gatorade?
 

There is nothing wrong with it, but you need to be sure you are including it in your calorie count for the day. An 8oz serving has about 50 Calories and most of their containers are bigger than that. It is likely you are getting 100+ calories each time you drink it. I, for one, prefer to *eat* my calories, rather than drink them.

well how many calories are enough for one meal.. according to my BMR i should be eating about 1600 calories a day. yet when i eat 3 meals a day plus snacks, i still cannot eat enough to get where i should be. i eat salads alot. and lettuce has like 15 calories or so per 2 cups. so i dont know what i should be eating to get enough calories but not too much fat.. and i dont know what is the appropriate calorie amount per meal.. :dizzy:

I am not an expert by any means, but what I usually do is stay around 1200/1300 calories per day.

Breakfast - 250
Lunch - 300
Snack - 150
Dinner - 400
Snack - 150

If you are eating a lot of salad you should throw some lean meat on there like fish or chicken. You also need to make sure you are getting all your food groups in. Don't stay away from dairy because of fat, just use skim milk or lowfat yogurt, or light cheeses.

I can't imagine not being able to find enough to eat! :D

If you need some flavor with your water (as I do 1/2 of the time), try Propel flavored fitness waters. My personal favorite is grape, but they have a whole bunch of other flavors. Each 8 fl oz serving has 10 calories, and a variety of vitamins.

I'm trying to wean my way to regular water only, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

As I see it, I've already come a long way. In the past few months I went from 0 water, 100% mountain dew to 100% water (and skim milk) and 0% soda. It (soda) doesn't even taste good anymore. :D

LuckyDay-for 1600 calories a day, try this range:

Breakfast-350 calories
Snack-150 calories
Lunch-400 calories
Dinner-500 calories
snack-200 calories

Lettuce is an extremely low calorie food....but most vegetables are. What you need to do, is to make sure that you are including lean protein (fish, chicken breast, eggs, etc.), skim dairy (skim milk, light yogurt, etc.) fruit, and healthier starches (oatmeal, whole grain bread, healthier cereals like Kashi, bran flakes, etc.) into your diet.

For instance, a sample 350 calorie breakfast:

~2 eggs (use Pam spray, not oil) 140 calories
~1 cup of Yoplait Light Yogurt 100 calories
~1 medium banana 110 calories
=350 calories

There isn't anything wrong obviously with eating salads, but you need to add other foods to your diet. Stop focusing on how many fat grams are in everything for now-if you are eating healthier foods like I mentioned above, and avoiding fried foods, snack cakes and replacing whole milk or 2% with skim, then your fat intake will automatically go down. Your body needs some fat to function anyways.
If you are eating a salad for lunch, make sure there is some chicken breast or shrimp or something in it for protein, and if the calories are still a bit low, then add a piece of fruit for dessert to make it a meal, and not just a "salad".

I go on long bike rides, and if I am biking for over an hour, I drink Gatorade. If I am only biking for an hour or less, then I stick to water.

One way to make sure you don't overdo the Gatorade is to alternate between a few ounces of water, then a few ounces of Gatorade. I dilute the Gatorade in a squirt bottle with water, so that one bottle will last me two hours.

For me, drinking only water over a long workout reduces my performance, so I figure I may as well drink a few calories in exchange for a better workout. :)

Keep in mind Gatorade was developed to help football players who were collapsing from intense activity in the Florida heat. The whole purpose of Gatorade is to replace fluid and electrolytes lost through excessive sweating. It also provides a little carbohydrate fuel, which you need if you are exercising for an extended period of time. If you are working out long and hard as TBJ333 mentioned, then Gatorade and other sports drinks are a convenient way to replenish your body with what it loses during the exercise. Electrolyte imbalances -- sodium, potassium, etc. -- not only reduce performance but can be dangerous. These drinks are sometimes used by people who are sick and unable to keep down any food to prevent dehydration and electrolyte depletion. Even if you work the calories in to your plan, they are essentially empty calories -- all from sugar. Also, most of us try to REDUCE our sodium intake, and Gatorade is packed with it.

So ... don't treat it as a soft drink!

oh.. that is actually a very good idea! thank you so much! :D

Ok, I know I'm replying too this post waaaay late, but I just did a search for "Gatorade", because I just got through drinking a bottle of it and was curious if any other dieters drink it. Wah-la, I found this post! :)

So here's my 2 cents..... yes, it is empty calories, just like a soda would be. BUT if you are counting calories and can fit this in and still eat plenty of healthy food, why not? I don't think it's the BEST choice, obviously. It's not something you want to be gulping down by the gallon everyday...you should only do that with water. BUT I have found lately, since I've been doing long, hard workouts, Gatorade really helps quench my thirst and replenish me after my workouts. It's a nice, refreshing treat, and I just add it to my calorie count. Another thing I have found is that I don't drink sodas anymore. I now only drink water and an occasional Gatorade. I have noticed that the reason I like sodas so much is the sugar. So now, when I get a craving for a sweet, sugary soda, I grab some gatorade instead. Definitely a better choice than soda, because it has like half the calories.

So, in my opinion, I think it's ok to have if you're working out hard and feel very thirsty after your workouts. For me, I have been working out so hard that sometimes afterwards, I am thirsty even though I'm downing tons of water, but a few sips of Gatorade makes me feel better and rehydrates me in an instant, so it helps a lot. I think it's worth the calories, but it all depends on how your calories look for the day. :)