Help--please critique my diet

[Harriet Vane]

Hi folks,

 

I had a hard conversation with my doctor today. Part of it was hard because I have problems in my knees and hips that he cannot diagnose, so I need to see a specialist. I am sick and tired of going to doctors and feel too young to have the problems that I do.

 

Aside from that, however, is the issue of my weight. I am the heaviest I have ever been. I do not have thyroid issues, though I do struggle with chronic anemia. I am tall (5'10") and don't look that heavy, though I am not the skinny chick I used to be by any stretch. I am fifty pounds heavier than I used to be in my prime. I am also out of shape but doing my darndest to correct that. I am on week six of an aggressive exercise program but have yet to lose one single pound.

 

My doctor looked at the way I eat and urged me to greater portion control and less fat. I am struggling with his advice--I feel I eat very, very healthfully, and am really good about eating only when hungry and stopping when full. My portions don't seem that big to me.

 

Can you look at what I eat and tell me what you think?

 

First thing: Tea or juice, perhaps a banana or toast (homemade whole wheat). My tea has 1 1/2 t. sugar.

 

9ish: Two eggs with accompanying carb--either whole wheat toast or a fried potato or a corn tortilla and a little cheese. If I have the tortilla I usually also have half an avocado and 1 T. salsa mixed in with the egg. (I have low cholesterol so have never thought of the eggs as an issue, but my dr suggested it might be too much saturated fat???)

 

Mid-day: Light meal like a sandwich (PBJ or cheese) or white flour biscuits (homemade, maybe 4???) and fruit.

 

Mid-afternoon: Whole wheat toast or nothing, but I do usually have dark chocolate. I try to be somewhat disciplined and eat just half a chocolate bar but it is easy for me to mindlessly eat more than that. I buy the high quality stuff--usually 70% cocoa.

 

Dinner: My second big meal of the day. It is almost always a protein (meat most days but vegetarian probably twice a week, sometimes more) with a starch (wild rice or potato or whole wheat noodles, sometimes white rice if I am making Asian food). We also have a vegetable and a green salad. I use almost no packaged products in my cooking.

 

Evening: I might have a banana or light snack at around 9ish. It's never all that much. If I am really feeling dissipated I might have old-fashioned popcorn popped in canola oil with a salt.

 

Other: I do have a weakness for french fries, and tend to have these perhaps once a week in the midafternoon?

 

I almost never drink soda, though some days I might have a second cup of tea or coffee with a little sugar.

 

I take high quality vitamins religiously.

 

Three days a week I do a strength training regime that is pretty aggressive. Another three days a week I take a walk, though I am thinking I should make that something more aerobic. On that walk, I do try to walk fast, and I carry a loaded backpack because I am trying to train for a backpacking/canoe trip later this summer. I usually walk 45-60 minutes.

 

Do I truly need to cut back and formally diet? I am depressed about it but will do so if necessary. If so, can you offer specific suggestions? I tend to really need protein or I get shaky.

 

Edited to add: In the interests of full disclosure, I should add that two other treats I am susceptible to are pizza and peanut m&m's. I eat both probably once a week. If I shop at Whole Foods (maybe once every other week???) I get a slice of pizza there. (So that's just one slice, once every week or every other week.) If I am running around on an errand day and hungry I might grab either a small fry or a bag of peanut m&m's. It doesn't seem like the weekly small fry or bag of peanut m&m's would add up to that much, but what do I know.

 

Thanks.

[Lisa at Home]

But, if I were talking with someone asking me about how my raw foods diet could help their issue, I would suggest to them that they may be dealing with inflamation due to wheat in the diet.

 

I would never be as concerned about the egg as I would the wheat regardless of if it was white or whole grain.

 

A raw foods diet is often times called an anti-inflamation diet. My personal suggestion to you if you don't want to change anything in your diet, would be to at least get in as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can before you eat the other things.

 

JMO

 

~Lisa

[Pensguys]

I think you're eating too many processed carbs. When I went to my dr. because I was eating a diet similar to yours and thought I was doing good, but couldn't lose weight no matter how much I exercised, it ended up being the carbs (and that I'm insulin resistant/pre-diabetes). Has he tested you for that? I heard on the news the other day about the huge number of people in the US that are diabetic or prediabetic and don't even know it.

 

My dr. told me to do So. Beach or Weight Watchers (Core plan worked best for me...I tweak it a bit) and he put me on glucophage (I take the generic). He tested my blood sugar and I overproduce insulin.

 

I would cut out all the carbs (except for fruit and veggies) and have only ONE serving of ww bread or ww pasta or brown rice or potato per day and see how that works....that is basically what the WW Core plan is (they also do lots of ff stuff, but I choose the low fat).

[newbie]

I was going to say too many carbs, but I am a carboholic. Also, I am thinking about gluten free diet for me and kids.

 

But, I dont think I could do it. Its hard enough to only have two cups of coffee a day.

 

Jeannette

[Mamagistra]

I think your diet sounds fine. You could increase your fruit and veg intake maybe (so could I :blush:) but I don't see how that would change much.

 

I hope you get some answers soon. :grouphug: I am in the same boat, however, I believe my issues are thyroid-related; I'm researching that now...

[Liz CA]

Hi folks,

 

I had a hard conversation with my doctor today. Part of it was hard because I have problems in my knees and hips that he cannot diagnose, so I need to see a specialist. I am sick and tired of going to doctors and feel too young to have the problems that I do.

 

Aside from that, however, is the issue of my weight. I am the heaviest I have ever been. I do not have thyroid issues, though I do struggle with chronic anemia. I am tall (5'10") and don't look that heavy, though I am not the skinny chick I used to be by any stretch. I am fifty pounds heavier than I used to be in my prime. I am also out of shape but doing my darndest to correct that. I am on week six of an aggressive exercise program but have yet to lose one single pound.

 

My doctor looked at the way I eat and urged me to greater portion control and less fat. I am struggling with his advice--I feel I eat very, very healthfully, and am really good about eating only when hungry and stopping when full. My portions don't seem that big to me.

 

Can you look at what I eat and tell me what you think?

 

First thing: Tea or juice, perhaps a banana or toast (homemade whole wheat). My tea has 1 1/2 t. sugar.

 

9ish: Two eggs with accompanying carb--either whole wheat toast or a fried potato or a corn tortilla and a little cheese. If I have the tortilla I usually also have half an avocado and 1 T. salsa mixed in with the egg. (I have low cholesterol so have never thought of the eggs as an issue, but my dr suggested it might be too much saturated fat???)

 

Mid-day: Light meal like a sandwich (PBJ or cheese) or white flour biscuits (homemade, maybe 4???) and fruit.

 

Mid-afternoon: Whole wheat toast or nothing, but I do usually have dark chocolate. I try to be somewhat disciplined and eat just half a chocolate bar but it is easy for me to mindlessly eat more than that. I buy the high quality stuff--usually 70% cocoa.

 

Dinner: My second big meal of the day. It is almost always a protein (meat most days but vegetarian probably twice a week, sometimes more) with a starch (wild rice or potato or whole wheat noodles, sometimes white rice if I am making Asian food). We also have a vegetable and a green salad. I use almost no packaged products in my cooking.

 

Evening: I might have a banana or light snack at around 9ish. It's never all that much. If I am really feeling dissipated I might have old-fashioned popcorn popped in canola oil with a salt.

 

Other: I do have a weakness for french fries, and tend to have these perhaps once a week in the midafternoon?

 

I almost never drink soda, though some days I might have a second cup of tea or coffee with a little sugar.

 

I take high quality vitamins religiously.

 

Three days a week I do a strength training regime that is pretty aggressive. Another three days a week I take a walk, though I am thinking I should make that something more aerobic. On that walk, I do try to walk fast, and I carry a loaded backpack because I am trying to train for a backpacking/canoe trip later this summer. I usually walk 45-60 minutes.

 

Do I truly need to cut back and formally diet? I am depressed about it but will do so if necessary. If so, can you offer specific suggestions? I tend to really need protein or I get shaky.

 

Edited to add: In the interests of full disclosure, I should add that two other treats I am susceptible to are pizza and peanut m&m's. I eat both probably once a week. If I shop at Whole Foods (maybe once every other week???) I get a slice of pizza there. (So that's just one slice, once every week or every other week.) If I am running around on an errand day and hungry I might grab either a small fry or a bag of peanut m&m's. It doesn't seem like the weekly small fry or bag of peanut m&m's would add up to that much, but what do I know.

 

Thanks.

 

there are voices getting louder that maintain that saturated fats are not half as bad as they have been made out.

I personally like the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. A lot of it makes sense to me - but that is just me. She also recommends raw milk, instead of pasteurized but I don't want to veer off the subject too far.

 

Have you ever considered writing everything down - absolutely every bite you take and then check after a week or so what your average intake is?

Someone suggested this to me once and I was surprised how many times I snack without thinking about it.

 

One thing that I hear repeatedly from naturopaths: Real, whole food makes people fuller faster than processed foods. You could perhaps consider replacing all your snack foods with bananas, apples or whatever your favorite fruit is and a handful of your favorite nuts, i.e peanuts, macadamia, cashews.

 

I am switching over to that and even though I don't know if I have lost any weight (I don't weigh myself much, I go by how clothes fit) I feel better, more energized.

[Mamagistra]

there are voices getting louder that maintain that saturated fats are not half as bad as they have been made out.

 

Yes! Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is another great read on the subject.

[Georgie]

Because if they are pasta and cheese, that won't help much. When I became a Lacto-ovo vegetarian, the extra weight came off a bit easier. Lacto-ovo means that basically I just don't eat meat or fish. I still eat eggs and cheese.

 

This meant that I didn't eat fast food anymore, because there just weren't good enough choices. You can only eat so many salads. Which meant bye-bye to the greasy burgers and the fries that went with them.

 

I also eat more protein than carbs. I don't exclude carbs, I just eat more vegetables and protein. My protein comes from tofu, the fake burgers, soy milk and so forth. They have a bunch of fake meat options. Do not expect them to taste like the meat they are replacing. They aren't meat so they won't taste like meat, but I like them. Try different brands, you may like some better than others.

[Harriet Vane]

Because if they are pasta and cheese, that won't help much. When I became a Lacto-ovo vegetarian, the extra weight came off a bit easier. Lacto-ovo means that basically I just don't eat meat or fish. I still eat eggs and cheese.

 

This meant that I didn't eat fast food anymore, because there just weren't good enough choices. You can only eat so many salads. Which meant bye-bye to the greasy burgers and the fries that went with them.

 

I also eat more protein than carbs. I don't exclude carbs, I just eat more vegetables and protein. My protein comes from tofu, the fake burgers, soy milk and so forth. They have a bunch of fake meat options. Do not expect them to taste like the meat they are replacing. They aren't meat so they won't taste like meat, but I like them. Try different brands, you may like some better than others.

 

My son is lactose-intolerant, so our dinners rarely depend on cheese. We have some form of beans once a week, things like: lentil tacos, curried lentils on rice, low-fat homemade refried beans, bean soup, baked beans with cornbread, etc. The other times we go vegetarian it might be: huevos rancheros, vegetable soup, stirfry, whole wheat spaghetti, portabella sandwiches, mushroom barley soup, etc. Again, it's all cooked from scratch, and I use either olive oil or canola for ds' sake (not butter). When there is cheese, we almost always have it in a side dish to sprinkle on, so that the main dish is not contaminated for ds.

 

I cannot eat large amounts of soy--I bake with it for ds' sake, but that is it. If I have too much soy in my diet my hormones shift into high gear and I become a weepy, frail shell of myself. In other words, tofu is out for me, even though I like it.

[Confuzzled]

Coming out of lurkdom to answer...

 

I had similar a similar problem and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. I've been using Sparkpeople to log every bite I eat, as well as my exercise and have lost my first 10 pounds. Only 35 more to go!

 

I'm not an expert, but I would guess you need to eat more fruits and veggies and maybe a little less bread.

 

I didn't realize until I started logging my daily intake at Sparkpeople that I was eating as much as I was. I absolutely had no idea what a normal portion size is either.

 

Kris

[SnowWhite]

I use the WW Core program like Pensguys. You are already *almost* doing Core just by instinct. I would recommend adding some healthy whole grains like bulgur, quinoa, brown rice, whole grain couscous instead of a sandwich or biscuits at lunch. It will fill you up more and you will be less likely to eat the whole chocolate bar in the afternoon. I'd also think about buying single serve chocolate. I've had some 70% cocoa ones that were single squares and it's harder to overdo that way.

 

One handy trick for meals is to make sure you have half of your plate covered with fruits and veggies, 1/4 with a whole grain, and 1/4 with protein. You're doing that for supper, but breakfast and lunch are less balanced. Watch those avocados, too. A half avocado, while healthy, packs a WHOLE lot of calories.

 

The WW guidelines also include 2 tsp of canola or olive or other healthy oil daily, along with 2-3 (for teens and over 50)fat free dairy servings. People testify repeatedly of faster weight loss when they follow these guidelines.

[Laura Corin]

For me, I would think about basing meals around veggies, rather than thinking of protein/carbs as the main meal, with veggies on the side. I aim to have at least half of our plates covered with veg/fruit. For the adults, it would be more than half. The rest would be a small amount of protein and whole grains (the children get more grains, as they need the energy).

 

FWIW I do eat chocolate every day, but it's usually one or two strips from a bar. I'm 5'4" and weigh 130 pounds. DH has lost a lot of weight in the last year, and other medical problems (mostly back) have disappeared.

 

Edited to add: Would you find it useful to see an alternative style of eating? If so, read on. If not, ignore.

 

Wake up: coffee with 2% milk

Breakfast: oatmeal with skimmed milk or All-Bran with home-made no-fat yoghurt. The children get more calorie-dense breakfasts.

Snack: small apple

Lunch: Half a chicken breast marinaded in lemon juice, olive oil and garlic, sauteed with bell peppers and a little paprika/fajita seasoning. Large portion (over a cup) of each of two vegetables, prepared with olive oil or a little butter. The children get brown rice too.

Snack: whole grain crackers. Tea with 2% milk.

Supper: Whole grain pasta salad, made with tomato and whatever other veggies I have around, plus chicken breast left over from lunch, dressed with olive oil. Several handfuls of raw carrot on the side. A cup of grapes.

Snack/treat after the kids are in bed: one or two strips of chocolate (four to eight small squares) with a cup of skimmed milk.

 

Plus lots of water throughout the day. This gives you 5-8 portions of fruit and veg, three portions of dairy products, adequate protein (the milk, whole grain pasta and chicken), a pretty good amount of fiber (especially if you choose the all-bran), and not much saturated fat. The quantity/bulk comes from veg and whole grain products.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Quiver0f10]

I would replace the refined carbs with unrefined ones. Maybe oatmeal for breakfast, some brown rice and veggies for lunch and then dinner as usual.

[Maria from IN]

I'm probably about your size--I'm 5'10" and 199 pounds right now, and I too was 50 lbs. lighter in my prime. I don't think it would be too healthy for me to get back to that weight now because back then I was anemic a lot too. When I add my foods and exercise into SparkPeople, I can better keep track of what they recommend for carbs, fats, and protein each day. For example, if I have already met my carb intake by lunch, I can plan to eat more protein and veggies for dinner so I'm not so out of whack.

 

They can also help set goals for weight loss, calorie intake, and exercise.:001_smile:

[Pata]

I have just recently lost about 20 lbs(since Feb). I did it by writing down everything I ate and counted up the calories. I try to eat around 1200 calories a day, I'm 5'3" and 132(for now, still trying to lose 4 more lbs!). You would be surprised how much a portion is, the normal chicken breast in the store is 2 to 2 1/2 servings. Each 4oz serving of chicken is 180 cal, so if you eat one full chicken breast at dinner, that's 360-450 cal. just for the chicken, when you add the rest in you could be at 600-700 for dinner, that's more than half what you should have in a day, even though you ate heathly. Does that make sense? I also cut sugar out of my diet, I do have it on occasion, but not nearly as much as I once did. I would reccommend http://www.dietfacts.com. It can help you log what you eat and your exercise so that you know better how much to eat and how your exercise will effect that.

[Reya]

>Do I truly need to cut back and formally diet? I am depressed about it but will do so if necessary. If so, can you offer specific suggestions? I tend to really need protein or I get shaky.

 

Unequivocally, YES. You don't need to eat less bulk--just fewer calories! I'd be the size of a small car if I had your diet. :-) Really!

 

Some perspective: If I want to lose weight, I have to restrict my calories to about 1200. Doing serious training/exercise, I eat about 1600 calories and maintain a steady weight of 123-ish and keep up a high level of muscle mass.

 

 

Right now, you calorie count is:

 

First thing: 70 C for dry bread, ~175 C for a full glass of apple juice

 

9: 202 C for eggs, about 200 calories for the cheese, half an avocado, and tortilla

 

Mid-day: 720 calories in four biscuits(!!!) (I can eat eight at a sitting. This is why I DON'T! :-P )

 

Afternoon: at LEAST 100 C for the chocolate bar, 70 more C for bread, dry

 

Dinner: I'd bet hard money that it's not less than 600 C.

 

Evening: 105 C for 1 med banana

 

 

That's 2242 calories per day there, without any extras or cheating!!!! I bet you're actually averaging (with pizza, fries, M&Ms, popcorn, extra chocolate, and various other small extras) in excess of 2500 per day, at least. I'm betting your average dinner is closer to 800 than my very conservative 600 C, too.

 

If you want to lose weight, you HAVE to cut back to 1600 C, minimum. 1200-1600 calories is your target range. Check out this calculator. You need to be 500 calories BELOW this for any chance at losing weight: http://www.shapefit.com/dailycalorie-calc.html

 

You're not eating too much BULK, but you're just choosing really, really energy-dense foods.

 

Give yourself a calorie max for each meal and don't go over.

 

-Cut out all juices for drinking. Eat a whole fruit instead. It fills you up more.

 

-Avocados have 276 calories each! Choose another fruit! The cheese on the tortilla sure is good, but it's not a choice for weight loss, either.

 

-Oh. Those biscuits. Biscuits are yummy. Biscuits pack a LOT of calories into one yummy package. A SINGLE buttermilk biscuit has 180 calories! No biscuits! Cheese sandwiches and PBJ aren't much better. You're looking at 432 calories in your "light" lunch of PBJ! Switch to something with more nutrition and less caloric density.

 

-Try to snack on veggies like carrots, celery, or tomatoes...instead of the bread.

 

-"High quality" chocolate doesn't really make it better. It's still a dessert/treat. Don't let yourself cheat on this!

 

 

Not using packaged products doesn't make food lighter in calories. What are you putting on your salad? Lots of people think that salad is a healthy dinner choice, but you can easily have 200 or more calories in a small dinner salad--BEFORE you start the meal! How often do you eat red meat? You should try to get most of your protein from white meat or plant sources. No more than twice a week for the beef! Remember, also, that a serving of meat is the size of a pack of cards.

[newbie]

Reya,

I am totally impressed. You should change your online name to Diet Guru or Richard Simmons.

 

That was neat, I think my jaw hit the floor when I saw all that info. Next dieting tip, I am coming to you. Hope you dont charge tooo much.

Jeannette

[BamaTanya]

Are you a member of the Well-Trained Sparks team? You and I are on a similar journey - I've lost 15 of my 45-to-lose goal with Sparkpeople. It really opened my eyes to making better choices and controlling portions!

 

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=8627&gcode=49I2F1HTCT

[Confuzzled]

Are you a member of the Well-Trained Sparks team?

 

Nope, I'm not on that team. I've most recently been active on the Swimsuit Bootcamp team. I really liked the short strength training videos and the challenges kept me motivated.

 

I'm mostly just a lurker over at SparkPeople too!

 

Kris

[Kim in Appalachia]

My mom has done WW on and off for a lot of years. It teaches you how to eat. You may think you are eating only a little, then you start counting points and you realize that you have been eating too much. Their core program is nice too. You don't have to count points, but you eat very little carbs.

 

HTH

 

ETA: When I counted how many points I could eat in a day, I was suprised to find out how much I was over eating (for losing weight). I am 5'9", and I am not overweight, but I could stand to loose 10-15 lbs. I pretty much consumed my points by lunch.

[babs]

I agree with the too much carbs conclusion.

 

I recently went gluten free due to a rash that just would not go away and because I read that gluten can cause a person to have osteoperosis (I have it though only in my 40s). Gluten is like a glue that ends up gumming up the intestinal works so that you don't properly absorb nutrients. So, I lost 5 pounds IMMEDIATELY and after the first few days I am DONE with craving carbs (I was a bread LOVER) and other bad treats. It can affect you in so many bad ways (creating other allergies that go away once you are gluten free and the intestines heal as well as hormonal imbalances that can lead to diabetes...increases your chances for cancer too). More people have a gluten problem than is known currently.

 

All this to say that you should do some research on it. It is not easy at first, but the benefits are so great if you are gluten intolerant and go gluten free. The Gluten Free Bible by Jax Lowell is a good starting place.

 

HTH

 

Babs

[Joanne]

I lost 45+ pounds eating protein and unlimited non starchy veggies. I used butter, olive oil, coconut oil in cooking and seasoning.

 

My dr. told me to do So. Beach or Weight Watchers (Core plan worked best for me...I tweak it a bit) and he put me on glucophage (I take the generic). He tested my blood sugar and I overproduce insulin.

 

I would cut out all the carbs (except for fruit and veggies) and have only ONE serving of ww bread or ww pasta or brown rice or potato per day and see how that works....that is basically what the WW Core plan is (they also do lots of ff stuff, but I choose the low fat).

 

I believe your Dr. holds onto very prevalent misinformation regarding nutrition and diet. I'm not afraid of dietary fat.

 

I tried WW before they had core. I ate whole foods, on program. I was an irritable, screaming mess. Now that they have Core, I'd do better.

 

I'd encourage you to do some reading on the *science* behind a low carb diet and consider upping your protein, maintaining healthy fats (like avocado), reducing carbs and worrying less about calories and fat grams.

[Harriet Vane]

I lost 45+ pounds eating protein and unlimited non starchy veggies. I used butter, olive oil, coconut oil in cooking and seasoning.

 

 

 

I believe your Dr. holds onto very prevalent misinformation regarding nutrition and diet. I'm not afraid of dietary fat.

 

I tried WW before they had core. I ate whole foods, on program. I was an irritable, screaming mess. Now that they have Core, I'd do better.

 

I'd encourage you to do some reading on the *science* behind a low carb diet and consider upping your protein, maintaining healthy fats (like avocado), reducing carbs and worrying less about calories and fat grams.

 

I will look into the Core program.

 

I am intrigued by your statement about being an irritable, screaming mess. I find that when I have too little protein this happens to me--I waver between irritable/screaming and shaky/sobbing. That is why I have a solid breakfast each day--my ability to function is sooooo much better when I have a protein-laden breakfast.

 

I have wondered at times if my chronic anemia has affected my metabolism, but I have not seen any research to indicate this is the case.

 

Can you give me some examples of what you might eat in a day or two? I will do my own research as well--I am just curious what worked for a "normal" person. ;)

[EKS]

Here is what I would do based on what you wrote.

 

Eat protein at every meal. This will help keep you satisfied longer. I would cut down on the carbs and try to eliminate the sugar. Any rice or bread that you do eat should be whole grain. Also I would get rid of the snacks and just eat at meals. I think if you do these things for a few weeks you'll start to see results.

 

Good luck.

[Greta]

I haven't read the other replies yet so someone may have mentioned this. On the other hand, this may be a very unpopular opinion. :-) But the amount of carbohydrate that you are eating would do me in. My body can't handle half that amount of carbs in a day (that is, without getting bloated, retaining water, and then starting to pack on the fat).

 

I realize you have absolutely no reason to trust me over your doctor (and probably plenty of reasons not to) but I think his advice about cutting back on fat is just dead wrong. I would highly recommend the book Life Without Bread by Allan and Lutz (one MD and one PhD). This book explains why a diet high in carbs but low in fat alters out metabolism in such a way that it "teaches" our bodies to store fat rather than burn it. That is one of the roles of insulin -- it converts sugar into fat. And every gram of carbs we eat has a resulting insulin response. So excess carb intake always gets stored as fat. The dietary plan they recommend in the book is very sensible and easy to follow. It's what I would call a "moderate-carb" diet because it's not as low-carb as Atkins and such. It is enough to feel tremendous health benefits and weight loss, and yet not enough that you're feeling deprived or restricted. I think it's simply fantastic.

 

Should you decide to try this, please feel free to ask me any questions. Whatever you decide, I wish you the very best of luck!

[Greta]

I am intrigued by your statement about being an irritable, screaming mess. I find that when I have too little protein this happens to me--I waver between irritable/screaming and shaky/sobbing. ;)

 

Same here! I have learned that by having adequate fat and protein in my diet, my moods are much improved, my hormonal cycles are much improved, my sleep is much improved, my immune system is much improved. Ok, I'm sure you get the idea. :D When circumstances (poor planning) have resulted in me eating a high-carb breakfast, I am an absolute basket case by mid-morning. I suffer, and everyone around me suffers. It ain't pretty!

[Greta]

I personally like the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.

 

Love this book! It is recommended in the Life Without Bread book that I mentioned.

[Tammyla]

I'm not an expert, but have managed my weight here almost very happily for years. I do portion control and almost never finish my plate. That was a biggie for me, leaving food uneaten or wasted. To help that, I purchased smaller plates. Moderation and a little exercise is a day in and day out live-able option for me. Hope you find the way. I just cut back a little here and there when necessary. I also drink water with every meal.

[Nestof3]

You appear to have some great habits down already. Good job! The first thing I noticed is the amount of carbs you are taking in. I would try to focus snacks on veggies, a few almonds. Bananas are a very carb-rich fruit -- how about an apple instead?

 

Also, I would limit cheese to one time a day. 4 biscuits is quite a bit also. I find baby carrots to be a very filing food. I also read somewhere to limit whole egg intake to one a day.

 

The best thing I can recommend is to sign up for www.sparkpeople.com because it really details food intake based on current weight, desired weight, exercise, calorie limits, and so forth.

[Pensguys]

I am intrigued by your statement about being an irritable, screaming mess. I find that when I have too little protein this happens to me--I waver between irritable/screaming and shaky/sobbing. That is why I have a solid breakfast each day--my ability to function is sooooo much better when I have a protein-laden breakfast.

 

THIS is why I like Core vs. the point system of WW....when you are HUNGRY....PHYSICALLY hungry, not head/heart hungry, you can EAT. You can eat protein, good carbs (fruits, veggies, grains), until you are physically satisfied.

[Joanne]

Can you give me some examples of what you might eat in a day or two? I will do my own research as well--I am just curious what worked for a "normal" person.

 

I guess I qualify for "normal" since you put it in quotes. :D;)

 

My DH (who has lost 35 pounds since the beginning of Spring Baseball Season) typically eat like this:

 

b: eggs, cooked in butter, bacon or ham. We often have this with spinach, onions, tri-peppers, brocolli, tomatoes. During the school year, my DH drove a school bus and I'd make him "egg muffins" by scrambling eggs, cheese, veggies and some meat, pouring it into a muffin pan, baking and he'd nuke them for breakfast, sprinkled with salsa.

 

l: sandwiches on romaine - deli meat, egg/chicken/tuna salad (made with mayo, egg, celery, onion, seasoning). (I'm having this as I type)

 

cheesebuger salad (cheeseburger on a plate of lettuce with other raw veggies; sprinkled with full fat ranch or blue cheese

 

kabobs - meat, peppers, onions, tomatoes skewered and baked. Often I'd marinate these in bottled italian dressing

 

d: hunks of meat - chicken, steak, pork with a veggie side such as:

 

on sale frozen veggie combos microwaved with butter

marinated roasted veggies (this is what I do to fresh veggies that will soon go south)

cauliflower casserole (steamed, mashed mixed with a bit of cheese, cream cheese, bacon, onions)

"loaded brocolli" - like a loaded potato only sans the potato

on sale asparagus steamed, butter and sesame seeds added

artichoke heart/spinach dip -warm - with sliced raw veggies

green beans

 

Snack: veggies dipped in full fat dressing

"yocheese" (stained full fat plain yogurt) with sugar free syrup, strawberries, sprinkled with ground flax and chopped nuts

hard boiled eggs

string cheese wrapped in deli meat

 

I eat a moderate amount of fruit:

 

strawberries in whipped heavy cream (sweetened with splenda or sf vanilla syrup)

melon

1/2 and apple or orange (once a week or so)

 

Personally, I do well on pretty restricted grains and high sugared fruits. I would label my approach "Atkins inspired". There are other more seemingly balanced carb plans like South Beach that are a match for other bodies.

[2cents]

I just looked at your menu and the thing that struck me is the wheat and sugar seems a little out of balance. I would try to cut down in both of those areas and you may see an improvement in the joint pain especially. I know that if I overdo wheat products the first thing I notice is joint pain and headaches.

[Mrs Mungo]

OK, I did it, I joined sparkspeople and the WTM sparks team! :)

 

Gaaaah, I just did my calculations and have 35 lbs to lose.

 

I did a sparks page but checked that only friends can see it (I put an actual bikini photo on mine...oh yes, I went there). Can people on the team see it or do I need to add you all as friends or something?

[Nestof3]

I just left you a message on the sparkpeople board. You actually have to add individual people to your list of friends.

[Mrs Mungo]

I just left you a message on the sparkpeople board. You actually have to add individual people to your list of friends.

 

I added you :) and a bunch of the other WTMsparks who seemed like they were still active.

 

If I didn't get to someone, PM me and I'll add you! :auto: