How much weight can I expect to lose?

So, I’m struggling with my weight... and I decided to just wing it and design my own diet. Can you guys tell me if this is actually going to work? For lunch, I had veggies—yesterday I made this thick vegetable soup using broccoli, chicken bouillon, and potatoes. Then for dinner, I just had two apples and drank tons of green tea and water. Today, I had chard risotto for lunch—basically rice and chard, plus a tiny bit of flour and oil to thicken it up along with some onions. For dinner tonight, it was more apples, some tangerines, green tea, and plenty of water, obviously. Is this actually going to be effective?? 😢 😲

If you head over to the Food & Nutrition forum, you'll find much more specialized info on various diet plans—honestly, I’d suggest starting a thread there instead. Since you posted this here, we can really only comment on whether your meals seem balanced and healthy enough.

My personal advice would be to steer clear of those nasty refined carbs and processed stuff—you know, things like bouillon cubes or thickeners—especially if you aren't sticking strictly to olive oil.
It looks like you skipped the most vital part of the day, though—breakfast!
You should definitely incorporate whole grains (not the sugary kind loaded with chocolate bits and whatnot); also, try adding some whole wheat flour if you prefer thicker textures, as I noticed that's missing, and it's quite important.
In general, the more varied your menu is with all the necessary nutrients (definitely include fish), the better; having a repetitive, monotonous diet isn't exactly ideal.
Regarding that chard risotto—instead of using flour to thicken it, just sauté the chard with a few boiled potatoes, drizzle some olive oil over it, and add some garlic and herbs.
There’s really no point in thickening soups with extra additives when you could just load them up with vegetables. Just make a hearty vegetable soup, add a splash of olive oil, and then use an immersion blender—or just mash it down—to get that thicker consistency.
So, the goal is: less processed food, less fat, less frying, and significantly less white flour, white sugar, white bread, and other highly processed junk. And, of course, try to stay active.

How much weight you actually lose will depend on whether you're exercising, how much you move in general, and your portion sizes.
It's usually better to eat five smaller meals a day (like a piece of fruit for a snack) rather than just two or three massive meals.

Edit: If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Poor food choices combined with starving yourself—especially if you're still growing—can be pretty bad for your health. Plus, it's often counterproductive; people tend to just fall back into their old habits once they quit the diet, leading to that classic yo-yo effect.

Sophia Wells72 said:If you head over to the Foodie Forum, you can learn all about different diets, so I’d suggest starting a thread there instead. Since you posted this here, we can really only tell you whether your meals look varied and healthy enough.

My advice? You absolutely need to ditch those nasty carbs and processed junk like bouillon cubes or heavy thickeners, especially if you're using any oils other than olive oil.
I noticed you skipped the most important part—breakfast!
Make sure to include whole grains (not the sugary stuff loaded with chocolate and all that nonsense); add some whole wheat flour too (if you prefer thicker textures), because I didn't see any of that, and it's crucial.
And generally speaking, just keep your menu diverse with all the necessary nutrients (make sure to include fish); having a repetitive diet isn't going to work for you.
Instead of making Swiss chard risotto—and skipping the flour—just eat sautéed chard with maybe a boiled potato, drizzle it with olive oil, and add some garlic and herbs.
There’s zero point in thickening soups with extra ingredients when you can just load them up with vegetables. Just make a vegetable soup, add a splash of olive oil, and then use an immersion blender or just mash it down to get that thickness.
Basically: less processed food, less fat, less frying, and way less white flour, white sugar, white bread, and various other processed crap. Plus, try to stay active.

How much weight you lose depends entirely on whether you exercise, how much you move in general, and your portion sizes.
It’s better to eat five small meals a day (like having fruit as a snack) rather than just two or three massive meals.

Edit: If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Poor food choices and starving yourself (especially if you're still growing) can wreck your health, and honestly, it won't help you much since people usually just end up back where they started once they quit the diet and go back to their old habits. The yo-yo effect is real.

I'm 17 years old 🙂
Hhah.. I'll definitely add grains to my breakfast... and I haven't been eating that much either... honestly, I feel like I'm going to spiral into a depression if I don't burn off maybe 20 kg to hit at least 120 lbs at 5'9" 😉 that would be perfect for me, right now I'm 165... :S
And I'm not quitting... thanks for the reply 🙂

In any case, following a diet like this at your age—or honestly, ever—just isn't a smart move if you actually want to see results. You’re essentially just wrecking your health; losing 20 pounds, especially in such a short window, can seriously mess with your cycle and throw your hormones completely out of whack. It's particularly risky when you're basically starving yourself on just tea and water while simultaneously relying on processed chicken bouillon and white flour. Since you're about 5'9", hitting 145 lbs should be more than enough; anything beyond that feels like overkill. I'd suggest aiming for maybe 10 pounds over five months—roughly 2 pounds a month—and then focusing on toning up once the diet is over. Anything else won't have a lasting effect. Once you stop, you'll likely just snap back to your old weight, and it might even be harder to lose it the second time around.

By skipping meals, you're almost certainly walking straight into a trap—especially if you're feeling that "emergency" pressure to drop weight immediately. You end up spending long stretches of the day starving, which eventually causes your metabolism to crawl. The timing of your meals is off, and frankly, the nutritional composition is poor too. That's the fatal flaw in these kinds of diets, particularly when you're younger and your metabolism shouldn't be slowing down like that. On top of that, your immune system will take a hit, and you're looking at potential anemia and just general, crushing fatigue.

So, please, be really careful about how you choose your diet. Fiber is key, and you need actual variety in what you eat—don't skip meals. Make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals. Starving yourself? Definitely not a good idea.

Good luck.

Sophia Wells72 said:Either way, following a diet like this at your age—or honestly, ever—is just a bad move because you aren't going to see any actual results. You’re just going to wreck your health. Dropping 45 pounds, especially in such a short window, can seriously mess with your cycle and throw your hormones out of whack. This method of starving yourself on nothing but tea and water while simultaneously eating processed bouillon and white flour is a disaster. At 5'9", hitting 145 lbs is plenty; anything lower than that is overkill. Aim for 20 pounds over 5 months (about 4 lbs a month) instead. Then, once the diet is done, focus on toning up. Anything else won't stick. As soon as you stop, you'll just gain it all back and find it even harder to lose next time.

Skipping meals is a guaranteed trap, especially if you're feeling that desperate urge to drop weight immediately. You end up fasting for massive chunks of the day, which eventually causes your metabolism to tank. Your meal timing is off, and your nutrition is even worse. That is the fatal flaw of these kinds of diets, particularly when you're young and your metabolism should be working for you, not against you. On top of that, your immune system will crater, leaving you prone to anemia and total exhaustion.

So, please, be smart about what you choose. Focus on fiber, variety, and actually sitting down for your meals. Get enough vitamins and minerals. Starving yourself? Absolutely not.

Good luck.

Thanks, 🙂