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

Restrictive eating disorders are the MOST deadly mental illnesses. "Scroll on by" is not sufficient when pro-disordered eating advice is so commonplace on here. You don't know who's reading. MNHQ should be a lot stricter around policing diet "advice".

I’ve just calculated it on My Fitness Pal and it works out at 545 calories assuming only 1 tablespoon of mayo. Until you start logging your food it’s really hard to see how calories add up.

2 cans of tuna isn't so bad as it's only about 120 calories for a small can. It can be quite salty though.

The mayo is about 100 calories per tbsp though so a definite NO NO for diets!! Buy yourself a decent bottle of balsamic vinegar for the salad - delicious!

I'd increase the exercise instead - go for a walk in the evening too, or go and do something physical with the kids.

Wow, some of these comments are totally and utterly batshit. Like off the wall do you have no nutrional knowledge at all kinda batshit. It’s not even funny. Feeding a family of four on two mini tins of tuna, mayo is the devil, you’re over weight as that salad could feed four. Bloody hell.

op, your meal is fine. It’s clearly not a lot of tuna. They mayo is also fine. I am also low carb as I have a carb intolerance. This and your dinner is very healthy, good luck with the exercise and healthy eating.

too much restriction, like no mayo. Will have you feel deprived and bored. It’s important to enjoy your food even when dieting. So enjoy your lunch.

Firstly wishing you lots of luck with the weightloss- it's a minefield.

I would say a snapshot of one meal is is not going to help with bigger picture and long term weightloss.

For anyone to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. The calories are going to be different for every person so that's the first step to work out your calories. Do not go for a bog standard 1200 calories like so many sites suggest. It needs to be related to you. There are lots of calculators.

Then look at what you are eating for those calories. You want to be as satisfied as poss.

I do macros so I prioritise protein - chicken, tuna, greek yoghurt etc and bulk out with salad and vegetables. Shock horror I also eat carbs every day too. Portion size varies depending on what meals I am having that day.

I also don't restrict foods - I eat chocolate, cake - obviously not by the truck load but I factor it in if I fancy it.

I try and get my 8 to 10K steps in daily and strength train 3 times per week.

Sleep and lots of water help too.

I know you don't want to count calories but you won't have a clue if you are in a deficit or not. I have lost 2 stone since I started doing macros. I have done SW WW and everything else in the past and this is the only thing that has been sustainable - 2 years in 😊. Its not easy but if it was we would all have no issues. I do find it much easier now though.

Also not beating yourself up if you have a few slips - consistency not perfection.

Your lunch looks lovely - look at the bigger picture and you can still eat what you fancy. Maybe differing quantities ie the mayo but you need a baseline to work this out.

Good luck!

This "huge tuna salad" has to end up in the Classics.

Everything but the bagel seasoning is nice on salads also ranch seasoning (Hidden Valley or Badia) is lovely added to plain yoghurt. You only need a tiny bit.

Mayo is laden full of calories. You would do better to have lemon juice or balsamic vinegar as a tasty dressing.

Ah ok, I get it. I'd probably look at your portion control and your penchant for mayo ;-).

Doesn't mean she's overweight.

The balance is all wrong, especially if you’re not exercising enough.

Two tins of tuna is 240 calories, I have lighter than light mayo which is 15 calories per tbsp.
That meal would therefore come to about 270 calories plus the salad. So probs not even 400 in total.
mumsnet is ridiculous at this kind of stuff

i'd include small tin of chickpeas to add the feeling of fullness rather than the solitary cracker. you can roast with a little bit of smoked paprika and salt for flavour

Personally I see nothing wrong with olive oil. We get through lots of the stuff and I'm still losing weight. I care more about overall nutrition and fat isn't the evil it used to be in the 80's. My cholesterol is very low too.

This place is absolutely batshit sometimes.

If you are exercising and want to lose weight, the best way is to eat often and watch the calorie intake. Start the day with a glass of warmish water and lemon juice as soon as you wake up, eat breakfast - something like muesli, keffir and blueberries or porridge, mid morning have a snack - a handful of almonds, have your salad for lunch, but add some quinoa or couscous to fill you up (don't use mayo, just squeeze lemon and lime on it) have something small late afternoon like a yoghurt or banana and then dinner should be chicken/fish with veggies (something more filling like sweet potato if good as well as greens) and if you're hungry later have some rice cakes. Give yourself a cheat day at the weekend. If you eat like this for a while, the weight will drop off you and you won't be hungry.

The mayo is about 100 calories per tbsp though so a definite NO NO for diets!!

Not if you really like mayonnaise it isn't and I find mayonnaise makes a salad really satisfying. Egg mayonnaise is super filling and about 250 calories if you use two eggs. Salads need something filling with them otherwise it's just water and you will be hungry again in an hour. You should still eat the foods you like but in moderation. A successful diet is for life not just for six weeks, and I definitely want mayonnaise in my life.

Surely it's not batshit to suggest one normal size tin of tuna for lunch if you are dieting?!

I dont think It's too much at all-high in protein and low in carb. I low carb and a couple of crackers every few days usually doesn't push me over my carb limit.

It totally depends what else you're eating, a load of veg for dinner and nothing else doesn't sound inspiring though, I'd get bored on that sort of diet. Could you research some low carb dinners that aren't high in calories? I make low calorie spinach soup for days when I am hungry. Or I eat quorn mince with seasoning, mushrooms an onions. High in salt, mind that one!

The thing I try to remember about mayonnaise is that it's almost exactly the same fat content and calorie count as butter. (Actually, very very slightly less, but close enough to make no odds. And it's a different type of fat, but from a pure calories and weight perspective, that makes no difference.)

So when I make a sandwich or a salad, I remind myself that although it looks and tastes a lot lighter than butter, from a calorie point of view it's no different to adding the same quantity of solid butter.

You’re brave putting pics of your food on here OP, the ‘survives on air and dust’ brigade love a good froth

If I ate like that I'd be huge.

50+ menopausal

I have grated carrot with my salad and peppers.

Also beetroot to add the sweetness and flavour. (I have the stuff from jars!)

I'm the same as you needing lots of taste and so I get the large bags of ready booked frozen chicken from farmfoods. They are really good chunky strips.

I "cook" in the air fryer with seasoning and store in a tub in the fridge.

I also boil eggs every few days and keep them in the fridge.

I'm GF so use the b free mini pittas if I feel I need carbs.

Id cut down the tin of tuna to one tin and add some type of bean instead. It won't change much calorie wise but it'll be tasty and filling.

Lighter than light mayo is only 15kcal per tbsp so I'd opt for that over the full fat version, you don't notice the taste difference much when you're eating other flavourful food. I can't stand things like balsamic vinegar etc so can't bring myself to suggest that 😁.

You can also dip your fork into the dressing you're using instead of pouring it over, you get a bit with each bite and don't have to use as much.

Bread isn't bad. I'd recommend counting your calories though, I found that helped me work out my portion sizes. I'd have less of the calorie-heavy (and more tasty🥲) stuff and more of the nutrient-dense veggies and proteins to fill me up.

OP, I've lost 12lb since the start of the year and I've been eating bigger salads than yours! One tablespoon of mayo is not the devil.

I usually have peppery salad leaves, raw sliced peppers, radishes, raw mushroom, cherry or mini plum tomatoes, celery, cucumber, sometimes some toasted almonds or walnuts, pomegranate seeds (great for lowering bad cholesterol) and then some kind of protein - usually cooked chicken, boiled eggs, feta or mackerel - with a dollop of dressing, and quite often it's a low-sugar Caesar style dressing.

Like you, I find what works best for me is cutting down on highly processed carbs, and also cutting right down on processed sugar. I'm menopausal so losing weight is more of a struggle than it used to be, but this approach is working well for me as I'm almost a stone down.