Is this too much to eat in a day?

[SENSummer]

I’ve lost all perspective. So many hormone triggered gastro issues since having my kids and my daily diet has gone out of the window. I feel nauseas a lot but regardless of what I do/don’t eat. I wake up early (5am) and finish eating for the day at 4/5pm.

Today I’ve had:

Small porridge with banana and oat milk

slice of toast

a small plain chocolate cupcake (homemade) & a Kit Kat chunky

a salmon fishcakes with a couple of new potatoes and garden peas

a digestive biscuit AND about 3/4 of a bag of twirl bites!

I’m done for the day now but honestly feel awful (and a bit sick at how much sweet stuff I’ve had)

I will caveat this by saying I’m rather slim and definitely in the ‘a few extra pounds wouldn’t hurt’ category and I’m pretty physically active.

I'm going to say it again OP because you might have missed it, possible coeliac disease. Speak to your doc and get a blood test for it.

Sorry I should have noted earlier I was biopsied for coeliac during one of my tests and it was negative. I’d previously thought it could be this though so I see why you would.

So today I’ve had all these suggestions in mind so thought I’d update with today’s menu.

Today I’ve had;

Porridge with oat milk, half a banana and blueberries.

A ham sandwich with cucumber, tomato and cheddar pieces.
Plain Greek yoghurt with strawberries, half a banana, blueberries and raspberries. (Shared with my 3 year old)

A Kit Kat chunky (the other half of the duo bar from yesterday).

I’ve had 3 coffees with milk in and around these but only drink half of each as get distracted and busy elsewhere

I did have a mouthful of plain cupcake as I baked some for DS and was stingy with the sugar so wanted to check they were ok. Didn’t count that though as was a small mouthful and DD ate the rest as a treat.

Brilliant, OP. Big improvement. I'm all over blueberries at the moment too 👏

Well done, @SENSummer, that's brilliant. But you still need some dinner!

That’s much better OP - are you planning on having another meal later though? That’s not enough food for a whole day yet!

This is the Facebooker who is a healthy snacker by the way. Tons of ideas: https://www.facebook.com/HungryHealthyHappy

You could do with 4 portions of green veg and salad in there. Quite high on the sugary snax. I would limit to 1 normal size bar chocolate or 1 other sweet thing either a biscuit or a small cupcake

Do you feel any better on today's food choices, OP?

Emotionally yes
Physically not really. Feel quite sick still tbh

@SENSummer Emotionally better is a good win, perhaps? I hope the sick feeling subsides soon, that really sounds no fun.

You're allowed a cupcake!
Well done, and don't forget to have dinner 😋

I think you would benefit from some hot food in the evening. Even a bowl is soup

House. The kitkat in the car wasn't in the house

No you're not eating too much by a long stretch, likely your GI issues are making you feel a bit ick

Ignore the holier than thou organic/upf free sock and sandal wearing lot, not helpful. Im sure you already know the difference between good and not so good foods

id say you need to eat more, certainly up the fruit and veg. Try eat little and often whole foods, eggs, cheese, nuts, fresh soups,

Look at the fodmap chart maybe, see if you can work out what's causing you to feel grim

I'm sorry you're feeling so bad @SENSummer. It sounds like you have a stressful life and you need to nourish your body to stay healthy and keep your energy levels up.

Before anything else, I would get your entire blood panel done. Especially your thyroid. And definitely your lady hormones as well as iron/haemoglobin etc. There may be an underlying issue which could help you feel better.

You know you've been eating too much sugar but I think a little sugar is fine as long as it's part of a balanced diet.

Recommendations:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt, berries and about 20-25g of chia seeds (high in fibre) or nuts and seeds

Lunch: Eggs on wholegrain toast or a chicken and avocado salad, wholegrain pitta and hummus with a side salad, a hearty soup with added beans or lentils for protein and fiber

Dinner: Salmon/potatoes/salad, a hearty roast chicken dinner (meat can be used the next day), a yummy stir fry is easy to make etc etc

Snacks: Fruit, little bit of chocolate when you feel like it (only when you've eaten a square meal), cheese etc

Please get to the route cause of why you're feeling so rotten and then tailor your food around that. Sounds like you enjoy cooking so that's a great start.

Cut out the sugar crap, and eat raw fruit and vegetables instead
you won’t feel sick then

Have you been tested for other things such a full blood count? Thyroid levels? H Pylori even?

I think you’re not eating enough proper food. There’s a lot of sweet stuff which will give bursts of energy but then slumps and not enough protein. I’m not sure if the toast was a meal. If so, you could add a poached egg, avocado, tomatoes etc. I’d aim for 3 proper meals and limit the sweet snacks. It might be worth thinking about why you want to eat them. I love chocolate but know I sometimes overeat it when I’m stressed and am trying to find ways not to do that quite so much (not always succeeding!). It sounds like you have a lot on your plate and I’m wondering if maybe you might benefit from other things to reduce stress eg yoga or a hobby or something, I just mean time that’s for you. You referred to yourself as disgusting but you are absolutely not that and no one eats purely healthy food all the time. Good luck.

I wouldn’t say it’s “too much” quantity wise as such, but it’s definitely not a nutritious day of eating.

I feel for you, I'm struggling at the moment to eat. Admittedly I was overweight but my (possibly peri meno) anxiety had gone through the roof and I'm struggling to eat. I have never been one for breakfast and work means I don't eat until after 3pm. Sometimes I feel sick and I'm not sure if it's because I'm hungry but it doesn't make me want to eat. Sometimes I get dizzy and think ffs get some sugar into you, woman, even though I don't have a sweet tooth I just can't be fainting everywhere.
I know I need to plan my day and diet better and maybe that's the key - to plan ahead on what you're going to have for breakfast/lunch/tea each day or do a weekly meal planner ensuring you've got a good balance of protein/carbs/fats/veg etc That way you won't crash and reach for the crappy food which invariably doesn't make us feel better with the sugar high/low. And I should probably take my own advice!
I feed my family well just cba with myself so as a pp said there is a bit of "martyring myself", I guess, although it's not a conscious thing and I certainly don't tell anyone in RL of my weird diet. You're not alone OP, that's probably all I can say that may be helpful.

It's FAR too much processed sugar and fat. If you are slim, you could swap some of that chocolate for a handful of almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts which would be far much better for you, even though the calories are equally high.
I'd be grumpy with so little veg in one day. As you already cook a lot of your own food, could you make a batch of soup with veg that don't upset your stomach, and bake some seedy wholemeal rolls to go with it, or are you finding high fibre carbs difficult to digest?

I recognise what you say and feel so sorry for how your feeling. I wonder if the changes in your body after children mean you are struggling with your body image - my weight and shape wasn't that bad after my 2 children, but I was made to feel bad by my husband. At the age of 67 I've only just realised this, I've spent do many years feeling I'm disgusting and still find myself sneaking food when I'm.on my own. I just wish I'd learnt about being resilient then, and not let other people's issues have such a negative impact on me. Have you got a close friend or understanding family member you could explore what's going on in more depth? Sending you very best wishes