Balanced Diet

deedee2009

I just entered my first day of food for lunch and dinner, I am having a problem I hope someone can help me with.
I am having such a low amount of Calories/Carbs/Fat in my breakfast and my lunch I have to many
Calories/Carbs/Fat remaining for the day. I know I will not be able to eat 700 calories for my dinner.
Can someone give me any ideas of what is a good balanced day worth of meal?
I have listed what I ate for breakfast and what I will be having for lunch and a snack, not sure what I will be
having for dinner.

Breakfast
1 C. Cheerios-Whole Grain
1/2 C. 1% Milk
1 Apple

Lunch
1/2 C. Blackeyed Peas
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Newman's Own Lighten Up Salad Dressing

Snack
Yopliat Thick and Creamy Light Yogurt (Cherry Cobbler)

It sounds good when you list it down but something is missing and I am not sure what it will take to
balance it out.

Thanks in advance for your help :happy:

cassandra1220

I wish I had a problem with having too many calories left over. Lol. :laugh: It looks like you might want to add some extra protien to your breakfast and lunch. It will keep you full longer. Have you thought about adding an extra snack? You can take a look at my food diary if you like. It is complete for today (as well as until Thursday since I went grocery shopping yesterday- plan, plan, plan!), I think that my diet is pretty balanced (it works for me) so maybe by looking at mine and a few other members it will prompt you tweak yours a bit.

Either way...good luck!

fortiter00

I don't like to plan mine for days in advance, but I used to have kinda the same problem, and I wanted to eat my larger calorie meals earlier in the day, rather than at the end. What I found is that if I plan my meals for the day the night before, it helps me to stay on track for the next day, and I can play with what I am eating based on my schedule, when I have meetings, and if I have any running around to do. My food diary is also open for anyone to see. I tend to eat a lot of the same thing for about a week and than I change to something else for a week, and the cycle continues.

sarabear

I wish I had a problem with having too many calories left over. Lol. :laugh: It looks like you might want to add some extra protien to your breakfast and lunch. It will keep you full longer. Have you thought about adding an extra snack? You can take a look at my food diary if you like. It is complete for today (as well as until Thursday since I went grocery shopping yesterday- plan, plan, plan!), I think that my diet is pretty balanced (it works for me) so maybe by looking at mine and a few other members it will prompt you tweak yours a bit.

Either way...good luck!

I have to agree here, add protein. Maybe add some tuna or something to your lunch salad, or egg to breakfast.

fitinyoga14

Planning will definately help you to balance your meals, even balancing your servirngs. It definately sounds like you need more protein and another snack! Even if you have something like a handfull of nuts for a snack earlier in the day, it can add almost 300 calories! (healthy calories though) You will also feel more full.

deedee2009

Thanks all for your help, the adding protein to my breakfast and lunch sounds like a good idea.
This has always been my problem not eating enough calories when I start to diet and then it
slows your system down where it does not burn calories like it should. I think this site is going
to be very helpful in my success in losing this weight and keeping it off.

Thanks again..

sdirks

You might want to try adding a 200-300 calorie snack between lunch and dinner. This way, you don't have to eat yourself silly come dinner time!

My office tends to slow down between 2 and 4pm, so I can duck out for Fika--this really awesome Swedish tradition of afternoon espresso. If you're not a coffee person, try some tea or juice, nuts, fruit, a bit of gourmet cheese and crackers, anything. The key is to take 10 minutes and really enjoy yourself: taste the food, enjoy your down time, relax. You'll be more satisfied that way. I also find that it gives me that little bit of "pep" I need to finish the work day in good spirits, go home and cook a nice little meal.

As for the rest of your diet, I agree with everyone else that a bit of protein will really help you feel full longer. That's been my experience, too. Some grilled chicken or a bit of steamed fish goes a long way to flavor a meal without loading on the calories. The trick is to use spices rather than sauces to flavor your meats. Sauce or dressing can really pile on unnecessary fat and calories, especially the prepackaged ones or anything you get in a restaurant. Spices provide tons of flavor without all the bad stuff--just make sure the spices you buy aren't loaded with salt! You can also adjust your food diary to report sodium or protein intake, just to make sure you're meeting your body's needs.

Good luck, & welcome to MFP! We're glad to have you! :flowerforyou: