Please judge my foot intake harshly

[Summerflab]

Hi all,

Following on from yesterday, asking you to harshly critique my food intake!

I’m trying to eat more healthily and run 4 x week. For info I’m 5ft4 and need to lose a stone in the next 8 weeks so need to eat 1200 calories a day. Please be really harsh and rip up my food intake/ give me tips if needed.

Thank you

Breakfast: (not sure on cals)
2 pieces mango
Handful blueberries
Handful raspberries

Lunch: (about 350 cals)
1 chicken breast with ginger, soy sauce and garlic
Lots of broccoli (poster yesterday said to fill up on veg 😉)
50g brown rice
2 satsumas

Dinner (approx 550 cals)
Medium portion of beef and chickpea stew with cous cous (beef mince, chickpeas, cous cous, spray oil only, tomato paste, garlic, harissa, beef stock cube, mint, baharat and chopped dates and apricots).

Snack:
1 bitesize piece Turkish delight

Drinks:
2 x tea with hazelnut milk
Lots of water

Have you tried My Firbess Pal?

If you’re only eating 1200 kcals, you really don’t need to cut out any meals. I know you’re trying to lose a stone in a relatively short amount of time, but you still need your diet to be healthy and sustainable.

I’d keep an eye on your fibre intake. You need about 25g a day and it doesn’t look to me like you’re anywhere near that. Whole grains are a good source, as are pulses.

One easy swap to make is to replace your couscous with bulgur wheat. It’s just as easy to prepare, but 4x the fibre!

It’s better than l could ever manage so respect to you. Are you exercising as well?

@Crazzzycat I do suffer with, ahem, digestive issues related to lack of fibre- are there any other simple/ low cal high fibre options you would suggest?

I'd recommend checking out reddit.com/r/1200isplenty - lots of people there with the same target calories so you can get an idea of what others are eating

@EL8888 I’m trying to do 4km run/jog 4 x week (not a good runner, just keep plodding round!)

@helly29 I’ve never heard of the Reddit page before- thank you for the inspiration!

@FusionChefGeoff I used to use MyFitnessPal but became obsessed with weighing everything and anxious when I couldn’t so now I just try and make a fair estimate!

I think I was the one who said more veg - I meant lots more portions of different veg not a plate full of one type!

For example. I've just had a bowl of chicken casserole (chicken, carrots, mushrooms in gravy) on a pile of broccoli, green beans and asparagus. Five a day in one meal, and very filling.

@PatriciaHolm thank you for coming back and clarifying- think I need a dummies guide to this 🙈. Will cut things like cous cous portions down and add more variety of veg (hopefully will help fibre too)...will report back tomorrow!

Maybe eggs for breakfast instead of fruit?
Tho the berries are good, tropical fruit (and dried fruit- dates/ apricots) can be high sugar and calories.
A lot depends on portion size. a quick check says your rice alone could be 182 cals, plus 170 in average sized chicken breast, Tgats 350 already....then there's broccoli, the sauce and 2 satsumas on top..
I think you have to weigh and log meticulously in something like MyFitnessPal. You could be going over every meal by 100 calories, then adding in snacks , milk in tea etc too. You could be eating a lot more than you think you are.

OMG @Havenly you are right- stupidly I thought 50g brown rice was about 75 calories...not sure why! It’s no wonder I’m so full....!

You have to be careful- is it 50g of dry rice or 50g of cooked rice? Same with pasta too- there's a big difference in calories between 50g dry pasta and 50g cooked pasta - sometimes the nutrition info on the pack isn't clear at all...

Best sources of fibre are whole grains (especially oats, wholewheat and corn), pulses, some types of fruit (apples, pears, raspberries) and nuts.

I think in general though, your meal plan looks fine. I’d be surprised if you didn’t lose weight on that, but eating more fibre will definitely help you feel fuller for longer

I don't think I'd lose 2lb a week with that but I'm not very active. Like others, I'd have a go at weighing and tracking in MFP for a few days just to remind yourself how many calories there are in things (I thought mango would be high, and chicken breasts vary in size!)

No judgement here, I once ate my height in subway...for lunch.

I'm by no means a dietician/weight loss guru, (see above lol)

I'd lose the Satsumas and halve the chicken breast for lunch.

Might be worth looking at some similar lunch meals with fish so you have a bit of variety

Add nuts/trail mix, maybe a boiled egg to your snack list so you've got more options.

Maybe swap some of the breakfast fruit for a high protein yogurt your breakfast?

Would definitely add some protein to breakfast as you have just fasted for at least 12 hours. So an egg added in and can have half chicken breast at lunch.
I find my first week l can drop 2 pounds just not eating between meals , then the next week l need to up the ante a bit. So l would encourage cutting back gradually or it's not sustainable.

Sorry, I forgot about the exercise, I do the 16:8 routine, I walk 1 to 2 hours 5 days a week and run 2 x 5k. But because it’s 8 hours of feeding time I have one main meal, I drink loads of water and never feel hungry and weight is falling off. But to be honest, I have also cut down my booze to nearly nothing, compared to what I used to drink so that’s a big lifestyle change for me. Cutting down on food intake is easier to keep up than relying on the exercise commitment. Best of luck op

I’d add a bowl of bran flakes for breakfast. You need to get energy for the day from somewhere, and more fibre. Does hazelnut milk have calcium in it?

@Havenly just to make it more awful it’s 50g dry rice...I will revisit portion size ASAP!

@Crazzzycat really helpful thank you- going to add some nuts and have some bran flakes for breakfast (and reduce mango/berry portions a bit).

@Magmatic80 bran flakes added 😊. And will have a look at the hazelnut milk as I’m not sure re calcium. It’s a bit tricky as I’m dairy intolerant!

@allthegoodusernameshavegone very helpful thank you and I agree with not relying on exercise to cut calories (as when it pours down with rain, for example, my running goes to pot)!

So plan today is:

B: small bowl of bran flakes with hazelnut milk and small amount of mango, blueberries and raspberries.

L: vastly reduced brown rice portion, broccoli, chicken breast (small one).

D: small portion gnocch and lots of veg (green beans, asparagus, tomatoes) and small amount pesto

Snacks: 2 satsumas

Drinks: 1x hazelnut milk tea, water

Hopefully that is effectively tweaked with all your thoughts 😊.

Have you dieted before OP, and are you overweight at all?

All the serious calorie deficit ideas above are not sustainable long term, may mess with your metabolism, and lead to weight gain long term...

To me what you eat sounds fine, if you are happy on that

These 1200 cal diets are really not sustainable for most people (as you are permanently starving yourself on so little, unless you are 5ft and tiny and inactive)

Morning Summerflab! Remember to weigh your portions today. I think it's 30g for bran flakes - about a ramekin dish full....