To ask you to analyse my diet and tell me why I lack energy, motivation and bowel movements?

[TakeMeToTheUSA]

So frustrating.

I went to work today and by lunch time I was fatigued. Brain fogged. Sat in my car feeling like I couldn't carry on with the rest of the day. I just have no energy at all and I'm sure it must be my diet?!

By time my shift finished I couldn't stop yawning. I felt absolutely drained. I didn't go to gym as planned and am instead laid on the sofa eating chocolate wanting to go to bed.

My diet for today was:

Breakfast - fuel protein porridge and coffee.
Lunch - bacon and cheese toastie made with 400g (small slices) 50/50 bread. A packet of hula hoops.
Dinner: spaghetti Bol made with 5% fat beef mince, wholewheat spaghetti and dolmio with a sprinkle of cheese.

A) why am I not losing weight?
B) why do I have no energy?
C) why do I feel hungry and weak?
D) why do I look like shit?????

OP my diet was like yours for a long time and I've gained a stone and a half but I'm starting to lose it now.

Try out the myfitnesspal website, log your foods in there and you can check what you're most lacking from your diet. I've found it really useful, especially if you look at the report. You can change the groups measured to suit what you feel you're most lacking in and it will also help you keep count of your calorie intake. It's really easy to use.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice. I know my diet is terrible, I've had a lot in my mind and food has been an afterthought.

I used to make homemade butternut squash soup which I loved, I used to make my own bolognese - I just got lazy.

I'm compiling an online shop using the ideas from this thread.

Can't find lines of crack though ... will that be with the supplements?

I've got some vit D tablets which I keep forgetting to take so I'll put them next to the kettle so I see them in morning. I'll book myself in for a blood test too.

Thanks again and please keep on with the meal ideas, my ASDA shop is looking very healthy indeed! 😊

Try homemade bolognaise over veg instead of pasta. And be honest with yourself about your diet. How much chocolate??

Cross-posted :)

Add some lentils to your shopping list, good for adding to mince etc.

Well done op! Good luck with it all!

With Vit D a lot of people say that the spray works much better than tablets. I've only ever used the spray and it does help.

ragged, eating vegetables isn't 'sheltered', that kind of reverse snobbery attitude is a major barrier to healthier eating habits in this country.

And just out of interest, ragged, what's YOUR diet like?

I dont eat fruit other than breakfast blueberries but do eat shedloads of veg and home made soup. Fruit isnt essential but veg definitely are. Eggs are horrid but so good for you and filling so I make myself have them a couple of times a week.

She could easily lose weight on that if she's eating below her TDEE or whatever it's called. Weight loss is much more about calories than anything else. Depending on the portion, you could eat porridge, bacon and cheese toastie, crisps and spag bol for about 1000-1600 calories. There's no snacks listed.

I suspect the problem is that a) it's a terrible diet for nutrition and health and b) if you're eating a weight loss amount of calories but choosing high calorie options then you aren't getting a big enough volume of food to feel satisfied and keep your mood/energy up.

Eg - 3 chocolate bars a day would be around 900 calories but you would feel tired, grumpy and weak.

I've eaten around 900 calories today but it consisted of:
breakfast - yogurt and blueberries
snack - apple
lunch - 1/2 jacket potato, ham, salad
snack - baked pea snacks
dinner - low carb rice, chicken, mangetout, babycorn, mushrooms, peppers, strawberries

'same' as 3 chocolate bars but I feel satisfied, energised and happy. I won't lose weight on it because I'm very short, very thin and haven't exercised today - but I'm not trying to lose weight so I'm only thinking about what will help me feel ok.

You definitely need vegetables! They're very filling and so low in calories.

I wouldn't say your diet is terrible, but its not a weight loss diet. Add a few more fruit and veg and cut down on fat and up your protein. Swap crisps for fruit or low fat yogurts.

Strawberries and blueberries in January? Hope they are frozen.

I had strawberries too. Mine are from Egypt. Poorer countries need exports.

If you don't like much fruit have you tried dried fruit. It is a bit different and more like a chewy sweet. You can get them all from supermarkets.

Try dried apricots, dried prunes and dates and figs. Also some almonds or other nuts. Have three of the fruits mid morning and another three mid afternoon or evening.

That will get you moving! And give you some fruit/fibre and trace minerals in your diet. I think prunes have iron in them too.

So many people saying "Dolmio is shit". These are the ingredients. I'm missing the 'shit', clearly. 87% of what is in the jar is tomatoes/tomato based.

Ingredients
Tomatoes (76%), Tomato Paste (11%), Onions, Sugar, Cornflour, Lemon Juice, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Basil (0.3%), Garlic, Parsley, Herbs, Spices

Clearly my refresh button isn't working and the thread has somewhat moved on. I'll just fuck off

It's the sugar and the salt. If you make tomato sauce from scratch, basically tin of tomatoes with chopped up vegetables, then there is no salt or sugar.

Thyme, Dolmio is shit in comparison with home made pasta sauce taht uses a wide variety of fresh veg. If you start with soffrito (celery, onion, carrot) and add chopped tomatoes wihtout sugar, red peppers, mushrooms and courgettes you have a much healthier, tastier sauce than tomatoes sweetened with sugar and thickened with cornflour.

I think that the lying on the sofa eating chocolate is the thing that's causing issues. You need to break the cycle of that. When I eat loads in an evening I always feel tired and lethargic the next day. You need to go to the gym to get the endorphins. Just make yourself go and tell yourself you're going to not try that hard, read a mag on the bike etc. When you get there you'll put way more effort in than you think you will.

Although I agree that your diet is not good enough to lose weight, I would ask your GP for a thyroid function test. I spent 2 years feeling like crap, really bloated, tired and generally felt like shit.
It was my thyroid, im on tablets for life. Still fat but at least I know I don’t eat rubbish.
So far today I have had
Apple
Iced coffee
Peanut protein bar
Wholewheat bagel with marmite
Orange juice
Water
Tonight I’m having spag Bol with homemade sauce.
I will probably have some cucumber and hummous between now and dinner.

Too much processed food. I have been told to try and eat a high proportion of food that doesn't last more than a week or so. Eg, fresh stuff. A jar of Dolmio will last months due to all of the preservatives and junk in there. Fresh pasta sauce will only last a few days.

If you like homemade butternut squash soup and Bolognese, that's an excellent start. You can have those each week and look to build on them too.

Ok so you don't like fruit much- not actually a problem, load up on the veg. If you like spag bol, you'd probably also like a mince curry. You can either do keema which is mince with peas, or a more masala type mince curry with tomatoes and peppers. Or both. If you like butternut squash soup, would you fancy carrot and coriander?

I'm not surprised you're exhausted though, iron deficiency does that. Red meat does contain a lot of iron, how about steak and spinach for your once a week treat?

Bottom of the fridge soup is my lunch time staple.

You chop an onion or two and gently fry in a little olive oil. Add in garlic and leek to soften with onion (if you have them). Chop and add whatever veg are in your fridge - e.g. carrot, parsnip, swede, squash, courgette, tomato, mushroom, potato etc.. Throw in a handful or two of lentils. Top up with hot water and veg stock cubes. Cook for an hour or so. Add in spinach if you have some.

Then you can blend or not as you choose.

Additional extras you could add to adjust flavor; canned tomato, herbs, marmite, worcestershire sauce...

Baked sweet potato is a good addition to a meal instead of bread / normal spud / rice etc..

I also love homemade coleslaw - goes well with any protein (e.g. some chicken) at lunch. 2 large carrots grated, half a white cabbage shredded, 1/4 of an onion shredded. Dressing: Large blob greek yog + large blob low fat mayo + a small blob wholegrain mustard. Mix!