How many calories in my dal, darl?

This topic contains 5 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by simcoeluv 10 years, 9 months ago.

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GladysHorton

10:29 pm
26 Feb 14
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HI all,
I hope you can help. I’m up to my fifth week of 5:2 and nothing has changed – inches or weight. Arrgh. Fortunately, the forum has helped me understand that some of us are just slower than others, which helps me maintain my resolve to keep going on this.
I think I’ve been quite strict on my 500 cals on my 2 fast days a week. However, I find it tough to remain resolved at the same time as hungry so make food that I can have 3 times on a fasting day. I have calculated that dal comes in at 500 cals (once onion, 1 tbsp coconut oil, toms and tons of spices are added), made with a cup of red lentils. I have the Calorie Count app and it tells me that a cup of red lentils is 170 calories. It doesn’t indicate whether that’s cooked or dry. Can someone else tell me what they think 1 cup of dried red lentils comes in at? I’ve Googled it and it ranges between 170 and 230 cals for 1 cup of lentils but since I’m not shifting any weight, I’m wondering if I’m miscalculating badly.
I realise that dal is very heavy on carbs but 1 cup of lentils makes about 5 cups of dal and that bulk helps me out during a fasting day.
Thanks for your help.

simcoeluv

11:22 pm
26 Feb 14
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Hi and welcome:

Cant’ help with your dal, but can say if you have not lost any weight in five weeks you are probably eating too many calories overall to lose weight (by definition, you are eating to your TDEE level).

I would recompute my TDEE (try this calculator and use inactive – http://www.mayoclinic.org/calorie-calculator/ITT-20084939), count calories on a diet and non-diet day or two to make sure you have the right numbers there, and that should identify the problem

Here are some other tips: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/warnings-to-newbies/

Good Luck!

GladysHorton

12:10 am
27 Feb 14
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Hi Simcoelov and thanks very much for responding.
Jolly good advice too. I have recalculated my TDEE as inactive and find that it’s 1550, instead of the 2300 that I had initially calculated (mostly due to weight lifting, I suspect, and thrashing about doing cardio with a trainer twice a week as well), so I’ll have a go at that.
I can’t wait for this to work because it makes so much sense!

simcoeluv

12:30 am
27 Feb 14
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Hi GladysHorton:

You are welcome.

The fact it makes so much sense is why I started, too. If you do your two diet days correctly and eat around your TDEE for the other five, you have to lose weight. Water retention/dehydration will cause short term (month or less) weight ups and downs, but over time you have to lose weight. If a person does not lose weight over five or more weeks, they pretty much have to be eating at or over their TDEE for that time period.

It really is that simple, and is why it makes so much sense.

Hope all goes well.

arla

1:25 am
27 Feb 14
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Or not @simcoeluv – you might want to talk to my endocrinologist!

For all those people dropping weight rapidly & not bothering to count cals, there are those who lose incredibly slowly & are careful about what they eat.

simcoeluv

2:30 am
27 Feb 14
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Arla:

It is sad but true that people with low TDEEs lose weight slowly. A person with a TDEE of 1200 is lucky to lose a pound a month on 5:2. But if they eat below their TDEE, they will lose weight. It is just a matter of how much how fast.

I’m sorry your TDEE is so low.

Good Luck!