Could someone critique my daily food plan?

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sozzell
sozzell Posts: 166
in Food and Nutrition
My typical day goes something like this:

Weetabix crunchy bran, milk banana for breakfast
2-3 hours later snack such as fat free yogurt and/or apple
Lunch 2-3 hours later (Sometimes I run at lunch and so instead of above mid-morning snack I'll have a small handful almonds)
Afternoon snack, usually a banana or red grapefruit 2-3hours later
Gym workout 2-3 hours later
Evening meal within 30 mins of gym (usually a balanced meal with either chicken or pork, veg/salad and potatoes)
Evening snack 2 hours later, usually homemade banana bread or wholemeal toast with pure peanut butter - nothing added.

I'd love to know if I'm missing something that will benefit me and my health, for example a protein shake perhaps? I don't think I could use it as a meal replacement though, but maybe snack replacement?

I once mentioned having whey protein to a male friend and his response was "Why? Are you trying to bulk up?" - he mentioned maybe having Creotine or something but said whey wasn't suitable for me?

I was also wondering about milk as I have cereal in the morning and have brews (tea/coffee to non Brits :bigsmile: ) throughout the day but I have seen almond milk mentioned a few times recently but from what I understand it is lower cals than skimmed but has higher fat? Why would one decide to choose almond over cow milk if you're not intolerant to the latter?

Thanks for reading.

Replies

  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
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    It might be easier for folks to see your actual food diary, it's hard to know about calorie and nutrient breakdown otherwise.
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    Amended settings :-)
  • acg1305
    acg1305 Posts: 224 Member
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    switch to alpro its great and lasts much longer if you are only using it in cereal, which IMO you should be. I switched to black tea and coffee or green tea and dont even miss my cappucinos.

    You should definitely not be skipping a full meal at lunch time and should be eating protein with every meal, if you cant do that, maybe switch up breakfast, cereal one day, egg whites the next.
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    switch to alpro its great and lasts much longer if you are only using it in cereal, which IMO you should be. I switched to black tea and coffee or green tea and dont even miss my cappucinos.

    You should definitely not be skipping a full meal at lunch time and should be eating protein with every meal, if you cant do that, maybe switch up breakfast, cereal one day, egg whites the next.

    Ahh, I can't give up my brews. A lovely cuppa tea with milk.

    I don't skip meals, sorry think the way I worded it was a bit weird. When I run at lunch I meant I swap the mid morning snack for a few almonds instead, and then have lunch when I get back :-)

    The idea of switching breakfasts around is a good one but I work early so eat my breakfast at the office (like a lot of people I imagine). Sometimes I swap the cereal for a smoothie but again that is just milk, banana, oats & peanut butter. Perhaps this is where some protein powder would be beneficial?
  • tbirely
    tbirely Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm a personal training and run a corportate fitness gym in Virginina. So I have a lot of experience with things like this. In fact, the reason I'm on this website at all is because I have convinced a lot of my clients and members to join and I have been checking up on them by skimming their food journals!
    I actually use almond milk in my cereals and when I make smoothies. The fat content might be higher but it comes from the almonds, which is essential and healthy fat. The fat that comes from cows milk is animal fat and more unhealthy for you.
    I wasn't able to view your food journal so I do have a question for you. How many grams of protein are you getting per day?
    In response to your friend's comment about whey protein, it's not used for bulking unless you are doing a lot of heavy weight lifting. The women I train with all the time say "I want to be toned but not bulky". In all honesty, the only way you're going to look like one of those female body builders is if you eat a ton of protein, work out and lift weights for hours a day, and eat a very restricted diet. Adding whey protein to your day might actually help you lose weight a little faster because you will be replacing some of your carbs with protein. Any unused protein in your diet during the day usually gets eliminated in your urine. Unused carbohydrates during the day get stored as fat.
    So personally, I think adding in a whey protein shake, or even a protein bar for one of your snacks might benefit you. The other time I like to add protein is in my almond milk in the morning before I pour it on my cereal (I use vanilla flavored).
    Sorry this may seem like a lot of information but I love skimming the message boards and giving advice when I can! :smile:
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
    Options
    I'm a personal training and run a corportate fitness gym in Virginina. So I have a lot of experience with things like this. In fact, the reason I'm on this website at all is because I have convinced a lot of my clients and members to join and I have been checking up on them by skimming their food journals!
    I actually use almond milk in my cereals and when I make smoothies. The fat content might be higher but it comes from the almonds, which is essential and healthy fat. The fat that comes from cows milk is animal fat and more unhealthy for you.
    I wasn't able to view your food journal so I do have a question for you. How many grams of protein are you getting per day?
    In response to your friend's comment about whey protein, it's not used for bulking unless you are doing a lot of heavy weight lifting. The women I train with all the time say "I want to be toned but not bulky". In all honesty, the only way you're going to look like one of those female body builders is if you eat a ton of protein, work out and lift weights for hours a day, and eat a very restricted diet. Adding whey protein to your day might actually help you lose weight a little faster because you will be replacing some of your carbs with protein. Any unused protein in your diet during the day usually gets eliminated in your urine. Unused carbohydrates during the day get stored as fat.
    So personally, I think adding in a whey protein shake, or even a protein bar for one of your snacks might benefit you. The other time I like to add protein is in my almond milk in the morning before I pour it on my cereal (I use vanilla flavored).
    Sorry this may seem like a lot of information but I love skimming the message boards and giving advice when I can! :smile:

    Wow, fantastic post! Thanks for that :smile:

    I changed my settings to that all MFP members can view my diary so feel free to take a peek :wink:

    I do do weights, but not for hours. My exercise at the moment is usually 40-50 mins of cardio, then 7 different sets of weight machines (my gym is very small and does not have free weights), example leg curl, lat pulldown (all the details are on the diary) - 4 reps of 8. I increase the weight whenever I feel that it is getting too easy to reach the 8th rep. I never rest between the reps any longer than it took me to do the 8 reps, if that makes sense?

    I will certainly start looking into the almond milk now, and the whey protein. Perhaps this would be an ideal replacement for my afternoon snack on my gym going days.

    Again, thanks for your reply and do feel free to have a nosey at my diary. Thanks to everyone else as well.

    I love this site. :heart: Full of such helpful people. :flowerforyou:

    EDITED: APOLOGIES, I THOUGHT I HAD MADE MY DIARY SETTINGS PUBLIC. I HAVE NOW!
  • tbirely
    tbirely Posts: 6 Member
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    It's good that you're doing weight training. It definitely speeds up the weight loss process. The more muscle you add to your body, the higher your metabolism will run. Adding whey protein will help you accomplish this. I know Myfitnesspal already has default settings for your percentage of calories for carbs, protein, and fat, but for my clients I always have them customize this. For women that are trying to lose weight, I change their carbs percentage to 45%, protein to 30% and then fat to 25%. It just emphasizes more protein and less carbs. And your fats are perfectly safe at 25% if you're eating healthy fats like nuts, beans, oils, etc.
    I did take a look at your diary and you seem to have a good grasp on what you should be eating.
    Don't be afraid to over indulge sometimes. It's good to have at least one day of the week that you allow yourself one "cheat". Mine is Sunday! It keeps you honest and prevents you from going on a binge when you can't stand the fact that you haven't eaten ice cream or chocolate in 4 months.
    I'm glad I was able to help! If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
    Keep up the great work!! :happy:
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
    Options
    It's good that you're doing weight training. It definitely speeds up the weight loss process. The more muscle you add to your body, the higher your metabolism will run. Adding whey protein will help you accomplish this. I know Myfitnesspal already has default settings for your percentage of calories for carbs, protein, and fat, but for my clients I always have them customize this. For women that are trying to lose weight, I change their carbs percentage to 45%, protein to 30% and then fat to 25%. It just emphasizes more protein and less carbs. And your fats are perfectly safe at 25% if you're eating healthy fats like nuts, beans, oils, etc.
    I did take a look at your diary and you seem to have a good grasp on what you should be eating.
    Don't be afraid to over indulge sometimes. It's good to have at least one day of the week that you allow yourself one "cheat". Mine is Sunday! It keeps you honest and prevents you from going on a binge when you can't stand the fact that you haven't eaten ice cream or chocolate in 4 months.
    I'm glad I was able to help! If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
    Keep up the great work!! :happy:

    Thank you so much! I changed my ratio to the one you recommended, just need to start getting some more protein! I am actually going to make my own almond milk this weekend, can't wait :-)

    Oh I do have cheat days, don't worry. Mine are usually Sat/Sun - I know I should probably just have one day but weekends + beer + snacks just make perfect sense ;-)

    Thanks again, you're a star :happy:
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
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    From what I can see, it looks like you are eating very healthy foods. If I had to make any suggestions at all, it would be to try and limit your crisp consumption (processed foods are not nutritious and can perpetuate your "junk food tooth".)

    And it looks like you don't eat the same amount of calories every day - like you're over for a few days in a row, then under... which is odd, but whatever works for you! Theoretically if you eat your required calories for the week it shouldn't matter.

    Keep up the good work. :)
  • Tiff587
    Tiff587 Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    I'm a personal training and run a corportate fitness gym in Virginina. So I have a lot of experience with things like this. In fact, the reason I'm on this website at all is because I have convinced a lot of my clients and members to join and I have been checking up on them by skimming their food journals!
    I actually use almond milk in my cereals and when I make smoothies. The fat content might be higher but it comes from the almonds, which is essential and healthy fat. The fat that comes from cows milk is animal fat and more unhealthy for you.
    I wasn't able to view your food journal so I do have a question for you. How many grams of protein are you getting per day?
    In response to your friend's comment about whey protein, it's not used for bulking unless you are doing a lot of heavy weight lifting. The women I train with all the time say "I want to be toned but not bulky". In all honesty, the only way you're going to look like one of those female body builders is if you eat a ton of protein, work out and lift weights for hours a day, and eat a very restricted diet. Adding whey protein to your day might actually help you lose weight a little faster because you will be replacing some of your carbs with protein. Any unused protein in your diet during the day usually gets eliminated in your urine. Unused carbohydrates during the day get stored as fat.
    So personally, I think adding in a whey protein shake, or even a protein bar for one of your snacks might benefit you. The other time I like to add protein is in my almond milk in the morning before I pour it on my cereal (I use vanilla flavored).
    Sorry this may seem like a lot of information but I love skimming the message boards and giving advice when I can! :smile:

    What I great reply! So nice of you to take the time!

    I have started with protein shakes and lifting the the weight is suddenly coming off so fast! It's the best thing I have ever found out about dieting! I'm strong, a better shape, and I get to have yummy sweet shakes to satisfy my sweet cravings.

    The only thing I would say is I find I changed my carbs intake until I found what worked for me. I played around for a while, for me personally I have found keeping it around 90 or under 100 grams is best, but I think everyone is different.

    :flowerforyou:

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