What is the biggest issue in my diet?
Replies
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@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!0 -
@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
Well, being from Belgium, I also prefer 'real' cheese to the industrial stuff that passes as cheese, so we agree there. But it was a bit of an assumption with regards to the cheddar being 'industrial' (similar to your comment about chicken being better than turkey, also presuming the turkey was processed versus unprocessed chicken).
Considering the particular situation of the OP, I think just focusing on adequate (healthy) fats, adequate protein, sufficient vegetables/fruits and an adequate amount of calories is plenty to get her started. Obviously cooking from fresh would be better (less sodium etc) but I think it would be tricky in the current circumstances.3 -
I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.
The only items that are missing are milk and the wrap. I probably only used about a third a cup of milk (put it into my cream of wheat). This is about 3g of protein.
The wrap is one I customized at the cafeteria, so I have no idea what the macros are. It was a jalapeno tortilla, turkey, onion, lettuce, mayo, and cheddar cheese. (I know someone suggested I go for parmesan cheese instead, but parmesan cheese hurts my stomach.)
What if you doubled the turkey and left out the cheese? Turkey is lean meat, cheese is high fat. And as for the mayo, do they offer lowfat mayo or mustard instead? I've found I like Dijon mustard on my wraps, gives me a tang.
Well . . . some cheese is high fat, and I know a lot of people here avoid cheese for that reason, but:
1. On the day shown, OP's fat total is too low by quite a lot (could also be a problem with the database entries chosen), alongside protein total being way, way too low.
2. There are some relatively calorie-efficient cheeses, such as some goat cheeses (light Jarlsberg swiss has more calories from protein than fat, for example).
I'm with you on the mustard vs. mayo, too. I like mayo, but not enough more than mustard to make the huge calorie differential seem worth it.3 -
I appreciate all the responses even if I don't respond to each one individually!
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@Lietchi I never would have guessed my protein was lower than average, much less very very low. I guess I always assumed I didn't have to worry about protein since I eat meat every day. Even today I ate meat twice, turkey in my wrap and chicken in my soup. I figured only athletes/gym buffs and vegetarians/vegans needed to pay attention to their protein.
If anything, I've had a weird worry about eating too much protein. My best friend recommended that I drink protein shakes the other day if I'm looking for something quick and filling in the mornings. I responded to her that I thought people should only drink protein shakes when they're about to do heavy exercise.
Guess I'll have to reevaluate that thinking.
(snip)
As a decent starting point on evaluating nutrition, take a look at your "daily goal" line. On the day depicted, your protein goal is 100g, and your total eaten is 26g. That's not enough! Protein and fats should be thought of as minimums. You don't have to be exact, but close, most days, on average, is nutritionally a good plan.
That is tempered by the possibility that some of the database entries are incomplete, so the totals may not be correct. The turkey wrap is an example: It certainly had protein, fat and carbs, but none are shown. (I doubt that it had enough protein to get you to 100g - usually if the cafeteria offers a serving of turkey, it wouldn't be a huge one. If you picked the turkey amount yourself, it could be more than if they picked the serving size . . . but it'd have to be a pretty big serving to get you near 100g for the day, even with the milk's protein added in).
And yes: Everyone needs to get enough protein, not just vegetarians (I am one, BTW). Eating meat/fish makes it a bit easier to do that on reduced calories, but some people don't eat enough meat to get sufficient protein. The amount of meat in commercial (canned) soups is pretty minimal.0 -
It isn't necessarily what you eat, it's how much you eat that is the issue.
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@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."
I'm always kind of amazed that people who live outside of the U.S. think that Americans only eat processed Kraft cheese. Or that it would be common as a salad topping.
No, when someone says "cheddar" they mean real cheese. And if you ask for cheese in America, you get real cheese, just like in Italy. Kraft Singles is not the default.9 -
Hi! You’ve gotten a lot of good replies, but just coming from a similar sort of diet back when I was a student I think your biggest issue is probably sugar (and protein as a few other people mentioned).
From personal experience, sugar drinks are a huge calorie sink and make it hard to get enough nutrients within the rest of your calories. Pay attention to how many grams of sugar are in a drink—a grande caramel Frappuccino has 55g!! And coke or other soda is similar. Energy drinks are my poison, I’ve tried to stick to sugar free versions, but I do still like the Starbucks doubleshot canned drinks. They have like20g of sugar which is too much, but it’s half of some other energy drinks and it has a minimal amount of fat/protein. Check other foods you eat for sugar too, even stuff like pasta sauce can have a lot added.
Try cutting back on those and eating more good stuff—you’re a student so it’s tough but doable. Some easy cheap dorm foods that are pretty nutritious:
Baked potato with beans or chili
Frozen steam in bag vegetables
Tuna pouches or canned fish
String cheese
Oatmeal (plain not sweetened oats) with peanut butter
Brown rice or whole wheat pasta (if you have a kitchen, sometimes there are microwave bags though)
Quesadilla with black beans
Cottage cheese or yogurt
Veggies and hummus/Greek yogurt dip (carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli)
Protein bars or shakes with less sugar3 -
If you need help with getting food, there are food pantries everywhere that have very nutritious choices. Including vegetables and protein. So when you move out of the dorm, that could be a big help.0
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When I was 230lbs and clueless about food choices - I found it easier to follow a guided plan.
There are so many free ones online where you can find one to match your style of eating.
And along the way I learned about calories, macros, what types of food that kept me satiated etc..
Take small steps, at first have a calorie goal and weigh everything religiously so you can learn portion sizes.
Log everything that has calories.
The biggest game changer for me at first was cutting down my drinks calories.
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SuzySunshine99 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."
I'm always kind of amazed that people who live outside of the U.S. think that Americans only eat processed Kraft cheese. Or that it would be common as a salad topping.
No, when someone says "cheddar" they mean real cheese. And if you ask for cheese in America, you get real cheese, just like in Italy. Kraft Singles is not the default.
True. However, in many fast food outlets and pizza places (not only in the US) you don't get actual cheese but cheese analog (or very poor actual cheese), and they still call it cheddar, or mozarella, or whatnot.1 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."
I'm always kind of amazed that people who live outside of the U.S. think that Americans only eat processed Kraft cheese. Or that it would be common as a salad topping.
No, when someone says "cheddar" they mean real cheese. And if you ask for cheese in America, you get real cheese, just like in Italy. Kraft Singles is not the default.
True. However, in many fast food outlets and pizza places (not only in the US) you don't get actual cheese but cheese analog (or very poor actual cheese), and they still call it cheddar, or mozarella, or whatnot.
It's becoming more common here, it seems like, for pizza places (and I think some other fast food, but I don't eat that very often) to be marketing based on having actual cheese, or better cheese. (I'm in the US, don't know whether my area is typical, but it's not big-city/coastal, it's fly-over and midsized city.)
It may not always be good quality real cheese at the really low-end pizza places even if "real". But at mid/specialty pizza places, decent cheese is available on the base pizza with other types as an add-on (fresh mozz, maybe even buffalo mozz; various types of goat cheese; feta; ricotta; gouda . . . ).3 -
Other people have given you some really good specific advice, so I'd like to add some more general advice, as someone who started close to where you are weight-wise, has lost weight, and who started off with a pretty sub-par diet.
The first thing I'd recommend is taking small steps to a more healthy diet, whatever that looks like to you. When I first started, some of the goals I made were: eat a bag of salad greens every week (took me 1.5 months to succeed), drink 8 cups of water a day (3 weeks), and stretch for 5 minutes every morning (3 months). Just little goals that would take anywhere from 1 day to 1 week. That was all I could handle at first. And if I succeeded? I'd try to add another goal on top of the first one, see if I could balance both. Some goals for you, based on this thread, might be something like, "Eat 20 grams of protein in one meal each day" or "Experiment with easy, healthy recipes I can make in my dorm room."
I'd also think about maybe keeping a journal, someplace where you can write down your struggles, victories, ideas, or thoughts about your weight loss. Set yourself a little goal, maybe for a month, to work in that journal every day. Really explore why you want this and how you're feeling. I started one of these back when I got started and it's provided me with a lot of insights during my journey and is always the first thing I turn back to when I go off track. If you'd like a wonderful self-reflection template, I'd highly recommend the Gibb's Reflective Cycle from the University of Edinburgh: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle
I hope that these suggestions help you out and if you have questions or need some support, feel free to add me 6 -
Just a note: most lean meat is only about 25% protein at best. So four ounces of meat is only (really rounding, here) 1 ounce or 28 grams of protein. Fortunately lots of good things have protein. Greek yogurt is a good source, for example. Even the cheap store-brand regular yogurt has some. Just watch the sugar.0
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SuzySunshine99 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."
I'm always kind of amazed that people who live outside of the U.S. think that Americans only eat processed Kraft cheese. Or that it would be common as a salad topping.
No, when someone says "cheddar" they mean real cheese. And if you ask for cheese in America, you get real cheese, just like in Italy. Kraft Singles is not the default.
True. However, in many fast food outlets and pizza places (not only in the US) you don't get actual cheese but cheese analog (or very poor actual cheese), and they still call it cheddar, or mozzarella, or whatnot.
I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but I've not encountered the fake cheddar in the states where I have lived - Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and have not encountered it in the states where I've visited, which are too many to list. The establishment either has real cheddar or it is not an option. I think the only time I've encountered fake mozzarella was on low quality frozen pizza that I bought for my partner as a one-off, but since I can't say it with 100% certainty I'm not going to.
We did stop going to a local seafood restaurant that switched to something that was not butter and had the nerve to serve it with lobster. They did not mislabel it butter though - it just wasn't mentioned on the menu.1 -
You are drinking a whole lot of empty calories, at least on this day. 380 calories for your morning coffee? Is this daily? That's just jaw dropping. And it is doing nothing to provide you with worthwhile nutrition. Just switching to regular black coffee in the morning would save you over 2500 calories a week. Also, canned soup and canned pasta, if this is a regular occurrence, will spike your sodium to crazy levels which will wreak havoc on your weight tracking because of the accompanying water retention of high sodium diets.
Also, being vague to the amount of food you eat such as "two eggs (or so)" tells me you are not being very mindful of the number of calories you are eating. Pretty easy to know how many eggs you are eating usually, even when eating out. If this imprecision is the norm, it will be hard to ensure you are in a calorie deficit. Coffee aside, my impression of this would be lower calories, maybe too low, but pretty unhealthy food.
Overall, this its hard to comment on your overall diet unless this is representative of the regular.0 -
Wondering if you are "addicted" to sugar is, frankly, letting yourself off the hook for your own choices. You are in control here, not the food. It's not addiction. It's poor choices. That may sound harsh but it is true. You need to take control and make better choices. That's step one to getting you moving towards your goals.0
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