To ask what you think of this typical food intake?

[ivyball]

This is what I’ve eaten over the last 7 days.
Does this seem like too much food to you or not a lot of food?
Female 5 foot 2.

Day 1

4 egg omelette with 2 pork chops and red pepper, sweet corn.
Snacks - half a 900g pack of cheddar cheese and half a 200g pack of mixed nuts spread out and picked on over the day.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 2

3 chicken thighs and 2 chicken legs with some veg.
Snacks - half a 900g pack of cheddar cheese and half a 200g pack of mixed nuts picked on throughout the day.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 3
4 egg omelette and pack of prawns, sweetcorn and spinach.
Snacks - half a 900g packet of cheddar cheese and half a 200g bag of Mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 4
Half a roast chicken picked at.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheese and half a packet of 200g nuts to pick throughout the day.
5 cups of decaf coffee.

Day 5
4 fried eggs, mushrooms, an avocado, tomatoes and bacon.
Snacks - half a pack of 900g cheddar cheese and half a packet of 200g mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 6
500g diced beef fried with red pepper and mushrooms.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheddar cheese and half a packet of 200g mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 7
1 Tin of tuna and salad.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheddar cheese and half packet of 200g mixed nuts.
1 bottle of white wine.

2 fillets of salmon with green beans, broccoli and red pepper.
Snacks - half a 900g packet of cheddar cheese and half a 200g packet of nuts.
5 cups of decaf coffee.
1 bottle of white wine.

I have used the term half a pack instead of (450g) cheese and 100g nuts because I thought people would be able to imagine a 900g block of cheese and 200g pack of nuts easier as that’s how they come.
Does this sound like too much food or not enough food please?
I typically eat one meal a day in the morning and pick on cheese and nuts sporadically for the rest of the day.
This is because I need to eat until I’m full or I will still feel hungry after so I eat a big main meal first thing as it works for me and I feel full.
The cheese and nuts are because of a craving for cheese. I love my cheese.

Well it's basically a keto diet, so you might get away with some of the calories as they're not carb calories.

If you've had that diet for years, I guess your weight is stable. At 5 foot 2 I'd guess you're about 13 stone and not in especially good health.

That is a diet completing lacking carbs (at least complex carbs) and not a single piece of fruit in the whole week, unless I missed it. You are keeping normal hunger at bay through fat and coffee. I don’t think this can be doing your bowels any good. I think you need to aim for a protein-rich filling breakfast but then plan 2 balanced meals for the rest of your day.

I'd expect someone on that diet to be 20+ stone and to not be in good health. It's a terrible diet.

I don’t think the weight is even the biggest issue, the fat, the salt, the lack of fibre, the blood pressure 🤯.

Part human / part cheese at this stage

If you're not overweight with years of this diet & lifestyle I'd see your GP for possible metabolism problems e.g. related to thyroid function.

Well at that intake, height and activity I'd expect you to be pretty overweight.

You would expect to maintain a weight of 33st 8lb at 5'2" and sedentary eating 3,300 calories a day so unless you are that weight, I'd expect you to be gaining.

As its basically a keto diet, the above TDEE calculation may be a bit off but not by loads. The energy has to go somewhere.

If you are not gaining weight then something is wrong. Either you are not eating what you think you eat or you have some kind of digestion problem that prevents you absorbing nutrition properly.

Regardless of the caloric values of your diet, you are eating a huge excess of saturated fat and a deficit of micronutrients from plants. Are you at least taking a multivitamin?

@Edwardbear1

Part human / part cheese at this stage

😆

I agree with PP, that even if you’re not overweight, your cholesterol levels are likely to be high

How much would you expect someone at 42 and had this diet for years to weigh?

I don't think the weight matters really, as every different body would weigh differently on the same diet. But as PPs have pointed out, it's more about not having a balanced diet and bad cholesterol, heart problems, joints etc etc. I think adding more fresh veg and fruit, legumes, fibers, and cutting down on dairy and meat + having more meals throughout the day would curb your cravings. You don't need to make drastic changes in 1 day, it's too hard to maintain, but make small changes, adding a change after a couple of weeks or so, and by the end of the year, you'll see how far you've come. Maybe start by having 2 meals a day, 1 breakfast, then 1 dinner? When you crave cheese and nuts, grab also a fruit to add?

You’re not full after your one huge meal if you’re picking at half a pack of cheese a day?! That’s a lot of saturated fat and 1200 cals of cheese.

I'd expect you to be gaining weight consistently, as you are eating way too many calories for your height and activity levels, probably at least double what you should be eating. If you've been doing that for years, then I'd expect you to be obese and several stone overweight.

Then there is the issue of cholesterol, blood pressure etc as PP have said.

I eat too much cheese IMO - but still about 10-15% of the cheese the OP eats, and I am overweight (by about 3 stone...) I wouldn't be able to get behind the steering wheel of my car, I'd need a reincorced bedframe, and also an outfit made from a 2 person tent if I ate as much cheese as she does! 😬

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I'm currently doing Slimming World and you're spot on. There are different weights for different types of cheese ~ it's recommended that you have some calcium everyday but the amounts are small. e.g. 2 standard babybel or 3 lighter babybel for anyone who wants to visualise the amount.

For nuts the amounts are ~
20 almonds
6 brazil nuts
15 cashew nuts
25 hazelnuts
11 pecan halves
40 pistachios
5 walnut halves

Slimming World also suggests filling your plate with at least one-third vegetables and/or fruit - I don't usually manage this for breakfast (!) but it's easier to achieve for lunch and always for dinner

I love a cheeseboard at Christmas or as part of an occasional buffet but the amount you are eating, OP, is absolutely insane

I consider myself a cheese lover, but your cheese intake is something else! Are you a mouse 🐁

It’s interesting you should mention blood pressure because I have to track my blood pressure for my medication and it’s very low. My doctor isn’t too concerned because it’s always been low. I hadn’t realised there was a link between diet and blood pressure, I am just monitored for my heart.

😆

Is there a secret competition going on at the moment to write the most insane food/diet thread?

My dad always ate loads of cheese, he’d sit at the table and cut slices all evening so I thought it ok. He was a cheese and wine lover but he liked red wine. I do need to curb the cheese, I don’t know why I find it so addictive.

A quick google should fill you in.

“A poor diet, specifically high in sodium (salt) CHEESE, sugar, and trans fats, directly causes high blood pressure (hypertension) by causing water retention and increasing blood volume
. Regular consumption of processed foods, unhealthy snacks, and high alcohol intake increases vessel stress and heart strain. A diet focused on fruits, vegetables, and low-sodium choices helps reverse this

You hadn't realised there is a link between diet and blood pressure?!!

I think you should show this list of food intake to your GP if you are worried about something. Or see some sort of dietician. But what is it you are worried about, is there something wrong? You've not really said why you are asking?

Are you in heart failure OP as this can cause low blood pressure?

How did you not know diet affects heart health? Its very well known that high level of salt and saturated fat damage the heart. Its in the basic NHS info let alone all the other stuff in books and online about eating well.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/living-with/

DId he eat a pound of cheese a day though? In one go?

It's a wonder you haven't got gallstones with that diet. It's far far too high in fat

Have you never seen anyone else eat a meal or read any of the easily available information about what a healthy normal diet looks like?

Its quite concerning what your circumstances must be like to have led to where you appear to be with food.

It is a very extreme and odd diet.

See gp and refer to community dietician