Ok I'm gonna bite the bullet and post my food journal for the past 9 days, (that I have been posting on a family website) and will continue to do so for awhile here (if yall don't mind too much) and would really appreciate any opinions or insights anyone might have. Don't worry I promise not to get my feelings hurt!

Like I said on the Tuesday daily post - I am not perfect by any means, but I will try to put down everything that I put in my mouth and see if yall see something that I'm not doing right.

*deeeeeeeeep breathhhhhhh* ok here goes

Monday, 7/7
Breakfast: Protein shake (1 cup water, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 banana, 5 frozen strawberries, 3 splenda, mixed in blender)
2 cups of coffee with splenda & cream

Snack: small bag of macadamia nuts

Lunch: yogurt with 2 tablespoons wheat germ

Snack: 1 caff free diet coke

Supper: 2 fried chicken wings (it was the best I could do at the last minute) :-(
2 tomatoes and 1 cucumber

Exercise - 30 minutes of cardio (2 mile walking video)

Water - 80 oz

Tuesday, 7/8
Breakfast: 2 slices wheat toast with All Fruit Spread
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

Snack: 2 Sugar Free Toffee Squares
sugar free jello

Lunch: Baked Chicken and Small Salad
Caff Free Diet Coke

Snack:
No Sugar Added Ice Cream
handful of nuts

Supper:
Green Beans cooked with real bacon pieces and onions

Exercise: 30 minutes cardio (2 mile walking video)

Water: 76 oz

Wednesday, 7/9
Breakfast: Protein shake
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

Lunch: Salad with pieces of left over baked chicken from yesterday with ranch dressing
Caff Free Diet Coke

Snack: Diet Cheesecake Pudding
(2 tablespoons low fat cream cheese,
blend in splenda to sweeten,
whip in a couple of scoops of koolwhip, chill in frig)

Supper: hubby had supper cooked when I got home - what a guy! :-)
1/2 cup rice
some catfish courtboullion

Water: 72 oz

Thursday, 7/10
Breakfast: 1 slice wheat toast with All Fruit spread
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

2 bites of homemade oowy goowy chewy chocolate cake that boss’s wife made and sent to our shop (thank you very much) but yea for me - I only had 2 bites!

Lunch: 2 slices wheat bread with 2 slices of turkey lunchmeat

Snack: Sugar Free Ice Cream Bar

Supper: leftovers from last night
1/2 cup rice and catfish courtbouillion (Cajun tomatoey soup)
2 cucumbers

Exercise: 30 minutes of cardio (2 mile walking video)

Water: 64 oz

Friday, 7/11
Breakfast: Protein Shake
2 cups of coffee with splenda & cream

Snack: Light nonfat yogurt w/ 1 tbls wheat germ

Lunch: 2 baked chicken wings

Supper: hubby took me out to supper and I was bad (but it was so good), I ate 3 slices of pizza/bread with all sorts of yummy cheeses on top that you eat with a hot spinach and artichoke dip

Water: 70 oz

Saturday, 7/12
Breakfast: 1 slice wheat toast, lightly buttered
1 apple
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

Lunch: 1 slice wheat bread (I was busy cleaning)

Supper: 1/2 cup rice
a big spoon of potatoes & sausage
a small spoon of great northern beans
caff free diet coke

Snack: No sugar added ice cream

Water: 64 oz

Exercise: 5 hours cleaning house
did not get out of breath, but sure did sweat

Sunday, 7/12
Breakfast: 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter on top with syrup
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup coffee with splenda & cream

Lunch: 6 oz ribeye, baked potato and texas toast bread

Supper: zilch (bec I had so much at lunch)

Water: 48 oz

Monday, 7/14
Breakfast: Yoplait Smoothie
1 slice wheat toast
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

Snack: 1 apple

Lunch: 2 slices wheat bread toasted
with 2 slices turkey meat
1 cup cream cheese pudding
caff free diet coke

Snack: No sugar added Krunch Lite Ice Cream Bar

Supper: Boiled shrimp
boiled onion
big salad of romaine lettuce and a whole cucumber

Exercise: Walked for 40 minutes at the mall

Water: 76 oz

Tuesday, 7/15
Breakfast: 1 cup Raisin Bran Crunch cereal
with 1/2 cup 2% milk
2 cups coffee with splenda & cream

Snack: Yoplait Light Fat Free Yogurt with 1 tablespoon of wheat germ

Lunch: 2 slices wheat toast with 2 slices of turkey on it
2 graham cracker/cool whip treats
caff free diet coke

Snack: 1 apple

Supper: pan grilled chicken breast
salad and cucumbers with ranch dressing

2 cups green tea

Exercise: I walked 40 minutes at the mall during lunch

Water: 64 oz so far

Ok Cathy, I'll bite.. and I'll be honest. I am far from perfect, but this is what I see. I am approaching this from a nutrition standpoint more than anything..


ok.. Monday.. not enough food. Not enough fruits and veggies.. are you doing low carb because I don't see any whole grains like wheat bread, brown rice, bulgar wheat. Dairy.. Women needs 1200 mg a day of calcium. I dont see you are getting that.

Tuesday.. green beans is NOT enough supper. Not enough fruits and veggies not enough calcium.

Wednesday - not enough fruits and veggies again. What are you putting in your salads? Iceberg lettuce is mostly water and has no nutritional value

Thursday.. same thing.. not enough fruits and veggies Not enough dairy

And I see the same thing every day. You waste a lot of calories on stuff that has no nutritional value. pudding, ice cream bars.. etc. Yes it is ok to have some of this stuff every once in awhile, but think about food as fuel for your engine. You don't want to feed your car cheap gas, so don't short change your body. You would be better off having some fresh berries with splenda. When you exercise, are you breaking a sweat? have you checked your heart rate to see if you are in your target heart rate?

Think whole grains, fresh veggies and fresh fruits, low and non fat dairy.


That's my story and I am sticking to it

Hey there Linda - man it is so good to hear from you!!!!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read thru my days and days of journaling. That means a lot to me that you would take the time to look at it.

It's 8 pm here and I was just adding my 2 cups of green tea to my food for today and saw your post. I'm gonna give the things you said some thought - well actually give my answers some thought and try to post in the morning.

I do see what you are saying about wasting calories on pudding and ice cream, etc. and that I probably need to switch those things out with fresh fruit and yogurt, etc. Makes great sense! and I am bad about slipping them in every day.

Yes I am breaking a sweat when I work out, especially when I do it first thing in the morning, but probably should be exercising harder. *sigh*

I know you are right and that I'm not getting enough calcium in my food, but I do take 2 calcium pills a day, along with 2 MegaWoman time released vitamins from GNC. I know its not as good to get it in vitamins as it would be in food.

Ok I'm gonna give all of this some thought

Oh about the lettuce - you are so right about iceberg lettuce - and I quit using that a year ago or so. I usually use romaine or other lettuces that you would use in really fancy salads.

I miss chatting with ya girlie!
hugs hugs hugs!

Hey Cathy,

Glad to hear you are taking calcium supplements. I have to as well. It is really hard on a reduced calorie diet to get all the stuff we need. I also take a multivitamin for the same reason. You are right.. it isn't as good as what we would get in food, but it is better than nothing.

Have you checked out getting a journal on this site? I have one and so does Leenie. Would be a great place for you to get feedback and ideas from a lot of busybodies like me

Miss you!!

Hey Cathy,

I hate to say this but when we are at our age and dieting, we have to measure everything that goes in. I sware its not like when we were in our 20's.

I kinda see hidden calories here and there.

1. Are you counting Carbs ?
2. Are you counting Calories ?

If your low carbing it, you also need to count calories, as sad as it is.

Reason I'm asking is b/c I see, fruit spread, yogurt, pnut butter, nuts, ice cream, cool whip, full fat dressings....... all this is high in sugar OR high in calories OR both.

It looks like the low carb end is pretty good (how many gms are you allowing yourself ?) but the calorie end is high.

Remember some low sugar or no sugar items can be loaded w/calories and chemicals which makes it harder for your body to break down.

For 1 week try to focus on the calories and keep the carb count around 100 gms or less and see what happens.

For calories, I would think to stay around 1400 - 1600, you'd have to judge this for yourself.

Your exercising looks FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!! keep it up. Wonderful !!

Hey Leenie & Linda - yall have brought up a lot of good things for me to think about!!!!!

I am low carbing - actually trying to follow Sugarbusters bec you can have yogurt and fruit and wheat products on it, so I can have wheatbread and sweet potatoes - things like that. You are not suppose to have a banana on it tho bec they are so high in sugar - but dang it I need a banana every once and awhile - bananas are good for your dopramine levels and such and some days I need all the help I can get!

I was counting calories, but thought that since I was low carbing I could quit counting for awhile - you are probably right leenie - probably lots of hidden calories that I am just not realizing. will give it some thought. right now I'm doing good to post what I am actually putting in my mouth, maybe things will ease up (ha) and I can get back to counting those calories and carb grams like I should.


Linda, I'm gonna think about the journaling. I think I'm too busy tho, bec like today I had trouble getting in here (at work) to post this much. I know everybody here knows how that goes. Somedays the phone rings 10 or 15 times while I'm trying to post a message and it is a miracle my posts make any sense at all.

Ok gang, I'm gonna think about all of this. Any other comments just jump in!

thanks for all the help!
hugs,
Cathy
btw, the scale said 207 this morning! it just keeps moving up and up and up. I know better then to get on it everyday, but I'm really concerned/obsessing about this right now.

Cathy, the more you obsess the more you'll gain. Take it from one who know's. ME !

We'll figure this out, just try to relax.

Come on over, we'll split a LC cheesecake and coffee.

Did you know Coffee has carbs ? try some tea instead.

Cathy,


Keep in mind

Fat has 9 calories per gram
Carbs have 4 calories per gram
Protein has 4 calories per gram.

It all adds up, one way or another.

This is how we get the calories listed on the back of the food packages. They analyze the food by grams of each of the three components.

Sweating may or may not be a good indicator of how hard you are working out. Sometimes I sweat, but then I take my heart rate and I am not in my training zone. Track you rate a few times during your workouts so you can punch it up if needed.

I got a food scale a bit ago.. I really recommend them. It is soo easy to see 3-4 T as 2T.. which is 1.5- 2 X the calories.


You'll do fine. It is a pain to track everything, but youare worth the trouble.