Okay, so today marks 1 whole week I've been using fitday. I thought I would post some of my overview to see how I'm doing. I'm not following a plan, just my own intuition and this marks the first time I've tried to track my calories. I really would love some feedback and tell me if you see anything that might stall my weight loss.
Average Daily Calories Eaten
Calories: 1,746
Fat: 57 g 507cal 29% of daily calories
Sat: 14g 125cal 7% of daily calories
Poly: 11g 99cal 6% of daily calories
Mono: 20g 175cal 10% of daily calories
Carbs: 236g 900cal 52% of daily calories
Fiber: 29g
Protein: 83g 328cal 19% of daily calories
Any advice? I thought it was okay, but that maybe my fat calories are too high?
Your protein is low, your carbs and fats are high. But that's just going by The Zone. Try this link to see what different plans have as nutrient percentages:
How do you feel? Everyone processes the percentages differently. I try to keep protein closer to 30%...but that's for the weight training. I go for 40/30/30 Carbs, fat,protein.
If you are asking for opinions I say for logging for a week. For me it has been the key to maintenance.
Everyone has their own ideas of what is the right and wrong percentages. I don't get real picky with mine. My carbs for the most part are coming from good sources (fruits, veggies and whole grains), but I do enjoy my desserts and such too. I try to get plenty of protein. My aim is to stay in my calorie range more than anything.
Everyone is different anyway, and by tracking you will eventually see what does and doesnt' work for you. You are totally on the right track by doing what you are doing. I love fitday!
So how do I increase my protein without increasing my fat calories? I had 4 oz of stew meat on Sunday dinner with a plate full of steamed veggies. it added 29 grams of fat along with 39grams of protein. Usually I have chicken or turkey breast meat. But even 1 egg with egg whites is higher in fat (grams). My usual steelcut oats breakfast only has 3 grams of protein. So I'm left with lunch dinner and snacks. For snack 12 almonds has 7grams of fat for only 3 grams of protein. Usually I have only an apple for snack, but if I want to increase my protein, I'm going to have to do better than that!
I agree too finding fawn - everyone is different...but I am just learning and trying to find a way to tweak my eating for the best results. Alot of my carbs of from complex carbs...maybe I am just eating too much!
Ginger - where is your other fat coming from? You maybe could cut down a bit there and add in more lean protein. Unless you eat plain egg whites, you will get a bit of fat from more lean proteins.
You could consider some soy or whey protein powder.
Just try chosing the leanest proteins you can... when you pick up a pack of steaks look for some that aren't really fatty (the less white you see the better!). Chicken and turkey breast is good and lean.
You do need fat, its more of a where is that fat coming from if that makes sense. The fat in almonds is better than the fat on the edge of a pork loin.
You are doing great, when you tweak something give it a few weeks before you change it or change something else. I know it's hard to give it that much time when you want to see results like yesterday, and that is something I'm having a hard time dealing with myself, so I know how bad it sucks.
What about broiled lean meats? I've been into fish lately. I'm currently addicted to tilapia filets, which are like 95 cals and 20 g of protein. And so yummy when broiled with seasonings and lemon. If you like fish.
Ginger. Some lean proteins are chicken breast, turkey breast and egg whites. Tuna in water is another great option. You can eat that as a snack with some cut up veggies or for lunch with a BIG salad. A great snack with protein is fat free/sugar free yogurt. The Danon light and fit is 60 calories. I eat them partially frozen (yummy) with a 1/4 cup of Fiber One cereal. Very good and more filling. Have those steel cut oats along with a 2 egg white omlette for breakfast. Adds another 7 gms of protein and more filling power.
As far as snacks go, it doesn't have to be typical snack food. Like I said earlier, tuna is a great snack. I often have a veggie platter with some salsa on the side for dipping and 2 hard boiled egg whites. Cottage cheese is another option.
Lunch could be a large salad with grilled chicken breast. Dinner could be salmon or turkey or more chicken, all served with lots and lots of roasted veggies.
Just try and get protein at every meal and most snacks. You're just learning the ropes. With some experimentation and a bit of tweaking your food choices will evolve. You're doing great. Just keep at it. This is all a great learning experience. And learn, you will. Good luck!!
Last edited by rockinrobin; 04-07-2008 at 01:04 PM.
Plain Fage 0% greek yogurt is my most recent protein powerhouse...no fat, 80 calories, 14 grams of protein (for 2/3 a cup). Add in some sliced strawberries and a little bit of splenda, and it feels decadent, like dessert, but is really protein-rich.
One of my most recent finds is Bob's Red mill high fiber cereal - 8 grams of protein. I mix in some hemp protein powder and almond milk for extra protein.
I also eat lots of beans - great low fat source of protein.
Veggies - like greens - are also a good source of low fat protein.
Thanks everyone for all the help! I haven't had tuna since before I started fitday ...so that is a great option for me. I hadn't thought of eating two egg whites with my oats...my goodness I can barely eat 1/4 cup of those in the morning with either blueberries or raspberries! This is definitely going to be a challenge - but I will find a way. Fish is something DH doesn't like much, so I rarely make it, but the kids like it....mmm...it's amazing what the mind will do- I should make a point to make it more often. I do eat beans occasionally. Veggies and hard boiled egg whites I can do! I love chicken and turkey - so there's no problem there. I think fitday might be over-fatening my food too. I made homeade chicken nuggets - white meat and a dusting of cornmeal and WW flour and baked them - for 1 cup - fitday charged me 418 cal and 27g of fat, but it did give me 24 g of protein. I didn't use any oil at all. So sometimes I find it hard to get an accurate account of what I am eating. I did use the title "chicken nuggets" but maybe I should have used Chicken, white meat and then added a tbsp. or flour/cornmeal for a true calorie/fat count?
Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement!
Ginger
Oh and PS - how is my fiber count? What is "normal" or what should I be aiming for in a day?
Last edited by kissingginger; 04-07-2008 at 05:00 PM.
Ginger - if you are making your own nuggets with chicken breast, there is not going to be 27 grams of fat. You can input ingredients into a recipe calculator such as http://www.calorie-count.com/calorie...e_analysis.php to find the true value of your meals.
I got this tip from someone else here. When using your own recipe, go to an empty day on fitday and add all the ingredients in your recipe and save the calories and all the info. Then go to custom food and type it all in. That is what I have been doing with everything I make. The recipe analyzer seems like a good tool, as well. I will check it out!
I put in everything I eat on my own... if it comes from a package that is. I dont trust fitday's numbers, they seem off quite a bit to me. The only thing I use their numbers for is things like meat and produce that doesn't come in a package with it's own value clearly written on it.
Fitday Feedback please!
for logging for a week. For me it has been the key to maintenance.
