat vegan meals. And I am not overweight. What am I not understanding here? |
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VeganRecipeGuy
 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 10:28 AM You can eat as much as you want.
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| VeggyMommy
Joined: 01/05/10 Posts: 5 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 11:09 AM I am not an expert on calories...I tend to focus more on the nutrient density of the foods I am eating- not how many calories my food has. I think that is where this KICKSTART plan is coming from. Eating large quantities of high-nutrient foods is the secret to optimal health (and weight control).
Sometimes for a snack I have a HUGE bowl of steamed broccoli, which is about 100 calories...I feel stuffed and I know that I received the nutrients I need. 100 calories of broccoli (12.6 oz) has FAR more protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, fiber, vitamins & nutrients than 100 calories of Sirloin (.84 oz). And look how much more food you get |
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| veggiemilf
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 3 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 1:38 PM Thanks for your comments. I agree about not regulating the amount of food you eat and feel I do that already (though we do eat a limited amount of cheese and dairy currently). I guess why I was thrown off was that when a meal, for instance day 2 lunch, is a salad, they say 6 1 cup servings (of 47 calories) and don't list anything to go with it. Normally if I make a salad for a meal we have bread with hummus (or cheese) or soup or pasta to go with it. Why doesn't the diet have this? Are they saying ONLY eat that salad, but as much as you want? I may have converted my omnivore husband to vegetarianism, but a lunch like that will not get him to go vegan, even for one meal. |
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| Faithella
Joined: 01/04/10 Posts: 23 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 2:07 PM I think the idea of the kick start is to get people some low fat, vegan ideas to "kick start" thier weight loss and improve health. If you are not trying to lose weigth add in the food like the soup at lunch. I have been to hungry to eat just the days planned food. I add at least 2 more fruits in and my salads are at least 3 cups. Some one who has been eating 3000 cals a day (typical to the SAD diet and overweight adults who eat fast food) they will be very hungry on 1000 cals a day, this is a way to see the reality of what a big difference they can make in a short time. Faith |
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| jgk177
Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 29 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 2:48 PM I just noticed the same about the calories, and started a new topic before I saw this |
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| veggiemilf
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 3 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 3:01 PM I hear you. I worry that it will turn people off of a vegan diet instead of getting them interested! People don't like to feel deprived. Perhaps this is meant to be like the first two weeks of the South Beach diet, like a cleansing. I guess we need to hear from some people who have been following the Kickstart menus to know how it goes... |
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| shanna
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 3:14 PM If you watch the intro videos by Dr. Barnard, he gives a formula for how many calories you should be getting in order not to go too low and stall your weight loss (if that's your goal). Though every time this question has come up, they've said they don't really want you to have to count calories--just eat the right things and enough so you don't feel hungry. I think he says 100 calories per lb of your ideal weight. So 1500 if you are aiming for or maintaining 150. And that's for a moderately active person, I'm assuming. At 5' 11", I am definitely not going running or to the gym 4 times a week on 1000 calories! |
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| Bluesgyrl
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 4:29 PM I am happy someone wrote in about this. I, too, have been wondering about portion sizes, calories, etc. And I was hungry after the salad also. I think the web site is a bit vague about that. Or at least I haven't seen any info. about it. I will say that after years of trying to take off weight and change my eating habits via Weight Watchers that it is a different mind set to know that you can have as much as you want of the whole foods. I found myself counting points when I was having cous cous the other day and then I realized that I didn't have to. How freeing is that! It actually helps with the cravings because you can have more. |
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| rb
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 4:50 PM I think it's important to also think of what the goals are. If it's just to see how things feel for 3 weeks, that's different from doing it long-term. If the goal is for people to do this long-term and stick with it, it's well-documented that if people feel too restricted on a diet, they will eventually stop doing it. That's why I'm not stressing about using a handful of nuts in my oatmeal, a little oil, dark chocolate here and there, etc. I'm not saying to make a meal of a jar of peanut butter, but I think it's important to think about long-term changes and what we will stick with. It's one thing to do this for three weeks with all this support, but what will happen after that? I went to this health spa in Mexico once that was all about eating vegan with no fat or sugar, and taking exercise classes. Meal conversations were about how many ounces people had lost that day. (The funny thing was it was supposed to be a spa environment, not a weight loss one, but you never saw anyone lounging at the pool or getting massages, or the like! There was this implicit pressure to be losing as much weight as possible). Anyway, both I and my boyfriend at the time came back really motivated to cook and eat differently, and we did so for several weeks. Then, over time, it was too much work and too much deprivation and it didn't feel healthy. We were tired and hungry all the time. So I went back to being a flexitarian. I'm into this challenge as a way to stop my dairy obsession, and to see what it's like to be vegan, which I am enjoying and believe in. But I think it's realistic (for myself) to expect that over time, I will do a modified version of this, rather than 100%. I am hoping it will give me the incentive to be somewhere between a vegetarian and a vegan, and so far I can see that happening. |
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| noodles
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 2 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 4:58 PM Hi, |
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| Bluesgyrl
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 9:37 PM I definately agree with rb about this being a life style change and not a diet. Weight loss is just a positive side affect.......at least for me. I like how rb calls is a flexinarian (I think that is it) because it would be more realistic for me to say that I could become something inbetween a vegan and vegitarian. I am, however, very much enjoying the receipes and learning how to cook in a low fat way; such as carmelizing onion with only water. How cool is that! |
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janicestanger
 Location: San Diego Posts: 26 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 2:31 AM The diet for Kickstart is meant to be a starting point. You do not need to take it to the letter - the idea is to learn healthy plant-based eating that works for you. You definitely don't want to feel deprived. A good approach is to eat all you want, but to include about equal portions of 1) veggies 2) fruit 3) beans and potatoes 4) whole grains. Add a handful of nuts or seeds every day or two. Eat flavorful foods with lots of herbs and spices. You will be full, satisfied, and on track to permanently lose a couple of pounds a week. This is indeed a perfect diet in my experience. I think this will work for you.
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| ede
Joined: 01/07/10 Posts: 1 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 4:20 AM If we can only consume 100 calories per pound of body weight, is that our goal weight, or our current weight? |
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1212 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 6:54 AM All great points made here. The menu we provide is supposed to be a guide. Although if you are so inclined, you could follow it to a T and see how it goes. But in general, if you are losing weight that you don't want or need to be losing, then you certainly need to eat more. It is hard to shake counting points, measuring amounts, thinking about calories, etc. We are a nation obsessed with this. But once you realize, "Oh, I can just eat food, real food, without thinking about it," it is very freeing indeed. After years of working with people with diabetes, the MASTERS of counting and measuring, trust me when I say this mindset can be changed for the better. Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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| veveveveggie
Joined: 12/28/09 Posts: 114 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:10 AM I can stabilize quite well by gaging my fat intake. I eat avacados, use a little olive oil here and there and eat nuts daily. I do try to stay out of saturated fats. Other than that I try to eat variety in grains, fruit and veggies. I eat all I can of these. |
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| txgirl
Joined: 01/04/10 Location: Pasadena, TX Posts: 82 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:35 AM ede wrote: If we can only consume 100 calories per pound of body weight, is that our goal weight, or our current weight? I think he meant 10 calories per pound of goal weight. That's also the go-by they use on the show "Cook Yourself Thin". |
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| shanna
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 12:18 PM yes, 100 calories per lb of your goal weight to lose steadily or maintain if you are already there. i can't remember which video it's in. one of the first two: http://kickstartdev.pcrm.org/webcasts/index.cfm |
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| Bluesgyrl
Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 12:58 PM Thanks Susan for the encouragement and input about the weighing foods, counting points, etc. It's good to know Im not the only one. I imagine this is why the forums are a good thing. As you said, it will definately take some time to process the new mind set. I started the program a bit late (I think Im on day four)but am already feeling a difference; especially in the energy dept. Makes me think about what I have been putting my body through that it could be so sluggish. Also, I want to say that I can't believe how sweet real maple suger is. First time I had it was with the blueberry pancakes. Now that I know how sweet it actually is (I couldn't even use over the top of the pancakes)I am asking myself what the bottled stuff I have been using all these years is really made of???? Hhhhhhmmmmmmmm. |
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| rb
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 85 |
RE: too few calories in this diet? Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 5:53 PM I'm still pretty tired and hungry on this plan. Maybe my transition is different from others, since I have not eaten red meat in 20 years, and only had poultry or fish about 2-3 times a month. So the real change for me is dairy (and eggs, which I generally don't eat except in other foods). But I am feeling the opposite of an increase in energy on this. |
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ok so I'm a dunce once in a while 
. I totally agree about the calories being WAY low...as for eating unlimited amounts of anything, I find that not to be too effective for me..a huge bowl of broccoli would give me a huge tummy ache..or the very least a huge amount of gas...I sautee greens daily (in a teeny amount of olive oil.) I usually use bok choy, kale, collard greens, beet greens, etc, and if I have nothing with the greens, I am quite hungry an hour later. Also I am active 6 days a week, getting 30+ mins cardio and 30+ mins resistance training and yoga daily...700-1000 calories would catch up with me very quickly, and not in a good way. I definitely need to clean up my diet (get the sugar and wheat out) but this kind of depravation (for me) would lead to binge eating.| New Topic Reply Subscription Options |
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