Is this too much lunch for a diet?

[Hatehooveringsomuch]

Trying to shift a couple of stone.
I eat v healthily, but probably too much, I don’t work out normally, but have started again.
I’m a person who has to cut back a lot and not eat much/work out daily to stay slim.
In the past when I was v slim, I went to the gym and had less carbs & smaller portions. I’m trying fasting also.
I’ve had no breakfast, just got in from school run, morning work and walking the dog.
Is this too much?
There’s two tins of tuna and two crackers, the rest is just salad? Assuming that’s okay?
Dinner is broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & chicken, piece of fruit afterwards.
I’m attempting to cut right back on carbs, my portions seem big though 😂but I’m hungry
Desperate to lose weight

One tin of tuna and lighter than light Mayo…sorted!

Tbh this meal is completely unbalanced, no wonder you're constantly starving. There is no way you can maintain this and you're just going to make yourself miserable.

Replace the mayo with a yogurt dressing or similar, replace the crackers with some good quality carbs (brown rice or pasta is really good with tunna salad, no need to pile tones of it), add more stuff you like to it to make it interesting (reasonable amount of olives, cheese, seeds, egg?)... And add a fruit or something light for dessert.

Same

Don't ask for food advice on mumsnet. The sensible posts will be drowned out by 90s-style dieting advice that's basically about eating as little as possible, not about nutrition.

@KippersForBreakfast no wonder your overweight, your basically eating for four!

Now could you have said that without being so bloody rude?! This forum is full of mean spirited people.

People can be so weird about food.

Calories are not the be-all and end-all, but just to try to assess the calories in that plate of food - even if it's the big 160g tins of tuna, two tins would be about 240 calories. Cream crackers are 35 calories each. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, negligible calories. Aside from the mayo, you're probably looking at less than 400 calories there.

So if you're not eating breakfast, and are just having some chicken, veg and fruit later - unless this is a fasting diet kind of thing where you're aiming to only eat 800 calories a day, it's not enough food.

Use an app like NutraCheck for calorie counting and you will soon get a good idea of what portions you should be having. It was a massive eye opener for me.

Thanks everyone,

So the tuna tins are small and I won’t eat now until dinner. I need to chill with the mayo! what dressing can be made with Greek yoghurt? Would this match with tuna salad though?

In the last, counting calories hasn’t worked for me personally, the best has been no carbs and working out, I could even get away with pretty big portions with no carbs, they seem to be my downfall.

I eat healthily and rarely drink these days, so I can easily resist cakes, chocolate etc. My issue is probably eating too much or having dinner then eating later, now that I’ve been eating like that, I’m hungry more often (or my body thinks I am?)
I need to knock it on the head!

I would probably have it with some grains (maybe a small portion of bulgur wheat or quinoa or similar?) and balsamic or hot sauce and soy sauce for flavour rather than the crackers and mayo if I was trying to lose weight/be healthy. I wouldn't say it's terrible though! Just maybe not diet food as such. Also is the tuna in oil or brine/ spring water? Because that's going to make a big difference!

*In the past, not last

I find these competitive undereating threads really sinister and quite distressing tbh. There's very little I think should be taken down from Mumsnet but this is serious pro-ana territory.

I know so many people who have struggled with eating disorders who would be seriously triggered by this sort of thing. If you want to compete to starve yourselves knock yourselves out but don't foist it on other people who may be vulnerable.

And this poster saying "no wonder you're overweight" I'm going to report you. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Well she did have a massive salad with it 😂😂😂

The tuna was in olive oil, I thought was healthy to have olive oil in meals a little

Doesn't look a lot, I wouldn't worry about the mayo as you need something fatty to make a salad interesting and filling, particularly with no carb element, and tuna is very low in calories as are all the green bits.

I buy powdered seasonings to mix but you could do
Greek yoghurt, lemon or vinegar, some dill/whatever herbs, crushed garlic and mix it all. Bit of salt and pepper

Tuna in oil will have a few more calories, but a bit of oil is good for you.

@Thepeopleversuswork I’m sorry, I didn’t think when posting, should I ask for it to be deleted? Tbf, it might be better for me to start a thread about ideas for salads and meals just protein and veg

You probably won't like my reply but I'd say

1 tin of tuna is enough (even the smallest tin)
Ditch the crackers (processed white carbs)
Use extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice as the dressing

What to have in salads?

Tinned salmon
Prawns
Smoked salmon
Tinned sardines
Tinned or smoked mackerel
Chicken or turkey (slices)
Cheese (about 30gms)- different types
Chick peas (nice if they are cooked with some spices)
Eggs

Grated carrot, cucumber, peppers, celery and apple, watercress, olives, anchovies, avocado.

Maybe get a recipe book like Deliciously Ella, or Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall - there are loads of veggie and salad ideas there.

You DO need some carbs- wholegrain brown rice, quinoa, wholegrain pasta, etc. Just not a lot!

Come off it, you absolute weirdo. That salad wouldn't feed 4, no way.

I really don't think what you're eating is bad or excessive at all! Just that there are choices you could make that are more nutrient dense and keep you full for longer for the same amount of calories if you're actively trying to lose weight

@Hatehooveringsomuch

It's not so much your OP it was the responses which I found really upsetting.

I do think it's not wise to ask for diet advice on this site though. Firstly no one is qualified to give it and secondly there's a load of people with eating disorders who come out of the woodwork on these threads to stealth boast about how little they eat and they are not healthy of representative.

FWIW I think your lunch is fine. Please don't listen to the anorexics on here.

I suggest you think about using beans and pulses as your protein and not just meat/fish/cheese.

Although beans and pulses are carbs they are very healthy and good for us.

Fine to ask diet advice but probably better in the Weight Loss area rather than AIBU.

Your salad looks fine. However, you may find it useful to go over to the Low Carb section. I low carb and enjoy it and find it works for me, but I find there is very little wiggle room on it. So, I would advise against the crackers and keep your protein and fat intake up, I think you will receive more useful advice over on the LC and LC Bootcamp threads.

We would share a 160g tin between DH and me which is actually the suggested portion size.

Not knowing the size of tins you are using make it impossible to judge whether your portion of tuna is too big or not. It will also make a big difference to the calories if it is packed in oil.

Can't you just count the calories?

I don't think it would be too "big" - you want to eat as much food as you can (volume wise) for the calories. Off memory a can of tuna in water is only around 125 calories, so 250 calories of tuna, a single cracker and a bunch of veg is likely to be under 400 cals, but the mayo on top you need to measure as full fat mayo contains like 100 cals per tablespoon so you could be completely sabotaging yourself.

Just count your calories. If you are eating lots of lean proteins and veg then your plates of food will likely look pretty big but that is a good thing. Just watch the added calories.