What did you eat today?

[spokewench]

It really is helpful to post on this thread, and the interaction is very helpful as well.

Regarding my problems with not getting enough calories, I've noted that my fat intake is still markedly below what the sports/diabetes nutritionist recommended, and my protein just a couple of percentage points high. Fat does have more calories...so it seems time to pull back a bit on non-fat dairy and move at least a portion of it to low fat. I've added more olive oil for cooking (rather than spray), but apparently that wasn't enough to move the caloric needle sufficiently. I don't want to add unhealthy things to my diet just to move the calorie needle!

Catrin - Fat is not "unhealthy" if they are good fats. Avocados, nuts, non-saturated fats. I use plenty of olive oil to cook with things like that.

Of course with anything you don't want to overdo it, but add some healthy fats. Your body will thank you.

[Catrin]

Catrin - Fat is not "unhealthy" if they are good fats. Avocados, nuts, non-saturated fats. I use plenty of olive oil to cook with things like that.

Of course with anything you don't want to overdo it, but add some healthy fats. Your body will thank you.

I know, this focus on considering all fat to be bad isn't correct or good, but I did absorb that idea some time ago. My original nutritionist had me on a diet that only included 15% fat and I took that and made it work.

My new diet is supposed to have up to 29% fat.. Fat is also a great energy source as well. I will say that I only maintained that 15% fat proportion for about a year, until I lost most of my weight. That is really hard to maintain over a longer time period.

I have already added more nuts to my diet, and cooking with olive oil for things other than my egg whites (which stick to the pan if I don't use spray). I suspect that I will enjoy Greek yogurt with a bit more fat content

[indysteel]

Catrin, when you eat salads, what do you dress them with? This might be a way to add in some healthy fats (and fats that are better for you than milk fat). I make my own dressings with olive oil and a combination of various vinegars or citrus juices. You can throw in fresh herbs, Dijon mustard, shallots or garlic, honey; whatever suits your fancy.

I notice, too, that you still tend to eat egg whites versus whole eggs. Perhaps you could eat a few more egg yolks, too. I realize that the yolk contains some saturated fat, but from a nutrient standpoint, you'll get more out of whole eggs than you will from switching from skim to 1 or 2% milk or from non-fat to low-fat yogurt.

[Crankin]

Yep, I eat a lot of whole eggs, olive oil, avocado, and walnuts. I do use egg whites a couple of times a week, but basically, eggs don't cause cholesterol issues, the fat is not that high, and they are easy to make.
While I don't over eat these things, the more I add them into my diet, the more weight I lose or maintain, because I am not so hungry. And for me, that's a big issue. I could eat 24 hours a day.
I will be interested to see what my total cholesterol is; I go for my physical next week. Since it's a new doctor, she's ordering the tests after i see her. My total cholesterol last year was 217... my HDL is high (74) so my ratio is perfect. But, since I started cycling in 2000 and changing my diet from carb based to more protein and fats, my total has gone down from 244 . So, obviously the addition of more eggs, chocolate, red wine, olive oil and nuts hasn't hurt, and maybe has even helped.
I cook eggs in olive oil. DH uses real butter (a small amount).

[Catrin]

I've been avoiding whole eggs because I just plain eat so many of the darn things! I have gone down to two eggs at breakfast rather than 3, so I can replace those with whole eggs on exercise days, or at least have 1 egg white and 1 whole egg. My cholesterol is fantastic, as is the HDL/LDL ratio so I don't know what I am worried about - guess I want to keep it that way.

Good point about other forms of fat being better for us than dairy fat. Often I just dress my salads with a good balsamic vinegar or even just lemon juice, this looks like another area that I can improve in...thanks for the ideas everyone! I don't want to go overboard, and considering what my diet was like for years it is a bit ironic that I am having this kind of a problem with it

[Susan Otcenas]

5:00 am: banana
5:30 am: 2600 yard swim
6:45 am: Gu Roctane gel
7:00 am: 40 minute run
8:15 am: (breakfast, finally!) 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt with 1 cup mixed berries, 1 small slice homemade wholegrain bread with homemade strawberry fig jam
10:30am: a pear and another cup of yogurt
1:00 pm: (lunch) salad (spinach, mushrooms, sweet peppers) with balsamic vinegar. One can of sardines packed in olive oil.
3:00 pm One cup grapes, one cup fresh pineapple.
6:30 pm (dinner) Tonight's plan is kale & tofu sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Steamed broccoli & cauliflower with sriracha dressing on the side.

Obviously, I eat a lot of fruit! 5 servings today. I don't always eat that much fruit, but it's a rare day that I don't have at least 3 pieces. Today's protein sources are the greek yogurt (I buy the very-high protein version, low carb), the sardines and the tofu. I should probably eat more protein and less fruit!

[GLC1968]

I may join you all here again now that the only thing I have to keep my body weight under control is nutrition. I eat way more than all of you AND I am not active right now (except for daily life...no exercise to speak of)...

Breakfast: smoothie: 1/2 banana, 1/2 c blueberries, 1/2 almond milk, 1 T coconut milk, 1/2 scoop egg white protein, 1 cup spinach
Snack: coffee with cream, 1 lara bar
Lunch: 1/2 cup homemade quacamole with baby carrots and cukes, leftover beef stew with parsnips and mushrooms served over kabocha squash
Snack: 1 oz raw cheddar, 1 apple
Dinner: ground beef/spinach/basil/pumpkin/egg bake
'desert': a handful of spiced nuts