I thought I was eating healthy, NOT 2,500 calories?!
 

Hello all. My name is Ari and I am trying VERY hard not to lose my motivation. Yesterday, I worked quite hard to eat what I thought was healthy food...then, when I went into fitday a little while ago and calculated it I found out that I had eaten close to 2,500 calories!

I'm about 5'6, 246lbs and 27 years old. Can someone out there please help me to improve my meals? I have not yet calculated today, Friday's, meal, but it's probably just as bad. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Friday's Menu

PS: I have been going to the gym. I do 28 minutes of cardio which was about 337calories on Wednesday and 250calories today, Friday. Then, I do some light weight lifting for about 20 minutes.

2500 really isn't that many calories so don't flip out. I think you're doing awesome to be able to eat that many calories. Before I started to eat healthy I was eating around 4000-5000 a day. I wasn't eating massive amounts of food, just what I was eating was high fat/high calorie (like Hungry Man Frozen Dinners) and it added up. Now I'm easily eating around 1400 every day and I even have to make sure I eat enough.

My suggestion is to make sure you're getting your 5 a day (servings of fruits and vegetables). This will displace more calorie dense food and make it easier for you to eat fewer calories.

I've been eating very large plates of strawberries and kiwi or strawberries and blueberries and they would come in at about 100 to 150 calories for a big styrofoam plateful of them. I found out how many calories by weighing the ounces on a food scale and finding strawberries, raw and blueberries, raw in the fit day food search and using the ounces feature to add the calories in to my log. You can also do this with carrot pieces or cucumbers or any other type of wonderful vegetables or fruits you like. Fill up on a BIG loaded plate of fruits and/or vegetables and then drink a big glass of water as one or more of your meals or as a low calorie snack. I guarantee if you eat 100-200 calories worth of strawberries and blueberries it would make you feel super full. Same with cucumbers, gosh eat as many as you want with a little bit of salt and pepper or just plain.

I like Kroger Carb Master Yogurt, it's only 60 calories and has good protein.

This is my menu for today
Jif Creamy Peanut Butter 190
4 wheat bread slice 280
Polaner Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves 20
Kroger Carb Master Strawberry/Pomegranate Yogurt 60
Angelcot 20
Lifewater Cherimoya Punch 3
Strawberries, raw 6.15 ounces 56
Blueberries, raw 4 ounces 65
2 Egg, whole, boiled 154
Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water Whole Can 100
Veg Kabob Estimate 200
Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Dijon Dinner 280
Fudgsicle Sugar Free Fudge Bar 40

Total 1,468 Calories

See how I spread it out with fruits and vegetables?

Another secret if you're hungry and you want to eat a LOT of food. This isn't healthy to do every day because it has a big dose of sodium but sometimes I eat an entire can of La Choy Chicken Chow Mein. It's 300 calories for a portion that looks like it could easily feed two people.

Fruits and veggies!
 

Hi Ari, I'll just second what Rubystars said with respect to vegetables and fruits. Looking at your food, I think you could definitely do with some more greenery in there, and it takes up space in your stomach. I've also been eating a lot of berries (great during the summer!) Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are all pretty low calorie and delicious! But yeah, for me, one of the biggest changes I've made is to get rid of foods in my diet that were basically empty calories and find replacement foods that are nutritious, way fewer calories, and just as yummy if not yummier.

Best of luck!

Welcome, Ari!

First thangs... Good for you for wanting to be a better you, and great job getting some exercise in. Also, Ruby is right, 2500 calories is not some crazy-high number - but yes, you are right in that you probably won't lose weight at 2500 calories a day. You are also correct in that you *did* eat very healthy food...just too much of it!

My first response in looking over your menu is that you need to cut the portions down - but the actual food choices are good. For instance, for breakfast, either have the "mean green" or the cereal - not both. I love me some beans and rice (together and separately :)) as well, and they're a staple in my diet - but you have to watch portions. I'd cut the 2 cups of black beans to 1 cup; same thing with the rice.

If you're not bored with it, then it's probably not problematic, but since you're working on a diet you want to keep forever, perhaps consider a different meat than chicken every once in a while? Also, make sure that you're at least eyeballing everything to make sure it's just one serving size. In the beginning, I measured everything until I got a feel for what was what; there are some things I still insist on measuring (cheese, for one) and there are plenty of folks who always measure everything always - you'll find your balance in time.

That's my 2 cents - don't beat yourself up, just keep tracking and watching portion sizes, and you'll see your size go down as well. ;)

Like Ruby, I aim for 1500 calories a day. I cook a meal every night and use those leftovers for lunch, which keeps me from getting bored, and also keeps me from having to think too hard as to what to eat in the middle of the day. :p If you're into cooking, and I'm no salesperson, check out Healthy Cooking magazine - it has awesome recipes, with nutritional info included. Most are simple, some are time-consuming - all are worth it.

If you need sample menus or any other help, just give a shoutout.

I second changeisgood29.
Your choices are just fine, but maybe cut down on the portion sizes a bit.

It's nice to eat 'healthy' food, but the calorie count is what you should be watching. For example, check that calorie count mid-day and see how much you've eaten already. What do you have planned for dinner? What are you going to be doing for dinner? How's that going to keep you within your calorie count.

You can eat anything - ANYTHING (edible) - if you watch your portion sizes and accurately gauge the calorie count of what you are eating and see that you stay within your limits. Pizza? Fine. It will be lower calorie with some choices for toppings and less oil, but portion size and the ultimate count of the calories in the slice is going to make the difference. Not that it was 'healthy.' A cheesy, meaty, spicy, oily pizza slice that is very small may have the same amount of calories - but it would have to the only bite of pizza you eat!

Watch your calories like you watch your wallet on a 'cash' diet. You have this much cash in your wallet and no borrowing capability. Spend what you have (use the calories you can have) wisely. At the end of the day, you're happier. Long-term, the benefits are great.

I love the idea of a calorie 'budget'. The great thing is fruits and vegetables are always on a 'deep discount'! lol

People are good at searching for good deals when it comes to cash, so they can apply these same smarts to their calorie budget.

I know that I used to "juice", and I have found that if I eat the fruits and veggies that I would have juiced, the fiber fills me up big time. I agree with the other feedback, your meals are very healthy, I would watch portions. Good luck to you!

I weigh and measure everything as well..I just started in Jan and kept it up now it is a habit and I rarely veer off track. I second the eating/chewing your calories as opposed to drinking them. In the morning pull a cold orange out of the fridge and cut it in wedges to enjoy instead of just drinking the juice!

Right now I am in a flare up of Crohn's disease so for the past month have eaten mashed potatoes, jello and Ensure..I can tell you I miss chewing something awful. My symptoms have backed off enough now for me to start some chicken and fish, it will be weeks or months before I can have an orange. but it will happen!

I am happy to see you eat kale..have you ever put olive oil and salt on it and baked it to make chips? it is wonderful!

cheers,

Nancy