diet composition

[Grayscale]

what does your diet consist of, categorically speaking? carbohydrates, proteins, fat, fiber, cholesterol, etc?

do you think you get all the nutrients and vitamins you need on a daily basis?

what types of food do you mostly eat? where or who do you get them from and why?


in the autumn and winter i tend to eat less carbohydrates and more protein, ive noticed it makes my metabolism go crazy (seems like im always hungry... like right now :sad

since im usually lazy about that sort of thing, although i eat well i have pretty poor variety... i try to take a vitamin supplement to make up for that. when i eat out, i like to get different things that i dont like to cook normally (vegetables, for one) so, for me, a fairly big part of eating at restaurants is having foods that i dont usually have access to since they take too long/too complicated to cook.

most of what i eat is simple foods, meat, bread, vegetables, fruit, etc. that are easy to prepare.

 

[miss fortune]

It's easier to start with what I don't eat- sweets and dairy, and then move in.

I eat plenty of rice, legumes, seafood, vegetables and fruit.

I usually have a glass of wine a day, and probably 5 cups of tea.

Seasonal adjustments? I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer, from my parents garden and the farmers market. In the winter I eat more meat and I bake more bread.

I take a calcium supplement because I like having bones and don't consume dairy. Otherwise, I think I'm probably rather properly balanced dietarily!

 

[Bella]

I prefer getting protein from something other than red meat - soya milk for example. I try to eat sardines 3 times a week for the protein and calcium, tuna twice a week.
Oatmeal or 5 grain cereal with a tablespoon of olive oil on a daily basis. A tablespoon of olive oil a day is so good for you.
Fruit every day.
Not been doing so good with this the last two weeks though, working too much.

 

[Little Linguist]

Hmm - I'm on a diet right now, but I don't know if it is very healthy. I eat mostly fruits and veggies, with some dairy products and protein bars (again, I don't know if this is healthy) for low-calorie protein.

For example:

Breakfast: Protein bar, 500 ml milk

Snack: 1 pear

In between: 1 L water

Lunch: Protein bar, 1 apple, 1 pear (sometimes I have 300 ml yogurt with a cut up apple and pear)

In between: 1 L water

Snack: Salad with dressing

In between: 1 L water

Dinner: Salad with dressing and fruit

In between: 1 L water

Yeah. So. Heh. *shrugs* Seems to be working so far.

Then I will have 'real' protein with fish or something three times a week. That would be for lunch or dinner with salad.

 

[Bella]

Whoaa, you're gonna drown!!

 

[prplchknz]

usually water, pasta, soup, cheese sticks, chicken nuggets, coffee, tea, alcohol, or chips, basically the first thing I grab.

 

[ajblaise]

Hmm I never thought about it much, I can eat whatever the I want and won't get fat, WTF is a diet?

Usually:

Lots of meats
Carrots and broccoli
Salad
a helluva lot of grains
a LOT of milk
Anything with cheese or ketchup on it
Pasta

 

[Rachelinpa]

bagels and cream cheese, potatoes in various forms, diet coke and coffee.

oh, and ben and jerry's.

my eating habits are terrible. but occasionally, i'll be inspired and start cooking.

 

[rhinosaur]

Today's Menu

Breakfast Options:
- Bowl of oatmeal with raisins, cooked in soymilk
- Cereal and soymilk
- Peanuts, applesauce, granola bars
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Tea

Lunch Options:
- PB&J Sandwich
- Brussel Sprouts and spicy relish
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Eat out (sandwich, burger, etc.)
- Tea, wine

Dinner Options:
- Beans
- Pasta
- Eat out (maybe pasta, Mexican, or vegetarian burger)
- Wine

Normally I would have more options, but I'm traveling soon and don't have a lot of food in the house. Normally I like to keep yogurt and fruit around. I try to eat as healthy as possible (diet is the first medicine, is my philosophy), but with my lifestyle I end up eating out way more often than I like.

 

[Grayscale]

Hmm I never thought about it much, I can eat whatever the I want and won't get fat, WTF is a diet?

everyone has a diet, a lot of people use it to refer to a specific diet, like to lose weight, but everyone has one, even if that's pizza and icecream.

Hmm - I'm on a diet right now, but I don't know if it is very healthy. I eat mostly fruits and veggies, with some dairy products and protein bars (again, I don't know if this is healthy) for low-calorie protein.

For example:

Breakfast: Protein bar, 500 ml milk

Snack: 1 pear

In between: 1 L water

Lunch: Protein bar, 1 apple, 1 pear (sometimes I have 300 ml yogurt with a cut up apple and pear)

In between: 1 L water

Snack: Salad with dressing

In between: 1 L water

Dinner: Salad with dressing and fruit

In between: 1 L water

Yeah. So. Heh. *shrugs* Seems to be working so far.

Then I will have 'real' protein with fish or something three times a week. That would be for lunch or dinner with salad.

<not a dietician>

im not sure what your body weight is, but you may be drinking too much water, which is actually bad for you. you can get hyponatremia and dilute the sodium content in your body tissue, although since you spread it out that probably wont happen, you should know that it is possible to drink too much.

i would suggest trying to vary your protein intake instead of only protein bars. 1 a day is probably fine, but if you're really stuck on time try mixing it up with whey powder, or chicken or turkey.

you eat plenty of fruit and veggies, which is usually where most americans really suck at, so that's good. only thing i would add is some complex carbohydrates right before the busy part of your day (even while on a diet, it's good to get some) i like whole grain bagels or breads for this since they also have a lot of fiber , and since you're a female, some more dairy would also be a really good idea.

as always, whenever youre only eating a limited variety of food, take a multivitamin!

make sure you're eating enough calories too--never below your BMR, or your metabolism will slow down and your body will process lean body mass just as much as it processes fat. stick to your BMR and then add in excercise if you want to create a caloric deficit.

 

[ajblaise]

everyone has a diet, a lot of people use it to refer to a specific diet, like to lose weight, but everyone has one, even if that's pizza and icecream.

Yeah, I was referring to a "diet", like the "I'm going on a diet" diet.

 

[Grayscale]

Yeah, I was referring to a "diet", like the "I'm going on a diet" diet.

sure, i was just pointing out that you could impress people by telling them you're on a "diet"

"i cant eat that, im on a diet"
"...you cant eat carrot sticks on your diet?"
"nope... strictly candy, soda, pizza, and icecream. anyways i already cheated today and had some french fries, those are vegetables right?"

 

[Grayscale]

here's a diet i came up with a few days ago that i am going to try this winter.

3 parts dairy
2 parts fruit
4 parts vegetables
1 part fat
1 part complex carbohydrates
7 parts protein
2 misc. snacks
1 misc. drink
100 calories misc. additives or condiments


yesterday that looked like this:

breakfast:
2 cups special K, 1 cup skim milk
1 cup non-fat yogurt

yogurt is delicious, and calcium helps build strong bones. duh, havent you seen the commercials?


snack:
a few handfuls of trail mix

i always have bags of this stuff leftover from hiking. peanuts, raisins, dried bananas, etc.


lunch:
some sort of bar somethingorother
banana
bag of carrot sticks
protein powder drink (yuck)
more yogurt

apparently eating an entire bag of carrots is "weird" because people look at me funny. or maybe it's because I say "whats up, doc?" before biting into a carrot stick with great enthusiasm.


snack:
smoothie thing, w/ another banana (im a big fan of potassium if you couldnt tell)

my brother got married and they had an extra blender, i said i would upgrade their gift a bit if i could take it off their hands... it's pretty nifty... it makes a lot of noise and i really get into it, like revving it n-stuff.


dinner:
small salad
22 oz. lean steak

nobody has yet to tell me why george foreman is endorsing grills, of all things. wasnt he like a boxer? what the hell does that have to do with grills!?



anyways, if i die of scurvy or rickets in the next year youll know this diet sucks

 

[Little Linguist]

everyone has a diet, a lot of people use it to refer to a specific diet, like to lose weight, but everyone has one, even if that's pizza and icecream.



<not a dietician>

im not sure what your body weight is, but you may be drinking too much water, which is actually bad for you. you can get hyponatremia and dilute the sodium content in your body tissue, although since you spread it out that probably wont happen, you should know that it is possible to drink too much.

i would suggest trying to vary your protein intake instead of only protein bars. 1 a day is probably fine, but if you're really stuck on time try mixing it up with whey powder, or chicken or turkey.

you eat plenty of fruit and veggies, which is usually where most americans really suck at, so that's good. only thing i would add is some complex carbohydrates right before the busy part of your day (even while on a diet, it's good to get some) i like whole grain bagels or breads for this since they also have a lot of fiber , and since you're a female, some more dairy would also be a really good idea.

as always, whenever youre only eating a limited variety of food, take a multivitamin!

make sure you're eating enough calories too--never below your BMR, or your metabolism will slow down and your body will process lean body mass just as much as it processes fat. stick to your BMR and then add in excercise if you want to create a caloric deficit.

Thank you very much for your advice. Here is some stuff I'd like to add, which I did not add before:

- Water in Germany is *always* mineral water - there is no water that is JUST water. The water I drink usually has 18.5 mg Sodium, 99.0 mg calcium, 5.7 mg magnesium, 42.4 mg chloride, 0.08 mg flouride, 69.0 mg sulfate, and 211.0 mg hydrogen carbonate. That means it is safer to drink large amounts of water spread out over the day (I think???) Perhaps you can comment on that?

- When I eat other forms of protein, how much should I eat? 100 g?

- When you say more dairy, do you mean more milk or yogurt, or what do you think? How much more?

- I always eat about 1200 calories a day, and being 5'2" and my goal weight being 55 kg (I'm averaging around 63 right now DOH!!!) So I think that's enough, right? Or what do you think?

- Fruits and veggies give you lots of fiber, right? One fitness roll per day with two slices of turkey and veggies on it (maybe a little butter) in the morning should do the trick, eh?

Thanks so much for your input. (Others can feel free to comment as well, since I love getting advice from people. I'm not really an expert, so I could use the assistance.)

 

[Bella]

Oatmeal in the morning keeps you full for longer than most other foods, apart from protein.

 

[kuranes]

I suggest a diet consisting of psyllium husks and prunes marinated in a strict 40/60 mix of Chipotle and hot cider for the first week.

 

[Grayscale]

- your kidneys could probably process at least 8-10 litres of water a day, so youre not really drinking a dangerous amount of water, i just wanted to point out that there is such a thing... just something to keep in mind.


- for protein, just try to get 2-3 servings. the thing is, eating the correct serving amounts of natural or predominately unprocessed foods also ensures you get a wide array of other nutrients, so to have 2 servings of protein bars is not quite as balanced as having a protein bar, some natural protein (chicken and turkey are preferable to red meat, also fairly low on calories), and maybe some whey powder, which is kinda gross but a very "clean" source of protein. serving size is approx 100-200 calories, which will depend on what youre eating. 1 bar might be at the top end of that, something low-cal like chicken near the bottom (~3 oz or so?)

- it's really important for women to get plenty of calcium... so any sort of dairy that is a good source of calcium will work, if you can get used to it, fat-free options are good. in whatever's case, she doesnt consume dairy so she takes a supplement (smart girl!)

- on how many calories to eat a day: we all have what is called a BMR, or "base metabolic rate". this is how many calories we use in a day just... existing. as a general rule of thumb, you dont want to go below this or it will actually be counterproductive to your weight loss goal, your metabolism will drop (body goes into "starvation mode") and begins to break down lean mass along with fat for nutrients. if you are generally sedetary, dont excercise and have an office job, how many calories you actually burn will be about BMRx1.2. you can find your BMR here... eating this BMRx1.2 amount will mean maintaining weight, aside from small metabolism adjustments your body makes depending on how much youre eating.

so im going to do myself: i am 6'3/200lbs/21yoa, so my BMR is about 2120 kcal. if i go through a normal day of work/walking around/etc i will burn 1.2x this, so 2550. if i want to lose weight, i should eat fewer calories than i use in a day, but not below my BMR, meaning i could consume 2120 a day but burn 2550, for a deficit of 430/day or 3010/week (1 lb of fat is about 3500 kcal, so id burn almost 1 lb a week). if i run for an hour i have burned another 1,000 kcal (numbers for different activities can be found online), which is added to my 1.2x value of 2550, meaning i have consumed 2120 but used 3,550 for a deficit of 1,430/day or over 10,000/wk (almost 3 lbs a week). this is why exercise is the only real way to lose weight faster, as compared to people who try and starve themselves and end up losing lots of lean body mass and looking all sickly.

exercising also gives an added benefit in the sense that, over time, you will lose weight and your BMR will actually go down, meaning it will be harder to lose weight as you get closer to your target weight. but if youre also exercising over time, you will develop muscle which helps burn calories and will curb this plateau. lastly, it is also easier to ensure you're at a calorie deficit when you have a larger range to "hit" with how many calories you've eaten in a day. trying to get between 2120 and 2550 is more difficult than trying to get between 2120 and 3550.




and yeah, you're getting the right idea with that breakfast item. you can't really go wrong with a balance and variety of whole or only lightly processed foods. then all you have to do is make sure you eat enough calories in a day (more smaller meals is better than fewer big meals) so your metabolism stays high, and then just use all those high quality calories you're eating to get some form of exercise.

oh, let me know if any of this doesnt make sense, i know it seems complicated but you can get the hang of it, then it becomes second nature!

 

[Little Linguist]

- your kidneys could probably process at least 8-10 litres of water a day, so youre not really drinking a dangerous amount of water, i just wanted to point out that there is such a thing... just something to keep in mind.


- for protein, just try to get 2-3 servings. the thing is, eating the correct serving amounts of natural or predominately unprocessed foods also ensures you get a wide array of other nutrients, so to have 2 servings of protein bars is not quite as balanced as having a protein bar, some natural protein (chicken and turkey are preferable to red meat, also fairly low on calories), and maybe some whey powder, which is kinda gross but a very "clean" source of protein. serving size is approx 100-200 calories, which will depend on what youre eating. 1 bar might be at the top end of that, something low-cal like chicken near the bottom (~3 oz or so?)

- it's really important for women to get plenty of calcium... so any sort of dairy that is a good source of calcium will work, if you can get used to it, fat-free options are good. in whatever's case, she doesnt consume dairy so she takes a supplement (smart girl!)

- on how many calories to eat a day: we all have what is called a BMR, or "base metabolic rate". this is how many calories we use in a day just... existing. as a general rule of thumb, you dont want to go below this or it will actually be counterproductive to your weight loss goal, your metabolism will drop (body goes into "starvation mode") and begins to break down lean mass along with fat for nutrients. if you are generally sedetary, dont excercise and have an office job, how many calories you actually burn will be about BMRx1.2. you can find your BMR here... eating this BMRx1.2 amount will mean maintaining weight, aside from small metabolism adjustments your body makes depending on how much youre eating.

so im going to do myself: i am 6'3/200lbs/21yoa, so my BMR is about 2120 kcal. if i go through a normal day of work/walking around/etc i will burn 1.2x this, so 2550. if i want to lose weight, i should eat fewer calories than i use in a day, but not below my BMR, meaning i could consume 2120 a day but burn 2550, for a deficit of 430/day or 3010/week (1 lb of fat is about 3500 kcal, so id burn almost 1 lb a week). if i run for an hour i have burned another 1,000 kcal (numbers for different activities can be found online), which is added to my 1.2x value of 2550, meaning i have consumed 2120 but used 3,550 for a deficit of 1,430/day or over 10,000/wk (almost 3 lbs a week). this is why exercise is the only real way to lose weight faster, as compared to people who try and starve themselves and end up losing lots of lean body mass and looking all sickly.

exercising also gives an added benefit in the sense that, over time, you will lose weight and your BMR will actually go down, meaning it will be harder to lose weight as you get closer to your target weight. but if youre also exercising over time, you will develop muscle which helps burn calories and will curb this plateau. lastly, it is also easier to ensure you're at a calorie deficit when you have a larger range to "hit" with how many calories you've eaten in a day. trying to get between 2120 and 2550 is more difficult than trying to get between 2120 and 3550.




and yeah, you're getting the right idea with that breakfast item. you can't really go wrong with a balance and variety of whole or only lightly processed foods. then all you have to do is make sure you eat enough calories in a day (more smaller meals is better than fewer big meals) so your metabolism stays high, and then just use all those high quality calories you're eating to get some form of exercise.

oh, let me know if any of this doesnt make sense, i know it seems complicated but you can get the hang of it, then it becomes second nature!

Thank you so much! No, that made a LOT of sense, actually! I'm going to go to the gym tomorrow and Saturday (prob. not Sunday). Alas, I don't have a lot of time at the beginning of next week buuuuuuut I'm on vacation starting on Thursday, so I can get a lot of workouts in!!! So I'm really psyched about this!! Let's do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Sorry just giving myself a pep talk!!!)

 

[mlittrell]

im an ectomorph and am not sensitive to carbs so i tend to eat a bit of (healthy) carbs. lean meat. lots of lean meat. really any kind of fruit. lots of fruit. veggies when i can. i never eat processed food if possible and never eat sugar. lots of water. lots of olive oil (yay acytlycholine boost, good for the NF). fish oil. eggs (a lot).

remember

NF -> acetylcholine dominant -> synthesized in certain neurons by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase from the compounds choline and acetyl-CoA.
thank you wikipedia ^

NT -> dopamine dominant -> a derivative of tyrosine

SP -> serotonin dominant -> a derivative of tryptophan

SJ -> GABA dominant -> a derivative of glutamine

sorry for my spelling

 

[Grayscale]

Thank you so much! No, that made a LOT of sense, actually! I'm going to go to the gym tomorrow and Saturday (prob. not Sunday). Alas, I don't have a lot of time at the beginning of next week buuuuuuut I'm on vacation starting on Thursday, so I can get a lot of workouts in!!! So I'm really psyched about this!! Let's do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Sorry just giving myself a pep talk!!!)

i also forgot to mention, 2-3 servings of dairy, same as protein.

this might look familiar to you

the important thing to note is that most of your vitamins and nutrients are coming from the middle 4 groups, and a big portion of your calories are coming from the grain group.

that means to lose weight, cut back from fats/sweets (obviously) and carbohydrates (1-3 servings instead of 6-11) and leave the rest alone. if you find that you arent meeting your calorie target--which is entirely likely if youre taking off 5-8 servings of grain out of a normal diet--then make that up with extra servings of protein to help with muscle development