Critique my food diary?

RedRider230
RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, everyone!

Anybody care to look at my food diary and comment / give suggestions? My sodium seems to be off the charts, lol and a lot of days I'm having trouble hitting my protein goal. Also I tend to go over with the Fat quite a lot too.

I've been trying to learn about nutrition, macro goals and all that good stuff but I guess I'm having problems applying what I've been learning to my diet. So I'm hoping for some tips and suggestions on how to improve the areas I'm struggling with. Tips like use this instead of that, etc. Or if anything stands out that is horribly wrong, please tell me! lol...

My progress has been slow, I've lost only 5 lbs. in two months. (Trying to lose about 20 lbs.) I recently bought a food scale though and since then I'm seeing my weight go down a little bit each day, so that's good. I'm just wanting to be better with the nutritional aspects now.

Thanks to anyone who doesn't mind taking the time to look, it's much appreciated!

Replies

  • amarie878
    amarie878 Posts: 11 Member
    Why not try swapping out a lower fat milk? Some people don't like skim, but why not try 2% or 1%?

    Since you like scrambled eggs, why not try doing 1 egg and 1 egg white? Maybe add some veggies in there? And if you like cheese, why not getting a more flavorful cheese like parmagiano reggiano or asiago? It's so yummy you end up using less of it.

    As for deli meat, try to find lower sodium brands. I'm not sure where you live, but here in New England, we can get Boars Head or Dietz and Watson. They usually have delicious lower sodium versions and no nitrates or any other junk.

    Try looking at www.skinnytaste.com. This woman has amazing lo-cal recipes that got me to like eggs, fish, and vegetables - things I never liked before. She's got great egg recipes and they reheat well. She also uses real food for flavor - no fake or fat free stuff.
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions! My husband likes whole milk but I haven't thought about getting my own, so I'll do that.

    I'm going to try all of your suggestions actually, great advice! :flowerforyou:
  • lanthiriel
    lanthiriel Posts: 18
    This is going to be laughable coming from me (very much in the process of learning to eat healthy), but I wonder if you could cut down on things like mayo and cheese. This has been hard for me, but it's led me to find new ways to flavor things like sandwiches and really cut down on the calories. You're also eating a lot of fatty/pre-prepared meats (bratwurst, meatloaf, pre-packed burgers), which contain a lot of sodium. Subbing this out for poultry or fish could help.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Your diary looks o.k. You are on the right track.
    Some people can fit those things into their diet but not on the same day. If you could cut a few things like go from two pieces of bread to one, skip the salad dressing some days, or eat half the cheese, . . . Once you stop mayo, you might learn that you do not miss it. You could add more vegetables, esp greens. They would be good for you and might make you feel better through out the day.
  • emsmom8
    emsmom8 Posts: 76 Member
    There are a few things I noticed right away. Although you have a salad every day, you don't really have a lot of fruits and vegetables. I would try to make sure you get your 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables. Probably having too much cheese. Maybe you could add veggies to your eggs and cut back on the cheese. You may also want to go one egg and one egg white to save calories. I would also think about bulking with veggies but eliminating the morning bread or do an open faced sandwich for lunch.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    When you make your eggs, do you use any oil or butter (or bacon grease) in the pan? I noticed you don't have anything logged to account for that.
  • ohiotubagal
    ohiotubagal Posts: 190 Member
    Good job on making the effort to log! I found that was a challenge at first but now it's second nature. Make sure you log everything...even if it gets crazy (like my day yesterday...yikes!)

    You have gotten lots of great suggestions...hope I don't repeat anything. I love eggs in the morning too. You might try 1 egg, 1 egg white and a bit of milk. Stir fry a bunch of veggies in a little olive oil first (I use broccoli slaw, onions and bell peppers), then add your eggs. Feels like you are eating a ton! I don't miss the cheese at all.

    Sodium: watch out for the mayo, mustard, and especially the deli turkey. As others have said, there are several low sodium versions. I like Markets of Meijer (at Meijer stores...don't know if you have those). I have started subbing plain greek yogurt for mayo and it works well. Also bread and tortillas are high in sodium. Try an english muffin instead of a tortilla.

    Veggies: I put them in everything. It helps to chop them up as soon as you get home from the store and then they are ready for when you need them. Season them with balsamic vinegar, Mrs. Dash seasonings (no sodium), rice wine vinegar, etc.

    Salad dressing: you can mix 1 Tbsp dressing with 1 Tbsp milk (for creamy dressings like ranch) or 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (for vinaigrettes) or even water to make it stretch farther.

    Hope these ideas help. Good luck!
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    This is going to be laughable coming from me (very much in the process of learning to eat healthy), but I wonder if you could cut down on things like mayo and cheese. This has been hard for me, but it's led me to find new ways to flavor things like sandwiches and really cut down on the calories. You're also eating a lot of fatty/pre-prepared meats (bratwurst, meatloaf, pre-packed burgers), which contain a lot of sodium. Subbing this out for poultry or fish could help.

    Haha! I actually have cut down the mayo quite a bit compared to life before MFP, lol. I"ll look for something to substitute it with. I do love cheese too, but I can definitely use less. All the meatloaf, burgers, etc I do make myself. Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated!
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    There are a few things I noticed right away. Although you have a salad every day, you don't really have a lot of fruits and vegetables. I would try to make sure you get your 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables. Probably having too much cheese. Maybe you could add veggies to your eggs and cut back on the cheese. You may also want to go one egg and one egg white to save calories. I would also think about bulking with veggies but eliminating the morning bread or do an open faced sandwich for lunch.

    Great suggestions, thank you!
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    When you make your eggs, do you use any oil or butter (or bacon grease) in the pan? I noticed you don't have anything logged to account for that.

    I do use a little butter but I log it. I'll get some of that spray oil I think. Thanks!
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    Good job on making the effort to log! I found that was a challenge at first but now it's second nature. Make sure you log everything...even if it gets crazy (like my day yesterday...yikes!)

    You have gotten lots of great suggestions...hope I don't repeat anything. I love eggs in the morning too. You might try 1 egg, 1 egg white and a bit of milk. Stir fry a bunch of veggies in a little olive oil first (I use broccoli slaw, onions and bell peppers), then add your eggs. Feels like you are eating a ton! I don't miss the cheese at all.

    Sodium: watch out for the mayo, mustard, and especially the deli turkey. As others have said, there are several low sodium versions. I like Markets of Meijer (at Meijer stores...don't know if you have those). I have started subbing plain greek yogurt for mayo and it works well. Also bread and tortillas are high in sodium. Try an english muffin instead of a tortilla.

    Veggies: I put them in everything. It helps to chop them up as soon as you get home from the store and then they are ready for when you need them. Season them with balsamic vinegar, Mrs. Dash seasonings (no sodium), rice wine vinegar, etc.

    Salad dressing: you can mix 1 Tbsp dressing with 1 Tbsp milk (for creamy dressings like ranch) or 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (for vinaigrettes) or even water to make it stretch farther.

    Hope these ideas help. Good luck!

    I love your suggestions, thanks very much!
  • RedRider230
    RedRider230 Posts: 89 Member
    Your diary looks o.k. You are on the right track.
    Some people can fit those things into their diet but not on the same day. If you could cut a few things like go from two pieces of bread to one, skip the salad dressing some days, or eat half the cheese, . . . Once you stop mayo, you might learn that you do not miss it. You could add more vegetables, esp greens. They would be good for you and might make you feel better through out the day.

    I can't do salad without the dressing! lol Bread I can cut down on, I agree I've been eating a lot of that. I will look for a substitute for Mayo or just try to cut it out. Thank you!
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    Your diary looks o.k. You are on the right track.
    Some people can fit those things into their diet but not on the same day. If you could cut a few things like go from two pieces of bread to one, skip the salad dressing some days, or eat half the cheese, . . . Once you stop mayo, you might learn that you do not miss it. You could add more vegetables, esp greens. They would be good for you and might make you feel better through out the day.

    I can't do salad without the dressing! lol Bread I can cut down on, I agree I've been eating a lot of that. I will look for a substitute for Mayo or just try to cut it out. Thank you!
    Have you tried making your own dressing? Honey, mustard and some spices make a tasty dressing, as an example.
  • beertrollruss
    beertrollruss Posts: 276 Member
    Your sodium isn't too bad, unless you have high blood pressure. If you workout and sweat a bit, you'll easily lose the sodium through the sweat. I would recommend increasing your potassium. A ratio of 1 to 1 or better potassium to sodium is recommended to regulate blood pressure. Consuming more fruits and vegetables will help with the potassium. Tracking potassium is a bit tricky because it's not a required item on food labels. It's currently set to be required on the new food labels.
  • shireeniebeanie
    shireeniebeanie Posts: 293 Member
    Dilute your fattening stuff with FF Greek yogurt every chance you get, and basically substitute protein for fat!

    For veggie dipping, I use it in place of sour cream; for tuna/chicken salad, I can replace at least half the mayo.

    By adding my own pureed strawberries and no-cal sweetener, I make a much healthier yogurt than I could buy at the store.

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