Is this too much food?

[Burgandybook]

My eating is so messed up, I'm no longer sure what's normal. Is this too much food for a day? Too many calories? This is yesterday's food.

Breakfast - medium sized bowl of sultana bran cereal with semi skimmed milk.

Went out to a cafe with a friend and had a milk hot choc with a small flake and 2 marshmallows. I was annoyed at myself for having this but did walk away from the tempting food. I hate to think how many calories this was.

Late lunch - medium sized jacket potato, 3/4 of a can of tuna with veg (peas, mange tout and leak).

Due to late lunch I didn't make a proper tea but had quite a few grapes and cherries. Maybe half a punnet of cherries and a quarter of a punnet of grapes.

Is this too much? Too many calories?

Jeez that's hardly anything, you've got one meal there!

I'd feel positively virtuous if that's all I'd eaten! Sound really healthy to me - well done!

The level of worry about it seems more concerning than the food itself. Do you have an ED history?

Were you hungry after your dinner of fruit? No one here can say whether it was too much or too little without knowing your height and weight and your activity level yesterday. If you ate when hungry and stopped when full then you ate enough.

Oh my goodness. Thank you. I'm trying to lose a little weight before a holiday but in reality just trying to get a handle on what normality looks like in relation to food after 20 years of really only eating oven food and take aways. There have been weeks where I've had no fruit or veg at all and I need to get this sorted.

Not too much food or too many calories, quite the opposite, but you are eating too much carb and not enough protein in my view. Every person is different and has different nutritional needs, so it's hard to generalise, but the only protein you've had all day is 3/4 of a can of tuna and some milk. That's very low by anyone's standards.

Your anxiety over a day where you had 1 proper meal and a bowl of cereal suggests that you should probably seek medical advice

I feel it would be irresponsible to comment on your food intake when it’s so obvious you have issues around food.

You admit you don’t know what normal is, you’re feeling annoyed at yourself for having a drink in a cafe and you’re thinking of calories so much, it’s time to seek professional help.

Disordered eating for about 20 years rather than an eating disorder I'd say. Nothing like bullemia or anorexia but I've over eaten for years with a really poor diet.

No not hungry. I'm 5 foot 2 and 14 stone 8 so very overweight. I walk a lot but not much other exercise.

I have sought help but the waiting list for help is over 8 months I'm told.

You need protein, fruit is good for you but also full of sugar. Your breakfast and lunch are fine but for dinner you need meat or fish with lots of veg. Plus some snacks, eggs are good.

Tbf the OP had dinner for lunch really didn't she

I've just done a protein calculator online and it looks like enough?

Yeah but by that logic then she had hardly any lunch.

It’s enough protein, but if you’re trying to lose weight, then more will fill you up more, so that it’s easier to have a calorie deficit.

I think. 😃

Thanks. That makes sense.

Have you asked for help from your GP or nurse in the meantime? I know a couple of people who got help this way, both with disordered eating and maintaining a healthy weight.

Or could you go private?

Which is fine because she ate breakfast 🤷

Not everyone has to eat 3 meals per day if they're not particularly hungry.

Yeah that's who the wait is for. Have to see them before getting referred on as well.

I can't get over that you had some grapes and cherries for dinner, I'd be waking up hungry during the night.

An 8 month weight to see your GP/nurse. Things are bad I know, but you need to change surgery.

Fair enough, you are trying to lose weight.

Yesterday wasn’t too far off. Personally I would have replaced the fruit dinner with something like lean chicken and salad, or a mushroom omelette or lentil soup, something more savoury and with some protein to cut down sugar and leave you feeling fuller.

It’s fine to have a hot choc in a cafe , ideally without either the flake or the marshmallows.

It's to see the nurse that deals with weight at my surgery.

Please don't tell her it sounds healthy. The OP clearly has an eating disorder, and what she has eaten is very little, yet she's worrying it was too much.
@Burgandybook , do you see a dietician?