Meal Plan

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Ok i Have a question i have started dieting and i just want an opinion on what i eat for an average day.. for breakfast i have Kashi - Cinnamon Harvest Cereal one serving Silk - Vannila Soy Milk half a serving Millville - 100% Whole Grain Steel Cut Oats one serving mixed with Dannon - Light & Fit Yogurt 6oz cup flavor varies... then for lunch a healthy choice meal and a low sodium cheese stick. for dinner sometimes i have homemade baked boneless skinless chicken breasts 8oz with brown rice 1 cup and 1/4 a head of cabbage baked or sometimes i just have another healthy choice meal and a veggie like fresh green beans. and for a snack i have a ounce of almonds whole natural and a serving of brown rice chips. is this a good meal plan.. i exercise once everyday for 20 - 30 mins and i have always been below my calories, sodium, fat, sugar, and carbs for the day. starting week three tomorrow.

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  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    that sounds like it's pretty low calories for a guy your size. that's about how many calories that i eat to lose weight and i'm much smaller than you weight wise, probably much shorter than you, definitely less male than you and older.

    do you think you'd be able to keep up with eating that little for 6 months? for the rest of your life?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I agree that it looks a little light on food - how far under are you on the calories. Also, if you do not have any medical reasons to worry about it, do not worry about going over on sugars, just focus on carbs in general. The reason I mention it is that a serving or two of fruit would be good to add in.

    ETA: apart from my fruit comment and possibly adding some more fats, your actual meal plan looks fine. Maybe you could add a glass or two of 2% or even full fat milk - it will also add protein (its always OK to go over on this unless you have pre-existing kidney problems, especially if you are using MFP default settings).
  • elf618
    elf618 Posts: 317 Member
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    Also there is a lot of sodium in those healthy voice meals. They're one for once in a wile but you'll be a lot healthier and more full if you pack your own vege, meat and whole grain rather than the processed stuff on a routine basis. Look at you net calories and be sure they're close to what mfp suggests for you. Don't try to stay far under their 2lb per week recommendation or you will not get enough calories for your body to function and still lose. Too big a drop in calories will cause your body to try to prepare for starvation and hold onto everything it's got. Overall Sounds like pretty good choices though. Good luck!
  • Aventuria
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    Also I would try to eat a little bit more fresh fruit and raw veggies, together with a glass of water and a few almonds (fat and water to help dissolve and use the vitamins in your body :wink: ).

    Personally I would try to eat less processed food, but that is a question of personal belief/gusto. :drinker:
  • sallysuze
    sallysuze Posts: 65 Member
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    is there any reason why you can't make a big salad sandwich for lunch, or cook your own meal? That way you learn what food is, and how to cook it, and all the different flavours out there. I couldn't imagine eating two frozen processed meals a day for any period of time. It will all start to taste the same which is a very boring way to live.
    Do you eat anything with crunch? It all seems to be sloppy food. Why not give biting and chewing a try ;-)
  • TruFather
    TruFather Posts: 2 Member
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    Im 5'10 about 400lbs and on average i eat 1800+ calories, 225 carbs, 65 - 70 fat, i always try for at least 90 protein a day, 1500 - 2000mg sodium, and 55 or under on the sugar.. i stay pretty good all day and haven't felt low on energy or anything.. but i do agree i sometimes find myself looking for something to add to make my calories a little higher not because im hungry but cause it looks like a low number to me. i have no medical problems yet.. and i have my plan setting to lose 2lbs a week. i eat the healthy choice meals because compared to most meals i could make or things i have found to make there are far better with calories vs sodium and they are the reason i can stay below 2000 - 2500mg a day.. im not sure how much nutrients i loss eating them but if it is that much i could start a multi-vitamin a day..
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Im 5'10 about 400lbs and on average i eat 1800+ calories, 225 carbs, 65 - 70 fat, i always try for at least 90 protein a day, 1500 - 2000mg sodium, and 55 or under on the sugar.. i stay pretty good all day and haven't felt low on energy or anything.. but i do agree i sometimes find myself looking for something to add to make my calories a little higher not because im hungry but cause it looks like a low number to me. i have no medical problems yet.. and i have my plan setting to lose 2lbs a week. i eat the healthy choice meals because compared to most meals i could make or things i have found to make there are far better with calories vs sodium and they are the reason i can stay below 2000 - 2500mg a day.. im not sure how much nutrients i loss eating them but if it is that much i could start a multi-vitamin a day..

    I would try to up the protein a little and so not worry about going a little over on the fats or the sodium. 2lb a week at your weight is fine. IMO taking a multi to be sure is not a bad idea, but your meals look fine, I would just add some fruit to that (do not worry about the sugar). The less restrictive your diet the more likely you are to stick to it.
  • sallysuze
    sallysuze Posts: 65 Member
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    I think if the ready meals are the better in cals and sodium than what you can prepare yourself then perhaps you should look at what you can cook, and consider learning to prepare foods that are healthy as well as tasty. It can be done, most people do.
    Unless you want to eat a readymeal every day for the rest of your life, of course.