To think this is a decent day of eating?

[jennyhumphreyseyeliner]

I have prepped food for tomorrow and my partner says it’s awful, but I think it’s decent!

Breakfast is baked oats - whey protein added and made with dark chocolate chips and some frozen raspberries. 420 calories and 33g of protein.

Lunch - chicken pie with baby potatoes. Lighter puff pastry used. 520 calories and 54g of protein.

Dinner - beef stew. Beef, potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

Snacks - light Greek yoghurt with stewed berries, and a packet of popchips.

Total - 1511 calories, 137g of protein and 37g of fibre.

I’m on a weight loss journey and will go to the gym before work tomorrow. I think it’s balanced, provides all my fruit and veg for the day (8 portions), hits my goals (im more worried about fibre than protein) and is genuinely tasty wholesome food.

YABU - this is unhealthy.

YANBU - it’s a good day of food.

Did you take 1/5 of the stew made with 3/4kg beef?

What?

I’ve made it a meal in my calorie counting app, it’s currently simmering on the stove. When it’s done for the day I’ll weigh the full pot (I weighed the empty pot before I started cooking). I’ll add the total prepared weight into my calorie counting app and then whatever ends up being 1/5th of the total weight is what I’ll have for dinner tomorrow night

There are no rules about how many hot meals you can have each day, so no problem with that. Except vitamin c is reduced when everything is heated so your fruit and veg will have less vitamin c than if you'd eaten a raw apple or had a tomato salad.

You say you're on a weight loss journey. Are you still losing weight on 1500 cals per day? As you lose weight are you adjusting your calories downwards?

With the amount of carbs and protein you have in your 3 main meals, do you really needs snacks as well? I wouldn't. Is snacking a habit that you could change?

When I'm trying to lose weight I'd not have 2 major sources of carb in the same meal. So either chicken pie OR chicken and potatoes, not chicken pie plus potatoes. That would send my insulin sky high.

You made a 5 portion meal using 0.75kg beef? Did you eat 1/5 of the stew made? If not you’re underestimating cals

That’s far too many carbs for me.

Oats, potatoes, popchips, pie crust.

I wouldn’t be able to lose weight with food like that.

I’ve explained how I have measured it and how I’ll be eating it. I don’t think 5 portions is that outrageous when you consider it has vegetables and potatoes added? It’s 150g of beef per portion which I think is decent

Yep, losing about 3lbs a week still :)

It’s only really calories that matter when trying to lose weight

If I was having pastry with a meal I wouldn't have potatoes as well, just 2 portions of veg, such as brocolli and asparagus, or roasted peppers and aubergine if the oven is on for the pie.

Tbh though I would probably not have pastry at all, just the pie filling as a stew, with lots of veg and the potatoes. That way I could have more food for the calories!!

It’s pretty damned good.

Does he always neg everything you do?

I think if you enjoy the food and it’s serving its purpose for you (in your case to lose weight) then your partner should pipe down and you get on with eating what you want!

Third option, tell your partner to keep his sticky beak out

You must be having a tiny portion of stew if it all comes to 1500 odd cals,

When it comes to food yes. I’ve lost 130lbs and he’s always got something to say about what I’m eating. If we go out for a meal he’s always picking at it and saying I shouldn’t be eating it because I’ll put weight back on, or if we get a takeaway as a couple he expects me to eat a lot less than would be considered normal (I.e. if he wants a McDonald’s on the way home or something he’ll ask if I want something and then complain - if I want 6 nuggets he’ll say it should be 4, I should be getting a small chips etc)

Eyeing up the pot it’s probably 2kg so about 400g of stew! I’ll know more when I weigh it later

Looks a kot more than 1500 calories but seems good

There’s no such thing as too many hot meals, I don’t know what he’s on about.

Well, not always. For anyone who is insulin resistant it's a lot more subtle than CICO. That's maybe why you're getting so many comments about your carbs, including the 75g of sugar (and with regards to insulin it doesn't matter a jot whether the sugar comes from fruit or from mainlining golden syrup - well except for vitamins and fibre).

3lbs a week is a lot to lose - generally healthy longer term weight loss (even for people on WLIs) is about 1 - 2 pounds. If you can lose 3lbs per week on a daily food plan similar to the one you describe, good on you. I know I wouldn't and I can only go by my body and my metabolism. And you can only go by yours. The proof of the pudding and all that...

If you are consistently losing 3lbs per week, your husband / partner will soon see the impact of that. Once you get closer to your goal weight you may need to adjust your macros, or your portion size. Good luck.

I’ve proven it’s not so what’s the need for the snarky comment?

I was quite surprised at the calories. It would need to be really small portions to amount to under 1600.

He likes to “eat” huel for two of his meals a day so I think that’s where he’s coming from

I'd say great if you can hit your daily fruit & veg, protein and fibre goals and manage to stay within weight loss cals, while having hearty and enjoyable meals.

Quick q though - is your pie really just the chicken, potato, veg, pastry? Is there no sauce and/or no oil used to cook things?

I shouldn’t have to repeatedly provide these breakdowns. I don’t think any of this is a really small portion?

It's OK-ish, but very few green/red vegetables. Substitute sweet potaroes or butternut pumpkin for all the potatoes, as they are just as satiating but a helluva lot more value nutrition-wise.

Add in some (a lot) of broccoli or spinach, plus tomatoes, courgettes and peppers. Satiating, v low calories and you need the vitamins & variety!

I don't think there is any way that day comes to 1500 calories.
Your pie includes chicken veg and pastry, but how do you cook the chicken? Do you use oil? Is it poached in water and then just put dry under a pastry lid or do you make a gravy or white sauce? All these things add calories to the bare bones of a meal ( and flavour).

Meat spuds and veg for 2 meals a day is quite heavy, but if it works for you.