I felt like I ate a LOT yesterday, and so I decided to put everything into Fitday. Except for ONE almond that I had, it contains everything I put into my mouth...and multiplying my goal weight (120) by 12, it's still quite low compared to the number of calories I'm supposed to be getting each day. [edit] It was low before I remembered the cappuccino I had!

Here's the link to it: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...Owner=lilgully Hope that works

I've noticed that my diet consists of mostly carbs and fat...protein was kind of scrunched into a corner. That's good though, isn't it? Because too much protein isn't good...

Any advice would be appreciated!

Penelope - you have to make your Fitday journal 'public' in order to link to it and have others be able to read it. You can make it public by logging into your Fitday account, going to the 'Home' tab on the left side of the page, and scrolling down to the button that says 'make my journal public'. Once you click it, you're given a link that you can post for others to read your journal.

An easy way to share your journal is to have the link under your name and avatar here at 3FC, the way mine is. Once you make your journal 'public' through Fitday, go to 'User CP' at the left of the purple bar across the top of this page. Click on 'Edit Profile' and scroll down the page to where it says 'Additional Information'. You'll see a blank box marked 'Fitday' and all you have to do is put your user name in it (not the whole link). Remember that you have to make your journal public at Fitday first!

Hope this helps -- looking forward to reading your Fitday!

Hi Meg

I don't mean to sound critical, but it looks like you pretty much eat the same things every day.

Don't you get tired of that?

I was just wondering, because I have to really vary my foods. The reason is cuz I was eating so much of the same stuff on a regular basis that I literally burned myself out on stuff I used to love and can't even look at anymore. Which sucks, because many of those foods are healthy ones

No offense taken at all, Linda! I'm the first one to admit that I eat the same stuff all the time. It's not exactly deliberate but it works well for me.

How did it evolve that way? I guess it's because I lost weight eating five or six small meals a day, all about the same number of calories. So I mentally developed a file of meals that fit my plan (protein + carb, 250 - 300 calories). Like oatmeal + egg whites, chicken breast + apple, protein shake, etc. Over the past years, it's been refined to the foods I really enjoy and sure enough, I eat them all the time.

I've definitely gone through phases of different foods! For example, I can't eat tuna right now due to a severe tuna overdose. But tuna will eventually work it's way back into the rotation. I burned out on protein shakes for a year or so, but they're back.

I can think of two advantages for me of eating a limited number of foods: first, it makes planning and preparation easy since it's all a no-brainer at this point. Second, studies have shown that the more food choices we're given, the more we eat - the 'buffet phenomenon' - and I'm trying to bore my taste buds into submission!

Seriously, I spent way too many years of my life eating for the 'taste' of food. I've tried to switch gears and eat foods for their nutrition rather than because they taste good -- the whole idea of food as fuel instead of food as recreation. Limited food choices keep me on track of eating to live instead of living to eat.

But, as always, we all have to find what works for us as individuals and obviously you've been amazingly successful in figuring out what works for you!

thanks, Meg!

go here: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...Owner=lilgully. I'm looking forward to hearing your advice!

Meg-

Do you also find that you tend to really enjoy other foods when you have them now? Sometimes I think we get so overloaded with the variety of foods available that we forget to enjoy what we eat and even eating at the most expensive restaurant can become an exercise in just 'filling your face', so to speak. If you think about, even 75-100 years ago, you ate what was available- you didn't think so much about what you wanted or what would taste good, but what you had available in your food stores at home. I'm only 34, but I grew up on a farm, and we lived off the land almost exclusively when I was younger & you can bet there is only a limited number of options you can come up with, especially in the winter time when you have to rely on what you have canned or frozen or stored in the root cellar. Even spices were limited- pretty much everything was seasoned with salt & pepper, with some onion & when Mom was daring, she used oregano. Looking back, most people would call it a very bland & boring diet, but everything tasted fine and we enjoyed it because that is what we knew.

I'm coming at it from a totally different point of view now- I caught a simple stomach flu bug 5 years ago that damaged the nerve to my stomach severely enough that I ended up on a feeding tube that bypasses my stomach completely. I'm still on the feeding tube, though I can eat some- I just can't eat enough to maintain proper nutrition without ending up truly in starvation mode (and I mean starvation mode, when blood test start showing breaking down of muscle & organs, not just a few days with low calories). I struggled for a long time, thinking that if I couldn't eat perfectly, with all the serving of vegetables & fruit and all they recommend in the Food Pyramid, that I couldn't be successful. I finally came to realization recently that being able to eat orally is better then relying on the feeding tube formula- especially when we just now realized I've been allergic to it all these years (getting that straighted out this week hopefully). If I have to rely on meal replacement drinks & bars for my nutrients, that's okay- its not something I would recommend for everyone, but if that is what it takes for me to have a more normal life, then that's what I have to do. My system cannot tolerate most fruits & vegetables; and when eating is a such a chore, I can't force myself to eat things I can't stand- otherwise I'm setting myself up for failure. I do plan on trying to use my juicer some as I feel up to it so I can at least get some 'real nutrients' versus 'supplemented nutrients', but I'm trying not to make too many major changes at once right now. I have a lot of work to do to get myself to healthy weight & physicaly active, as I gained weight from not being able to be active and the damage to my metabolism from the first couple years I was sick.

Ahh, well that makes sense

I know what you mean about the tuna thing. I burned myself out on tuna *AND* salmon. Maybe one day I'll be able to eat it again, but every now and then I still try and eat salmon. I buy the skinless/boneless salmon and make patties out of it. I love salmon patties. But what I used to do is make salmon salad - the same as tuna salad only using salmon instead. I loved that stuff for a while, I ate it several times a week. Now I can't even look at it.

I also burned myself out on whole wheat pitas. I ate those several times a week as well. And I even varied what I'd stuff them with. But I can't eat those anymore, either.

So now I try not to eat the same foods over and over, even if I want them. Like if I want so & so food with my lunch one day I'll tell myself no, to wait a few days before having it again because I don't want to burn myself out on it. I burned myself out on salad! That really bummed me out because it was an easy way to load up on a bowl full of veggies without taking in too many calories (I don't drench my salads with too much dressing).

Thankfully I'm able to eat salad again after a few months of not being able to even look at it.

~whew~

So I really try and watch how often I eat certain things because I don't want to lose my taste for them. I've already proven to myself that a beloved food - a food I assumed I'd NEVER get tired of - can easily become something disgusting to me if I eat too much of it.

It is important to eat to enjoy the taste of the food, though. What's the point of taking a bite out of something if that bite isn't going to be enjoyed?

I'm going to have to agree with this. I think when we decide to treat food as "fuel" and nothing more, we lose something. A lot, to be honest. I agree with the saying eat to live, not live to eat. But only to a point. Food is supposed to be enjoyed. It's one of life's small pleasures. If I looked at food as fuel only and nothing more... sorry, but I think I'd find that a little sad. It's great to lose weight and maintain that loss, but when you've lost your lust (and love) for enjoying good food, there's really not much left. It's basically the same thing as losing your lust for sex. These things keep us alive. And once that desire is gone, you simply exist.

And believe me, I know what it feels like to lose your desire for sex. I went a couple of years with no sexual appetite whatsoever. Not even for self-pleasure. In fact the thought of sex and self-pleasure totally disgusted me. I now have that back and I'm very thankful. If I would lose my desire - my 'lust' - for food, I'd basically be dead. A robot. And I don't like that idea at all.

Well said! I agree! And the thing is... it is not necessary! With just a bit of thought and creativity we can actually eat stuff that tastes much better when we are on a healthful plan! When I sit down to one of my yummy meals I often think... I can't BELIEVE I would eat junk instead of this!!! Sure I have to actually cook something... but really it is not that hard to fix a wonderful meal in 30 minutes or less!!

Dance

I completely agree. If I didn't enjoy what I'm eating, I never could have stuck with it for almost five years now. Food is fuel, but it still can taste good. And no matter how good Brussels sprouts may be as 'fuel', they aren't making it onto MY menu!

It's been fascinating how my tastes have changed over the past few years. Real food tastes so good to me - carrots and apples taste like candy - and junk has pretty much lost all its appeal.

************************************************** *

Back to Penelope's original post -- I'm afraid that we've neglected the question that started off the thread! Sorry, sweetie!

I looked at the day you entered into Fitday (2/24/06) and have a few thoughts ...

Calories: If your goal is weight loss, in my opinion your calories are probably OK, but perhaps a little high since your weight is so low already (it takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body). The issue of how many calories you need to eat all depends on whether you can lose or just maintain at 1500 calories. If you track your calories regularly, you should be able to figure out maintenance/weight loss calories pretty easily.

Protein: I think your protein is pretty low - it looks like about 17% of your calories came from protein. Opinions are going to be all over the place about how much protein to eat, but I personally do best with about 40 - 45% of my calories coming from protein. Protein keeps me full longer and helps build and repair muscles, important for me since I spend a lot of time in the gym. Some recent studies have shown that higher protein diets (around 30%) help with weight loss.

Fat: Your fats looks OK to me. The olive oil was a good choice.

Carbs: You had some 'good carbs' (whole grains, fruits, and veggies) as well as some 'bad carbs'. It sure doesn't look like you're much of a vegetable eater! I'd keep the oatmeal, fruit, and yogurt and get rid of the honey, granola bar, and ice cream sandwich, which are all high in sugar and pretty much empty calories. Perhaps you could substitute some whole grains and add in some veggies? Instead of instant oatmeal, would you consider cooking the real stuff in the microwave?

Meal Timing: I can't tell from Fitday how often you eat, but want to suggest frequent small meals if you're not doing that already. Eating every three hours or so helps keep you full and keep your metabolism up. It works well for me to eat some protein along with a whole grain, fruit, or veggie every three hours or so.

Overall, I think you're doing pretty well and think that just a few tweaks - a little more protein, better carb choices - might help you with those last few pounds.

thanks, meg! I finally came back and found your reply...I wasn't sure whether to look for a private message, or a response to my post.