I'd love it if you guys can let me know what you think!
I've been trying to eat healthier since New Year's. I've lost 11 pounds so far, but I want to make sure I'm getting the nutrients I need. I don't know how many grams of protein per day I need. I'm 6'0" and 199 pounds. I'm trying to get down to 180. Because of IBS I can't have dairy, chocolate, caffiene, and a whole lot of red meat.
I'm eating sensible servings of everything except for veggies (I eat all I want on those). I've reduced my salt intake, fat, and carbs. I'm still eating carbs, just not the useless ones like cake and white bread. I allow myself some "spurge" food every day: hot cocoa, white rice, spaghetti with tomato meat sauce, pork chops (I even had waffles for dinner the other night!) I eat when I'm hungry but I'm trying to be careful and not spurge all the time.
I eat:
low sodium tuna (3-5 times a week)
a banana a day
1/2 cup fiber one cereal every day
lean ground turkey (3-5 times a week)
celery with salsa (I'm addicted)
baked sweet potato with butter (2-4 times a week)
apples (6-7 times a week)
oranges (4-5 times per week)
grapes/raspberries/peaches (3-5 times per week)
salads made of raw spinach, raw cabbage, and broccoli (yes, I actually do like this) with low fat italian dressing
peanut butter (1-3 times per week)
spaghetti squash (occassionally when I'm craving pasta)
dried prunes (three a day- helps me when I eat too much fiber one)
low sodium v8 juice
low sodium soup
green beans/ pinto beans/ carrots/tomatos
I'm worried because I get hungry every three hours or so. Is that normal? I don't overeat, but I do eat until I'm full.
Thanks guys!
Whoops, should have mentioned taht I do take calcium with vitamin D supplements.
P.S. I can't have artificial sweeteners because of my IBS, so i'm limited in food choices
Thanks for the help honey! I'm not even getting 1000 calories a day, and half of them come from carbs. I know what to work on now--more lean protein, no so many unnecessary carbs. I do like eating a banana with my breakfast. what do you guys think?
This is harder than I thought. How do I boost my calorie intake with healthier foods? I really love veggies and fruits, I can't everything I need with those.
Looking at what you are eating, I think you definately can afford to eat every 3 hours or so. You can also afford to have a potato a day, or have more brown rice (very yummy nutty flavour and lots of fibre). Instead of just a banana for breakfast, how about making an egg white omlette to have with it, with some veges in the middle, or scrambled eggs, that will fill you up more than just a banana.
You could make big pots of chilli on the weekends to have with brown rice or potatoes, and big pots of vegetable soup. Great for inbetween snacks and low calorie. But it wont hurt you to eat say 5 - 6 small meals a day, with some protein, a little fat and veges and carbs in them. I think this way you will find yourself less hungry.
To SusanB: Nah, not a vegetarian. I'm a full time student with a job and it's just hard for me to throw random meat products in my backpack without them going bad.
To Kathyhegg: I usually eat a banana, fiber one cereal with soy milk, and a few dried prunes for breakfast. I hate not starting the day on a good breakfast, so don't worrry about that
I went to my college health center today and spoke with a nurse. She gave me some great ways to up my protein and calories witout upping the bad stuff, like the bad fats or bad carbs. I'll do more chicken and she says that avocados and almond or pecan butter would be smart choices. She also said that 50 percent of your daily calories should come from carbs, which mine do: baked sweet potatos, wheat bread, fruit, fiber one cereal. I'm just glad I was smart enough to realize that 800 calories is not nearly enough for me! Guys, thanks so much for the great advice!
Am I eating enough?
