How big is too big?

ruthie3110

So recently I've really gotten into salads.
I can eat and eat and eat, so having a meal with so few calories (excluding the meat and cheese) is brilliant for me.
I have the same amount of meat and cheese no matter how much salad I have, and this morning I was just chopping away and them when I'd finished I looked at my salad and it was HUGE... I had lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and pepper. Just loads of it. I then had 50g cheese and 5 thin slices of beef.
Now by huge I mean, maybe a 12-14 inch dinner plate full...
Other meals I never eat this much!! I usually use a smaller plate and have less than a dedicated portion on the back of the packet....
So I guess my question is.. Is there any harm in this? The whole salad including meat cheese and the half slice of bread was only 300 calories.

lilwashee

if it is a whole meal and it only added up to 300 calories you are doing great.the veggies are great and filling the only thing is if you are counting sodium that meal with the meat and cheese is probably high.other then that great job!!

HannahPastoor

I had a salad that big yesterday. As long as you are using GOOD lettuce (Not iceburg) you should be fine. The darker the lettuce the better. So eat your spinach!

JayAlexander

I do the same thing! I don't think there is anything wrong with it, at least I hope there isn't! You could eat other things for 300 calories and not get as many servings of veggies or not be as full.

ruthie3110

Haha I use iceberg :embarassed:
Although I do tend to switch between iceberg and this other stuff that I have no idea what it's called lol
I get it washed and sliced and ready to eat, and the other one has some weird leafy stuff in, some red stuff etc

jhardenbergh

I am on a medically monitored diet and for salad greens, one serving is 5 oz and we can have 2 more cups of raw vegetables and six oz of a lean protein after cooked. If you are wondering what that looks like, grab a large salad bowl, not plate and fill it three quarters of the way with lettuce and salad greens, add in the 2 cups of raw veggies (carrot stips, cucumbers, diced tomatos, celery, etc..., add some chicken, steak, or pork and for dressing 2 tbs of fat free whatever. It is a huge meal probably a lot larger than your large dinner plate. My wife and mine salad bowls looks like a gargantuan food trough. Some times I will spice it up and just eat with my mouth like a horse, JK

sarahliftsUP

I had a salad for lunch that was 300 calories too! I don't think it matters the size of it, in this case, because the calories are only 300. And vegetables are quite filling and good for you too!

bossmodehan

I always bulk out my meals with raw veg and i can't see it as a bad thing at all! Plenty of fiber, water, vits and mins :happy: plus they satisfy the hand-to-mouth need i get, especially when I'm studying

I can't see how having a big plateful would be bad - feeling like you are having generous portions will prevent 'diet mentality'

Just be sure to keep an eye on the extras - as in don't start thinking "well I'm being so good with all this veg, i suppose i can allow myself an extra slice of cheese' - stay in control.

As salads etc. are so great be sure to mix it up now and again so that you dont get bored - try dips (watch portions though!) and add protein from other sources such as egg, beans, tuna etc.

flausa

I looooove a big salad. Had one for lunch today. It makes me feel like I'm being very naughty for eating so much food, but then I realise I'm eating hardly any calories, and I just grin. I'm always trying to make my salads different, so I'm most grateful for the following suggestion!

add protein from other sources such as egg, beans, tuna etc.

I did a salad with tuna sprinkled in it this week, but I keep forgetting about the option of adding beans as an alternative protein.

aippolito1

Don't worry about the size, but the calories. I've heard it said "your meat portion should be no bigger than your fist." Yeah, well, that doesn't agree with ME because my protein has to be more since I'm working out so much and my muscles need to be repaired.

When I was eating a salad for lunch, mine was huge as well. A serving of lettuce is typically 2 cups which ends up a lot especially when you add in protein, nuts, cheese, dressing, etc. Mine usually equal to about 400 which is perfect and keeps me full for a long time. I think you're doing great!

tanniew78

Haha I use iceberg :embarassed:
Although I do tend to switch between iceberg and this other stuff that I have no idea what it's called lol
I get it washed and sliced and ready to eat, and the other one has some weird leafy stuff in, some red stuff etc

I eat huge salads, using ICEBERG lettuce and have lost 20lbs in a month.. There are worse things you can eat than that, so dont let someone deter you. Those other lettuces are pretty expensive. Just do what you are doing. As the first responder said, you are eating a ton of veggies and only coming in at 300 cals... Cant do better than that. Keep on keeping on.

tanniew78

I had a salad that big yesterday. As long as you are using GOOD lettuce (Not iceburg) you should be fine. The darker the lettuce the better. So eat your spinach!

You need to do some serious research... Iceberg lettuce is good for you too.

callipygianchronicle

I had a salad that big yesterday. As long as you are using GOOD lettuce (Not iceburg) you should be fine. The darker the lettuce the better. So eat your spinach!

You need to do some serious research... Iceberg lettuce is good for you too.

Well, it’s definitely an argument in minutiae, in my opinion. ALL lettuces are good for us. Iceberg has the highest water content, which is great, especially if you struggle to drink enough water. It is also inexpensive and accessible year-round.

Where it doesn’t measure up, is in some of the micronutrients. It has less betacarotene (Vitamin A), potassium, and iron than the darker lettuces. All that means is that you have to take extra care to make sure you get these nutrients from other sources.

But, there is no reason to avoid iceberg lettuce, or any lettuce for that matter. And there’s definitely little reason to argue the fine points of which lettuce people are eating. Let’s just celebrate that we’re eating lettuce at all.

More info here—

Bibb, Romaine & Iceberg compared: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/lettuce-nutrition-facts.html
The Iceberg Nutrition Myth: http://www.raw-food-health.net/Iceberg-Lettuce-Nutrition.html