Discouraged by trace calories...
Replies
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Cheese has some fats, cereal usually does not have that much. Carrots and fruit do not contain hardly any protein at all. Your overall diet seems to be very heavy on carbs and light on fats and woefully low on protein.
And this combined with way too much cardio is a recipe for disaster, IMHO. Increase the quality of your foods, reduce the cardio and start weight training. You'll see a huge difference!0 -
Try cooking your food rather than buying pre-packaged foodstuffs - which isn't Food. You aren't feeding your body so it's thinking that it needs to store up the calories (empty ones) that you are giving to it in case it starves. You can't lose weight on that kind of diet.
Here's a week of meals that will put protein and healthy fats in your diet, but keep carbs down:
Monday
breakfast: omelette with veggies (cook a batch of broccoli and use it in your eggs); cooked in butter or coconut oil
lunch: grass fed yogurt with blueberries and slmonds
dinner: cheeseburger (no bun), veggies, salsa sauce
Tuesday
breakfast: bacon & eggs (two each)
lunch: leftover burger & veggies
dinner: salmon with butter & veggies
Wednesday
breakfast: eggs & veggies cooked in butter
lunch: shrimp salad with olive oil
dinner: grilled chicken with veggies
Thursday
breakfast: omelet with various veggies, cooked in butter
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds, & protein powder
dinner: steak with veggies
Friday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: chicken salad with veggies
dinner: pork chops with veggies
Saturday
breakfast: omelette with veggies
lunch: grass fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes, walnuts
dinner: meatballs with veggies
Sunday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, heavy cream, chocolate protein powder, berries
dinner grilled chickens with raw spinach
Object is to get away from boxes and bags filled with non-food and FEED your body food. you will lose weight and feel oh so much better. your body will reward you by taking care of it.
lunch: chicken salad0 -
Try cooking your food rather than buying pre-packaged foodstuffs - which isn't Food. You aren't feeding your body so it's thinking that it needs to store up the calories (empty ones) that you are giving to it in case it starves. You can't lose weight on that kind of diet.
Here's a week of meals that will put protein and healthy fats in your diet, but keep carbs down:
Monday
breakfast: omelette with veggies (cook a batch of broccoli and use it in your eggs); cooked in butter or coconut oil
lunch: grass fed yogurt with blueberries and slmonds
dinner: cheeseburger (no bun), veggies, salsa sauce
Tuesday
breakfast: bacon & eggs (two each)
lunch: leftover burger & veggies
dinner: salmon with butter & veggies
Wednesday
breakfast: eggs & veggies cooked in butter
lunch: shrimp salad with olive oil
dinner: grilled chicken with veggies
Thursday
breakfast: omelet with various veggies, cooked in butter
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds, & protein powder
dinner: steak with veggies
Friday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: chicken salad with veggies
dinner: pork chops with veggies
Saturday
breakfast: omelette with veggies
lunch: grass fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes, walnuts
dinner: meatballs with veggies
Sunday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, heavy cream, chocolate protein powder, berries
dinner grilled chickens with raw spinach
Object is to get away from boxes and bags filled with non-food and FEED your body food. you will lose weight and feel oh so much better. your body will reward you by taking care of it.
lunch: chicken salad
You have a random lunch floating there at the bottom.
There is nothing wrong with food from a box or bag.
Have you tried Trader Joe's guilt-free (guilt-less?) mac &cheese? It's delish. And paired with a serving of their pulled BBQ chicken, so good and filling. Add some edamame or broccoli, well rounded meal right there.
And all of that is found in a box or a bag.
Frozen veggies come in boxes or bags and that's all some people can afford. Some people can't cook, don't cook, or won't cook so frozen meals and other pre-prepared items are necessary for them. And there is nothing wrong with that.0 -
Frozen veggies come in boxes or bags and that's all some people can afford. Some people can't cook, don't cook, or won't cook so frozen meals and other pre-prepared items are necessary for them. And there is nothing wrong with that.
I think the non-food jg6511 was referring to were the Poptarts & pudding that the OP is eating. But even better for you prepackaged foods are not all created equal. A lot of them are filled with sodium and preservative. We eat loads of frozen veggies but heck, even a bag of frozen broccoli is not the same as a box of broccoli in cheese sauce. (Yum, BTW.)0 -
Frozen veggies come in boxes or bags and that's all some people can afford. Some people can't cook, don't cook, or won't cook so frozen meals and other pre-prepared items are necessary for them. And there is nothing wrong with that.
I think the non-food jg6511 was referring to were the Poptarts & pudding that the OP is eating. But even better for you prepackaged foods are not all created equal. A lot of them are filled with sodium and preservative. We eat loads of frozen veggies but heck, even a bag of frozen broccoli is not the same as a box of broccoli in cheese sauce. (Yum, BTW.)
And unless you have a medical condition, sodium isn't bad for you. I in fact should be eating a higher sodium diet than I do.
There's also nothing wrong with pop-tarts or pudding. As part of a balanced diet. Which I know that OP doesn't have but my statement is for the general population
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but its like a little baggy of portart crisps and what about the tortillas and grapes and carrots salad and cheese? is that junk food? and popcorn?0
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OP I have no issues with prepackaged food but the diet you outlined reminded me of a quote from one of the greatest 80's movies ever - Say Anything. "There's no food in your food".
I'm sure you probably thought because you eat salad, carrots, apples and grapes that you are being healthy, and that the Pop Tarts and Cocoa Puffs won't hurt. They won't hurt, but I just can't understand how you can exist on this diet as a married adult. What does your husband eat? Is he commenting about your diet because he wants actual food/meals?
Seriously, the diet you outlined looks like what my 6 and 3 year old children would put together if I asked them to design a meal plan and told them it had to be healthy. Only they would add mac n cheese or grilled cheese instead of the salad. Even they would probably throw in some protein in the form of scrambled eggs, peanut butter, or chicken nuggets...
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And unless you have a medical condition, sodium isn't bad for you. I in fact should be eating a higher sodium diet than I do.
There's also nothing wrong with pop-tarts or pudding. As part of a balanced diet. Which I know that OP doesn't have but my statement is for the general population
Yeah- but lets say someone ate a day of all pre-packaged food. Maybe one of those Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls, a can of Progresso Light for lunch (I had one today actually, so yeah I still eat that stuff) and say a Hormel Compleat Balanced Solution for dinner, you would probably still hit your calorie goals but I personally would be so bloated from all that sodium that someone would have to roll me to my bed. And then I would wake up with a splitting headache.
I'm just saying that if you're going to eat prepackaged you should be paying a little attention to the labels because certain things are better choices with more nutritional value than other things. Then, try to mix in fresh when/where you can, but obviously, as always, it's things in moderation.
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Ha- Even my crap eating example probably has more going for it than OPs diet.0
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Ha- Even my crap eating example probably has more going for it than OPs diet.
Hah yeah it does.
I have no idea what the Hormel thing is btw. And only vaguely know what the Jimmy Dean is. I don't eat breakfast and most Jimmy Dean and other breakfast sandwiches are pork sausages. And I don't eat pork. And the turkey ones are meh, there's some spice in them that I don't like but I can't figure out what it is....0 -
neversummer7 wrote: »but its like a little baggy of portart crisps and what about the tortillas and grapes and carrots salad and cheese? is that junk food? and popcorn?
OP, go to a community college and take a nutrition class because you need help in that arena.0 -
Watch your macros closer. Try to find foods that you like that give you more balance in your nutrition. MFP is a great tool for making sure that you get enough protein, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. I would be willing to bet that you are WAAAAAAY over on sugars and carbs and woefully low on protein and the good fats.
You can still eat the things you listed though... Just not all in the same day. Instead of three servings of cereal, have some greek yogurt with some of that fruit. Or instead of the crackers, put your cheese on some lean sliced turkey or ham with a little mustard.
Look for foods that are closer to their natural state than what you are used to. Look for vibrant natural colored foods.0 -
LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »From the look of that daily menu, trace calories are the least of your problems. You're dieting like an amateur. I'd be starving and miserable if I ate like that every day.
1. Protein is your friend. Eat it.
2. Stop eating the same thing every day. A bottle of calorie-free dressing a day? Blech!
3. Stop doing the same exact exercise every day. Get off that torture device we call a treadmill and pick up something heavy for a change.
4. Eat back some of those exercise calories. If you're eating 1400 and burning 220, your body is running on 1180 calories. You do not need to eat that little to lose weight.
5. Stop overthinking it.
What's wrong with eating the same thing everyday?
Besides being boring, as long as the day is more varied than what she's eating now, I don't see any reason not to eat the same thing.
A lot of people have found success eating the same thing for breakfast & lunch every day with some variety at dinner (I'm not one of them, I get bored eating chicken a lot)
Boredom was my main reason.
I eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snack each work day and switch it up each week. So this week I might have a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, chicken tacos for lunch, and an apple with cheese for an afternoon snack (to make it cheaper and more convenient for me), but everything else I eat (my protein shakes, Quest bars, and dinners) varies each day for the most part. That's not eating the same thing every day. Eating the same thing every day is just that - eating the exact same meals every single day.
There's nothing wrong with it as far as weight loss goes. Calories in vs. calories out, but variety helps keep a lot of us from throwing in the towel because "if I eat one more piece of grilled chicken, I might have to kill someone." Eventually OP is going to get sick of the foods she eats every day. And health-wise, it's good to get a variety of foods in order to get in all types of nutrients. Not that OP needs to worry about that unless she chooses to.0 -
LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »From the look of that daily menu, trace calories are the least of your problems. You're dieting like an amateur. I'd be starving and miserable if I ate like that every day.
1. Protein is your friend. Eat it.
2. Stop eating the same thing every day. A bottle of calorie-free dressing a day? Blech!
3. Stop doing the same exact exercise every day. Get off that torture device we call a treadmill and pick up something heavy for a change.
4. Eat back some of those exercise calories. If you're eating 1400 and burning 220, your body is running on 1180 calories. You do not need to eat that little to lose weight.
5. Stop overthinking it.
What's wrong with eating the same thing everyday?
Besides being boring, as long as the day is more varied than what she's eating now, I don't see any reason not to eat the same thing.
A lot of people have found success eating the same thing for breakfast & lunch every day with some variety at dinner (I'm not one of them, I get bored eating chicken a lot)
Boredom was my main reason.
I eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snack each work day and switch it up each week. So this week I might have a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, chicken tacos for lunch, and an apple with cheese for an afternoon snack (to make it cheaper and more convenient for me), but everything else I eat (my protein shakes, Quest bars, and dinners) varies each day for the most part. That's not eating the same thing every day. Eating the same thing every day is just that - eating the exact same meals every single day.
There's nothing wrong with it as far as weight loss goes. Calories in vs. calories out, but variety helps keep a lot of us from throwing in the towel because "if I eat one more piece of grilled chicken, I might have to kill someone." Eventually OP is going to get sick of the foods she eats every day. And health-wise, it's good to get a variety of foods in order to get in all types of nutrients. Not that OP needs to worry about that unless she chooses to.
I figured boredom and sustainability were your main reasons. When I first started almost 3 years ago, I ate so many freaking salads. I hardly eat salads now because of that.
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Archerychickge wrote: »Watch your macros closer. Try to find foods that you like that give you more balance in your nutrition. MFP is a great tool for making sure that you get enough protein, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. I would be willing to bet that you are WAAAAAAY over on sugars and carbs and woefully low on protein and the good fats.
You can still eat the things you listed though... Just not all in the same day. Instead of three servings of cereal, have some greek yogurt with some of that fruit. Or instead of the crackers, put your cheese on some lean sliced turkey or ham with a little mustard.
Look for foods that are closer to their natural state than what you are used to. Look for vibrant natural colored foods.
The OP has no grasp at proper nutrition if you read through the thread so suggesting for her to balance her macro is going to be over her head0 -
There is so so so much more yummy food you could be eating for 1500 calories
Basically try to eat more natural whole foods that don't come pre-packaged and processed. If you know what to buy the price difference is really not that bad.
Things that fill up my body regularly:
- 1oz cheese + 1c grapes
- lots of chicken and fish
- organic yogurt and honey
- trail mix (dont buy pre-made, get organic or non-salted nuts and mix yourself)
- broccoli and other greens
- brown rice
- beans
- lots of spinach (salad or green smoothie)
- bananas w/ natural peanut butter
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Protein is very important to your body. "Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system" see this link:
Harvard
Healthy fats are essential for good health as well. See here and here.
I found this paragraph from the last link applicable to your diet. "Low-fat diets are usually high in carbohydrates, often from rapidly-digested foods such as white flour, white rice, potatoes, sugary drinks, and refined snacks. Eating lots of these “fast carbs” can cause quick, sharp spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, and over time can increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. High-carbohydrate, low-fat diets also have a negative effect on the fats and cholesterol in our blood: They raise “bad” blood fats (triglycerides) and they lower the “good” blood cholesterol (HDL), both of which can increase the risk of heart disease. These diets also tend to increase blood pressure."0 -
Archerychickge wrote: »Watch your macros closer. Try to find foods that you like that give you more balance in your nutrition. MFP is a great tool for making sure that you get enough protein, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. I would be willing to bet that you are WAAAAAAY over on sugars and carbs and woefully low on protein and the good fats.
You can still eat the things you listed though... Just not all in the same day. Instead of three servings of cereal, have some greek yogurt with some of that fruit. Or instead of the crackers, put your cheese on some lean sliced turkey or ham with a little mustard.
Look for foods that are closer to their natural state than what you are used to. Look for vibrant natural colored foods.
The OP has no grasp at proper nutrition if you read through the thread so suggesting for her to balance her macro is going to be over her head
I understand what you're saying... I'm sure she's smart enough to learn. I think she's getting a lot of good advice here too... things that she can easily apply and use to her advantage as she does more research and learns about how to better fuel her body.
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thank you all for your input, I have made some swaps
tonight i will have some beans with lemon peppered chicken. 0 -
Archerychickge wrote: »
i don't quite understand?0 -
What are the pictures for?0
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Try cooking your food rather than buying pre-packaged foodstuffs - which isn't Food. You aren't feeding your body so it's thinking that it needs to store up the calories (empty ones) that you are giving to it in case it starves. You can't lose weight on that kind of diet.
Here's a week of meals that will put protein and healthy fats in your diet, but keep carbs down:
Monday
breakfast: omelette with veggies (cook a batch of broccoli and use it in your eggs); cooked in butter or coconut oil
lunch: grass fed yogurt with blueberries and slmonds
dinner: cheeseburger (no bun), veggies, salsa sauce
Tuesday
breakfast: bacon & eggs (two each)
lunch: leftover burger & veggies
dinner: salmon with butter & veggies
Wednesday
breakfast: eggs & veggies cooked in butter
lunch: shrimp salad with olive oil
dinner: grilled chicken with veggies
Thursday
breakfast: omelet with various veggies, cooked in butter
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds, & protein powder
dinner: steak with veggies
Friday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: chicken salad with veggies
dinner: pork chops with veggies
Saturday
breakfast: omelette with veggies
lunch: grass fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes, walnuts
dinner: meatballs with veggies
Sunday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, heavy cream, chocolate protein powder, berries
dinner grilled chickens with raw spinach
Object is to get away from boxes and bags filled with non-food and FEED your body food. you will lose weight and feel oh so much better. your body will reward you by taking care of it.
lunch: chicken salad
Amusing: Warns against "packaged non-food"; has protein powder frequently.0 -
neversummer7 wrote: »thank you all for your input, I have made some swaps tonight i will have some beans with lemon peppered chicken.
/thread0 -
Those things you posted just now are ok in small quantities, but they shouldn't make up the bulk of your diet. Listen to the great advice you've gotten here, especially the poster who said you should scrap your diet and start all over. Build a new plan starting with healthy protein, carbs, and fat. Rainbow colored mini poptarts and the like aren't real food. Do you have access to a nutritionist? If you do, make an appointment. And as someone mentioned earlier, if those pictures are recent, you probably don't need to lose any weight. Rather, you should focus on eating healthy. Good luck!0
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neversummer7 wrote: »Archerychickge wrote: »
i don't quite understand?
It's a comment on the color of the food you posted originally.
Food: tortilla with cheese: 240 calories - beige
Poptarts crips: 60 cals - beige
Fiber one cereal (3 servings dry no milk) 240 - beige
Sugar free pudding 60 cals - beige
Box of Special K crackers 385 cals - beige
Salad 80 cals - green
Walden farms ranch dressing 0 cals - grossness
Carrots with walden farms ranch: 175 cals - orange
1540 cals total
3 servings cocoa puffs dry 300 cals - brown/beige
Bag of apples and grapes 200 cals - red/purple
Carrots with walden farms dressing 175 cals - orange
3 serving of cocoa puffs 300 cals - brown/beige
Bag of apples and grapes 200 cals - red/purple
Carrots with dressing 175 - orange
The vast majority of what you eat is beige. And processed.
However, the issue isn't that it's processed. The issue is that you're lacking two very important macronutrients - fat and protein. And because you are only eating carrots, grapes, and apples as your fruits and veggies, you're missing a lot of micronutrients as well.
You need variety in your diet. 3 servings of cocoa puffs is fine but seriously, where's the chicken, beef, pork, fish, eggs, tofu/tempeh, etc? Where's the olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc? Green beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, etc? Pineapple, oranges, peaches, etc?
You're existing almost solely on carbs. And that's not healthy because you're missing fat, protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, etc. You're getting fiber due to your Fiber One cereal but I bet eating a box of Special K crackers every day is costing you a pretty penny. You'd be fuller longer on some broccoli and chicken or steak and half a potato for the same calories. And over time, especially if you buy in bulk and in season, it'd be cheaper.
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0somuchbetter0 wrote: »Those things you posted just now are ok in small quantities, but they shouldn't make up the bulk of your diet. Listen to the great advice you've gotten here, especially the poster who said you should scrap your diet and start all over. Build a new plan starting with healthy protein, carbs, and fat. Rainbow colored mini poptarts and the like aren't real food. Do you have access to a nutritionist? If you do, make an appointment. And as someone mentioned earlier, if those pictures are recent, you probably don't need to lose any weight. Rather, you should focus on eating healthy. Good luck!
Nutritionists aren't regulated.
Registered dietitians are a better use of your money0 -
OP, you are eating a lot of crap. Now I am as big a proponent of CICO as anyone else, but you are eating next to NO whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and I didn't see ONE listing of lean protein anywhere. Change your snacks to foods that are going to keep you full longer and stop wasting your calories on junk that's going to leave you feeling hungrier than before you ate them.0
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Try cooking your food rather than buying pre-packaged foodstuffs - which isn't Food. You aren't feeding your body so it's thinking that it needs to store up the calories (empty ones) that you are giving to it in case it starves. You can't lose weight on that kind of diet.
Here's a week of meals that will put protein and healthy fats in your diet, but keep carbs down:
Monday
breakfast: omelette with veggies (cook a batch of broccoli and use it in your eggs); cooked in butter or coconut oil
lunch: grass fed yogurt with blueberries and slmonds
dinner: cheeseburger (no bun), veggies, salsa sauce
Tuesday
breakfast: bacon & eggs (two each)
lunch: leftover burger & veggies
dinner: salmon with butter & veggies
Wednesday
breakfast: eggs & veggies cooked in butter
lunch: shrimp salad with olive oil
dinner: grilled chicken with veggies
Thursday
breakfast: omelet with various veggies, cooked in butter
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds, & protein powder
dinner: steak with veggies
Friday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: chicken salad with veggies
dinner: pork chops with veggies
Saturday
breakfast: omelette with veggies
lunch: grass fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes, walnuts
dinner: meatballs with veggies
Sunday
breakfast: bacon & eggs
lunch: smoothie with coconut milk, heavy cream, chocolate protein powder, berries
dinner grilled chickens with raw spinach
Object is to get away from boxes and bags filled with non-food and FEED your body food. you will lose weight and feel oh so much better. your body will reward you by taking care of it.
lunch: chicken salad
Amusing: Warns against "packaged non-food"; has protein powder frequently.
Oh come on. Protein powder is fine and this proposed diet is 1000% more healthy that what the poor girl has been eating!0
This discussion has been closed.
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