Am I eating ok?

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DocNorton
DocNorton Posts: 43
in Health and Weight Loss
I've started logging my food over the last few days and wondered if anyone can advise if this is a healthy 1600 cals?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/DocNorton

Baring in mind this is only 3 days worth, I will be adding some variations in my mid AM and PM meals over the next weeks...

Thankyooooou :)

Replies

  • jheller
    jheller Posts: 194
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    Hi Doc
    I'm guessing you're a Brit based on your food dairy . What is Sainsbury? A brand of microwave food? I'd add more fruits, vegies and home cooked stuff - not so much processed food. And a Coke for dinner?!?!?! I'm not sure if your mid-PM entries are your "dinner" but you may want to even out your caloric intake more that way you don't get as hungry later in the day.

    Jessica
  • scrappy11
    scrappy11 Posts: 163
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    I think that the food is okay that you are eating, but you aren't eating enough calories to keep your metabolism going. When you eat less than 1200 cals a day that will put your body into starvation mode which than slows your metabolism down, which then ultimately makes you gain weight instead of losing. I would try and eat more if you can to get to 1200 cals/day.
    Good luck!!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Up your protein intake! Lean protein with every meal/snack will help you feel full and helps your body process the carbs that you take in!
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    I would agree with not too bad, but adding more veggies and fresh fruit. I would also try to space out your eating throughout the day. It will get easier. You will do great!! It takes a lot of humility to put yourself out there like that-stick with it!!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    Hello

    You need more fruits and veggies in there.....fruits and veggies are important in a well balanced diet

    Also you seems to eat Sainsbury alot....which seems to be processed....so I am surprise your sodium isnt higher....double check the labels and ensure they really dont have any sodium in there.....

    Also how big are those potatos you have for dinner....four seems alot

    Even if you are within your calories....if your carbs or fat intake is too high, you can still gain or not loose any weight...so keep that in mind.....everything has to be balanced

    Goodluck
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    More fruit, veggies, and protein and cut back on some of the carbs.
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    Thanks for the replys...

    Sainsburys is a supermarket over here in the UK so it's their own brand produce...

    I aim to eat every 2 hrs over the day so:

    Breakfast: 9am
    Mid AM: 11am
    Lunch: 1pm
    Mid PM: 3pm
    Tea: 5pm
    Supper: between 7-9pm

    The coke mentioned - I can only think of the one added for supper on Tuesday night - this was purely greed - my wife didn't finish a can she had poured into a glass and said it would be a shame to waste and I didn't want to cheat by not adding it on !

    I aim to eat 150g lean protein a day hence the chicken mid AM and PM - none of the chicken I eat is processed - it's all fresh. I worked this out from my LBM which is 152lbs

    The 1600 calories a day is derived from subtracting 500 from my BMR (2100) - subtracting a further 500 earned via exercise I suppose this would reduce my intake to 1100 - so I need to eat more right?

    Any ideas of how to fill up the gaps? Adding fruit was in there - I do normally take a bag of apples to work with me and snack on those. Maybe a tub of celery and a bunch of grapes but I have no set menu for fruit it's normally as and when I've been to the store to buy some ! Fruit is expensive in the UK !
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    Again for those who missed it Sainsburys is a supermarket and isn't a brand of processed food.

    I don't eat any prepackaged food or ready meals - it's all prepared by myself or my wife from fresh ingredients.

    Also someone mentioned the potatoes - those are "new potatos" - I'm not sure if you guys have them over there in the USA but they are small - like smaller than an egg... Sometimes known as a salad potato?!

    Is this still too many?
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    If fresh fruit and veg are expensive, try frozen. Often fruits & vegetables are frozen at their peak and are as good if not better then the produce that are picked under-ripe for transport then "smoked" to look ripe for the grocery store.
    I admire how carefully your food is selected. Good on grains and proteins. I'd just start trading some processed for something more colorful. The best way for me to remember this is to prepare my fruit and veg as soon as I get them from the market into snack packs in the fridge. And have great dips prepared like hummus or tatziki.
    Keep it up. Keeping a food diary is such an education for us all.
    Shel
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    More fruit, veggies, and protein and cut back on some of the carbs.

    So cut back on the bread? I normally have about 3 slices a day in total and that's 50 50 brand (white bread with wholemeal) is this too much?

    http://www.kingsmillbread.com/products/bread/fifty-fifty?p=fifty-fifty-5050-with-omega-3-800g

    Also you don't think the bag of broccolli, carrot, sweet corn and green peas I eat for tea is substantial? Do I need to add more throughout the day? Could I have some examples?

    I know this might be asking alot but I really want to get it right this time and all these "diet" websites contradict each other so I'd love to hear it from the mouths of the people out there that are doing this and loosing weight...

    I'm sick of replys (on another forum I used) that were from sponsored users "go to this web site and buy this supplement - that's how I did it" Then their profile is plastered with the branding and logos etc...
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    We have new potatoes here, and I think 4 is a reasonable amount... just watch the carbs and don't eat them all of the time! :)

    It looks like you are doing pretty well... I agree with the others who say to try to increase the fruits and vegetables, though it seems like you have some veggies from salads.

    Great job on preparing your own food! My food diary is public as well and we have the same calorie range so feel free to look for ideas (just ignore this past weekend, holiday here, not normal eating! :) )

    I would eat at least some if not all of your calories from exercise as well.
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    We have new potatoes here, and I think 4 is a reasonable amount... just watch the carbs and don't eat them all of the time! :)

    It looks like you are doing pretty well... I agree with the others who say to try to increase the fruits and vegetables, though it seems like you have some veggies from salads.

    Great job on preparing your own food! My food diary is public as well and we have the same calorie range so feel free to look for ideas (just ignore this past weekend, holiday here, not normal eating! :) )

    I would eat at least some if not all of your calories from exercise as well.

    Thanks for that I'm going to head over for a look now :)

    One thing - what do you mean by the last bit - eating calories from exercise? If you mean do a workout I do go to the gym 4 times a week and do cardio and lifting - normally burning at least 500 cals...
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    If fresh fruit and veg are expensive, try frozen. Often fruits & vegetables are frozen at their peak and are as good if not better then the produce that are picked under-ripe for transport then "smoked" to look ripe for the grocery store.
    I admire how carefully your food is selected. Good on grains and proteins. I'd just start trading some processed for something more colorful. The best way for me to remember this is to prepare my fruit and veg as soon as I get them from the market into snack packs in the fridge. And have great dips prepared like hummus or tatziki.
    Keep it up. Keeping a food diary is such an education for us all.
    Shel

    Cheers Shel - you're right - I always used to keep track of what I was eating in my head and it was always a rough estimate. You wouldn't think of the 180 cals from the can of coke you had because you were hot and thirsty right? That wouldn't count... And the mayonnaise on the sandwich - that isn't a food - it's a sauce surely !!!

    when you actually plan it all out it makes you realise just how careful you need to be to achieve the 1600 cal goal (or however much your own goal is)

    I'll tell you one thing - I really feel sorry for power lifters who need to be taking in 3000 cals a day - I don't think I could ever eat that much... unless you put a pizza in front of me... with fries.... and garlic bread... hmm garlic bread and melted cheese nom nom nom....

    NO ! Snap out of it - veggies and lean meat now lol.....
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    I'm going to go against the trend and recommend that you keep your carbs high, but only good carbs, like whole grains, as well as those you get from fruits and veggies. If you're exercising a lot, you'll need the carbs.

    Definitely give up the soda pop. Too much sugar even in half a glass.

    You can adjust the percentages in your allowed calories to give you a better idea about how many grams you'll be allowed. Currently I'm eating 50%carbs/30%protein/20%fat because of the intense workouts I'm doing. And I feel great! You can tweak those percentages to see what your body responds to. Eating real food, and whole food (i.e. closest to its original state) are a great way to start feeling healthier.
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    Thanks for the advice

    I do try an keep up with oats and things and I am aware of the evils of bread - even the brown "healthy" type lol

    The soda was a one off - I usually drink water or a low sugar cordial drink.

    I find a slice of lemon in a glass of water helps to keep it from being boring :)
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    Everyone's different but I feel much better when I go up on protein and down on carbs. Not to an extreme though. I eat around 45% carbs (mostly from fruits & veggies), 30% protein, and 25% fat.

    I try to eat 75%-100% of my exercise calories. And I truly try to eat less-processed whenever I can (for example, I take homemade leftovers to work for lunch instead of a pre-packaged or frozen meal).

    I agree with the frozen veggie idea -- probably 75% of the veggies I eat are from frozen because they're affordable and they take so long to spoil (plus, a lot of times they actually have MORE nutrients than fresh from the store). I also have a small container veggie garden where I pick fresh vegetables.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    You need lots more fruits and veggies. If these are prepared foods by Sainsbury, they may be high in sodium. You may want to add that to track and see how much you are getting
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    Thanks for that I'm going to head over for a look now :)

    One thing - what do you mean by the last bit - eating calories from exercise? If you mean do a workout I do go to the gym 4 times a week and do cardio and lifting - normally burning at least 500 cals...

    When you exercise, My Fitness Pal will add those calories on to your baseline daily calories. In addition to your usual 1600-1650 calories, I'd eat at least 250 from your 500-calorie workouts -- bringing your total calories eaten for the day to 1850-1900. (Hard for me to do right now and stay eating healthy!)

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