Are you hitting your fiber macros and how important is it?
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I would also recommend eating more nutrient dense, calorically sparse foods. For example, for lunch today I'm having this ridiculously huge kale salad that will likely give me all of the fiber I need for today and then some, all in 500 calories.0
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I'm usually over my fiber goal. I oatmeal or multigrain cereal for breakfast (high protein, too!) about 4 days a week, and then most days I take a "pick salad" of celery and carrot sticks in my lunch. I can really feel the difference on those days when my fiber is low!0
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I've been quite far under lately but it hasn't affected my bathroom habits. Perhaps the meats and oils are keeping things moving smoothly. No issues with satiety either.0
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Thanks for all the tips, you are giving me some great ideas. I think my daily diet has come a long way, I was living off a couple of biscuits and a bite of chocolate a few months ago, so I have made huge progress in eating a lot fresher and on most days I hit my protein and fat targets, which I view as a minimum.
A little while back I logged about being hungry a lot and got the advice to try to eat more protein, fats and veggies which I have been doing and it really has helped. I started to wonder about my fiber, which is why I am now focusing on that.
For those interested, yeah, I eat at 1200 and have done so for 4 months, with only 4 days when I went over that (two of them significantly, but planned on both occasions). I do exercise, but seldom log it and view those calories as a bonus deficit. I ride a stationary bike most days.
I lose on average 0.5kg a week - hardly racing along and I am not very overweight (71kgs presently and 1.7m tall), so I wouldn't want to slow down much more than this by upping my calories. I weigh everything I consume to the gram and create my own recipes.
I know the chia seeds are not for everyone, but I find them easy to handle as you just toss them into food. At 1200 calories, when you add something, you have to take something away, so beans are difficult to add in on my plan and wholewheat pasta is a huge challenge because of the calories required although I find both items delicious.
The problem is not that I am a veggie hater - I am a veggie lover that still needs variety in her life. I am leaning into the fruit and veggies, but I don't just want to eat fruit and veggies all day, I feel pretty sorry for myself if I don't keep my beloved coffee and the few carbs I do have, I also need to save a fair amount of calories for protein, to maintain the balance I am after. For example, I would have happily added a whole lot of other veggies to my dinner today (pumpkin, some green beans perhaps), but that would have meant cutting back on the pork.. or something. I already skipped my dinner coffee.
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chriskangell wrote: »I think the foods on your diary are wrong. How does "Woolworths - Fresh Cauliflowet & Gruyere Soup, 305 g" have 0g fiber but "Woolworths - Smoked pork fillet with mozzarella and spring onion, 250 g" have 9g of fiber? Surely the "Cauliflowet" (sic) soup should have *some* fiber.
I'd add more chia seeds; 5g/20 calories a pop isn't going to cut it (though I see sometimes you do that multiple times a day, which seems good).
As for myself, I blow through my fiber goal every day (I don't even need to pay attention to it) by eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and by not eating much meat (sometimes I eat fish). It's going to be harder for you because your goal is 1200 calories a day (mine is 1900, and I'll eat 2500+ if I burn 1000+ calories working out).
Yeah, you have made me wonder about the soup - I scanned the barcode but that does not guarantee it is right I suppose and I don't always pick up problems. I think I already threw away the pouch it came in. I will check next time I am at the store. Woolworths in South Africa makes great veggie soups with loads of fresh ingredients and they are a great stand-by for me when I don't feel like doing my own prep.
http://www.woolworths.co.za/store/cat/Food/Food/Ready-Prepared-Meals/Soups/_/N-1z13saj?gclid=Cj0KEQjw_rytBRDVhZeQrbzn_q0BEiQAjnbSHA6Iwbseo8fE4hSfTDa6HyR3yCmeN7sANsxBCsRxY14aAn-l8P8HAQ
I pretty much lived off Woolworths food until I found the courage recently to start making my own stuff.0 -
Update - I found the soup on the site and apparently it has 01g of fiber per 100g and 0.3 in the serving I had, so I suppose too little to show up on MFP.
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galgenstrick wrote: »well Fibre is a micro, not a macro.. But one thing's for certain, if I don't have enough, my body and my toilet sure know it.
If I have enough, and actually have 'too much' I don't really have issues though. So I try stick to having all my fibre rich foods I can throughout the day.
The only thing that I noticed was when I first started paying attention and eating more fiber. I had a couple of days "adjustment". I also have some effects if I eat more than one Quest bar in a day.
I actually wish there was less fiber in quest bars. I've been eating them for a while and had no idea they had so much. I get plenty of fiber in my diet and don't need an extra 34 grams if I eat an extra couple for the protein.
Most quality protein bars are much less in fiber but still high in protein. I eat Quest because of both, but have been tempted by some other brands. Just can't get over the difference in fiber: 15-20 g instead of the 3-6 g. in other brands.
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Oh lord I almost double my fiber requirement most days. Gonna echo what people have said about quest bars and veggies! Also, if you make protein shakes, try switching to hemp protein powder. It's got a bunch of fiber. Have some fruit with your breakfast. Try things like tempeh. Rice noodles are also delicious. There are a bunch of options.0
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A little while back I logged about being hungry a lot and got the advice to try to eat more protein, fats and veggies which I have been doing and it really has helped. I started to wonder about my fiber, which is why I am now focusing on that.
One of my first posts here was about how filling I found a high-protein diet - I was going to bed most nights feeling someone had inflated a balloon in my belly! Then someone pointed out how high my daily fiber intake was, and since then I've been trying not to go over so much. It's done WONDERS for my appetite. So! I think upping your fiber intake along with your protein intake will also help you with hunger.
My all-time favorite dinner is stir-fried tempeh and vegetables in General Tso's sauce over rice noodles. YUUUM. And loaded with protein and fiber.
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Here's the list I made for myself of foods I enjoy, but also with more than their share of fiber:
FIBER:
Raspberries
Pear
Apple
Banana
Raisins
WW spaghetti
Barley
Bran flakes
Popcorn
Rye bread
Split peas
Lentils
Black beans
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Pistachios
Artichoke
Peas
Broccoli
Turnip greens
Brussels sprouts
Sweet corn
Potato with skin
Tomato paste
Carrot
I can make a lentil salad with carrots, celery and sunflower seeds and dressing for not a lot of calories, but 15g of fiber. EASILY under 400 calories for a lunch (depending on the dressing, and what else you put on it).0 -
Soopatt, I think you're doing great so far! Change is incremental, and you're getting better every day.
I assumed the cauliflower soup had more fiber, though I bet the fiber content is lower because the cauliflower is blended or otherwise pulverized, destroying some of the fiber in the process. I'm not positive about this, but it's something to think about.0 -
Here's the list I made for myself of foods I enjoy, but also with more than their share of fiber:
FIBER:
Raspberries
Pear
Apple
Banana
Raisins
WW spaghetti
Barley
Bran flakes
Popcorn
Rye bread
Split peas
Lentils
Black beans
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Pistachios
Artichoke
Peas
Broccoli
Turnip greens
Brussels sprouts
Sweet corn
Potato with skin
Tomato paste
Carrot
I can make a lentil salad with carrots, celery and sunflower seeds and dressing for not a lot of calories, but 15g of fiber. EASILY under 400 calories for a lunch (depending on the dressing, and what else you put on it).
100% agree with this!0 -
Fruits and veggies, whole grains. Lots of fiber there.
When you eat 1200, you have to make some tough choices about the content of your diet. Getting all the good stuff in doesn't leave much room for treats.
Fiber One bars give you that treat taste with some fiber. They're not really low-cal, though. I used to eat those and really liked the lemon and strawberry ones.0 -
Quest has some competitors worth mentioning:
MusclePharm Combat Crunch
Oh Yeah Victory Bars
ANSI cheesecake bars
B-Up
All of these, like Quest, have approximately the same numbers of ~ 200 calories, 20g protein, 15-20g fiber.
I find most all of them to be "ok", except for the Combat Crunch cinnamon one which is actually quite tasty.
If you have one of these it's almost impossible to not hit your fiber target for the day.0 -
I was surprised when I joined how high avocado is in fiber. It can be hard to fit in--as you said, you often have to lose something--but I still try at least once/week because I LOVE them, and they're so nutrient-dense. I find myself being a little too high in carbs and low in fat most days, but avocado and cooking in a little bit of olive oil help solve that.0
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MFP goal is too low in my opinion and that of many Doctors. Fiber is very important to me and I aim for 30 grams a day. Why? Because constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and colon cancer are literally a pain in the ***.
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Yes I am! Super important, it is. - Yoda0
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galgenstrick wrote: »well Fibre is a micro, not a macro.. But one thing's for certain, if I don't have enough, my body and my toilet sure know it.
If I have enough, and actually have 'too much' I don't really have issues though. So I try stick to having all my fibre rich foods I can throughout the day.
The only thing that I noticed was when I first started paying attention and eating more fiber. I had a couple of days "adjustment". I also have some effects if I eat more than one Quest bar in a day.
I actually wish there was less fiber in quest bars. I've been eating them for a while and had no idea they had so much. I get plenty of fiber in my diet and don't need an extra 34 grams if I eat an extra couple for the protein.
Most quality protein bars are much less in fiber but still high in protein. I eat Quest because of both, but have been tempted by some other brands. Just can't get over the difference in fiber: 15-20 g instead of the 3-6 g. in other brands.
I second quest bars!! They are full of fiber and almost all are delicious!0 -
I hit 103g of fibre yesterday. I don't usually get that high, but I'm usually above 30g. My diary is open.0
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In addition to the other great options you have received:
Arnold Sandwich Thins for your sandwiches - 5g fiber
Triscuits (I really like the Roasted Coconut & Sea Salt flavor for a treat - 28g has 3g fiber (and 3g protein)
2 tsp Benefiber stirred into morning coffee (don't even know it is there!) - 3g fiber
Blueberry Vitatop for breakfast - 8g fiber
It all adds up, a little here and a there along with fresh veggies and you should be good to go!
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