Is this too much food?

[Dimblebimble]

I'm trying to get healthier and loose some weight. 11.5 stone and 5 foot 3, size 10-12 on top and 12-14 on bottom. I do have a big appetite and am a bit of a grazer (particularly for chocolate and sweet snacks, which I'm now trying to cut out), and tbh I deserve to be bigger than I am.

We're trying to start a family and I've just had a second miscarriage so I am trying to improve my health overall in the hopes it might help with a successful pregnancy next time. I'm focused on getting in lots of goodness, looking after myself and feeling good as well as loosing weight.

Here are the lunch and snacks I've made for tomorrow. On reflection, it looks massive, but I'll still be hungry after this. Might take in some pineapple or an apple too. There are 1.5-2 chicken breasts in there, 2 rashers of chopped up bacon (obvious fat cut off) and half an avocado. The dip is guacamole.

Is this a reasonable amount of food to eat during a day at work, or do I need to cut down? is there anything I should change?

Avocado is good for you but pretty high calorie. The rest seems ok. Could you have salad leaves with the chicken and bacon instead of avo?

I can't see the photo so am commenting based just on what you've written
So avocado and guacamole are both high calorie - so have one or the other - maybe swap the guacamole for salsa or, if you want something creamy, low fat yoghurt.
I'm not sure if your picture shows any veg/salad but that's definitely something to consider upping - both as parts of meals and for snacks. And if you do snack on fruit, always try to have some form of protein with it - e.g. an apple and a Babybel Light or 0% fat greek yoghurt or a few nuts
And make sure you are drinking plenty of water!

Seems like a lot of veg, light on the protein. Add a couple of hard boiled eggs?

Here are the lunch and snacks I've made for tomorrow. On reflection, it looks massive, but I'll still be hungry after this.

^

OK.

Listen.

If you are still hungry afterwards, you are eating the wrong things.

Instead, have :

A chicken, red pepper, cucumber and chick pea salad. Add a olive oil dressing. Skip the bacon and the avocado. Add feta maybe.

Hard boiled eggs for snacks.
Grapes and blueberries are good.
Maybe a small pot of full fat Greek yog too.

I’d go the other way
Less snacking. Less protein, more greens, more fat

I’d try to balance my insulin levels via reasonable protein, more fat and v few carbs outside green veg and salad

Lose the bacon. Otherwise that is healthy I think! If you really want to lose weight you need to know how much you are eating - I would recommend a bit of calorie counting to see where you are.

It does look like a lot of food to me - even when food is healthy, portions can be too big surely?

Looks fine to me, especially if it's for all day. Would maybe change gauc for yoghurt dip, and remove the bacon completely, but that's just personal preference.

Perhaps next time try weighing things out and logging the calories on my fitness pal? That will give you an indication of volume vs calories.

I also think the close up picture may have distorted the size a little.

Thanks everyone for your replies. For those recommending leafy greens, are they good for you nutritionally? I always plump for cucumber or peppers because I feel like lettuce leaves don't really fill me up or give me much nutrition but that's just an assumption. If so any particular type I should try?

I'm mainly trying to cut down on carbs during the day because I know in the past that that's how I lose weight. I normally eat a sandwich and crisps/chocolate bar so this is healthy for me! I think I am feeling hungry because of the lack of carbs and because I'm used to eating a lot!

I thought about a boiled egg but worried it was too much protein with the chicken as well.

Does low fat yoghurt go with cucumber/peppers?! Never thought about yoghurt as a dip before...

I have used MyFitnessPal before but find it easier for packed foods than fresh foods. I might try using it next week. I never know how many calories to aim for though. I usually put 1200 as it's the only way it says I can loose a lb a week but some people say it's too low.

It also says if I eat this much fruit that it's too much sugar, but I really like fruit as a snack and surely healthy sugars are better than snacking on chocolate?

If you’re often hungry after eating a meal, then a book I’d recommend is called “Eating Less” by Gillian Riley. She talks about how our addictive desire flares up when we start eating and what to do about it. Personally I’ve found it really helpful to recognise it’s not real hunger at the end of a meal, but my brain sending out false messages. Brain over Binge also covers why your brain will send false hunger messages once it is in the habit of doing so.

Far too much for lunch, read up on portion control. You still feel hungry because your used to eating heavier food.

Yeah that looks like way too much for lunch. I would usually have breakfast of scrambled or poached egg, mushroom and tomato or porridge then take some home made soup to work for lunch. I wouldnt have a separate snack and might have a couple of crackers with the soup but that would be it until I got home.

I think one chicken breast is sufficient and ditch the bacon which I think does more harm than good. I would bulk up with some lentils or three bean salad. I'm low carbing and can see what you're trying to do. Your lunch looks really nice. Carrots are very filling and full of fibre so I would have a bag of those pre washed and cut to smack on too. Also maybe some houmous. You might also need to change your mindset about feeling full.

And ditch most of the fruit -too much hidden sugar.

You really don't need that much chicken, OP, and bacon's really bad for you.

The only way to be sure is to calorie count for a while. You need a calorie deficit to lose weight. Also, be kind to yourself. You're doing really well to be cutting out the choc/crisps etc.

Cucumber is predominantly water whereas leafy greens like kale, spinach, watercress, rocket contain a lot more nutrients - including folate which will be really important for you if you're trying to conceive

Fruit is OK in moderation - if you think about your 5 a day then no more than 2 of those portions should be fruit - and some (bananas, mango, grapes, pineapple, dried fruit) contain more sugar than others (berries, kiwi, citrus fruit)

Of course all of this depends on what else you're eating - and drinking - during the day and how active you are. You don't need to cut out food groups (like carbs) to lose weight - you just need to be in a calorie deficit

The more I read about nutrition the more I believe that vegetables are really good for you. You have loads of veg which is great. I would have less chicken and avoid the bacon but as an occasional treat no harm done. Yes avocado has fat but it's healthy fat and should help you feel fuller. Dark fruits are healthy too. If you can have leafy greens for dinner that would be great.

The calories in calories out model of dieting ignores so much evidence. People are not getting fat eating too much fruit and vegetables. Its the other stuff you have to worry about.

Since January I have switched to eating lots of fruit and vegetables. Yes my fitness pal claims too much sugar in the fruit. I've cut out all refined sugar and bread, rice and pasta. I've lost 22 pounds, my skin has cleared, my mental health is better as is my insomnia. Good luck OP!

Calories in the bacon, chicken and avocado alone will be about 600.
Pepper anouther 50 odd, 100ish each for each of the fruits and then guacamole can pack it in. So while it’s very healthy it could be 8/900 calories.

I find porridge is one of the best foods to keep you feeling full. I often have it for lunch with some berries on top.

I would lose at least a third of that chicken and ditch the bacon. I would also swap the avocado for hard boiled eggs.

I was surprised to find that a cup of grapes contains 15g of sugar, which is just over 3 teaspoons! So I'm staying off the grapes (and fruit in general) right now as I'm trying to cut sugar out as much as possible, and it's working!

@HelloClouds yes grapes are one of the higher sugar fruits - like anything they are ok in moderation (eg a portion a day) just not the whole punnet. Also remember the sugar in fruit doesn’t count towards the “added sugar” (sugar in sweets, biscuits, chocolate, sauces, cereal etc) figure that it’s recommended we limit - the same is true for the sugar in milk

OP check your messages