In Which Food Adjustments Are Required

[serinde]

So, if no exercise, then must be strict food control. Thus I have started logging food with FitDay again.

Part of what tends to make me fall off the wagon is the nuisance of keeping track of everything. I can, and have, done it before; but it seems to be much harder to force myself back to it, as if by having succeeded once I have proved it and don't need to prove it again. Except that I'm not doing this as a symbol of how iron-willed I am, I'm doing it to be less of a wobbling pudgebucket. Stupid backbrain. ANYWAYS; since I am a creature of habit, and tend to eat the same damn thing every day, I created a "new custom food" which is the part of my daily consumption that doesn't change.

Thus:
* breakfast *
1 (large) egg
1 slice of TJ's sprouted wheat bread
a schmear of low-fat not-butter
2 splashes of half-and-half in coffee

* elevenses *
1 reduced-fat cheesestick
15 almonds

* lunch *
3 cups mixed greens
1/5 package of extra-firm tofu
2/3 of a bell pepper
1 T. salad dressing

All of this adds up to 628 calories: 37g fat, 39g carbs, 38g protein. This is too much fat, and not enough protein. Ideally I'd replace the tofu with a leaner protein, but that becomes a logistical issue (I don't always roast a meat over the weekend, generating leftovers for salad). The easiest solution is canned tuna; but eating a half can every day leads to the whole mercury question.

What to do, what to do.

Comments

[missionista.livejournal.com]

What about tuna 2 days a week, and tofu the other 3?

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

But the problem is that I want/need to amend that balance for every day...

However, I may have found an alternative: canned salmon! Apparently it's ecologically managed AND low in unpleasant chemicals (http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16960). It's higher-fat than tuna, but it's still a better fat:protein ratio than tofu.

[rainbear.livejournal.com]

Please *please* don't fall into the trap of "Fat = bad".

Our brains *need* fats--it helps to regulate our moods and keep our various brain chemicals in balance. Our bodies need them, too. And, honestly, I'd rather see you eating real butter than non-butter low-fat non-food. It's the same amount of fat and calories. And, at least butter is from a natural source. Y'know? Not cooked up in a lab somewhere.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/1594201455/ref=pd_ys_iyr5)--it's a seriously good read. The basics are:

Don't eat *anything* your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as being food. This includes margarine, anything with HFCS, low-fat anything.

Eat food, not nutrients. Nutrients != food. Anything with "Now with added x" is not food.

Yes, I know. Fat guy telling you how to eat. :-/ But I can tell you that my endos have been telling me since I started seeing them, that they'd rather see me eat & drink real foodstuffs than artificial stuff.

Anywho. Didn't mean to rant on. :HUGS:

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

:) No, I know; I am not trying to say ZOMG NO FAT! However, left to my own devices I would live on butter, hard cheese, and bloody sirloins, and some form of balance must be imposed. My requirements are simply that less than 35% of the daily calorie intake should be sourced in fat; that the rest should be roughly equally sourced between protein and carbs; and that the day's calories should be <2000, or <1600 if I'm not exercising.

I don't think that's entirely unreasonable. :)

[rainbear.livejournal.com]

*nod* The normal ratio is 30% fat 30% protein 40% carbohydrates for a regular diet. For a diabetic, like myself, the ratio doesn't work, because 30% of my calories should come from carbs. So that leaves 10% unaccounted for, which usually gets made up with either protein or fat. Too much protein = bad (hard on your kidneys), too much fat isn't so bad, as long as it's a monounsaturated fat, such as extra virgin olive oil, per the dietitian--but hey, the Powers Who Be told us margarine was great for us, too.. and now we find out about trans fats.. yikes! :-\

The calorie range is good. You're pretty active, so even if you miss a day of exercise, your metabolism is still higher than most. :)

I will say, however, that when I last saw you, fat was not an adjective I would have used to describe you at all. Eating better, fresher foods, is a good thing for everyone, however! :) Now--you mention sirloins. Sirloins are actually one of the lower fat meats, along with fillets. Plus, as we both know, packed with lots of good beef flavor! :)

Anywho--I have to say I've been impressed reading your exercise blogging. :) If I were going down a dark alley, I'd definitely want you on *my* side! :D

[nancaurelia.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest salmon, but not necessarily canned. Do you have access to a microwave?

Also in my WW universe 3 egg whites are a better choice than 1 whole egg. That might be one way to achieve more protein and less fat. Hardboiled is convenient.

And finally, if you were actually a wobbling pudgebucket, which you're not, then what would that make me? Your wobbling pudgebucket turquoise-wearing bookend?

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I do have access to a microwave, but I don't tend to like throwing hot stuff into my salad, except under carefully-monitored conditions.

I don't like splitting out eggs that way, 'cos it seems wasteful...

And, no! As always, you are our model of feminine grace. :)

[nancaurelia.livejournal.com]

That's another advantage of hard boiled eggs. You can feed the yolks to dogs or boys or even some cats. But I decided a long time ago that eating food that makes me overweight is even more wasteful than throwing it away. It took me a while to embrace that concept considering my "wasting food is a sin" upbringing by parents raised during the depression, but for me it was really important. I have also chosen not to scrimp on cost vs. diet.

[rainbear.livejournal.com]

One thing canned salmon has that fresh doesn't--edible bones, which are good for calcium! :)

As for the eggwhites, I've used egg beaters or egg white beaters, but we can't forget that, while eggs have cholesterol, it's that HDL stuff that helps to clean out your arteries of cloggings and bad stuffage. Again, what the Powers Who Be tell us. ;-)

Plus, eggs are the nommy! :-)

Broader protein sources

[(Anonymous)]

I hate to say it, but I think you are stuck in carnivore thought mode. There are gazillions of sources of veggie protein outside of fish and tofu: Beans, legumes, nuts, seeds. And do you really need all that protein? (or are you on another of those high-protein fad diets?)

Re: Broader protein sources

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

No, not on a fad diet; but I seriously do not get enough protein.

[lillilah]

Have you considered replacing:
not-butter with jelly
half and half with nonfat milk
elevenses with carrot or other vegetable (or maybe yogurt)

It is my impression that the tofu is the least fatty of all those things. I agree that beans would work as a tofu replacement and also agree that perhaps it isn't necessary to have protein in your salad unless you aren't eating that much protein for dinner.

[erinfinnegan.livejournal.com]

Sorry - going through old journal entries days after the fact:

What about fiber? Where does fiber fit in this equation? Fiber + protein = satisfaction! I know the mixed greens and sprouted wheat bread are fine sources... ah! I guess the almonds are, too. But you haven't noted numbers for them...

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I'm getting about 20g of fiber a day. I think that should be enough, yeah?

[erinfinnegan.livejournal.com]

Apparently the recommended amount is 25-35 grams, so almost?