Not eating enough?

MRSchultz

MRSchultz

Cathlete
Could it be true??? I can't believe I'm actually saying this, BUT I think I need to add more 'good' calories to my day. I workout quite intensely for at least an hour or more every day. I am trying very hard to lose weight and my neighbor (who's a nurse) said that I might not be eating enough to feed my body with all the working out that I do.

So, as unreal as it seems to me - I'm going to 'try' for a while to add more good calories to my diet and see what happens. I've been at a standstill for quite a few months.

So my question to all of you - what are some 'good' things to add that are quick and easy. I realize fruits and veggies, but anything else??? I bought some raisins today for a snack, is that OK?

Thanks in advance.
Marcia.
 
Hi Lorrie - that's for the info on raisins, I guess I didn't know they were that bad. x(

Here's a sample of a day:

Breakfast: 3 eggs with veggies (mushrooms, peppers, etc.) and sprinkle of lowfat cheese.

Snack: Weight Watcher yogurt, string cheese, nuts (not always all three)

Lunch: Wrap with lean protein or salad, carrots/dip :9 , string cheese

Snack: Same as above

Supper: Lean protein meat, veggies

Lots of water, too, throughout the day.

Thanks, Marcia.
 
As Lorrie said, raisins are high glycemic. In addition, dried fruits in general are much more calorie dense than their non-dehydrated counterparts, and much easier to get 'too many' calories from. One could easily eat 500 calories of raisins, but it would be hard to get that many grapes in!

However, mixing high glycemic foods (like dried fruit) with fat or protein slows digestion time and lowers the overall glycemic index. So snacking on a handful of trail mix (with dried fruit and nuts) wouldn't be bad (as long as you don't exceed the calories you need by doing so).

Some other good calories: whole grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, brown rice. Breads (I prefer the sprouted grain breads).
 
Here are some possible changes/additions that could work for you:

>Breakfast: 3 eggs with veggies (mushrooms, peppers, etc.) and
>sprinkle of lowfat cheese.

Add one slice toasted sprouted grain bread with a thin spread of nut butter.


>Snack: Weight Watcher yogurt, string cheese, nuts (not always
>all three)

Go for regular full-fat yogurt.
Cheese is a high-fat, high saturated fat food. Not the best choice. Nuts are better. Or some sliced avocado (for healthy fats).

>Lunch: Wrap with lean protein or salad, carrots/dip :9 ,
>string cheese
Sounds good. If you don't have avocado for a snack, you could add a few slices to the wrap. Or make a hummus dip (with or without oil: just processing some garbanzo beans, onion and garlic together is a good base for your own homemade hummus).

>Supper: Lean protein meat, veggies

Add one serving whole grain (like quinoa).
 
Hi Marcia -

For me it wasn't necessarily about the specific things I ate, but more importantly, the calorie count for the day. I made sure it was something that would work for me, otherwise it just would have been a short time fix. It was key for me to track my calories! I used sparkpeople.com since it was free. Now, I use the site all the time to help me in my goals.

Since I know you are doing the X, you might also want to consider adding a protein drink after your workouts. Let spark track your protein intake and see where you are first to see if you need additional protein though. The package on my protein drink says that you should take in 1g of protein for every pound of body weight if you are fit. That seemed like a lot to me, so I just try to make sure I get over 100g, which is something that I can easily do - and if I go over on my protein - bonus!

By the way, if you are in starvation mode, it will be very difficult for you to lose weight. Using the nutrition tracker will allow you to play with your caloric range and find what works best for you. For me, an 1800 cal diet with at least 4-5 veges and 2-3 fruits per day with 64 oz. water worked great.

Now, I'm not saying clean eating isn't a great thing - it is! I just have a difficult time eating some of the things suggested and also have a very hard time finding some of it at our small local grocery store.:( However, if you can do it, it will make it easier for you to be able to consume more food with less calories and be healthy too.:)

Try it out and let me know how it works out for you.

Angie
 
> The package on my
>protein drink says that you should take in 1g of protein for
>every pound of body weight if you are fit. That seemed like a
>lot to me, so I just try to make sure I get over 100g, which
>is something that I can easily do - and if I go over on my
>protein - bonus!

Funny that a protein drink would recommend a higher-than-necessary protein intake....NOT!;-) (and getting excess protein isn't really a good idea: tough on the kidneys, acidifying to the body, can negatively affect the immune system).

1 gm of protein per KILO (2.2 pounds) of body weight is more on track.

Also, the best post-exercise smoothie/drink should contain a 4-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein.
 
Marcia,

Yes, your neighbor is correct. What really works for me is eating 6 small meals a day three hours apart.

I normally eat a protein with a complex carbohydrate and a healthy fat. For example: 6:30 am - 1/2 protein shake before weight workout
8:15 am - Oatmeal, 3 eggwhites, other 1/2 protein shake, flax seed oil
11:00 am - Protein shake, banana
1:00 pm - Chicken, brown rice and veggies
4:00 pm - Chicken, 1 tea. natural peanut butter OR chicken and salad with basalmic olive oil dressing
7:00 pm - Supper, normally chicken of some kind and a veggie
Before bed - Either a protein shake w/ flax seed oil or an apple with natural peanut butter.

Hope that helps.
Sue
 
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