[axil23]

I have been having a smoothie for the past couple of years. Nothing else has changed in my eating habits but I am slowly putting on weight.

Put on 4kg in the last year or so.

I have the following for breakfast -

3 boiled eggs & the following smoothie

- Half big beetroot
- 1 apple
- 1 carrot
- fresh Ginger
- blackberries
- mixed frozen berries from costco
- Celery
- Spinach
- lemon
- matcha tea
- chia seeds
- flax seeds

Combined together they become a 500ml drink once I add the water. Are these too many calories in the morning? Any hidden sugars in this which could be putting on the calories?

[mjf]

Fresh fruit and vegetables won't have added sugar. If it comes inside a package, check the ingredients to see if it has anything added to it.

I don't think any of these foods would cause you to gain weight, but I didn't count the calories. Do you know how many calories it is?

What other foods do you eat besides the smoothies?

[axil23]

I eat a high protein diet. Lunch is normally a Avocado and a chicken wrap. Dinner is normally chicken or salmon with a side of quinoa or veggies.

The smoothies are all fresh fruit so only the berries are frozen which don't contain any sugar.

I have no idea how to measure the calories but it does become around 600ml with the water added once blended?

[mjf]

For fresh fruit you can look up the calories on google, for example if you google "apple nutrition" it tells you 95 calories. Of course it's just an estimate because not all apples are the same size. If the frozen berries come in a bag, the bag probably tells you how many calories it is.

Is the wrap 100% whole grain? Do you put anything else in the wrap besides the chicken?

Do you exercise regularly? If so, what type of exercise?

[axil23]

Apple - 52
blackberries - 62
Carrott - 45
beetroot - 45
Ginger - 40
Spinach - 43
Berries - 60
Chia seeds - 120
Flaxseeds - 100
Celery - 20

Total - 587 + 2 eggs 160 = 747 calories at breakfast.

Lunch is usually a whole wheat wrap with chicken and a barbecue sauce.

I exercise twice a week by playing sports for 60 mins each time.

[mjf]

I think some barbequeue sauces have added sugar, so you may want to check the nutrition info.

[axil23]

Anything in my smoothie that could be adding the pounds? Is 747 calories at breakfast ok? I am 6ft 4" so my daily allowance should be higher right?

[mjf]

I think 747 calories for breakfast is ok, and yes, taller people need more calories. I don't think there's anything in the smoothie that would cause weight gain.

Are you sure the ginger is 40 calories? That's a lot of ginger.

Do you know how much protein and and how much fat you eat per day?

Have you tried weightlifting? Weightlifting can help to speed up your metabolism.

[axil23]

Not sure about fat. Will keep a note on that. How much fat, carbs and sugar should I target?

I haven't tried weightlifting all I do is cardio sports. You think twice a week would help as that's all the time I have.

[Chunkahlunkah]

Hi Axil, that smoothie is packed with great nutrients. I'm curious, did you notice any difference in your energy levels or health since you started having it daily?

Regarding your weight gain, 4kg in about a year equals only about 90 extra calories a day. So to stop the gain, you'd want to either cut about 100 calories from your diet each day or add 100 calories of exercise. Or a mix of the two. A brisk short walk could suffice, depending on how much you weigh (since weight determines how many calories you burn while exercising). Rather than add a walk, you could just extend the workouts you're already doing or increase their intensity. Weightlifing, as mjf suggested, is another great option.

To get off the extra weight, rather than simply stopping the gain, you might want to double those efforts to about 200 calories a day (or more) until you get back to the weight you want.

Well done on a healthy lifestyle.

[mjf]

Originally Posted by axil23

Not sure about fat. Will keep a note on that. How much fat, carbs and sugar should I target?

I haven't tried weightlifting all I do is cardio sports. You think twice a week would help as that's all the time I have.

It doesn't have to be very precise, but I'd suggest getting about 20-35% of your calories from fat. I've seen a lot of different protein recommendations from different sources, but they're usually somewhere in the range of 0.6-1.2 g protein per lb of body weight.

Chia seeds and flax seeds (which you already eat) are good sources of healthy fat. A few other good sources are avocado, nuts, fish, and olive oil.

The sugar in fruit is ok, but added sugar should be avoided completely, if possible. If you can't give up sugar, then I think anything under 10g per day is good.

Yes, I think weightlifting twice a week would help. If your time is limited, focus mainly on exercises that work large muscle groups (e.g. squat, bench press, pullups, bent over row, deadlift, overhead press). If you're a member of a gym, there's probably a trainer who can teach you how to do the exercises.

If you don't have access to equipment, you can start with squats and pushups, which can be done without equipment.

[axil23]

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Camila415]

smoothie is a nice way to have breakfast, it has many good calories that the body assimilates. it is better to drink more smoothie than eat at dinner for anything else

[axil23]

Thanks everyone.

[axil23]

Who is mistaken? Can you clarify?