Feedback from the experts - or anyone!

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lina1131
lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can you guys take a look at my food diary for this past week and tell me how you think I should adjust it?

I am exercising 3 days a week (this past week was Tue, Wed, and Thur) and burning around 500 calories.

I lost 50 pounds before getting pregnant, gained 40 pounds during pregnancy, and now have 25 pounds to lose to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. When I lost the 50 pounds it took me several months but I had my biggest losses in the first few months.

I started exactly a week ago and lost 1 pound. I'm a little :sad: about the 1 pound loss in the first week.
I am not in this for the short term. Even when I was pregnant I didn't go crazy. I stuck with the basics and enjoyed a few extras here and there, but I did have to stop working out because of some complications at the beginning of the pregnancy. I totally understand that losing it slow is better. I am happy (and annoyed) with the 1 pound loss, but I would like to get opinions on how you guys think I can do better.

Thank you! :heart:

Replies

  • Umpire57
    Umpire57 Posts: 389 Member
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    Are you measuring and calculating or estimating?

    Measure food and use a HRM to calculate calories burned on exercise.
  • SheehyCFC
    SheehyCFC Posts: 529 Member
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    First off - 1 lb in your first week is just fine. As you said, you are not in this for the short term - it will come off slowly but surely if you follow the plan. Just be patient.

    Also - your weekend looks pretty good, but a lot of the other days you seem to have a LOT of remaining calories - I'd suggest some high-nutrition (and with that amount of calories, mid-calorie) snacks. You seem to get decent fiber/protein, but maybe a few veggies too. Other than quantity (in my opinion you need to eat more), the quality of your food seems fine.

    Good luck!

    **EDIT - some people on here are commenting on your sodium levels. I am certainly not the best example for this, but even though you have some processed food in there, I wouldn't worry too much, as your daily consumption levels aren't that high
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    In all honesty.. you consume alot of prepackaged, processed foods...

    Youre not taking in enough real proteins, nor vegetables...

    If you add exercise to the equation, you would need to consider whether or not eating some of the workout calories back would help as well.

    The more packaged foods you eat, the higher the sodium, food preservatives and chemicals you will ingest and that in itself is counter productive...
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    More Fresh food. Bet a food scale and make sure your portion size is really correct. :drinker:
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback.

    On January 18 - the Panda Express Chicken and Green Beans were not actually Panda Express. I made it homemade but was too lazy to calculate the calories by adding a recipe so I just used that. I know I should be shot dead for doing that, but sometimes I can't find exactly what I want, i'm in a hurry (I have a 5 year old and a newborn) and just add what I think matches. Is this horrible?

    This week I began adding in homemade green smoothies - Spinach, Broccoli, Carrots, Strawberries, Pineapple, and Mago with some honey so that I can have more fruits and vegetables to my diet.

    Do you guys think I need to give up the turkey sandwich during lunch? It's just an easy lunch for me to get ready (leave the house at 5am) but if you think it will help, I can try doing something else.
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    Also, I have a HRM (Polar F4) so my calories burned is accurate.

    Do you think things like the Morning Star Black Bean Burger is bad?
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback.

    On January 18 - the Panda Express Chicken and Green Beans were not actually Panda Express. I made it homemade but was too lazy to calculate the calories by adding a recipe so I just used that. I know I should be shot dead for doing that, but sometimes I can't find exactly what I want, i'm in a hurry (I have a 5 year old and a newborn) and just add what I think matches. Is this horrible?
    If you cant take the time to log your meals, then youre only hurting yourself because it gives you inaccurate reads on your diary entries. If you can spend that kind of time making a meal that was in fact - from scratch, then you need to make the time to log it. You might be either overcalculating or undercalculating yourself ...both of which are deal breakers with getting healthy.

    This week I began adding in homemade green smoothies - Spinach, Broccoli, Carrots, Strawberries, Pineapple, and Mago with some honey so that I can have more fruits and vegetables to my diet.
    Try to consume vegetables and fruits in their natural form - too much purees can actually add calories when you keep adding and adding more, and your body will just dump these nutrients real fast because you are taking the work out of digesting the foods by pulverizing them to a puree....The body was meant to work, so put it to work.

    Do you guys think I need to give up the turkey sandwich during lunch? It's just an easy lunch for me to get ready (leave the house at 5am) but if you think it will help, I can try doing something else.

    Turkey is healthy - but load it up with vegetables! Lettuce, baby spinach leaves, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced cucumbers, perhaps a nice dijon mustard spread... whole grain bread....

    I know plenty of people who very rarely turn to a Morning Star black-bean burger but thats the key: rarely.. its processed food...
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    If you cant take the time to log your meals, then youre only hurting yourself because it gives you inaccurate reads on your diary entries. If you can spend that kind of time making a meal that was in fact - from scratch, then you need to make the time to log it. You might be either overcalculating or undercalculating yourself ...both of which are deal breakers with getting healthy.

    True. And for the most part I do add recipes and log my meals accurately, but sometimes I do get lazy. I will try to be better at this.
    Try to consume vegetables and fruits in their natural form - too much purees can actually add calories when you keep adding and adding more, and your body will just dump these nutrients real fast because you are taking the work out of digesting the foods by pulverizing them to a puree....The body was meant to work, so put it to work.

    Okay see, I have been told that the smoothies are awesome for our bodies. Now I don't know if I should continue them or not. Hmmmm....
    Turkey is healthy - but load it up with vegetables! Lettuce, baby spinach leaves, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced cucumbers, perhaps a nice dijon mustard spread... whole grain bread....

    I know plenty of people who very rarely turn to a Morning Star black-bean burger but thats the key: rarely.. its processed food...

    I agree, I need to add veggies to my turkey sandwiches. And, I just discovered the Morning Star burger last night. I will only have them every once in a while.

    Thanks for all the help!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Smoothies are good for you... the problem is this:

    By eating foods in its natural form (whether raw, steamed, boiled, etc) the stomach has to do the actual work at breaking it down

    As nothing but a puree via smoothies, the stomach will just pass it along into the small intestines because it doesnt have to do any digesting - it just dumps it.... if its not doing the work to break down foods, then youre not getting the full nutritional benefit of what fruits and vegetables have to offer...

    Even a Gastroenterologist and Registered Dietician would say this also....
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    Smoothies are good for you... the problem is this:

    By eating foods in its natural form (whether raw, steamed, boiled, etc) the stomach has to do the actual work at breaking it down

    As nothing but a puree via smoothies, the stomach will just pass it along into the small intestines because it doesnt have to do any digesting - it just dumps it.... if its not doing the work to break down foods, then youre not getting the full nutritional benefit of what fruits and vegetables have to offer...

    Even a Gastroenterologist and Registered Dietician would say this also....

    Thanks for the information! :heart:
  • ckehoe89
    ckehoe89 Posts: 144 Member
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    I'm a vegetarian and I used to eat all the different morning star products because it was an easy transition for me. It made leaving meat behind easy. And then I read the ingredients and I couldn't imagine it being better for me than a chicken breast because I had no idea what they were made out of. In a pinch they are great, but try making homemade items like that if at all possible. Chickpea burgers, black bean burgers, portabella mushrooms! There are a ton of recipes and they are actually not to hard to make! And they are definitely better for you because you know what you are eating!

    As for smoothies, I also drink them and make sure I just measure everything so I know what I'm getting. I think its a great way to get extra fruits and veggies especially when you just don't have the time or the patience for other meals. Plus, it gives you a variety that you may not normally have in your diet. You may add fruits that you typically wouldn't eat. It's good to get a variety of "colors" of fruits and vegetables daily.

    Hope that helps a little. Good luck =]
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    I'm a vegetarian and I used to eat all the different morning star products because it was an easy transition for me. It made leaving meat behind easy. And then I read the ingredients and I couldn't imagine it being better for me than a chicken breast because I had no idea what they were made out of. In a pinch they are great, but try making homemade items like that if at all possible. Chickpea burgers, black bean burgers, portabella mushrooms! There are a ton of recipes and they are actually not to hard to make! And they are definitely better for you because you know what you are eating!

    As for smoothies, I also drink them and make sure I just measure everything so I know what I'm getting. I think its a great way to get extra fruits and veggies especially when you just don't have the time or the patience for other meals. Plus, it gives you a variety that you may not normally have in your diet. You may add fruits that you typically wouldn't eat. It's good to get a variety of "colors" of fruits and vegetables daily.

    Hope that helps a little. Good luck =]

    It does help, thank you!

    And actually, I never thought to look up black bean burger recipes. I'm going to do that right now. Again, thanks!

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