Rate my plate (well, it's more of a list).

[NameChangeDayNov]

Context: I'm 45, super sedentary during the week, more active at the weekend. A little overweight based on BMI, size 14.

I haven't included weights and measures - as I neither weighed nor measured anything.

My approach to eating is to rarely snack, eat as many fruit and veg as I can. Usually I eat much less meat - but we're working our way through the freezer ready for Christmas! I eat too many carbs because carbs are delicious.

Day 1:
Breakfast: Branflakes, semi skimmed milk, 2/3 banana.

Lunch: 2x Lunchitos (small wraps), 3 slices thin ham, 1/2 avocado, 6 cherry tomatoes, lime juice, chilli, coriander, cumber, handful of Popchips.

Dinner: roast dinner (chicken, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, stuffing) - cooked in air fryer.

Day 2:
Breakfast: Overnight oats (apple juice, greek yogurt, chia seeds, oats, blueberries).

Lunch: 2x Lunchitos, 2 eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chilli, coriander, tabasco, red pepper, handful of Popchips.

Dinner: Gammon (air fried), potato dauphinoise (this not typical, we're talking 2 or 3 times a year), green beans, carrots, sprouts. A mince pie.

• Gingerbread latte and a clementine.

Day 3:
Breakfast: Overnight oats (apple juice, apple, chia seeds, oats, maple syrup (about a tsp), cinnamon).

Lunch: two slices brown toast, two poached eggs. Clementine and an apple.

Dinner: leftover beef shin casserole, with steamed rice and green vegetables.

None of this is my optimum eating (I'm not a 'diet'), but it's fairly reflective of a normal three days, though as I say, usually I eat meat twice a week, not every day.

Rate it for what though?

Overnight oats might be fine if you stick to portion sizes, but you don’t weigh so could be eating 2or 3 x what you should. Same with bran flakes. You say about a tsp of maple syrup, if you’re free pouring it may actually be a lot more. Is it necessary? The apple and juice should be sweetening it naturally.
Your poached eggs could be great, but not if you have half a pack of butter on your toast.
Lunchito wraps seem to indicate one is a serving?
Gingerbread latte could be full of sugar if it’s a syrup.
Chicken with no skin is fine with lots of veg and a couple of potatoes, not fine if it’s skin on, there’s oil/butter on the veg and you have several potatoes, it also depends on what stuffing.
Portion sizes make a huge difference.

If you generally eat less meat what would you normally have instead?

I think that looks like a normal, healthy, varied diet and you should be applauded!!

If you want to lose weight (can't tell from your post) I'd just look at portion sizes.

The fact you bothered to list it all out makes me think you're not happy with it.
So what are you not happy about?

I want to know what the remaining third of your banana did to you?

I think there isn't enough vegetable variety and quantity in there but otherwise, not too bad. Based on the kinds of meals, I would guess that vegetables are very much on the side rather than being a core part of your plate? This is something I struggle with and have to work at actively - it's easy to do a roast chicken with some carrot and broccoli and corn on the side, but if I do that, I've probably got 2/3 of the plate as meat and carbs and only 1/3 veggie when really, it should be at least 1/2 vegetables and the protein and carbs together are the other half.

Upping the ratio of veggies also seems to add to my fullness without necessarily adding as many calories.

So, for example, if I'm making salmon I tend to do a massive veggie stir fry alongside - I find it's easier to get a big plate of veg in that way vs when I used to do salmon with some broccoli and carrot on the side. Last night I made chicken ala king and used 2 and a half peppers and a full packet of mushrooms for 3 people. We had steak ciabattas on the weekend which meant we each had a smaller portion of steak and I then topped it with onions and mushrooms (fried) and a cabbage and carrot slaw.

What are you asking us to rate that for though?

You've made me hungry!

I’m also confused, what do you wish it rated for? If you want to lose weight yoh likely won’t on that, unless very small portions. Otherwise if you’re fine as yoh are or ok to gain, it looks fine.

Are you trying to diet? Or not? If not try adding some chocolate or pudding?

Sorry I was unclear. I meant rating it for general healthy eating - and maybe suggest some alternatives if they occur to you.

Would I like to lose some weight? Sure, but this isn't a diet to do so, it's more of a status-check of my current diet before I make changes.

Portion size - always too big, recommended portion sizes are always much smaller than we expect.

@SpaceOP - you're right the vegetables this week have been side dishes, usually I'm much more vegetable focused, I probably eat meat twice a week, and fish once or twice, and non-meat/fish the rest of the time (I was raised a vegetarian so I'm very comfortable cooking and eating meatless meals). I tend to aim to eat 30 different 'plants' a week - not including wheat, rice or potatoes.

My biggest food 'vices' are white carbs (bread, I see you), and dairy (cheese, specifically). In times when I've lost significant weight (e.g. I went from a size 18 to 12 in 2019) I almost completely cut out white carbs, which I didn't find long-term sustainable.

I didn't like the way it looked at me 😮

(DD ate it).

I tried to do this for a while but we found we were replacing the meat/chicken/fish with carbs which rather defeated what I was trying to do which was increase our veggie intake - eg I'd do a risotto or something that was heavy on the rice with some vegetables - and we were out of balance.

So now we tend to eat veggie about once or maybe twice a week, but aim to have meals that allow us to get our ratios a bit better.

We also aim to do the 30 plant based things a week thing. DS, who eats everything, overshoots every week. DD doesn't get close and me and DH usually just about make it. We'd make it more if we swapped to wholemeal everything!

I hear you cheese... It's my downfall.

But cheese wouldn't be your downfall if you were following a low carb diet

Before anyone could rate your plate on the basis of 'health' you need to define what you mean as a healthy diet. It's not straightforward.

If you mean following current NHS guidelines, you'd be looking at a diet high in carbs, with medium amounts of protein and low amounts of fat.

If you were following a low carb diet - recommended more and more by medics - then it would be high fat, medium amounts of protein and low amounts of carbs.

Pick your poison!

It's really such a disappointment that I can't eat exactly what I want, and yet stay slim... total injustice!!

I know. Life's just not fair, is it?!