Working on Custom Diet
 

Hello Forum,

I've been trying to work on a custom weight loss diet that consists of palatable meals. So far I've lost 25 lbs. (going from 194 to 169). Here is what a fairly good day of my diet looks like:

• Cooked spelt with silk and cinnamon
• Coffee with half-n-half
• Almonds (I get Cocoa Roast from Sam's Club)
• Large spinach salad with croutons, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette
• Smoked Turkey and Lentil Soup
• Raw carrots
• Sockeye patties with lemon herb sauce
• Broccoli with a little cheddar sauce
• Peanut butter and jelly whole wheat sandwich
• Plenty of water
• A little juice

I can cut calories this way and get a good amount of vitamins and minerals through food sources, but I think this is relatively high in fat. Can anyone show me a good example where the ratio is about 60% carbs, 20% fat 20% protein? What does a good day from your diet look like?

BTW, I'm also trying to do this on a budget.

Thanks.

-Christopher

Congratulations on losing 25 pounds!!
The diet looks pretty good to me. I prefer to have my protein around 30% but I see no problem with 20% fat either (fat has been shown to satiate hunger and is necessary for nutrient transfer). If you want to reduce the fat cut down on the Almonds and Peanut Butter and replace the calories with a lean protein source like yogurt, eggs, more turkey or salmon, or a protein shake.

How tall are you? Age? 169# seems good/low for most adult men?

Hello rpmcduff. I'm 5'10" and 43 years old.

I say 60% carbs and 20% each of fats and protein because livestrong.com and other sources recommend that, but I'm not stuck on doing it that way.

As for the almonds, I like them for the vitamin E (and taste). Yes, I could do more eggs, but even a couple of eggs have a lot of cholesterol. Yogurt is definitely a good idea. In fact, my wife does homemade yogurt sometimes.

Thanks.

Although eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, no studies have ever linked dietary cholesterol with high blood cholesterol levels in people. In fact the cholesterol in eggs is of the HDL variety (the good kind) and not the LDL that increase health risks. Weight and activity have a more direct relationship to blood cholesterol levels. I am currently eating 3 whole eggs daily and my cholesterol levels (which were never in the high range) have gone down with my increase in activity and my decreasing weight.

Here is a link with information that supports the above. Untitled Document

Adding a few more eggs, like Ron suggested, is a great way to get a little more protein in the diet. More recent research has shown that cholesterol from our diets really has little effect on blood cholesterol, so go ahead and have a few eggs every week.

I am also a big fan of cottage cheese. I will often use it as "dressing" on spinach salads. Adds a creamy texture, a little tang, a nice protein boost, and avoids the fats in regular dressing.

Nice job on the Weight lose - you are definitely doing something right! ;)

Weight Loss
 

Sounds really good and congrats you loss 25 pounds.
I am happy for you and glad too. Good job.