Help with diet

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  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    How many times a day are you eating? Maybe your meals are too small to satisfy you. I do better eating only 2 meals a day with snacking on fruit in between. Eating 3 meals a day left me too small of meals and then I was hungry soon after.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
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    My go-to is Pinterest! So many good recipes on there no matter what you like. If I do meal prep (I usually don't), i'll make a pot of chili, or a soup. Or i'll cook a few day's worth of ground beef or turkey taco meat and then make taco bowls for a few days. It helps to make a few "rough draft" menus for the week, put each one into MFP as a "day" and see where it lands you. Then you can tweak where you see you've gone over and make adjustments. If I eat high protein it makes me less hungry throughout the day.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
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    jekkarez wrote: »
    But again with a target of roughly 149 grams of carbs a day it leaves super small portions of food.... Which means I get hungry roughly an hour after eating and have to wait 3 more hours at the very least before dinner...


    wait - what? I eat less than 149 carbs daily unless it's a cheat day when I have pizza or dessert, and I get loads of food. There are plenty of vegetables that aren't going to take you over that amount. Lots of veg, with a moderate size of protein, and a good dollop of fat (mayo, butter in the veggies) and you'll be able to fit your macros and fill up your belly.
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    Okay so I'll post it here for clarity:

    Oats 27 grams
    Semi skimmed milk 180 ml

    Cooked long grain Rice 160 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    Cooked long grain rice 150 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    These 3 meals add up to 1590ish calories... Almost 1600

    There's some 80ish calories left that will not make the difference when I fill them out...

    Still have to adjust for the calories I burn, but =\ just feels like not enough
  • ejdinwiddie
    ejdinwiddie Posts: 6 Member
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    Don't forget the old standby of a salad. Fresh spinach, add veggies such as cucumber, carrot, red bell pepper, some protein like hard-boiled egg, tuna, nuts, or cannelloni beans, and an olive oil & vinegar dressing. There is next to no net carbs, good fats, a variety of options to change it up, and volume to make you feel like you ate a lot a food without the calories.

    Just stay away of croutons and ranch dressing . . .
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    I try to keep my carbs below 150. I still eat rice and pasta. I just try to bulk them up with vegetables.

    Ex: One meal that I am fixing this week is a shrimp and pasta dish. To lower the quantity of pasta I will add "zoodles" to it along with diced bell peppers, tomatoes and onions maybe some brocolli. Cooking this way adds bulk while lowering the calorie count per serving.
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jekkarez wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jekkarez wrote: »
    Again delicious and varied is a none issue for me....

    I did add fat (tried avocado but that was disgusting) with almond butter (didn't feel like adding the entire thing).... But again with a target of roughly 149 grams of carbs a day it leaves super small portions of food.... Which means I get hungry roughly an hour after eating and have to wait 3 more hours at the very least before dinner...

    Where are you getting your numbers from? Do you have a medical reason to restrict carbs? Calories are what matter for weight loss and again, 1680 cals is a decent amount to work with. Why do you feel you have to wait 3 hours before eating again?

    When people restrict carbs they tend to add fat : LCHF is a common approach. Adding butter or oils, fattier cuts of meat, cheese, nuts, etc can all be satiating for people who are taking a lower carb approach.

    I really think something must be off in your logging because neither your carb nor your calorie goal are so low that you should feel like you are only allowed tiny portions of food that aren’t satiating you. You also keep referring to eating the same thing twice a day. What are you eating for breakfast? Why only chicken, rice and broccoli? If imagination and seasoning aren’t the problems why are you only listing those items as options?

    Pick anything from the below - eat different combinations for a few days and note how they fill you up.
    Pork, beef, fish, tofu
    Rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, lentils
    Any fruit or vegetable you can think of
    Eggs, cheese, dairy

    If you’re trying to restrict carbs then double the veggies or add some extra protein with fat.


    Using this very app and the majority of calories come from rice so I have to limit it the most (it also adds an orange tooltip when I add fruits that the goal is to eat 149 grams of carbs a day....)

    That's also why I post here to ask....

    The macro splits are default and if you don’t have a medical reason to restrict carbs then you don’t need to worry if you go into the orange.

    You keep mentioning rice. Do you like rice? Do you like other starches?

    Let’s start over. What are your stats:
    Gender, height, weight, age and activity level
    What is your goal weight?
    What rate of loss did you choose?
    Do you have any medical issues that require dietary restrictions?
    Do you have a food scale for logging?
    Would you be willing to open your diary so people can give you some specific advice?

    Have you read the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section?

    Make
    1m 77
    83kg
    31 this may
    Sit in the office and at home. Go to the gym for almost 2 hours 5 days a week
    No medical issues
    Have a scale at home for food
    Tell me how to open the diary please (but so far I use it for reference as I am trying to work it out)
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    jekkarez wrote: »
    Okay so I'll post it here for clarity:

    Oats 27 grams
    Semi skimmed milk 180 ml

    Cooked long grain Rice 160 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    Cooked long grain rice 150 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    These 3 meals add up to 1590ish calories... Almost 1600

    There's some 80ish calories left that will not make the difference when I fill them out...

    Still have to adjust for the calories I burn, but =\ just feels like not enough

    Feels boring and a random mix of bro foods. How are you cooking the chicken and rice? There’s no sauce, no marinade, no oil or butter? Why eggs and almond butter? Just a spoonful of almond butter?
    Where are the fruits and veg?

    And again, why the same thing two meals a day?
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    jekkarez wrote: »
    Okay so I'll post it here for clarity:

    Oats 27 grams
    Semi skimmed milk 180 ml

    Cooked long grain Rice 160 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    Cooked long grain rice 150 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    These 3 meals add up to 1590ish calories... Almost 1600

    There's some 80ish calories left that will not make the difference when I fill them out...

    Still have to adjust for the calories I burn, but =\ just feels like not enough

    Where's the vegetables?

    sorry to keep going on about this, but a couple hundred grams of veg added to each meal will really make a difference, nutritionally and in terms of filling you up. You are trying to moderate your carbs for whatever reason and yet are eating oatmeal and rice, both of which will send your carb count right up compared to the same amount of healthy greens. You could be eating much more bulk than you are if you choose the right things

    The stuff I posted is already at 1600 calories... Adding veg and fruit will mean I have to reduce things I eat to get full even more...
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    ceiswyn wrote: »
    What stands out for me is all that almond butter. 60g of almond butter takes up an awful lot of calories for very little volume. Is that really good value?

    Have a better substitute to add fat?
    Not avocado tho as it's terrible
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    Re-rice:

    Easy to make as my current shared flat is not very fit for elaborate dishes
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    edited April 2019
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    jekkarez wrote: »

    The stuff I posted is already at 1600 calories... Adding veg and fruit will mean I have to reduce things I eat to get full even more...


    dude, 100g rice is about 119 cal. and 23g of carbs.
    100g cauliflower is about 34 cal. and 4 g of carbs.

    If you sacked off the rice completely, had 200g cauliflower AND 100g broccoli you'd still be winning

    edit to add: even better, keep the rice, sack the almond butter, mix the rice and veggies together with a pat of butter, salt and pepper. Yum
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    jekkarez wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jekkarez wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jekkarez wrote: »
    Again delicious and varied is a none issue for me....

    I did add fat (tried avocado but that was disgusting) with almond butter (didn't feel like adding the entire thing).... But again with a target of roughly 149 grams of carbs a day it leaves super small portions of food.... Which means I get hungry roughly an hour after eating and have to wait 3 more hours at the very least before dinner...

    Where are you getting your numbers from? Do you have a medical reason to restrict carbs? Calories are what matter for weight loss and again, 1680 cals is a decent amount to work with. Why do you feel you have to wait 3 hours before eating again?

    When people restrict carbs they tend to add fat : LCHF is a common approach. Adding butter or oils, fattier cuts of meat, cheese, nuts, etc can all be satiating for people who are taking a lower carb approach.

    I really think something must be off in your logging because neither your carb nor your calorie goal are so low that you should feel like you are only allowed tiny portions of food that aren’t satiating you. You also keep referring to eating the same thing twice a day. What are you eating for breakfast? Why only chicken, rice and broccoli? If imagination and seasoning aren’t the problems why are you only listing those items as options?

    Pick anything from the below - eat different combinations for a few days and note how they fill you up.
    Pork, beef, fish, tofu
    Rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, lentils
    Any fruit or vegetable you can think of
    Eggs, cheese, dairy

    If you’re trying to restrict carbs then double the veggies or add some extra protein with fat.


    Using this very app and the majority of calories come from rice so I have to limit it the most (it also adds an orange tooltip when I add fruits that the goal is to eat 149 grams of carbs a day....)

    That's also why I post here to ask....

    The macro splits are default and if you don’t have a medical reason to restrict carbs then you don’t need to worry if you go into the orange.

    You keep mentioning rice. Do you like rice? Do you like other starches?

    Let’s start over. What are your stats:
    Gender, height, weight, age and activity level
    What is your goal weight?
    What rate of loss did you choose?
    Do you have any medical issues that require dietary restrictions?
    Do you have a food scale for logging?
    Would you be willing to open your diary so people can give you some specific advice?

    Have you read the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section?

    Make
    1m 77
    83kg
    31 this may
    Sit in the office and at home. Go to the gym for almost 2 hours 5 days a week
    No medical issues
    Have a scale at home for food
    Tell me how to open the diary please (but so far I use it for reference as I am trying to work it out)

    You are WAY under eating for your stats and activity. I’m a 5’2 female at 125 and I eat more than 1680/day.

    Are you trying to lose weight? What did you put in MFP for your goal?
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
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    Annie_01 wrote: »
    Are you eating the almond butter for the fat? That's about 400 calories that you could use to be eating more food. Try replacing 30g of that with an alternative. Roasting vegetables in olive oil would be one way. Topping with cheese would be another.

    Don't fancy eating oil for the sake of it.... Is like eating a stick of butter....
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    jekkarez wrote: »
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    Are you eating the almond butter for the fat? That's about 400 calories that you could use to be eating more food. Try replacing 30g of that with an alternative. Roasting vegetables in olive oil would be one way. Topping with cheese would be another.

    Don't fancy eating oil for the sake of it.... Is like eating a stick of butter....

    You don’t eat it straight (well some do) you cook the chicken and the vegetables in it. Add butter or coconut milk to the rice.
  • jekkarez
    jekkarez Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jekkarez wrote: »
    Okay so I'll post it here for clarity:

    Oats 27 grams
    Semi skimmed milk 180 ml

    Cooked long grain Rice 160 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    Cooked long grain rice 150 grams
    Chicken breast 140 grams
    2 large eggs
    30 grams almond butter

    These 3 meals add up to 1590ish calories... Almost 1600

    There's some 80ish calories left that will not make the difference when I fill them out...

    Still have to adjust for the calories I burn, but =\ just feels like not enough

    Feels boring and a random mix of bro foods. How are you cooking the chicken and rice? There’s no sauce, no marinade, no oil or butter? Why eggs and almond butter? Just a spoonful of almond butter?
    Where are the fruits and veg?

    And again, why the same thing two meals a day?

    Easy to make in bulk and store in a shared fridge.... I don't mind the boringness just the feeling of hunger....
    Almond butter is something I have not tried yet, but I am 100% sure it's gonna be better than raw avocado