rate my diet plan!

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  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 531 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Nicola0000 wrote: »
    Oh you've just opened a can of worms there!!!!!

    Does this mean the high-fat-high-protein minions are going to come on the warpath? I don't mind that I'm over my fat intake, since they're mostly "good fats." I don't mind high fat high protein either, it's just not my thing to eat meat with every meal. This is for multiple reasons. I only buy ethically raised meat for personal reasons, and it does get quite expensive. I can get an entire bag of lentils that makes enough for nine meals for about $1.30. Meat is also annoying to prepare because it raises issues of salmonella and stuff, which isn't as much of a risk for plant-based foods.
    Think you need to research TDEE more, as doesn't matter how much weight you've lost. It's what you weigh now that counts

    What I'm saying is that I'm losing weight at a faster rate than expected, which means that I'm probably expending more calories per day than what MFP says I am, creating a larger calorie deficit. So when I go into maintenance I have to adjust for that...MFP says I should have 1800 cals per day when I go into maintenance at 120 pounds, but I might need to eat more than that to stay the same weight.

    It's the "only need 50g protein" that people will start on about.

    You still haven't said what % you eat of each macro....

    MFP is only a guide. My maintenance is 1700 at 132lb. Everyone is different, you'll just have to adjust and see what it's doing.

  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Swiftlet66 wrote: »
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Ok I really don't understand...what is so restrictive about this plan? What do you all usually eat?

    No plans, the only plan is I eat whatever I want, whenever I want as long as it is mostly veggies, fruits, a little bit of fish, meats, eggs and cheese, and a sweet treat every now and then. This week, I'm craving Polynesian food! Yesterday, I made salmon taro spinach bake in coconut milk. Omg delicious! Snacks this week are bananas, persimmons, clementines, and pomegranate seeds. Menu changes every week. I think you just need more variety.

    But how many hours a week do you spend preparing food and planning meals and grocery shopping?

    For me the benefit of eating the same thing every day is I don't have to think about it or spend a lot of time on it. When I drag myself out of bed in the morning and rush around getting ready for work, I don't have decide what I want to eat, or cook some fancy sausage and egg thing and then wash a greasy frying pan. My lentils and yogurt are already in the fridge and just need a couple of minutes preparation to be ready to eat. Same for preparing lunch...my lunch and morning/afternoon snacks take only a couple of minutes to put together since it's basically just putting stuff in containers. When I go to the grocery store I basically already know what to buy and it takes less than 5 minutes to compile my shopping list.

    0 planning. I don't think allot about it either. :) My cravings for the week are on a whim and I decide at the grocery store Saturday or Sunday. I only take a few hours Saturday or Sunday to go grocery shopping and to cook/prep for the entire week. Cooking isn't hard or fancy either and neither is a fried egg and sausage that takes like maybe 5 minutes to fry in a pan and 30 seconds to wash the pan. :# That and variety is great! The more different foods you eat, the less risk you have of developing certain nutritional deficiencies in the long run. I mean, you asked for opinions on your diet plan and this is what it is. I just think you need more nutrient dense foods and lots more variety.

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Swiftlet66 wrote: »
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Ok I really don't understand...what is so restrictive about this plan? What do you all usually eat?

    No plans, the only plan is I eat whatever I want, whenever I want as long as it is mostly veggies, fruits, a little bit of fish, meats, eggs and cheese, and a sweet treat every now and then. This week, I'm craving Polynesian food! Yesterday, I made salmon taro spinach bake in coconut milk. Omg delicious! Snacks this week are bananas, persimmons, clementines, and pomegranate seeds. Menu changes every week. I think you just need more variety.

    But how many hours a week do you spend preparing food and planning meals and grocery shopping?

    For me the benefit of eating the same thing every day is I don't have to think about it or spend a lot of time on it. When I drag myself out of bed in the morning and rush around getting ready for work, I don't have decide what I want to eat, or cook some fancy sausage and egg thing and then wash a greasy frying pan. My lentils and yogurt are already in the fridge and just need a couple of minutes preparation to be ready to eat. Same for preparing lunch...my lunch and morning/afternoon snacks take only a couple of minutes to put together since it's basically just putting stuff in containers. When I go to the grocery store I basically already know what to buy and it takes less than 5 minutes to compile my shopping list.

    OP, if this works for you, do it! I don't know why some people have to argue how variety is important when clearly you said that during the week you are fine eating this way. I'm somewhat similar: I shop and cook on the weekends and make my food for the next week or 2 so that it's all just ready to go each day and I don't have to think about it. Honestly, you are doing the right thing by planning and preparing and sticking with it rather than giving yourself the opportunity to make bad, spur-of-the-moment choices during the day.

    Don't get too hung up on the opinions of others if you've been successful. Small tweaks along the way, such as switching out your morning fruit occasionally or reducing carbs, etc. are generally helpful but it's all trial and error. Good luck!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    4
    Needs Improvement
    C-

    Wasn't sure what rating scale I was supposed to use.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    What I'm saying is that I'm losing weight at a faster rate than expected, which means that I'm probably expending more calories per day than what MFP says I am, creating a larger calorie deficit. So when I go into maintenance I have to adjust for that...MFP says I should have 1800 cals per day when I go into maintenance at 120 pounds, but I might need to eat more than that to stay the same weight.

    The calculators here can be low, and even other sites, they're all just estimates. Once you start maintaining, you'll have to experiment to find what calorie goal you actually maintain at.
  • coruscatti
    coruscatti Posts: 81
    edited November 2014
    Swiftlet66 wrote: »
    0 planning. I don't think allot about it either. :) My cravings for the week are on a whim and I decide at the grocery store Saturday or Sunday. I only take a few hours Saturday or Sunday to go grocery shopping and to cook/prep for the entire week. Cooking isn't hard or fancy either and neither is a fried egg and sausage that takes like maybe 5 minutes to fry in a pan and 30 seconds to wash the pan. :# That and variety is great! The more different foods you eat, the less risk you have of developing certain nutritional deficiencies in the long run. I mean, you asked for opinions on your diet plan and this is what it is. I just think you need more nutrient dense foods and lots more variety.

    Well I do eat 5+ servings of vegetables per day, and almonds/lentils/whole grains are all nutrient dense foods, so I can't imagine what else I should add to that. Maybe fish which I do have occasionally. I eat more fruit in the summer when berries are available but right now it's just apples, oranges, and bananas, and I really don't like apples or oranges. So bananas it is...potassium and all that.
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    4
    Needs Improvement
    C-

    Wasn't sure what rating scale I was supposed to use.

    Care to share what you think is wrong with it exactly (from a nutritional standpoint)? Just saying it sucks isn't particularly helpful.
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    OP, if this works for you, do it! I don't know why some people have to argue how variety is important when clearly you said that during the week you are fine eating this way. I'm somewhat similar: I shop and cook on the weekends and make my food for the next week or 2 so that it's all just ready to go each day and I don't have to think about it. Honestly, you are doing the right thing by planning and preparing and sticking with it rather than giving yourself the opportunity to make bad, spur-of-the-moment choices during the day.

    Don't get too hung up on the opinions of others if you've been successful. Small tweaks along the way, such as switching out your morning fruit occasionally or reducing carbs, etc. are generally helpful but it's all trial and error. Good luck!

    I mean long-term nutritional deficiencies might be a concern, but I don't think the actual foods I'm eating are bad. Yet everyone is acting like they are. Not sure why...what do you all eat that's so much healthier?

    For me I like to plan and have everything easy to put together because otherwise I know I won't put in the effort. This isn't just about time but also about money...if I don't feel like making breakfast and get breakfast on the way to work, that's extra money I'm spending. Even if it is a ham, egg and cheese sandwich which is supposedly healthier and more "nutrient-rich" than lentils, Greek yogurt, and leafy greens...according to some people....
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    4
    Needs Improvement
    C-

    Wasn't sure what rating scale I was supposed to use.

    Care to share what you think is wrong with it exactly (from a nutritional standpoint)? Just saying it sucks isn't particularly helpful.


    You asked people to rate it. People did, and gave you comments that it seemed restrictive and monotonous to eat the same things every day. You then got really defensive. I was just pointing out that you asked a bunch of strangers to rate something on an arbitrary scale and then when they did comment, you disagreed with them and asked them what they ate that made their diet better than yours.

    Nutritionally speaking I think you have your bases fairly well covered. What makes people successful in the long term is making choices that they can live with forever - lifestyle change and all that. If you can be happy eating like that day in and day out, then that's fine. If it is helping you achieve your goals - more power to you.

    I don't think anyone here was critical of the healthfulness of the individual components of your "diet plan". What people questioned was whether or not that was sustainable in the long term.

    Food should not only be chosen because of health benefits, micro and macro nutrients, etc but because it tastes good and it makes you happy. Does your diet plan do all of that? Then keep going...

  • coruscatti
    coruscatti Posts: 81
    edited November 2014
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    You asked people to rate it. People did, and gave you comments that it seemed restrictive and monotonous to eat the same things every day. You then got really defensive. I was just pointing out that you asked a bunch of strangers to rate something on an arbitrary scale and then when they did comment, you disagreed with them and asked them what they ate that made their diet better than yours.

    Nutritionally speaking I think you have your bases fairly well covered. What makes people successful in the long term is making choices that they can live with forever - lifestyle change and all that. If you can be happy eating like that day in and day out, then that's fine. If it is helping you achieve your goals - more power to you.

    I don't think anyone here was critical of the healthfulness of the individual components of your "diet plan". What people questioned was whether or not that was sustainable in the long term.

    Food should not only be chosen because of health benefits, micro and macro nutrients, etc but because it tastes good and it makes you happy. Does your diet plan do all of that? Then keep going...

    Ok well I was looking for answers focused more on health and whether it is a balanced diet or not. Whether I am eating too much of any food group (people did make good comments about the carbs) and whether there might be any nutritional deficiencies. I assumed there were some people on here who know more than me about nutrition. Maybe that was the wrong assumption to make.

    For example if someone told me that they had peanut butter on toast every morning, and I personally didn't like peanut butter, it would not be constructive for me to say "ewww, how can you eat that?" I feel like the "your diet is monotonous and random" and "it's weird to eat lentils for breakfast" and "your diet is a negative 10 out of 10" type of comments were basically at that level of being constructive. It really kind of discourages you from even bothering.

    And I really do want to know what other people are eating that is so much better than what I'm eating. The one person who posted a detailed diet plan seemed to have a diet kind of similar to mine, except with oatmeal instead of lentils for example, and peanut butter instead of almonds.

    If I ever get tired of my diet I will make substitutions. In fact I have been adding stuff, taking stuff out, and changing stuff around for months...even before I started to lose weight.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Okay, so what is the macro/micro break down of your diet?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    You asked people to rate it. People did, and gave you comments that it seemed restrictive and monotonous to eat the same things every day. You then got really defensive. I was just pointing out that you asked a bunch of strangers to rate something on an arbitrary scale and then when they did comment, you disagreed with them and asked them what they ate that made their diet better than yours.

    Nutritionally speaking I think you have your bases fairly well covered. What makes people successful in the long term is making choices that they can live with forever - lifestyle change and all that. If you can be happy eating like that day in and day out, then that's fine. If it is helping you achieve your goals - more power to you.

    I don't think anyone here was critical of the healthfulness of the individual components of your "diet plan". What people questioned was whether or not that was sustainable in the long term.

    Food should not only be chosen because of health benefits, micro and macro nutrients, etc but because it tastes good and it makes you happy. Does your diet plan do all of that? Then keep going...



    For example if someone told me that they had peanut butter on toast every morning, and I personally didn't like peanut butter, it would not be constructive for me to say "ewww, how can you eat that?" I feel like the "your diet is monotonous and random" and "it's weird to eat lentils for breakfast" and "your diet is a negative 10 out of 10" type of comments were basically at that level of being constructive. It really kind of discourages you from even bothering.

    And I really do want to know what other people are eating that is so much better than what I'm eating. The one person who posted a detailed diet plan seemed to have a diet kind of similar to mine, except with oatmeal instead of lentils for example, and peanut butter instead of almonds.

    If that person said, "I have peanut butter on toast every morning, what do you think?" then it would be reasonable for you to say, "I don't care for peanut butter" or even "eww gross". People do it all the time. You asked a vague question, "rate my diet plan" and didn't give people quantitative parameters by which to do so. Again, the word "diet plan" to me means you want comments about the combination of the entire day or week, not the individual nutritional value of the components.

    My diary is open. I'm sure you will find it to be far less healthy than yours based on what you've said so far. I eat a variety of food, I enjoy cooking and eating out, I don't demonize any food group. I could eat more fruits and vegetables. I like ice cream and wine. That's how I went about achieving my goals. I've lost about 30 lbs and am maintaining now. I'm sure people would have lots of comments for me if I were to ask them to rate my "diet plan" but I never asked.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You asked for opinions and then argue with them. I don't get it.

    I'm just confused. I didn't expect such an overwhelmingly negative response. I also didn't expect people to be shaming me based on how "boring" my meals are. I was hoping to get a response along the lines of is this diet HEALTHY or not, not whether you personally would eat it.

    You asked people to "rate my diet plan." Most people enjoy variety...so why would it be such a shocker that people would "rate" your plan a little boring.

    I eat very healthfully...I also eat quite a variety and I'm big on flavor. Eating healthfully doesn't have to be boring...but if that's the way you like it, then cool...just don't get all bent when you ask a bunch of randos on the internet to "rate your diet plan."


  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    coruscatti wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You asked for opinions and then argue with them. I don't get it.

    I'm just confused. I didn't expect such an overwhelmingly negative response. I also didn't expect people to be shaming me based on how "boring" my meals are. I was hoping to get a response along the lines of is this diet HEALTHY or not, not whether you personally would eat it.

    You asked people to "rate my diet plan." Most people enjoy variety...so why would it be such a shocker that people would "rate" your plan a little boring.

    I eat very healthfully...I also eat quite a variety and I'm big on flavor. Eating healthfully doesn't have to be boring...but if that's the way you like it, then cool...just don't get all bent when you ask a bunch of randos on the internet to "rate your diet plan."


    ^^ I don't know what you expected, with what you asked people to do. If you want specific answers, ask specific questions. Asking a bunch of randoms on the internet to 'rate my diet plan' well... the old addage is "Ask a silly question, get a silly answer".
  • Kruggeri wrote: »

    If that person said, "I have peanut butter on toast every morning, what do you think?" then it would be reasonable for you to say, "I don't care for peanut butter" or even "eww gross". People do it all the time. You asked a vague question, "rate my diet plan" and didn't give people quantitative parameters by which to do so. Again, the word "diet plan" to me means you want comments about the combination of the entire day or week, not the individual nutritional value of the components.

    I thought it was self explanatory that I was asking about health. Why would I care if a bunch of random people like or dislike the foods I'm eating?

    Soooo you're basically saying that if I ask any questions on this forum, I should expect people to give snide and irrelevant responses. Okay then. Good to know.
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Okay, so what is the macro/micro break down of your diet?

    Ok so I added up a sample day:

    Cals: 1608
    Carbs: 205g (51%)
    Fat: 56g (31%)
    Protein: 99g (25%)

    (Yes these don't add up to 100% but that's because stupid MFP rounds to the nearest gram...still you get the idea)

    Sugar: 33g (mostly natural sugar)
    Saturated Fat: 19g (supposed to be 17g)
    Cholesterol: 90mg (supposed to be 300mg)
    Sodium: 1100mg (About half of what it's supposed to be...but it's very easy to add salt in. For example substituting salted almonds or adding seasonings to things.)
    Iron: 136% DV
    Calcium: 96% DV
    Vitamin A: 439% DV (But it would only be 150% DV if I didn't put kale in...I don't eat kale every day so shouldn't cause an issue.)
    Vitamin C: 317% DV (Again, the kale gave 170% DV of this...didn't realize it had so many nutrients! It's near-impossible to overdose on Vitamin C though.)
  • However I do think next week I will try replacing the lentils in the morning with boneless skinless chicken breast. So far I haven't been able to eat anything for breakfast that has lasted me more than 3 hours without getting hungry, but since everyone is saying lean protein is the way to go, it's at least worth a try. I can make all the chicken breasts at once on Sunday and then freeze them and thaw them individually in the refrigerator the night before. It will be way more expensive but whatever.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    However I do think next week I will try replacing the lentils in the morning with boneless skinless chicken breast. So far I haven't been able to eat anything for breakfast that has lasted me more than 3 hours without getting hungry, but since everyone is saying lean protein is the way to go, it's at least worth a try. I can make all the chicken breasts at once on Sunday and then freeze them and thaw them individually in the refrigerator the night before. It will be way more expensive but whatever.

    what happened to 'you only need 50g of protein' and you knowing better than anyone on MFP who advocates eating a decent amount of protein??
  • coruscatti
    coruscatti Posts: 81
    edited November 2014
    what happened to 'you only need 50g of protein' and you knowing better than anyone on MFP who advocates eating a decent amount of protein??

    Well you only NEED 50g of protein. The rest is all personal preference. Currently I eat more than 50g, between 70-100g usually.

    Besides my daily protein would still be basically the same, I would just be moving the most protein-rich foods from dinnertime to breakfast time. Because the morning is when I tend to get the most hungry. So you can stop being so judgmental :)
  • It sounds like it's mostly carbs & sugar, and if you eat alot of carbs you need to burn them off. If you can stick with mainly fruit, veggies with a small portions of meat with more water and no choacolate.....honsetly.....0.
  • coruscatti
    coruscatti Posts: 81
    edited November 2014
    It sounds like it's mostly carbs & sugar, and if you eat alot of carbs you need to burn them off. If you can stick with mainly fruit, veggies with a small portions of meat with more water and no choacolate.....honsetly.....0.

    Whose diet plan are you reading...I eat WAY less sugar than the average person. On a typical day usually around 30g per day and that's ALL sugars, natural and added, fructose, lactose, sucrose, everything. The average person eats maybe 60-70g of sugars.

    What's hilarious is that I had all these people up my a** in another thread I made saying 30g of sugar per day is "way too restrictive" and that "SUGAR IS NOT BAD FOR YOU" (in all capital letters) and "I eat 100g of sugar per day and still lose weight!" One of them even private messaged me calling me "stupid" for trying to restrict my sugar intake. What an amazing place MFP is...no matter what I say on this forum there's always going to be someone trying to criticize and patronize me! (This is not directed at you specifically btw, just...a lot of the other comments on this thread.)

    I doubt one 80-120 cal junk food item per day is going to mess up anything. It's better to have a little bit of chocolate per day, rather than spend the whole day thinking about "OMG I want chocolate!" You have to live too.
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
    Sorry, but your entire meal plan sounds gross, with the exception of dinner. If I had to eat that every day I would definitely lose weight. It is ok to mix it up you know. And cheerios with water? Why bother. LOL
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    mxmkenney wrote: »
    Sorry, but your entire meal plan sounds gross, with the exception of dinner. If I had to eat that every day I would definitely lose weight. It is ok to mix it up you know. And cheerios with water? Why bother. LOL

    they are dry cherios ..the water is for rehydration ...
  • mxmkenney wrote: »
    Sorry, but your entire meal plan sounds gross, with the exception of dinner. If I had to eat that every day I would definitely lose weight. It is ok to mix it up you know. And cheerios with water? Why bother. LOL

    Ok thanks for your entirely irrelevant opinion.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    What an amazing place MFP is...no matter what I say on this forum there's always going to be someone trying to criticize and patronize me!

    Such is life... Whether on mfp or offline. You put yourself out there and not everyone is going to agree with you and not everyone is gonna be nice about it either. I think it's time to move on. If you feel like you're plan is working, why not just keep doing it and ignore people's disagreements and advice?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    mxmkenney wrote: »
    Sorry, but your entire meal plan sounds gross, with the exception of dinner. If I had to eat that every day I would definitely lose weight. It is ok to mix it up you know. And cheerios with water? Why bother. LOL

    Ok thanks for your entirely irrelevant opinion.

    How is her opinion irrelevant? It's basically her rating of your diet: "this is gross, it lacks variety, breakfast sounds lame."
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Swiftlet66 wrote: »
    coruscatti wrote: »
    Ok I really don't understand...what is so restrictive about this plan? What do you all usually eat?

    No plans, the only plan is I eat whatever I want, whenever I want as long as it is mostly veggies, fruits, a little bit of fish, meats, eggs and cheese, and a sweet treat every now and then. This week, I'm craving Polynesian food! Yesterday, I made salmon taro spinach bake in coconut milk. Omg delicious! Snacks this week are bananas, persimmons, clementines, and pomegranate seeds. Menu changes every week. I think you just need more variety.

    But how many hours a week do you spend preparing food and planning meals and grocery shopping?

    For me the benefit of eating the same thing every day is I don't have to think about it or spend a lot of time on it. When I drag myself out of bed in the morning and rush around getting ready for work, I don't have decide what I want to eat, or cook some fancy sausage and egg thing and then wash a greasy frying pan. My lentils and yogurt are already in the fridge and just need a couple of minutes preparation to be ready to eat. Same for preparing lunch...my lunch and morning/afternoon snacks take only a couple of minutes to put together since it's basically just putting stuff in containers. When I go to the grocery store I basically already know what to buy and it takes less than 5 minutes to compile my shopping list.

    This thread.. it's so... lol.

    I also basically eat what I want, except I don't limit myself to eating specific types of food as the other person you quoted does. My only requirement is 145g of protein every day. I eat pretty much anything in the day.

    Takes me about 5 minutes to compile a shopping list as well. I write down fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, grains, junk, etc that I know we are low in or that I want. Takes me about 5 minutes to plan out my entire log as well by simply choosing foods we have on hand and based on what I'm craving. I make protein pancakes a lot because they are easy and yum, but I ran out of oatmeal so I thought"I'll make some protein cookies with quinoa flakes instead" and they came out cakey but good (I assume due to the lack of fat and added sugar?). That took an entire 1 minute to change in my recipe builder.

    I agree with others, the diet is restrictive in the sense that it's the same thing day in, day out. I can do that for breakfast, but even then I still need variety during the week and instead cycle through things. Food isn't just about "being healthy," it's about enjoying yourself.

    And as far as your earlier comment about whether it's balanced, IMO... no, it's not. I mostly say this because your diet lacks variety. i have about 6-7 pages of saved "my foods" (created to correct the caloric information based on macros and to allow for custom serving sizes/weights) and 3 pages of recipes. Some of it is seasonable, a lot of it isn't. A lot of it is fresh, and a lot of it is processed junk food. It's all variety, eating everything in moderation, etc. Lean protein is fine, so is beef and pork and salmon/fish and other fatty foods. Lentils are fine, but so are chickpeas or navy beans or kidney beans. Bananas are cool but so are apples, grapes, pomegranates, berries, melons, etc. So to ME, balance means more than just "am I meeting my micronutrient needs?" and more about the entire diet as a whole, how sustainable it is, how much enjoyment it brings.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 850 Member
    edited November 2014
    coruscatti wrote: »
    My latest revision to my diet plan goes as follows ...

    Anyway, let me know what you think!

    I looked at th diary and yes, it's pretty much what have been eating. You have been hitting the macros. And people around the world eat the same thing day after day. I am in favor of any practice that is not harmful and perhaps kick-starts them along the path to their goals.

    But ... you generally take in 1500 cal and exercise off 1000 calories. That is a 500 cal allowance for living.

    --- edit --- Estimate a 23 yo female 5' 4" 126 lb (that is a good BMI) The flat-on-your-back Basil Metabolic Rate ( BMR) is 1300. The Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is a better measure. For the same person with a sedentary job, the TDEE is 1667.

    The math does not add up for maintenance. How do you figure it?

  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Only read first page.

    Calculate the macros. Are they suitable for you? If so, good. if not, modify portions.

    Do you enjoy routine? If so, good.

    As you get your variety on the weekends (and with dinner options daily) I don't see an issue with it. Looks like a decent variety to get adequate micronutrients provided you rotate fruit and veges.

  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
    I think this is a well thought out plan with clean food, but like others said it's a bit restrictive. Calorie-wise. I think it would be hard to keep it going, especially if you plan on eating this 5 days a week.
    What if you added some variations, such as for lentils, another day use red lentils with different seasoning, and things like that. Also allow an additional 3-400 calories as needed. It's restrictive, but if you allow yourself an additional snack or two if you need it, you can probably do it.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    coruscatti wrote: »
    My latest revision to my diet plan goes as follows (it's pretty similar to what I've been eating the past few weeks but with a couple of changes).

    This is only my diet plan for during weekdays when I have to go to work. I like to have a set diet plan for work days so I don't have to think about it. On the weekends I try to stay under my calories but I'm not as rigorous about it (for example I might go out to dinner or have a couple of drinks) and don't have a set diet plan.

    For breakfast I will have one serving of lentils with half a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a plain nonfat Chobani Greek yogurt with a bit of cinnamon and an unripe banana cut up on top (I only like unripe bananas), two cups of leafy greens, and water to drink.

    Morning snack will be one cup of Cheerios, with water as needed.

    Lunch will be two slices of toasted whole-grain bread, half a serving of raw almonds, one mozzarella cheese stick, some "junk food" item worth ~80-120 calories, and water to drink flavored with True Lemon or True Lime. I may also bring some vegetables to snack on with mustard as "dip," especially when my office moves to a new building that actually has a break room with refrigerator.

    Afternoon snack will be half a serving of wasabi peas, with water as needed.

    Dinner will vary but will generally consist of a protein (lean chicken/turkey, eggs, tofu, beans, or steak), a starch (usually pasta, but sometimes brown rice or pearl barley), and a leafy greens/tomato salad or other vegetable.

    Dessert will be tea, herbal tea, unsweetened coconut milk, or unsweetened hot cocoa made with baking cocoa.

    I plan to continue this diet plan after I lose the last couple of pounds and go into maintenance, except increasing some of the portion sizes slightly to equal the correct number of calories.

    Anyway, let me know what you think!


    So, for breakfast, you're including two cups of leafy greens? With nothing on them? Just...greens?

    And for lunch, two pieces of bread? Just...plain? Not a sandwich, or toast with some spread like almond butter rather than the (raw??) almonds. (Do you mean blanched? Raw almonds are poisonous, aren't they?) And tea for dessert? TEA? With nothing in it? How would this be dessert?

    Sorry for all the questions, but I find this plan very confusing, and if I'm reading it correctly, extremely unappetizing.
  • Aemely
    Aemely Posts: 694 Member
    edited November 2014
    Hey, if your food regimen is working and you are feeling good, great! But, you'll likely need to mix it up to keep from getting totally bored.

    For contrast, how about the following totally unbalanced and horrifying diet? :sunglasses: Caveat: Add more food to compensate for exercise. :lol: And, no, I'm not suggesting that anyone eat this every day...

    Small non-fat latte (1/3 cup skim milk)
    Bagel thin & tsp. whipped cream cheese
    2 strips center cut bacon
    == 220 cals.

    Chicken salad (3 oz. chicken, 1.5 tsp. olive oil mayo)
    Olives to go (green), Oyster crackers (20'ish)
    Oskri fig bar
    == 300 cals.

    TJ's Brown Rice Pasta (3 oz.) w/ Marinara sauce (.5 cup) & Grated parm. cheese (2 tsp.)
    Broccoli florets (1.5 cups)
    == 440 cals.

    Popcorn (1/4 cup unpopped)
    String cheese (1 stick)
    Beer (6 oz.)
    == 290 cals.

    Total = 1,250 cals.
  • eat_hike_b33r
    eat_hike_b33r Posts: 82 Member
    As someone who is studying nutritional sciences I would never recommend a diet like this to anyone.
    Variety = healthy diet IMO
    Given there is so much we don't know about components in our foods and nutrient interactions in foods, I would recommend trying to eat as many *different* items as you can (esp fruits/veggies)...
    PRO/CHO/FATS and kcals are not everything and even if you are ok with 'boring' -- your body might be missing out on something that you aren't even aware of.
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