Another question…WWYD medical question

[Brittany1116]

36 minutes ago, Selkie said:

I just read the other day that the average weight of an adult female in the US is now 170 pounds.

I believe it. That was me at my highest non-pregnant weight. I was getting into a size 12. 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

The level of fiber needed is a function of the total food/calorie intake more than body weight. The recommendation of 25-30 g/day is for an average woman at a healthy weight consuming ~2000 calories/day.

A 250 lb sedentary person on a diet who is eating 1500 calories/day may not need as much fiber as a 150 lb marathon runner who is eating 4000 calories/day — although higher levels of fiber have been proven to help people lose weight, so more fiber is nearly always a good idea.

And the higher the percentage of the diet that is processed and fiber-less foods (animal products, oils, refined flours and sugars) the more fiber is needed to compensate for that.

Also make sure you're eating a good balance of both soluble fiber (to feed the good gut microbes and keep the bad guys from taking over) and insoluble fiber (to move things along).

Ok, I guess I worded it incorrectly.  My caloric intake to maintain 148 pounds is 1750. And apparently everyone is suppose to have 14 grams per 1000 calories.  So that puts me at about 25 grams.  But I am thinking that I need more than that since I need a high fiber diet.

[Scarlett]

My highest pregnancy weight was 155. I have actually got to that a time or two in the last few years and it has freaked me out.  So I am trying to lose a little weight but my biggest goal is to eat enough fiber.  I often get 25.....not always.  So I want to be more intentional about it.

[Selkie]

11 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

My highest pregnancy weight was 155. I have actually got to that a time or two in the last few years and it has freaked me out.  So I am trying to lose a little weight but my biggest goal is to eat enough fiber.  I often get 25.....not always.  So I want to be more intentional about it.

Eating more fiber will help you lose weight. Here's an interview with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (author of Fiber Fueled) where he explains how that works.

https://thebeet.com/high-fiber-weight-loss/

 

[Corraleno]

4 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Ok, I guess I worded it incorrectly.  My caloric intake to maintain 148 pounds is 1750. And apparently everyone is suppose to have 14 grams per 1000 calories.  So that puts me at about 25 grams.  But I am thinking that I need more than that since I need a high fiber diet.

14 g per 1000 calories seems pretty minimal to me — I weigh 120 lbs and eat ~1500 calories/day, and by that calculation the recommendation would only be 21 g/day. I would consider that barely adequate, definitely not high fiber. I get around 30-35* g/day, which is 20-25 g per 1000 calories, and to me that's a decent level but not even what I would consider "high." 

*ETA: apparently I underestimated, looks like I usually get ~45-50 g unless I skip breakfast and eat a light lunch.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Corraleno

[Scarlett]

27 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

14 g per 1000 calories seems pretty minimal to me — I weigh 120 lbs and eat ~1500 calories/day, and by that calculation the recommendation would only be 21 g/day. I would consider that barely adequate, definitely not high fiber. I get around 30-35 g/day, which is 20-25 g per 1000 calories, and to me that's a decent level but not even what I would consider "high." 

Ok makes sense. Do you mind sharing an example day of how you get that much?

[Corraleno]

29 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Ok makes sense. Do you mind sharing an example day of how you get that much?

This is from Cronometer; I actually got 45 g this day because I had steelcut oats and blueberries for breakfast. I don't always eat breakfast, and sometimes I just have a piece of fruit, so on those days it would be lower. The list of fiber sources just shows the ones with the most fiber per serving.

[Corraleno]

Well this is interesting, in looking through some past days in Cronometer, I am generally getting around 45-50 g when I eat 3 full meals, it's only ~30-35 if I don't eat breakfast and have a light lunch or dinner. This day was 53 g total, and even without the protein smoothie for breakfast it was still 42 g. 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Corraleno

[Scarlett]

21 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

This is from Cronometer; I actually got 45 g this day because I had steelcut oats and blueberries for breakfast. I don't always eat breakfast, and sometimes I just have a piece of fruit, so on those days it would be lower. The list of fiber sources just shows the ones with the most fiber per serving.

That is a a lot of food.  Lol.  Obviously working for you if you are at 120.  I love every single thing on there……well I have never had nutritional yeast and rarely have had tofu.  

[Corraleno]

2 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

That is a a lot of food.  Lol.  Obviously working for you if you are at 120.  I love every single thing on there……well I have never had nutritional yeast and rarely have had tofu.  

That's only 1500-1600 calories though!

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, Corraleno said:

That's only 1500-1600 calories though!

It is amazing how the right nutrition makes the difference.  
Are you vegan?

Edited March 10, 2023 by Scarlett

[Corraleno]

Just now, Scarlett said:

It is amazing how the right nutrition makes the difference.  
Are you vegan?

I eat honey and occasionally have something with dairy or eggs, so I just say I eat a mostly whole food plant based diet. I lost 40 lbs eating this way and all the blood markers that had been slowly creeping up (BP, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc) are now excellent, and I feel better than I have in a long time despite being in my 60s.

[Scarlett]

4 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I eat honey and occasionally have something with dairy or eggs, so I just say I eat a mostly whole food plant based diet. I lost 40 lbs eating this way and all the blood markers that had been slowly creeping up (BP, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc) are now excellent, and I feel better than I have in a long time despite being in my 60s.

Amazing.  I don’t think I ever want to go vegan but I could definitely go mainly vegetarian. 
 

Your list makes me want to take a trip to Trader Joe’s which is a 40 minute each way drive.  

[Scarlett]

7 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I eat honey and occasionally have something with dairy or eggs, so I just say I eat a mostly whole food plant based diet. I lost 40 lbs eating this way and all the blood markers that had been slowly creeping up (BP, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc) are now excellent, and I feel better than I have in a long time despite being in my 60s.

How tall are you?

[Corraleno]

22 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

How tall are you?

5'5"  

I went from 160 / BMI 26.6 to 120 / BMI 20, which is what I weighed in college and as a young adult. I eat pretty much the same volume of food (maybe even more) as I did before I went WFPB, but what I eat now is much more nutrient dense (and much higher in fiber) and the overall calorie intake is lower. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

 I haven’t talked about here because I’ve been too preoccupied but I haven’t been right since my colonoscopy. Not sure I’ll ever do that again 🤣

[Scarlett]

Just now, Corraleno said:

5'5"  

I went from 160 / BMI 26.6 to 120 / BMI 20, which is what I weighed in college and as a young adult. I eat pretty much the same volume of food (maybe even more) as I did before I went WFPB, but what I eat now is much more nutrient dense (and much higher in fiber) and the overall calorie intake is lower. 

Wow I am only 5’6.  I can’t imagine getting back to 120.  I would be thrilled to be at 135.  But really weight aside I have to start eating better.  And honestly I don’t eat terrible now by most standards but I want to eat like you.  Lol

[Scarlett]

Just now, Ann.without.an.e said:

 I haven’t talked about here because I’ve been too preoccupied but I haven’t been right since my colonoscopy. Not sure I’ll ever do that again 🤣

What? How long has it been? And what is wrong exactly.? 

[Selkie]

5 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

5'5"  

I went from 160 / BMI 26.6 to 120 / BMI 20, which is what I weighed in college and as a young adult. I eat pretty much the same volume of food (maybe even more) as I did before I went WFPB, but what I eat now is much more nutrient dense (and much higher in fiber) and the overall calorie intake is lower. 

My experience has been very similar since I started eating WFPB. I also have dropped down to BMI 20, while eating an abundance of food every day. I am in my mid 50s but feel even better than I did during my slim teenager and young adult years, because my nutrition is so much better now.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

That's only 1500-1600 calories though!

I tried to put dates on my pick up order.  None in the only store in town.. They do have prunes which I love.

Dh made me a fabulous salad. Red and yellow bell,peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli, olives. It is so delicious.  I wonder how much fiber it has.  It is probably 3 cups…..not sure I can even eat it all. Oh and apples too.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Scarlett

[Ann.without.an.e]

22 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

What? How long has it been? And what is wrong exactly.? 

It’s been about 6 weeks. I didn’t have problems with D before this but I’ve struggled with that and stomach cramping since. I keep thinking it’ll clear up but not at all. Hopefully it’ll pass soon. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Ann.without.an.e

[Corraleno]

12 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

It’s been about 6 weeks. I didn’t have problems with D before this but I’ve struggled with that and stomach cramping since. I keep thinking it’ll clear up but not at all. Hopefully it’ll pass soon. 

Are you taking a good probiotic? The colonoscopy prep wipes out the good bacteria, and it can take weeks to build back up — and if your microbiome wasn't very healthy or robust to begin with, the bad bacteria and yeast can get ahead of the good guys. I felt kind of "off" for a couple of weeks after mine, too, but I took assorted probiotics, ate fermented foods (like kombucha, sauerkraut, vegan yogurt), and made sure to consume plenty of soluble fiber to feed the good guys, and that seemed to do the trick.

[Scarlett]

3 hours ago, Selkie said:

Eating more fiber will help you lose weight. Here's an interview with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (author of Fiber Fueled) where he explains how that works.

https://thebeet.com/high-fiber-weight-loss/

 

This article is fantastic.  What blew me away is this doctor was not taught about the importance of fiber even though he is a gastro doctor.  

[Scarlett]

36 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Are you taking a good probiotic? The colonoscopy prep wipes out the good bacteria, and it can take weeks to build back up — and if your microbiome wasn't very healthy or robust to begin with, the bad bacteria and yeast can get ahead of the good guys. I felt kind of "off" for a couple of weeks after mine, too, but I took assorted probiotics, ate fermented foods (like kombucha, sauerkraut, vegan yogurt), and made sure to consume plenty of soluble fiber to feed the good guys, and that seemed to do the trick.

I remember hearing about this before. Probably from you.  Lol

[Corraleno]

27 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Dh made me a fabulous salad. Red and yellow bell,peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli, olives. It is so delicious.  I wonder how much fiber it has.  It is probably 3 cups…..not sure I can even eat it all. Oh and apples too.

I usually eat a really big salad for lunch every day, changing up the ingredients and flavors for variety. Examples:

Black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, orange peppers, red onions, cucumbers, romaine and other mixed greens, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and nutritional yeast (for a cheesy flavor), with some kind of Southwestern-flavored dressing (chipotle ranch, lime cilantro, or even just salsa and lime juice).  Sometimes I add quinoa.

Edamame or adzuki beans, shredded red & green cabbage, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, julienned cucumbers & red peppers, green onions, mandarin orange segments, hemp seeds, and a spicy peanut or miso dressing. Sometimes I add cold soba noodles or crispy wonton strips.

Chickpeas, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, peppers, cucumbers, red onions, romaine and/or arugula, pine nuts, nutritional yeast (and/or homemade croutons if I have leftover stale bread), and either a balsamic vinaigrette or a vegan caesar type dressing. Sometimes I add cooked pasta (TJ's Quinoa & Brown Rice Fusilli).

Roasted chickpeas and veg (orange & purple sweet potatoes, orange/yellow/purple carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) either tossed with baby kale & spinach in a lemon-tahini dressing, or mixed with brown & wild rice, pecans, dried cranberries, and a maple-balsamic dressing. 

[Scarlett]

20 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I usually eat a really big salad for lunch every day, changing up the ingredients and flavors for variety. Examples:

Black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, orange peppers, red onions, cucumbers, romaine and other mixed greens, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and nutritional yeast (for a cheesy flavor), with some kind of Southwestern-flavored dressing (chipotle ranch, lime cilantro, or even just salsa and lime juice).  Sometimes I add quinoa.

Edamame or adzuki beans, shredded red & green cabbage, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, julienned cucumbers & red peppers, green onions, mandarin orange segments, hemp seeds, and a spicy peanut or miso dressing. Sometimes I add cold soba noodles or crispy wonton strips.

Chickpeas, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, peppers, cucumbers, red onions, romaine and/or arugula, pine nuts, nutritional yeast (and/or homemade croutons if I have leftover stale bread), and either a balsamic vinaigrette or a vegan caesar type dressing. Sometimes I add cooked pasta (TJ's Quinoa & Brown Rice Fusilli).

Roasted chickpeas and veg (orange & purple sweet potatoes, orange/yellow/purple carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) either tossed with baby kale & spinach in a lemon-tahini dressing, or mixed with brown & wild rice, pecans, dried cranberries, and a maple-balsamic dressing. 

Yum.  I am really looking forward to trying more of this.  It will be easier once ds21 moves out.  Dh will eat like this with me.  Although we do have half a cow in the freezer🤦🏻‍♀️

Edited March 10, 2023 by Scarlett

[Scarlett]

Well, I guess this question is answered for me.  I am now terribly sick.  This is TMI so feel free to scroll….I had a BM this morning but it wasn’t normal.  I ate oatmeal, fruit and chia seeds for breakfast about 11 and not a bite of anything since.  It is almost 7 p.m. 
I feel very nauseous. 
 

So I guess I won’t question the colonoscopy anymore. 
 

Covid wise I am feeling pretty good.  I don’t think I can bear to take my nightly dose of Paxlovid.  I have three doses left.  

[Rosie_0801]

Are you drinking enough water? If you increase your fibre intake you need to increase your water intake or it'll go straight through you, barely touching the sides.

[Scarlett]

29 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Are you drinking enough water? If you increase your fibre intake you need to increase your water intake or it'll go straight through you, barely touching the sides.

 I have had 80 oz of water today.  Plus 2 cups of coffee.  Drinking hot lemon water now.  

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

Covid wise I am feeling pretty good.  I don’t think I can bear to take my nightly dose of Paxlovid.  I have three doses left.  

Covid can definitely cause diarrhea and it's also a known (although not super common) side effect of paxlovid.

[KSera]

On 3/9/2023 at 4:09 PM, Corraleno said:

Well this is interesting, in looking through some past days in Cronometer, I am generally getting around 45-50 g when I eat 3 full meals, it's only ~30-35 if I don't eat breakfast and have a light lunch or dinner. This day was 53 g total, and even without the protein smoothie for breakfast it was still 42 g. 

 

I need you to do a service where you make a meal plan for a week and send me a Trader Joe’s shopping list for it. Your meals all look and sound good, I just never make anything like that for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is our only meal where we spend much time prepping. Meal planning is really not my forte. 

 

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

Well, I guess this question is answered for me.  I am now terribly sick.  This is TMI so feel free to scroll….I had a BM this morning but it wasn’t normal.  I ate oatmeal, fruit and chia seeds for breakfast about 11 and not a bite of anything since.  It is almost 7 p.m. 
I feel very nauseous. 
 

So I guess I won’t question the colonoscopy anymore. 
 

Covid wise I am feeling pretty good.  I don’t think I can bear to take my nightly dose of Paxlovid.  I have three doses left.  

diarrhea is a side effect of Paxlovid,  so perhaps it’s due to that? 

 

[Scarlett]

8 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Covid can definitely cause diarrhea and it's also a known (although not super common) side effect of paxlovid.

 

7 minutes ago, KSera said:

I need you to do a service where you make a meal plan for a week and send me a Trader Joe’s shopping list for it. Your meals all look and sound good, I just never make anything like that for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is our only meal where we spend much time prepping. Meal planning is really not my forte. 

 

diarrhea is a side effect of Paxlovid,  so perhaps it’s due to that? 

 

I did not know that and I have been too sick all day to look it up, so thanks. I also am one of like 5% who have a terrible taste in my mouth for hours after each dose.  Ugh.

 I did school with my homeschooling student today…..and she was soooo happy to see me since she too has been in isolation for over a week.  I struggled all day just feeling terrible. 
 

Now I am home alone all weekend….well I have my dog and the cat……normally I would LOVE this but today I am just feeling so icky. 

I wonder if it is wise to skip the last three doses of Paxlovid? 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Scarlett

[Scarlett]

Oh and I thought the same thing about @Corraleno‘s meals.  Would love a plan and Trader Joe’s shopping list. 

She did put together some great salad ideas up thread.  

[Shoeless]

5 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Are you drinking enough water? If you increase your fibre intake you need to increase your water intake or it'll go straight through you, barely touching the sides.

🤣

I hope you feel better, Scarlett. I was coming to add that paxlovid can cause gi upset. 

[Laura Corin]

On 3/9/2023 at 10:11 PM, Scarlett said:

Ok, I guess I worded it incorrectly.  My caloric intake to maintain 148 pounds is 1750. And apparently everyone is suppose to have 14 grams per 1000 calories.  So that puts me at about 25 grams.  But I am thinking that I need more than that since I need a high fiber diet.

I weigh 59.5kg, so around 131 pounds. My calorie intake is similar to yours. I average 35g of fibre per day. I find that ensuring I eat at least one serving of beans or lentils each day helps a lot. 

[Scarlett]

I can get 26 g of fiber quite easily.  Yesterday I had 22 but I was really sick yesterday and did not eat probably even 800 calories.  Gradually getting it to 35 is a good goal for sure. 
 

I love love @Corraleno’s food list and I can’t wait to get myself together to try some days like her

[Laura Corin]

Here's one day. I didn't have breakfast but had two snacks later in the day, which I often do. The lunch was lentil-barley soup and tofu with tomato and zucchini. Supper was fish with roast kalettes, a hearty salad with raw parsnip and beans.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Laura Corin

[Scarlett]

Thanks @Laura Corin.  That all looks yummy too.  What is Kalettes?

[Laura Corin]

8 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Thanks @Laura Corin.  That all looks yummy too.  What is Kalettes?

They are tiny kale heads, about the size of Brussels sprouts.

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

They are tiny kale heads, about the size of Brussels sprouts.

Oooh.  Interesting.  Never heard of them.

[Laura Corin]

12 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Oooh.  Interesting.  Never heard of them.

I think they have a TM next to the name,  and I'm not sure how far the trademark has spread. They roast quickly and crisp up well. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

They are tiny kale heads, about the size of Brussels sprouts.

I had to look them up.  They are a hybrid of kale and Brussels sprouts. 

[Scarlett]

So after taking all kinds of stuff to get my digestion  moving….I think things are fairly normal this morning. I had 12 grams of fiber for breakfast and 12 for lunch 

supper is chicken/potatoes/roasted Brussels sprouts and a salad. 

[Corraleno]

On 3/11/2023 at 5:52 AM, Scarlett said:

I can get 26 g of fiber quite easily.  Yesterday I had 22 but I was really sick yesterday and did not eat probably even 800 calories.  Gradually getting it to 35 is a good goal for sure. 

The easiest and most efficient way to get an extra 10-11 g of fiber (plus an extra 13-14 g protein) is to just add half a cup of beans and 1.5 TBL nutritional yeast to a salad. You can even just buy a bagged salad kit and add black beans to a Southwestern Salad kit, chickpeas to a Mediterranean kit, edamame to an Asian kit, etc. You can add all the extras you want (tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, onions, nuts, seeds, etc.) or build your salad from scratch, but if you just want a lunch that takes 5 seconds, you can toss the kit ingredients in a bowl, add beans, sprinkle with yeast, and that's 1/3 of your daily protein and fiber checked off.

I just drain & rinse canned beans and then store leftovers in a container with a folded paper towel on the bottom to absorb extra moisture. They keep several days in the fridge like that. Just half a cup of black beans = 9 g protein and 7 g fiber.

I prefer the natural ("unfortified") nutritional yeast because (1) I think it tastes a lot better and (2) the B vitamins in most "fortified" brands are just cheap folic acid and unmethylated B12 (cyanocobalamin), so those "additions" are a negative rather than a plus to me. I like the Anthony's brand; it may seem expensive for a bag of yeast, but you only use a tablespoon or two at a time and there's around 70 tablespoons in the package.

Plus it's hard to beat the nutritional bang for your buck when just 1.5 TBL adds 6 g protein and 3 g fiber with just 45 calories — that's roughly equivalent in fiber and calories to 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes or 3 cups chopped cucumber or 6 cups baby lettuce. I love tomatoes and cucumbers and lettuce and eat a lot of them, but most people (especially those who don't eat a lot of fiber to begin with) are already eating the volume of food they can handle, and don't really want to add three cups of chopped cucumber to their lunch! Nutritional yeast provides the same amount of fiber with no increase in volume (and with the added bonus of 6 g protein and 30% of the RDA for iron in 1.5 TBL).

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Corraleno

[Scarlett]

 

thank you @Corraleno. I just ordered off your link.  

[Terabith]

I've been trying to eat more fiber and more fruits and vegetables.  I have no idea how to quantify fiber or figure out how much of x nutrient I'm getting though.  I should research it.  

For breakfast, every day I have a half cup of old fashioned oats oatmeal with a big heaping spoonful of ground flax seed and cinnamon.  

For morning snack at preschool, I eat an ounce of smoked almonds and two mandarin oranges.

For lunch, I cram as much baby spinach and kale into a tupperware as I can and add a splash of Italian dressing and eat that.  I am guessing 1.5 cups?  I also eat a third of a red bell pepper, an apple, a half cup of black beans with a pinch of cheddar cheese and some nutritional yeast, and a bunch of carrots.  

Dinner varies.  Tonight I had a bunch of broccoli, a smallish serving of chicken noodle casserole made with mixed veggies, and a bowl of cottage cheese and tropical fruit.  And a slice of raisin bread.  

After swimming, I had a bunch of frozen blueberries.  Somewhere between 1/2 and a cup, probably.  

Edited March 14, 2023 by Terabith

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

I've been trying to eat more fiber and more fruits and vegetables.  I have no idea how to quantify fiber or figure out how much of x nutrient I'm getting though.  I should research it.  

There's a free version of Cronometer that has most of the functionality of the paid version (the paid version allows for more customization, saving custom recipes, and things like that). Cronometer was absolutely instrumental in helping me make big changes to my diet and lose 40 lbs, when nothing I'd tried before really worked (or not for long anyway). I feel like it gave me so much information about my health and what I was (and wasn't) putting into my body, plus the tools to tweak things on a really detailed level, and that was very empowering. 

It's way more than just a calorie counter, it breaks macros down into detailed subcategories and tracks a ton of micronutrients, plus it shows the ratios of things like calcium to oxalates, potassium to sodium, Omega 6 to Omega 3, etc., so you can keep those in balance. It lets you set targets for a wide range of things, and if you want to lose weight, you can set it for how much you want to lose, and over what period of time, and it calculates how much to eat every day to meet your goal, based on your basal metabolic rate + normal activity level + any extra exercise. I gave myself 1 year to lose 40 lbs and it was super motivating for me to see the line on the graph slowly dropping over the course of a year until I hit my goal weight. And if I felt discouraged about gaining a few lbs back over the holidays, I could just zoom out and look at the whole graph to see how far I'd come and realize that those few lbs were really just a little blip in a long downward trajectory, and if I just stayed the course I'd get there.

Also, being able to see all the macro and micro values for every food really helped me focus on nutrient-dense foods and avoid foods that were high in calories but not very nutritious. The realization that for the same 100 calories I could have like 6 tortilla chips or 2 cups of strawberries (with 5 times the fiber plus lots of vitamin C and other nutrients), was really eye opening. I mean, obviously I knew that strawberries were healthier than tortilla chips, but seeing how much more food and nutrition I could get for the same # of calories really changed my relationship with food. Being able to quantify things like that on such a detailed level made me think less in terms of "good foods" and "bad foods," and more in terms of what "what nutrients can this food add to my body." 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

There's a free version of Cronometer that has most of the functionality of the paid version (the paid version allows for more customization, saving custom recipes, and things like that). Cronometer was absolutely instrumental in helping me make big changes to my diet and lose 40 lbs, when nothing I'd tried before really worked (or not for long anyway). I feel like it gave me so much information about my health and what I was (and wasn't) putting into my body, plus the tools to tweak things on a really detailed level, and that was very empowering. 

It's way more than just a calorie counter, it breaks macros down into detailed subcategories and tracks a ton of micronutrients, plus it shows the ratios of things like calcium to oxalates, potassium to sodium, Omega 6 to Omega 3, etc., so you can keep those in balance. It lets you set targets for a wide range of things, and if you want to lose weight, you can set it for how much you want to lose, and over what period of time, and it calculates how much to eat every day to meet your goal, based on your basal metabolic rate + normal activity level + any extra exercise. I gave myself 1 year to lose 40 lbs and it was super motivating for me to see the line on the graph slowly dropping over the course of a year until I hit my goal weight. And if I felt discouraged about gaining a few lbs back over the holidays, I could just zoom out and look at the whole graph to see how far I'd come and realize that those few lbs were really just a little blip in a long downward trajectory, and if I just stayed the course I'd get there.

Also, being able to see all the macro and micro values for every food really helped me focus on nutrient-dense foods and avoid foods that were high in calories but not very nutritious. The realization that for the same 100 calories I could have like 6 tortilla chips or 2 cups of strawberries (with 5 times the fiber plus lots of vitamin C and other nutrients), was really eye opening. I mean, obviously I knew that strawberries were healthier than tortilla chips, but seeing how much more food and nutrition I could get for the same # of calories really changed my relationship with food. Being able to quantify things like that on such a detailed level made me think less in terms of "good foods" and "bad foods," and more in terms of what "what nutrients can this food add to my body." 

Doing some careful tracking also stops me from perfectionistic thinking that leads to all-or-nothing behaviour.  Now I aim for healthy days. These may include the odd less-nutritious moment, but the overall picture has the elements my body needs.

[marbel]

Seconding @Corraleno on recommending Cronometer for tracking. I started using it in January to keep track of my sodium. I honestly had no idea how much I consumed in a day, though I had the sense it was "not a lot." Well, it not only showed me how much sodium - and that I was not too far off on my notion about  consumption but could still stand to lower it - but also how little fiber and calcium I consumed. Then I was advised to limit oxalates, and learned about pairing them with calcium, and boom! There it is on Cronometer. Oh and though I didn't start using it to lose weight, I do need to lose and just the act of tracking has facilitated a loss of 7 pounds so far since I started - which is slow loss, but has been pretty painless. 

Re: perfectionism: this has also helped with stopping the helpless feeling when I would "fail" and eat something "bad." I just track it (or approximate it, when I don't know all the ingredients), note it, and move on. I aim to stay within the parameters most days but don't freak out if I go over/under a bit sometimes. 

I always saw tracking food as a huge pain - I remember counting calories back in the day, pre-apps, when we had to write it all down and add it up. I finally feel at age 67 that I have a handle on my eating/nutrition.

[Corraleno]

RE: food tracking being a PITA...

I'm sure a lot of people look at the detailed Cronometer charts and think it must be a lot of work and they just don't have time for all that. Of course, as with any app, there's a bit of a learning curve up front and it takes a little time to figure out where everything is and get it set up the way you want, but after that it literally just takes a few minutes a day.

Frequently used foods get saved in Favorites, and I only have to type a few letters for the food to pop up; click it, adjust the portion if necessary, and that's it. Frequently repeated recipes get saved in Custom, so I just to click the name of the recipe and the calories & nutrients for a dozen ingredients are instantly added to the charts. It takes a minute or less to enter the food for each meal, and maybe an extra couple of minutes a day to add snacks, supplements, exercise, and biometrics (in addition to weight, it can track things like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, even sleep).

There are very few activities in my life where 5 minutes of my time has such a huge payoff in terms of the amount of really useful, practical, actionable information I get in return. And the impact of that on my health, and my relationship with food, has been profound.