Here is what a typical day of eating is for me, let me know if you think I'm eating to little, too much, too much fat, calories, etc:
8am-6-7 spoonfulls of plain low-fat yogurt mixed with 2 spoonfulls of fruit yogurt
10am-1 dill pickle, 1 string cheese, & 1 slice of deli ham or turkey (sometimes I wrap the cheese in the ham or turkey and dip it in a little mustard mmmmm)
12-baby spinach with a tomato & 1/2 can of tuna with dressing. (or left overs from dinner the night before)
3pm-carrot, string cheese & slice of meat
sometime before 6pm- veggie, salad, & lean meat (usually fish & chicken)
I drink about 160-192oz. of water a day. Any suggestions on what I can improve or do you guys think this is ok? I appreciate any comments!
Have you entered it into fitday.com? Fitday will tell you the number of calories and percentages of fat, protein, and carbs. You should be eating at LEAST 1200 calories per day (probably more), and less than 10% of them should be from saturated fat (but unsaturated can be more). Are you doing Atkins? I noticed a lack of grains in your diet...whole grains are very good for you. Fitday will also give you a breakdown of if you are meeting your RDA for vitamins and minerals. I suspect you're getting plenty of protein and calcium from the cheese and yogurt (and lean meat for protein too).
That said, everyone has a different diet that works for them! I think the only really hard and fast rule is to not eat under 1200 calories per day (unless instructed to by a doctor, of course).
Like Jessica said, I don't think it sounds like you're eating enough. Don't forget that if you make a sudden, drastic cut in your daily caloric intake, your body will think it is starving!
Obviously I'm no diet guru but I'd definitely find some sort of calorie-counter, plug in your menu and see what it tells ya. I know 1200 is the minimum but if you were eating a ton before, you should only cut about 500 calories from your diet to start. So you should be eating 1200 calories or (what you ate before)-500 calories, whichever is MORE.
I also agree that unless you're doing Atkins or some other low-carb diet, you really ought to add some whole grains.
Thanks!! I actually eat oatmeal a few times a week for breakfast. I'm not doing atkins. But I have cut out bread, pasta, rice & potatoes. But they are not cut out completely...I ate a piece of bread with some soup the other day and a tiny serving of pasta at a party. I am just trying not to over indulge in the carbs because I am a carbo junkie!! I don't think I am cutting back too much on eating. I have never been much of a big eater, I just have the meatolism of a snail and I usually also eat mostly carbs. I'll go to fitday and see what my calories are!! Thanks to you both!!
It sounds pretty good to me, remember to vary your diet and calorie intake everyday so your body doesnt get accustomed to burning exactly 1500 calories (or 1200 or 1300 what have you) everyday, the key is to always keep your body guessing so it cant effectively store fat.
The only other suggestion I have is you dont sound like you're getting enough fiber (the spinach is one source, but ideally you should be eating about 25 grams a day) I read an article about people who ate fiber while dieting lost an average 50% more weight than those who ate below their fiber needs. Good luck and keep trucking- you definetly sound like you're on the right track!!
the best source is a bran cereal (or just bran.) The bran cereals I've come across usually have between 7-10 grams per serving- BUT not to be gross but if you're not totally accustomed to that much fiber in one sitting you might be running to the bathroom (sorry TMI!! Just wanted to warn you though!)
whole grain breads, fruits, dark leafy greens and beans are also a good sources of fiber...but these days food manufacturers are putting fiber in EVERYTHING! I bought some fiber plus light n fit yogurt and it has 3 grams of fiber per serving which is pretty impressive, and I've seen lean pockets and lean cuisines with added fiber too!
You could try a tiny bit of Metamucil if getting enough fiber is a problem. It won't likely give you diarrhea (my GI actually prescribed it to control diarrhea), and I believe it comes in a sugar-free kind too. Not the tastiest stuff around, of course. And I've used fitday for awhile; it's good for tracking your overall nutrition but you have to watch some things, if you know for sure what the nutrition info is, the fitday information is sometimes vastly different from the label of that food item (even when the brand is given).
How does this sound to everyone?
but I'd definitely find some sort of calorie-counter, plug in your menu and see what it tells ya. I know 1200 is the minimum but if you were eating a ton before, you should only cut about 500 calories from your diet to start. So you should be eating 1200 calories or (what you ate before)-500 calories, whichever is MORE.
