Am I Doing It Right?

marebear428

Hello All!!

So, I'm super frustrated and just want some outside opinions as to if I'm going about this the right way.
I'm eating my big meals at breakfast and lunch and for dinner just having a nice salad and some pieces of chicken and fruit. I'm working out more and more (can't wait to get back into summer boot camp and back to dance class and riding, I'm away at college right now). The food here at school is horrible. All the food that is cooked is cooked in a ton of oil and grease, so it's hard to have a nice healthy piece of chicken or meat or some cooked vegetables. I have indeed gained the Freshman 15 and then some!! From being so busy with classes and not enough time to spend in the gym as I'd like, it's upsetting for me! Looking back from pictures over the summer where I had a six pack to now looking where I have a very noticeable gut and my legs have gotten a lot bigger...it makes me sick! So...how does this day's eating look? Am I doing it right?

Breakfast:

A bowl of oatmeal
A banana
A bowl of fruit consisting of pineapple, strawberries, red and green grapes, canteloupe, and honeydew melon
A glass of orange juice

Lunch:

A chef salad with NO dressing. The salad has lettuce, spinach, carrots, red cabbage, one hardboiled egg, some small cubes of swiss cheese, some shredded turkey, cucumber slices, and cherry tomatoes.
A bottle of V8
Granola Bar

Dinner:

Another salad only this time romaine, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. No dressing.
A piece of grilled chicken
Glass of 2% milk ( I wish it were skim, but 2% is all they offer!!!)

Snack at night:
An apple
Oatmeal bar

Any suggestions, thoughts, or tidbits would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!

~Danielle

marebear428

Hello All!!

So, I'm super frustrated and just want some outside opinions as to if I'm going about this the right way.
I'm eating my big meals at breakfast and lunch and for dinner just having a nice salad and some pieces of chicken and fruit. I'm working out more and more (can't wait to get back into summer boot camp and back to dance class and riding, I'm away at college right now). The food here at school is horrible. All the food that is cooked is cooked in a ton of oil and grease, so it's hard to have a nice healthy piece of chicken or meat or some cooked vegetables. I have indeed gained the Freshman 15 and then some!! From being so busy with classes and not enough time to spend in the gym as I'd like, it's upsetting for me! Looking back from pictures over the summer where I had a six pack to now looking where I have a very noticeable gut and my legs have gotten a lot bigger...it makes me sick! So...how does this day's eating look? Am I doing it right?

Breakfast:

A bowl of oatmeal
A banana
A bowl of fruit consisting of pineapple, strawberries, red and green grapes, canteloupe, and honeydew melon
A glass of orange juice

Lunch:

A chef salad with NO dressing. The salad has lettuce, spinach, carrots, red cabbage, one hardboiled egg, some small cubes of swiss cheese, some shredded turkey, cucumber slices, and cherry tomatoes.
A bottle of V8
Granola Bar

Dinner:

Another salad only this time romaine, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. No dressing.
A piece of grilled chicken
Glass of 2% milk ( I wish it were skim, but 2% is all they offer!!!)

Snack at night:
An apple
Oatmeal bar

Any suggestions, thoughts, or tidbits would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!

~Danielle

bonniejo

How many calories are you eating?

jhollyw00d

You should input all of that into your food diary. You are taking in a LOT of sugar!!!!!! How much water are you drinking in a day?

I'm no expert, but all of that sugar is probably what's going straight to your gut.

havingitall

My son is in his first year of college and he has gained quite a bit too. He is frustrated because the college does not offer too many healthy choices. Why is it that they thing hamburgers and pizza are good choices for each meal? He comes home sometimes and asks fo more veggies!

sanifrey

Along with tracking your calories I would like to ask about your bowl of fruit in the morning. Is it fresh or was it stored or prepared in syrup? Bananas are very high in sugar, as well as orange juice. I would probably cut back somewhere in there. Also, you mentioned that you're eating your salads without any dressing. I personally couldn't eat salad that way. If you're okay with that, I think that's great, but I would say to make sure that you enjoy your food. You have to be happy with your changes or it's going to be really hard for you to keep at it & stay motivated. But, that's just my humble opinion. I'm by no means an expert.

I wish you success on your weightloss journey!

marebear428

I'm taking in about 1,200 - 1,500 calories a day.

And I don't mind my salad without dressing. Sometimes I put a teaspoon or two of ranch or light/fat free italian.

And the fruit is fresh. No syrup!!

As far as water. I drink between 3 -5 bottles a day.

bonniejo

If that's filling you up, it sounds good. But I assume you're working out? Remember to eat at least half of your exercise calories!

singfree

Even though the total cals might be ok, I think you need to consider how much protein/ fat/ carbs you are taking in. I don't think there is enough protein and too much carb and sugar.

Breakfast: Try this
Oatmeal
Banana
Egg Whites or Egg Beaters


Lunch
Chef Salad
1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese (Fat Free)
Small portion fresh fruit

Dinner
Chicken Breast
Mixed Veg, steamed
Brown rice

Snack
Small portion of fresh fruit (or apple)
Almonds

Just a suggestion. Eat protein & carb at each meal. Power bars, Granola bars can give you too much carb & cals. The deli meat in the salad is loaded with fat & sodium. Plug your numbers into MyFitnessPal and see where you are nutritionally. Good luck.

PS- I am not an expert, just using common sense aproach to nutrition.