zoebartlett
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2006
- Messages
- 12,461
I''ve joined SparkPeople and I like the recommendations for the daily meals, but my husband and I have been following our own meal plan and tracking calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and protein in a different way.
SparkPeople said that for my height and weight and what I want to acheive (losing weight), my daily goal for calories is 1200-1500. I''m trying so hard to stick to 1200. I began another thread on counting fruits and veggies when tracking food, but I didn''t want this info. to get lost within that thread. I''m finding it very hard to stay around 1200 calories if I take into account olive oil used for cooking chicken (about 2 Tbls), fruit, and other items.
Here''s what I had the other day:
Breakfast: 1 cup of cheerios, 1/2 cup of skim milk, and approx. 3/4 cup of strawberries (it''s 152 calories for the cereal and milk, but I didn''t count the strawberries)
I''m going to schedule a visit to a RD -- I''ve been before but I want to make a few follow appointments.Date: 7/31/2008 5:26:14 PM
Author: Skippy123
What about doing something like Weightwatchers, it is super cheap! I do WW and it gives me some freedom but yet it is structured enough or meeting with a registered dietician to work with you. For me WW is great because if you weigh a certain amount they start you with a high amount of calories (points) and as you lose they lower them little by little so you aren''t hungry if that makes sense? I eat about 1400 calories a day; I eat a little more if I exercise, depending on how much I exercise and how intense my workout is. Sparkpeople is great but I need a tiny bit of hand holding and support to get me started.
Hi SB, GOOD to see you!!!Date: 8/1/2008 3:39:26 PM
Author: shortblonde
Hi Zoe,
I am mostly a lurker these days, but used to participate in the WWT regularly. I am also very short (5'') and stick to about 1300-1400 calories per day to maintain my weight. I allow myself a bit more than that - probably 1600-1700 or so - one day on the weekends, so I have a little more flexibility when out to dinner or a party. I enjoy my little weekly indulgence, so I find it''s best just to keep my usual calorie intake a little lower to even it all out.
What jumps out at me from your menu is that you need less carbs and more veggies! I love carbs, but they are very calorie-dense, so I find that I get to eat way more food for the same calories when I pick other stuff. I am a volume eater, and all the water and fiber in veggies means I get to eat a huge pile that helps to keep me full. (Fruit is healthy, but not really a good substitute for veggies cause they have way more sugar and therefore more calories. They all count when you are trying to keep your overall intake low!) Try some veggies at lunch instead of the pretzels, and reduce the pasta to 2-3oz at dinner and throw in some veggies to bulk it up. For example, today at lunch I had 10 Kashi crackers, 3oz tuna with 1/2T mayo (pretty similar to you so far!), but also had 2 cups of broccoli slaw with a little (1T) vinaigrette dressing. The 2 cups of veggies is way more food than the pretzels and helps my head and stomach feel like I had enough to eat.
Also, I noticed that all of your carbs, while mostly whole grain, are pretty processed. Try some stuff that is closer to the form when it was grown - rolled oats, brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, etc - as it tends to be more filling when less processed.
Good luck!