High Protein, Low Fat

janemem

Like others have said, alcohol does affect your weight. Alcohol have calories and depending on what you drink will add up, they have no healthy nutrition in them. I noticed last year, I cut alcohol out completely, you shouldn't cut everything out all together, but I noticed a huge difference.

I'm not trying to say you are doing it wrong, but I think you should maybe keep track of different macros. Saturated fat is pretty easy to stay away from if are eating healthier. Carbs, Fat and Protein should be your main macros to track, the other 3 are usually just to keep an eye on, I track sugar and sat fat, but I know I don't go over them very often. With iron, you can easily take iron supplements because even I can't get my daily iron intake from food alone.

You say you know a lot about nutrition, but it's no good knowing about it, but not doing something about it. I'm not trying to come off as rude or anything, just trying to help anyone that needs help, even if it sounds rude, as long as it gets through to people.


You should plan your meals at the start of the day making sure you have ticked each macro box and it has reached your calorie goal for the day. The only part you need to do is eat whatever is planned. I think at the moment, you are doing to exercise for the amount you are eating. Try doing light exercise that only burns like 100 calories or something. You need to first get used to eating enough food. Once you are able to reach your calorie goals, slowly incorporate intense workouts whilst eating back the calories.

Also, you can easily buy frozen fish if fresh fish is too much. Making cut backs on certain foods help as well, like the alcohol. Try making it a weekend thing, but don't go overboard. It's about self control and everything in moderation, this is why a lot of people are here, is to gain back that self control over food.

Thanks for all your advice, it really is beginning to sink in.

kdiamond

Yes, more protein and fat. Shoot for .35-.75 grams total fat per pound of body weight.

Fat keeps you full and keeps your brain functioning, your cardio endurance higher, among other things. I eat approx 50-60 grams per day, and I'm a very petite person with relatively low body fat. (5'4" 112 pounds 18% bf) Fat definitely does not make you fat and you should incorporate more into your diet for sure!

Madux1818

Low- fat plain Greek yogurt.

TONYAGOOCH

Fruits do tend to be high on the sugar side but it's natural sugar. Fruits are very good for you. Especially the fiberous ones like pears and apples. Healthy food guidlines are that you should eat 5 servings of fuits and veggies a day. So like 2 fuits and 3 veggies. Since you don't eat a lot of crap foods you really shouldn't be concerned about the sugar content in a piece of fruit. It's good for you. I'm glad you eat nutrious foods WHEN you eat but you just need to concentrate on balance of foods and uping your caloric intake and especially your protein. You don't have to eat meat just eat. You are gonna have to fix the way you are looking at food sweetie. I'm afraid that you are on the verge of some sort of eating disorder with the way you view food. It is apparant by the issues you are having and your diary and your outlook on fats and sugars.

Zichu

Like others have said, alcohol does affect your weight. Alcohol have calories and depending on what you drink will add up, they have no healthy nutrition in them. I noticed last year, I cut alcohol out completely, you shouldn't cut everything out all together, but I noticed a huge difference.

I'm not trying to say you are doing it wrong, but I think you should maybe keep track of different macros. Saturated fat is pretty easy to stay away from if are eating healthier. Carbs, Fat and Protein should be your main macros to track, the other 3 are usually just to keep an eye on, I track sugar and sat fat, but I know I don't go over them very often. With iron, you can easily take iron supplements because even I can't get my daily iron intake from food alone.

You say you know a lot about nutrition, but it's no good knowing about it, but not doing something about it. I'm not trying to come off as rude or anything, just trying to help anyone that needs help, even if it sounds rude, as long as it gets through to people.


You should plan your meals at the start of the day making sure you have ticked each macro box and it has reached your calorie goal for the day. The only part you need to do is eat whatever is planned. I think at the moment, you are doing to exercise for the amount you are eating. Try doing light exercise that only burns like 100 calories or something. You need to first get used to eating enough food. Once you are able to reach your calorie goals, slowly incorporate intense workouts whilst eating back the calories.

Also, you can easily buy frozen fish if fresh fish is too much. Making cut backs on certain foods help as well, like the alcohol. Try making it a weekend thing, but don't go overboard. It's about self control and everything in moderation, this is why a lot of people are here, is to gain back that self control over food.

Thanks for all your advice, it really is beginning to sink in.

Yay
Just do your best and keep pushing yourself to go through with it, you will eventually get there.

susannamarie

I cut back on fruit when I realised that with only 1 apple and 1 pear a day I was exceeding my daily sugar 'goal' but I have tried to 'up' my vegetable intake. Most days I'll have some raw or pickled veg.

Exceeding your sugar goal is not a bad thing when it's coming from fruit, unless you're diabetic or have other insulin issues.

I really think you ought to try to get a consultation with a nutritionist.

Edited: The reason I say this is because sometimes hearing the same advice that we know already coming from the mouth of a professional really helps.

MoveTheMountain

For the record, a glass of red wine a day is widely reported to be healthy.

I also agree that meeting with a nutritionist might be helpful. Also, I find food planning to work wonders, and only having in the house the things that I know I'm supposed to be eating. There's nothing evil about dessert, as long as you build it into your food plan and take it into account, and moderate intake. There are no free calories, but you can trade them around a little bit without the world coming to an end.

superstarcassie

Fats aren't bad! They keep me fuller and satisfied! Look for the healthy fats and steer clear of the nasty trans fats. As for high protein- I like nuts, peanut butter, lean meats. I actually eat more fats now that I did when I was super morbidly obese. I used to eat so many carbs, now I try and balance and eat more of the protein and healthy fats!

xTwK

Also there is a massive difference between saturated fats (which are generally best avoided) and the mono & polyunsaturates (which your body needs for the most primary functions like cell renewal etc).

Sorry, but this is completely WRONG. Your brain and body runs on saturated fats, they're not bad for you, that's a huge myth. TRANS SATURATED fats are the ones to avoid.

To the OP, it is very unhealthy to avoid fats like you're doing, there's a reason that people on low fat diets are more likely to suffer from depression, because like I said your brain and body operates off of fats...

MoveTheMountain

Also there is a massive difference between saturated fats (which are generally best avoided) and the mono & polyunsaturates (which your body needs for the most primary functions like cell renewal etc).

Sorry, but this is completely WRONG. Your brain and body runs on saturated fats, they're not bad for you, that's a huge myth. TRANS SATURATED fats are the ones to avoid.

To the OP, it is very unhealthy to avoid fats like you're doing, there's a reason that people on low fat diets are more likely to suffer from depression, because like I said your brain and body operates off of fats...

Carbs cause way more obesity than fats do. If you have to watch something, watch your carbs, and the type of carbs, and when you have them. No, I'm not saying you should never have high GI carbs - sometimes that's precisely what you want. But know why you're eating them, when you should eat them, and how much of them to eat. But it's even better to think about your meals holistically, so that each meal/snack has in it what you want it to, so that you're balancing your nutrition across the day. And really, excess of anything is bad for you, protein included.

Yes, it's a pain at first; but after a while it becomes second nature. One of the things that I've started doing is loading in most of my food for the day into MFP in the morning. So, before I even eat anything, I have about 80% of my calories already logged, and I know what I'm getting. Then I just space out the timing of when I actually consume everything (yes, I bring a lot of stuff to work each day).

Oh yeah, and eat almonds. Almonds rock. (But watch the quantity - it's really easy to over do it on almonds!)

janemem

Also there is a massive difference between saturated fats (which are generally best avoided) and the mono & polyunsaturates (which your body needs for the most primary functions like cell renewal etc).

Sorry, but this is completely WRONG. Your brain and body runs on saturated fats, they're not bad for you, that's a huge myth. TRANS SATURATED fats are the ones to avoid.

To the OP, it is very unhealthy to avoid fats like you're doing, there's a reason that people on low fat diets are more likely to suffer from depression, because like I said your brain and body operates off of fats...

Carbs cause way more obesity than fats do. If you have to watch something, watch your carbs, and the type of carbs, and when you have them. No, I'm not saying you should never have high GI carbs - sometimes that's precisely what you want. But know why you're eating them, when you should eat them, and how much of them to eat. But it's even better to think about your meals holistically, so that each meal/snack has in it what you want it to, so that you're balancing your nutrition across the day. And really, excess of anything is bad for you, protein included.

Yes, it's a pain at first; but after a while it becomes second nature. One of the things that I've started doing is loading in most of my food for the day into MFP in the morning. So, before I even eat anything, I have about 80% of my calories already logged, and I know what I'm getting. Then I just space out the timing of when I actually consume everything (yes, I bring a lot of stuff to work each day).

Oh yeah, and eat almonds. Almonds rock. (But watch the quantity - it's really easy to over do it on almonds!)

I don't think I eat a lot of carbs and certainly not the wrong sort and I plan my meals days in advance, all I think about are my meals and what I can put in them to maximise the amount I allow myself for the calories I have to 'spend'. Really it is as natural as breathing to me, lol!
I love almonds, especially Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy but I can't find any shop that sells them where I live.
I got a 1kg jar as a present last Christmas, I eked them out as much as I could (5 per day) but sad to say they went ages ago.
However there was loads of the wasabi seasoning powder left in the jar so I bought some cashews and peanuts and put them in the jar. Not quite the same but near enough.

MoveTheMountain

Carbs cause way more obesity than fats do. If you have to watch something, watch your carbs, and the type of carbs, and when you have them. No, I'm not saying you should never have high GI carbs - sometimes that's precisely what you want. But know why you're eating them, when you should eat them, and how much of them to eat. But it's even better to think about your meals holistically, so that each meal/snack has in it what you want it to, so that you're balancing your nutrition across the day. And really, excess of anything is bad for you, protein included.

Yes, it's a pain at first; but after a while it becomes second nature. One of the things that I've started doing is loading in most of my food for the day into MFP in the morning. So, before I even eat anything, I have about 80% of my calories already logged, and I know what I'm getting. Then I just space out the timing of when I actually consume everything (yes, I bring a lot of stuff to work each day).

Oh yeah, and eat almonds. Almonds rock. (But watch the quantity - it's really easy to over do it on almonds!)

I don't think I eat a lot of carbs and certainly not the wrong sort and I plan my meals days in advance, all I think about are my meals and what I can put in them to maximise the amount I allow myself for the calories I have to 'spend'. Really it is as natural as breathing to me, lol!
I love almonds, especially Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy but I can't find any shop that sells them where I live.
I got a 1kg jar as a present last Christmas, I eked them out as much as I could (5 per day) but sad to say they went ages ago.
However there was loads of the wasabi seasoning powder left in the jar so I bought some cashews and peanuts and put them in the jar. Not quite the same but near enough.

Blue Diamond has a habanero seasoned almond now that is incredible - low salt, too, which is even better. And they're really not very hot. I also wasabi green peas, and those are much hotter than these almonds.

Do you have PeaPod where you live? What about Amazon.com?

janemem

Carbs cause way more obesity than fats do. If you have to watch something, watch your carbs, and the type of carbs, and when you have them. No, I'm not saying you should never have high GI carbs - sometimes that's precisely what you want. But know why you're eating them, when you should eat them, and how much of them to eat. But it's even better to think about your meals holistically, so that each meal/snack has in it what you want it to, so that you're balancing your nutrition across the day. And really, excess of anything is bad for you, protein included.

Yes, it's a pain at first; but after a while it becomes second nature. One of the things that I've started doing is loading in most of my food for the day into MFP in the morning. So, before I even eat anything, I have about 80% of my calories already logged, and I know what I'm getting. Then I just space out the timing of when I actually consume everything (yes, I bring a lot of stuff to work each day).

Oh yeah, and eat almonds. Almonds rock. (But watch the quantity - it's really easy to over do it on almonds!)

I don't think I eat a lot of carbs and certainly not the wrong sort and I plan my meals days in advance, all I think about are my meals and what I can put in them to maximise the amount I allow myself for the calories I have to 'spend'. Really it is as natural as breathing to me, lol!
I love almonds, especially Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy but I can't find any shop that sells them where I live.
I got a 1kg jar as a present last Christmas, I eked them out as much as I could (5 per day) but sad to say they went ages ago.
However there was loads of the wasabi seasoning powder left in the jar so I bought some cashews and peanuts and put them in the jar. Not quite the same but near enough.

Blue Diamond has a habanero seasoned almond now that is incredible - low salt, too, which is even better. And they're really not very hot. I also wasabi green peas, and those are much hotter than these almonds.

Do you have PeaPod where you live? What about Amazon.com?

I have seen the wasabi peas advertised but I'm a little cautious because when I have peas in a bombay mix they are always so hard and I have sensitive teeth/gums.
The habanero almonds sound lush though, I must confess I am a chilli freak so anything with a bit of capsicum heat and I'm a fan, lol!
No PeaPod near here in the UK I'm afraid. I did look on Amazon for Blue Diamond earlier today as it happens as I'm trying to increase protein but to be honest they only had small bags for more £ than I can spare but I shall certainly look out for the habanero now. )

Kara_xxx

Giving your son the best you can is great!!! It's more than some people do. It's fantastic!!!

But the problem is somewhere along the line he will question why these, to him, arbitrary rules about good and regular food only apply to him and not to you.

Kids clock these things. They are very quick to pick up on the "do as I say not as I do".

He doesn't see you stuff your face with rubbish. Granted. But he sees you drinking alcohol daily and having nothing but a polo mint for lunch.

Can I please try to make it clear once again that my son does NOT see me drinking daily and living off a polo mint.
He is at school during the day and I only drink at night.
What sort of mother do you think I am?!

So the fact that he doesn't see it makes it ok?

I'm bailing this thread as I don't want you to feel anyone is having a go. But you came to the forum for advice - you were given advice. I guess it's up to you to ask yourself some questions and make choices that suit you.

janemem

Giving your son the best you can is great!!! It's more than some people do. It's fantastic!!!

But the problem is somewhere along the line he will question why these, to him, arbitrary rules about good and regular food only apply to him and not to you.

Kids clock these things. They are very quick to pick up on the "do as I say not as I do".

He doesn't see you stuff your face with rubbish. Granted. But he sees you drinking alcohol daily and having nothing but a polo mint for lunch.

Can I please try to make it clear once again that my son does NOT see me drinking daily and living off a polo mint.
He is at school during the day and I only drink at night.
What sort of mother do you think I am?!

So the fact that he doesn't see it makes it ok?

I'm bailing this thread as I don't want you to feel anyone is having a go. But you came to the forum for advice - you were given advice. I guess it's up to you to ask yourself some questions and make choices that suit you.

I asked for advice about protein and I received plenty of good thoughtful constructive comments.
What I did not ask for was my parenting to be questioned and attacked, thanks ever so.

MoveTheMountain

Giving your son the best you can is great!!! It's more than some people do. It's fantastic!!!

But the problem is somewhere along the line he will question why these, to him, arbitrary rules about good and regular food only apply to him and not to you.

Kids clock these things. They are very quick to pick up on the "do as I say not as I do".

He doesn't see you stuff your face with rubbish. Granted. But he sees you drinking alcohol daily and having nothing but a polo mint for lunch.

Can I please try to make it clear once again that my son does NOT see me drinking daily and living off a polo mint.
He is at school during the day and I only drink at night.
What sort of mother do you think I am?!

So the fact that he doesn't see it makes it ok?

I'm bailing this thread as I don't want you to feel anyone is having a go. But you came to the forum for advice - you were given advice. I guess it's up to you to ask yourself some questions and make choices that suit you.

My son does see me drink daily - so what? I can't even see with all the soap boxes stacked up in here.

There's nothing wrong with drinking daily. Yes, there is something wrong with drinking irresponsibly, but that's not the same thing. Sheesh, a lot of the people posting here could probably use a drink, from what I'm reading...

Alcohol is part of western culture (others too, but I only want to make assertions about what I know most about). It makes a lot more sense to cultivate a level of understanding and respect for alcohol and what it can do, and the risks, etc., than pretending it doesn't exist. Kids will make their own choices about alcohol, not our choices. Give them the tools to do it wisely.

And having a drink a day is nothing to feel bad about.

MoveTheMountain

Carbs cause way more obesity than fats do. If you have to watch something, watch your carbs, and the type of carbs, and when you have them. No, I'm not saying you should never have high GI carbs - sometimes that's precisely what you want. But know why you're eating them, when you should eat them, and how much of them to eat. But it's even better to think about your meals holistically, so that each meal/snack has in it what you want it to, so that you're balancing your nutrition across the day. And really, excess of anything is bad for you, protein included.

Yes, it's a pain at first; but after a while it becomes second nature. One of the things that I've started doing is loading in most of my food for the day into MFP in the morning. So, before I even eat anything, I have about 80% of my calories already logged, and I know what I'm getting. Then I just space out the timing of when I actually consume everything (yes, I bring a lot of stuff to work each day).

Oh yeah, and eat almonds. Almonds rock. (But watch the quantity - it's really easy to over do it on almonds!)

I don't think I eat a lot of carbs and certainly not the wrong sort and I plan my meals days in advance, all I think about are my meals and what I can put in them to maximise the amount I allow myself for the calories I have to 'spend'. Really it is as natural as breathing to me, lol!
I love almonds, especially Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy but I can't find any shop that sells them where I live.
I got a 1kg jar as a present last Christmas, I eked them out as much as I could (5 per day) but sad to say they went ages ago.
However there was loads of the wasabi seasoning powder left in the jar so I bought some cashews and peanuts and put them in the jar. Not quite the same but near enough.

Blue Diamond has a habanero seasoned almond now that is incredible - low salt, too, which is even better. And they're really not very hot. I also wasabi green peas, and those are much hotter than these almonds.

Do you have PeaPod where you live? What about Amazon.com?

I have seen the wasabi peas advertised but I'm a little cautious because when I have peas in a bombay mix they are always so hard and I have sensitive teeth/gums.
The habanero almonds sound lush though, I must confess I am a chilli freak so anything with a bit of capsicum heat and I'm a fan, lol!
No PeaPod near here in the UK I'm afraid. I did look on Amazon for Blue Diamond earlier today as it happens as I'm trying to increase protein but to be honest they only had small bags for more £ than I can spare but I shall certainly look out for the habanero now. )

About the wasabi peas... I'm not sure how they're prepared in the UK, but over here, they're not hard at all. Kind of like puffed rice, but a little bit more crisp.

Spanaval

Giving your son the best you can is great!!! It's more than some people do. It's fantastic!!!

But the problem is somewhere along the line he will question why these, to him, arbitrary rules about good and regular food only apply to him and not to you.

Kids clock these things. They are very quick to pick up on the "do as I say not as I do".

He doesn't see you stuff your face with rubbish. Granted. But he sees you drinking alcohol daily and having nothing but a polo mint for lunch.

Can I please try to make it clear once again that my son does NOT see me drinking daily and living off a polo mint.
He is at school during the day and I only drink at night.
What sort of mother do you think I am?!

So the fact that he doesn't see it makes it ok?

I'm bailing this thread as I don't want you to feel anyone is having a go. But you came to the forum for advice - you were given advice. I guess it's up to you to ask yourself some questions and make choices that suit you.

And having a drink a day is nothing to feel bad about.

Did you take a look at the OP's diary? She is having a lot more than one drink a day. None of my business, frankly, but there is something wrong when she says she cannot afford to buy fish, but is able to afford several drinks a day (vodka, wine, stuff I didn't recognize). This is even more of a problem because she is severely undereating, and half her calories are from alcohol (just to give you an idea, she is eating/drinking something like 900 cals a day and of that, 400+ is from alcohol).

DrBorkBork

last I heard, high protein/low fat was known as rabbit starvation.

amandavictoria80

Yes, more protein and fat. Shoot for .35-.75 grams total fat per pound of body weight.

And do you realize almost half of your total calories in the few days I looked at came from alcohol? I'm not saying you have to quit drinking, but your nutrition is suffering if you don't eat more real food. Alcohol already impedes your nutrient absorption, so you'll need to pay extra attention to getting more nutrients.

I understand not wanting to sacrifice quality of foods by buying frozen or tinned but its better than not eating it all.

Seriously? That would be a minimum of 40g of fat per day. That sounds far too much for me, that's 20 x my average!
I do try to balance out the food/drink but to be honest in my mind I think that liquid cal's don't effect my weight but solid mass do.
It's all a bit scary trying to sort out my nutrition but I wouldn't have even given it a thought if it wasn't for MFP and all the wonderfully helpful people on here.

Seems like you need a different kind of website? This site is for people who want to get healthy and fit. I don't understand your position. You're worried about 40g of fat in your diet. I consume 53g and steadily lose weight.