Fiber dilemma?

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elphie754
elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I need some suggestions on how to increase fiber. My other macros are good, but I can't seem to get fiber over 20 or so. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables (like 2+ servings each meal and many of my snacks include fruits/veggies) but it does not seem to be enough. My dilemma is that my calorie goal is at 1300 for a base plus 40% exercise calories back ( just increase from 25% by MD today to lose at a slower rate) and it seems high fiber foods (like beans) tend to be high in calories. I also cannot eat wheat, barley or oat so that limits the choices even more. Any suggestions?

Please do not suggest quest bars. I know some people swear by them but I find them absolutely disgusting and can't eat more than a bite or two before I discard it.

Replies

  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    Are you against supplementing with metamucil? I'm honestly not sure about allergy/cross reactions so sorry if psyllium is out. Maybe adding in something like artichokes could help too - very high in fiber and not a huge calorie cost. What kinds of fruits and veggies are you eating? If you're not already, maybe switching them out for higher fiber items like raspberries could also help. Sorry about the grains, that does put a wrench in things :(
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Maleficent0241 wrote: »
    Are you against supplementing with metamucil? I'm honestly not sure about allergy/cross reactions so sorry if psyllium is out. Maybe adding in something like artichokes could help too - very high in fiber and not a huge calorie cost. What kinds of fruits and veggies are you eating? If you're not already, maybe switching them out for higher fiber items like raspberries could also help. Sorry about the grains, that does put a wrench in things :(

    Not against supplementation at all. Unfortunately Metamucil can not guarentee no cross contamination, so as a company they are out. Psyllium itself is okay. I was using fiber capsules with them in, but they just had such a small amount per capsule that it was ridiculous on how many I would have to take.

    Fruit wise I typically eat kiwi, oranges (both naval and cara caras), apples (Fuji), melon (all types), tomatoes, olives, occasionally strawberries, and frozen blackberries. I'm not a huge berry person but every so often I crave them. Veggie wise I eat a lot of corn, green beans, peas, carrots, and edenames. Not sure if I like artichoke (had it in dip and liked it but never on its own) but will look into it.
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
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    daily
    fybogel/ pysillium husk 3.5g fibre 4 cals per x 2 = 8.
    wholemeal bread. 5.0 g ". 125 cals=. 10
    fresh soup avg 6.0g. 120 cals =. 6
    veg. 80-160 g. 8g. 100 cals =. 8.
    alpen light bar. 4g. 70 cals. =. 4
    aldi fruit bar. 4g. 85 cals=. 4. total 40g of fibre for 550 cals daily on average.

    fruit/ veg/ wholemeal bread and supplements can easily get you to daily goal.
    ps my diary is public,feel free to look thru for tips.
  • mudmonkeyonwheels
    mudmonkeyonwheels Posts: 426 Member
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    Depending on how you log, be aware that a number of entries on here do not include fiber content as in many places fiber is not mandatory to include on nutrition labels so you may be underestimating.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Fiberwell Fiber Gummies. 5g in 2 gummies. And they are delicious. I'm always well over my 25g/daily.
  • Anahita_Swims
    Anahita_Swims Posts: 4,127 Member
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    cw106 wrote: »
    daily
    fybogel/ pysillium husk 3.5g fibre 4 cals per x 2 = 8.


    this stuff i had to take when i had bowel cancer it made me so sick but that might have been the cancer... erm im just perusing nothing to add except eww...


    sweet potato, beans, salad potoates, quorn all goo fibre as well as wholemeal pasta, bread etc :)
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
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    Prunes, dates, other dried fruit
  • sizarie
    sizarie Posts: 2 Member
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    I had the same problem with trying to get enough fiber in. I started eating a half cup of FiberOne cereal with a half cup of almond milk. Nailed half my fiber requirements in one low-calorie snack!
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    I used psyllium husk from Trader Joe's up until recently, but after my partial colon removal it hasn't worked as nicely. I have since moved on to making my own chia seed pudding. The 2 servings I'm currently consuming for breakfast put me at 20g of fiber. Calories are a little high, but I struggle to finish the 2 servings to be honest. I take it for part of my lunch and end up finishing it an hour or two after my lunch.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Fifty-seven pounds lost so far. Congratulations! How much farther to goal? I suggest giving beans another try.
    it seems high fiber foods (like beans) tend to be high in calories

    Or looking at it another way, beans are fairly high in nutrition. So measure how much you eat at a sitting.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tuscan-white-beans-recipe.html
  • dwarfiegodsmack
    dwarfiegodsmack Posts: 317 Member
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    how bout a Fiber 1 brownie. 90 cals and 5 g fiber. i was a bit low on fiber also and this works for me
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    You said you occasionally crave berries--raspberries, 8g fiber per cup.

    1/2 cup of beans only had between 110-150 calories and 6-9g fiber. Even a 1/4cup would give you 3-5g for no more than 75 calories.

    Broccoli has 5g per cup and is super low in calories.

    You're eating a lot of starchy veggies. Add in some leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, squash (winter, summer) and you should easily reach your goal. The best part is that they are all very low in calories, so you can eat a lot. 3oz of squash is only 15 calories. Can't beat that!
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    If you're eating plenty of fruits and veggies and netting a relatively low amount of total calories, then 20 grams of fiber is probably fine. There are different types of fiber and some are better than others. The research on how much you really need is not completely clear.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Popcorn has a lot of fiber. As does avocado, but it's kind of high calorie.

    I typically get the majority of my fiber intake from peas and popcorn. I also eat Fiber One 90 cal bars fairly often.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    it seems high fiber foods (like beans) tend to be high in calories

    Or looking at it another way, beans are fairly high in nutrition. So measure how much you eat at a sitting.

    This. Beans are very dense in fiber, so a very small amount calorically will make a big dent in your fiber goal.

    For instance, just 1/4 of a can of black beans has only 77 calories but 6g of fiber. You should be able to make room for 77 calories in your diet. Generally speaking if <100 calories is challenging for you, then you might benefit from using beans in place of some of your grains, assuming you eat grains sometimes. White beans are often great in place of pasta, for instance, or if you eat rice a side of beans is often a nice substitution.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Wow, lots of suggestions, thank you everyone.

    Will look at beans again, I'm just not the biggest fan of them. Even when I add them to a dish, I tend not to eat many of them lol. Guess I am kind of a picky eater.
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Fifty-seven pounds lost so far. Congratulations! How much farther to goal? I suggest giving beans another try.
    it seems high fiber foods (like beans) tend to be high in calories

    Or looking at it another way, beans are fairly high in nutrition. So measure how much you eat at a sitting.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tuscan-white-beans-recipe.html

    I have another 70-80 to go (I have a target weight in mind, but going to evaluate if I really need to reach it once I get close). Thank you for the link.
    sizarie wrote: »
    I had the same problem with trying to get enough fiber in. I started eating a half cup of FiberOne cereal with a half cup of almond milk. Nailed half my fiber requirements in one low-calorie snack!

    Can't eat fiber one due to not wheat, barley, oat allergy. I saw quite a few of people suggest this along with wholemeal options, but unfortunately these are not an option for me.


    mudmonkeyonwheels wrote: »
    Depending on how you log, be aware that a number of entries on here do not include fiber content as in many places fiber is not mandatory to include on nutrition labels so you may be underestimating.

    Good to know.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    mudmonkeyonwheels wrote: »
    Depending on how you log, be aware that a number of entries on here do not include fiber content as in many places fiber is not mandatory to include on nutrition labels so you may be underestimating.

    So related to this- where do you go to find accurate fiber information for fruits/veggies or other things that don't come with a nutrition label?
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    elphie754 wrote: »
    mudmonkeyonwheels wrote: »
    Depending on how you log, be aware that a number of entries on here do not include fiber content as in many places fiber is not mandatory to include on nutrition labels so you may be underestimating.

    So related to this- where do you go to find accurate fiber information for fruits/veggies or other things that don't come with a nutrition label?

    When looking for the item, search "celery usda" for example.

    i'm also known to look foods up in the database and check to see that the info is complete before logging.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I had the same problem trying to get fiber in. I actually found something that both my husband and I like - Chocolite protein bars. They have about 100 calories, about 10g fiber, about 10g protein, and are sugar free/gluten free. I like the triple chocolate fudge, and my husband likes the peanut butter and the cashew caramel. We both like the cookies and cream bars too.

    They're available at www.healthsmartfoods.com and there are usually coupon codes at www.retailmenot.com.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
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    Can you do ground flax meal? (It's also healthy omega fats.) I sprinkle it onto or into lots of things, smoothies, eggs, yogurt, even over pizza occasionally.

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