Too Much Fat, Not Enough Protein, Help!

Ummmm...you're eating fatty foods.

Substitute the chicken fried chicken with oven roasted boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Anything fried is going to have an inordinate amount of unhealthy fats.

Nix the french fries and pizza.

If you want to have an omelette, try a western instead of ham and cheese. Eggs already have fat in them, no need to add more.

Lean proteins and complex carbs (whole grains, veggies) are the way to go.

Ummmm...you're eating fatty foods.

Substitute the chicken fried chicken with oven roasted boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Anything fried is going to have an inordinate amount of unhealthy fats.

Nix the french fries and pizza.

If you want to have an omelette, try a western instead of ham and cheese. Eggs already have fat in them, no need to add more.

Lean proteins and complex carbs (whole grains, veggies) are the way to go.

I was going to offer my advice, but this guy said it all already ^^

Off the top...Ditch everything that Cracker Barrel makes. With the exception of maybe those lil single-serve cheese packs. Make your own food. Bake some chicken and potatos with a lil olive oil and seasoning, cut up some veggies (or don't...I've been known to munch on a cucumber or a pepper the same as I would an apple *L*) Hard-boil some eggs and chop it up over some mixed greens. Eat Apples!! Eating an apple before a meal fills your tummy with insoluble fiber so it makes you feel fuller when you eat. Myself, I'm hungry all the time. I find that a smoothie made with an avocado and some raspberries make a great, healthy and filling addition to my diet. Yes, avocado has fat, but its good fat and I personally found that it helped me lose weight overall. I have some great ideas for workouts, but I think I've babbled on here enough *LOL* Feel free to PM me if you think I'll have anything to say that might interest you. Kudos for starting on your Fitness journey, best of wishes to you!

Beef
Fish
Chicken
Milk
Eggs
Cottage Cheese
Greek yogurt

As others have said- grilled/broiled chicken rather than fried is a wiser choice. Also, broiled fish is an excellent way to get protein without excess dietary fat.

I notice you don't do much for breakfast... my two thoughts on this are 1) lack of something substantial for breakfast may be one reason why you're going for the fried, fatty foods later in the day, and 2) you are missing out on a great opportunity to get protein in your day. A couple eggs, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese can give you about 12g of protein at 140 calories for the 2 eggs and 120 cals for the yogurt or cottage cheese (the full fat kind, cause everything else tastes like *kitten*) is a pretty good bang for your buck, so to speak. Throw in some bacon or cheese with those eggs, granola with the yogurt, and you have nearly 20 grams of protein at breakfast. Not too shabby, IMO.

Personally, I've found that if I start my day with an adequate amount of protein, I'm better able to make good choices at lunch, which in turn helps me make better choices in the evening (where i have the most difficulty). I set myself up for difficulty and potential failure when I don't eat well in the morning.

Is there a reason you eat out so often? That seems to be a big downfall, looking at this week; it's hard to make healthy choices when menus full of fried, fatty, salty foods are staring you in the face with their pictures of deliciousness. It's even harder when you're hungry as all get-out because you haven't fueled yourself properly earlier in the day. I also notice a lot of junk food, but not much in the way of fruits and vegetables. While you don't have to eat clean to lose weight, eating healthier makes it easier to balance out the fat/protein ratio. I just went back to last week- Wednesday and Thursday (April 2-3) were much better than this week, as far as food choices go, with Thursday being the better. So, you know *what* to do, it's just a matter of actually doing it.

Honestly, I think the biggest culprit is eating out. Cooking more at home where you can control ingredients and preparation as well as portions will probably be the biggest help to you.

The takeaway- eat more vegetables, lean meats that are grilled, broiled (even pan fried/skillet cooked, as long as you don't use too much butter or oil!) and limit the fast/fried and junk food.

You need to understand what you're eating first.

Baking, broiling or grilling wont change the composition of the chicken unless you add ingredients. i.e. olive oil, butter etc.

Try getting up 20 mins earlier and cooking some eggs. A routine will help you with your goals.

All of the snacks you mention on their own are fine but if you choose to eat almonds and it puts you over your daily macro for fat, then it wouldn't be the best choice. I plan my meals 2 sometimes 3 days in advance. This helps to nail my daily macro-nutrient goals. That's the great thing about MFP, you can experiment and see what works for your specific daily nutritional goals.

You're on the right track with your "eat clean" mentality.

It's time to step it up a notch!

It shouldn't be too difficult to hit your protein macro with your calorie allotment. If you need to eat out, look into salads instead of fries/burgers/etc. A salad loaded up with grilled chicken (you can even get an extra serving of chicken if you ask and pay a bit more) is a great source of protein and won't consume a large portion of your calories. For example, my "lazy meal" on the road is two of the bacon ranch salads with grilled chicken from McD's and I share a packet of dressing between them - that's over half your daily protein macro. Meaty snacks (jerky, beef sticks, etc.) are decent options if you're a snacker and they tend to be more filling than candy and ice cream.

Is there a reason you eat out so often? That seems to be a big downfall, looking at this week; it's hard to make healthy choices when menus full of fried, fatty, salty foods are staring you in the face with their pictures of deliciousness. It's even harder when you're hungry as all get-out because you haven't fueled yourself properly earlier in the day. I also notice a lot of junk food, but not much in the way of fruits and vegetables. While you don't have to eat clean to lose weight, eating healthier makes it easier to balance out the fat/protein ratio. I just went back to last week- Wednesday and Thursday (April 2-3) were much better than this week, as far as food choices go, with Thursday being the better. So, you know *what* to do, it's just a matter of actually doing it.

Honestly, I think the biggest culprit is eating out. Cooking more at home where you can control ingredients and preparation as well as portions will probably be the biggest help to you.

I work about an hour away from home. In order for me to be able to eat at a decent hour I need to as soon as I get off work, so that I can make the hour drive home and not eat right before I go to bed. Going to bed on a full stomach gives me really weird nightmares.

I am leaving my current job in June and looking for something closer to home. Before I started this job I was in the 240s. I had lost about 50 pounds (down from 290) and wound up gaining 40 pounds of it back due to fast food breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I opted for convenience instead of health.

Spend a few hours on the weekends making food for the upcoming week. There is entirely too much fast food/"easy" foods in your diet, many of them high in fats.

Google some healthy recipes (try skinnytaste.com for starters) and cook two or three different ones on Saturday/Sunday, and you'll have a week full of lunches/dinners in your fridge. You can take them with you in a lunch box, or heat them up when you get home to avoid all of the convenience foods. There isn't anything wrong with eating packaged foods here and there, but when they mostly comprise your diet is there things get dicey.

I get up at 4:30am everyday to lift, work 8-5, and run til 6:15 everyday. I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen cooking when I get home, so I pull out my pre-cooked meals and heat up for dinner. I also pack my lunch & snacks the night before to save myself time in the mornings.

As far as getting more protein is concerned, there are always hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, low-fat string cheese, greek yogurt, beef jerky, etc. as snacks. To get more in your meals, go for grilled/baked chicken, fish and lean ground turkey- like I noted earlier, there are tons of healthy (and awesome tasting) recipes out there if you take some time to search.

ETA: My diary is open if you'd like to browse.... I eat all day long, with a large-ish dinner at night. Most of my snacks have a decent amount of protein and I have a whey protein shake with almond milk after I workout every morning.

This is what I do too. I spend the better part of one of my non-work days cooking lean protiens and a couple of veggie for the week to come. When I'm done I'll weigh the protions into serving sized containers and stack them in the fridge/freezer so I can just grab what I need for the day as I run out the door.

If you keep eating out you'll have fewer good choices and make your goal harder to reach.

I definitely feel snacky and have cravings when I don't get enough protein. A protein shake in the a.m. (protein powder, almond milk, fruit) helps me with this.

Thank you everyone... Seriously.

I will definitely start planning some things out instead of throwing a bunch of stuff in my lunch box and calling it a meal.

I feel pretty ignorant when it comes to the foods I'm eating. I feel like I know NOTHING. I know it's a learning process, but I can't help but feel like a moron.

Is brown rice better for you than white rice? I'm trying to figure out in my head what I can start bringing for meals..

If you need carbs brown rice is better but you need lean protiens. Tuna, skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin, flank steak, greek yogurt, an egg, salmon, shrimp......... Lots of good choices.

You'll probably be better off cutting out carbs that are processed so brown rice, oat meal, good dense breads (not soft fluffy, processed).

Also, you'd do well to spend about $25 on a digital food scale.

Thank you everyone... Seriously.

I will definitely start planning some things out instead of throwing a bunch of stuff in my lunch box and calling it a meal.

I feel pretty ignorant when it comes to the foods I'm eating. I feel like I know NOTHING. I know it's a learning process, but I can't help but feel like a moron.

Is brown rice better for you than white rice? I'm trying to figure out in my head what I can start bringing for meals..

If you aren't weirded out about ordering food online (some people are. I love ordering stuff online, so much more variety) you can look into Black Bean Spaghetti, Mung Bean Fettuccine and Skinni Spaghetti as pasta "replacements". They all still have carbs (less than regular pasta), but way more fiber and they also pack a good dose of protein along with it. Those 3 are the only pastas I eat now. I've prepared them all in different ways- traditional marinara, white sauces, red wine sauces, olive oil, pasta salads, etc. I've loved them all the different ways I've tried them (so has my BF, and he's weird about anything that's better for you...). You can also look into quinoa & split moong dal as higher protein rice subs. Here are some links to where I find these foods:

Black Bean Spaghetti: http://www.netrition.com/explore_asian_organic_black_bean_spaghetti.html

Mung Bean Fettuccine: http://www26.netrition.com/explore_asian_mung_bean_fettuchini.html

Skinni Spaghetti: http://www6.netrition.com/dixie_spaghetti.html

Split Moong Dal: http://www.amazon.com/Spicy-World-Moong-Washed-Pounds/dp/B000K8949K

Good luck! Feel free to message me if you have any questions or need any recipe ideas! I'm obsessed with cooking

Try snacks like Turkey Jerky and greek yogurt. I like Perky Jerky because the turkey is like in sodium and it taste great. You get them at the check out at Walmart.

Some suggestions for quick and easy breakfast greek yogurt and fruit, with oatmeal. One the weekend I make a dozen baked oatmeal muffins which I wrap and throw in the freezer. I vary the flavor of the muffins this week was strawberry banana. I sliced them in half in the morning and add a tablespoon of greek yogurt cream cheese along with my yogurt and fruit. Simple easy quick.

The more you can plan ahead of time with your busy schedule the easier if will be for you to achieve your goals. Just take it one step at a time.

Lower your fatty foods / carbs - increase protein. Grilled chicken/baked chicken/ low fat cheeses/beef jerk/protein shakes/greek yogurt (0 or 2% fat)

My diary is open if you need an idea. (I wouldn't recommened this week as I've been eating like a monster, look at last week's)