What we ate today in a calorie deficit - whole food edition (and how do we feel?)

[thenewaveragebear1983]

I am on a long running ‘what we ate today’ thread, but I am currently trying to cut out ultra processed foods and Eat a (mostly) whole food diet. Mainly because I am really suffering with a looooooong list of minor ailments that are not independently any issue but as a collective, they are really dragging me down. My plan is to do the next 30 days (barring a weekend away) and to see if I notice any improvements, while also sticking to my calorie and exercise goals.

@CortieTat I'm going to try and find all the different yogurts you mention, they sound brilliant and I love to find out new things thank you!

If you can find långfil wherever you are that’s a nice treat. It’s gooey and kind of elastic! It’s in every shop in Northern Sweden (because it’s a traditional product) but nowhere to be found in the South outside large cities. I live in the middle of nowhere and would love to get some långfil for my overnight oats!

@CortieTat I can find a starter culture...I see it's mesophilic too, so it can sit next to the kefir? company called positively probiotic. Am curious so I might just go for it even though it's quite pricey and takes ages to ship. Is it worth it?

It does taste like fermented milk, but the texture is unusual. I had it for a long time in my ordinary Southern fridge started with a box brought home from a visit to the North and it would always came out perfectly elastic. Got bored with it and ate it all up and now I can’t buy it locally anymore.

Today I am really tired, baby will not sleep unless carried and whenever I tried to have a nap she would wake up within minutes and start screaming.

I had:

Overnight oats (same as usual)
Shrimp soup (the last portion left)
Fat and salty take away: gyros, chips, garlic sauce with some symbolic vegetables.

Snacks; two coffees with oat milk, protein bar, 10 marshmallows (I still have leftovers from making fifteens), one scoop of vegan ice cream.

My app counted 2342 kcal but I think it’s at least 2700 because I couldn’t weigh the take away.

Wanted to nap but ended up going for a 6 km walk trying to calm the baby instead 😅 Did an hour of LesMills BodyBalance which helped me to stay awake.

i am not a yogurt fan but can tolerate thick Greek yogurt - especially if served with strawberries. I have quark to try tomorrow, which is thicker still.

I am chuffed as I met my calorie and protein goals today.

BF cheese omelette (organic eggs and olive oil though 😆) lots of coffee with milk

L mackerel, cucumber and salad with salt and pepper to jazz it up!

D chicken stir fry (vegetables - Sainsbury’s frozen one, half a pack - carrot, red pepper, water chestnut, broccoli, red onion, baby corn) tiny bit of red&white quinoa, parsley and lemon.

S latte, baked beans (yes weird snack!) 100 % peanut butter

I remember those cant out the baby down days. I think I got a carrier out of desperation, but in reality there isn’t that much you can do with a baby strapped to your chest! Think you are doing so well with new baby to even keep an eye on food and very impressed with your exercise. I had les mills on demand last year and definitely did not make enough use of it.

@CortieTati think you’re doing amazingly well too, those baby days are a long way ago for me just i still remember that crushing tiredness.

I’ve had a good day today, ended up in calorie deficit which is very unusual for me on an office day. Took the dog for a lovely evening walk, it’s so warm even in the shade. I feel tired, I had a frustrating day at work and I’m craving all the sugary stodgy carbs.

I have noticed a lot less pain in my hands since cutting the UPF out, but still have this rib flare pain, it’s very unpleasant and burning today. I am seeing the chiropractor tomorrow and she will hopefully work her magic.

Day 9 was around 1112 calories.
Stewed apple and toasted walnuts for breakfast again.
Spicy chicken breast and sweet potato chips for lunch. Blueberries for dessert.
2 x hard boiled eggs with assorted lettuce leaves, roasted cherry tomatoes and acv pickled onions for supper.
2sq 85% chocolate.
Drinks 2 x blk coffee and 2+ltr water.

Motivation is low again and I seem to be missing my enthusiasm for eating but I do enjoy the food once I start to eat despite it all being rather plain and simple and quite repetitive.

Thank you ladies, I am 47 years young so it feels like if I haven’t had a good exercise routine in place I would barely be able to survive these first months.

I carry her (right now :-)) - I was really into babywearing with my first two (all the pretty wraps 😍😍😍) but my eldest is now 12 so I have a much more utilitarian approach, just wrap an go. But it’s still impossible to sleep with while babywearing.

I am addicted to LesMills on demand, I have had it for 4 years now, it has saved me hours of driving to the gym.

food today:
made a really nice chia seeds, coconut milk, raisins, frozen fruit pot with a swirl of peanut butter 😋
lunch I had 2 poached eggs, half an avocado, salad and mayo (hm)
some grapes
handful of nuts
I’m at the chiropractor tonight so I just grabbed an apple and peanut butter but I’m so full now I don’t think I will have any dinner. I really must stop eating so much PB though, it’s so calorie heavy. I’m struggling for food this week as I wanted to use up some of our stuff and do a shop for the weekend, rather than do top up shops all the time.

i have noticed a lot of reduction in all my inflammation (hands, ribs) and some feeling/movement changes in my face following the acupuncture I had on Monday. This may be partly down to reducing inflammation through my diet as well, although it’s happened very rapidly following the treatment

We hit our peak tiredness yesterday, DH was so tired that he forgot shopping after work and we ended up getting pizza from the only local restaurant we have in the village. It was Walpurgis night yesterday so a big celebration 🔥. I had to get away from the crowd and noise to let the baby sleep so I walked in the woods instead of watching the fire.

I had:
overnight oats, added some fresh, grated ginger to wake up

Smoked mackerel, egg, vegetable ikea balls, soybeans, brussel sprouts and cabbage salad (leftovers from the weekend)

Vegetarian pizza (on gluten free dough which tastes like sand)

Snacks: 2 coffees with oat milk, winegums, one mini Lindt egg, one apple, 1/4 bottle (188 ml) of red wine.

2605 kcal, no workout, went for two walks, 11 km in total.

Day 10 exactly 1400 calories according to Cronometer.

Stewed apple with full fat Greek yoghurt
Salad- assorted leaves, chives, avocado, cherry toms, acv pickled shallot, poached salmon and evoo. Blueberries with a blob of clotted cream that needed finishing.
Feta, buffalo mozzarella, vintage red Leicester, pear. It all needed using up and didn’t want to waste. Wasn’t hugely hungry but always find room for cheese and 85% choc - 3 sqrs.
Drinks 2x blk coffee, 2+ltr water, 2x vodka n soda waters.

i managed to get some sleep today so life is better.

Overnight oats with banana, chia, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds, dried mulberries and grated ginger.

Smoked mackerel, egg, stir fried cabbage with leek in chili ginger sauce, sour (fermented) cucumber and some leftover rice.

BBQ meat marinated in tamari and Worcestershire sauce, salad: millet, brown lentils, sprout beans, onion, yellow pepper, fresh mint, spring onion and cucumber.

Snacks: two scoops of ice cream, two coffees with oat milk, 1/4 bottle of red wine (188 ml)

2356 kcal. We were properly hiking with the baby for the first time, a short 5 km trail but felt great even though I couldn’t see my feet because she was in the front carrier. LesMills Shapes (love the whole series).

Skipped breakfast as was too busy to think about eating

Lunch was a low carb fat loss Prep Kitchen meal

Afternoon snack was three thin chocolate coated biscuits and a cup of coffee with friends so cheating was allowed

Dinner was two portions of carrot, sweet potato and chickpea soup that needed finishing

I use chronometer @Pippinberry - apparently there are free features for basic users this month (who are women), but not actually noticed them! how do you stew your apples - quick blast in micro?

@CortieTat i am even more impressed if you are 47! I am 46 and have three teenagers, must be lovely to have baby snuggles still. What type of workout is shapes? Is it yoga or dance? I can’t justify les mills given my efforts last year but I have quite a lot of old beachbody and shred type dvds and you are inspiring me to dig those out.

@PollyPaintsFlowers was your lunch a delivery thing or in normal supermarket?

@thenewaveragebear1983 thats really fantastic about aches and pains reducing!

bf fresh blueberries in quark with bio and me granola

L salmon roasted with courgette and red peppers and a side salad with cucumber and lemon juice

D Turkey stew with leeks, and root veg - bit weird as it’s hot today but I just tipped a load of stuff in the ninja and pressure cooked it

S 1 sq dark chocolate, raspberries, latte and coffees

I am squeezing lemon on everything and love it - will need to be careful as it’s probably not great for my teeth. Bit like when I got into sprinkling cinnamon on coffee instead of having milk then found out cassia can be toxic and should be used sparingly! The other cinnamon isn’t toxic, so naturally it tastes rubbish!

@Clearingaspaceit's a delivery thing. You go on their website and choose whether you want to gain or lose weight and then choose from a range of meals

Sounds interesting I will check it out! Thank you

@Clearingaspace I don’t have proper teenagers yet (eldest is 12) so there’s s lot to discover still ahead!
Shapes is a combination of pilates, strength training, power yoga and LesMills Barre. No dancing (I have two left legs) it’s slow but very intense, brings in real pain very quickly compared to more popular LM workouts such as BodyPump. I really recommend it for visible results! Maybe there’s s free one on YouTube? That’s how I found LesMills in the first place, thanks to a free Body Attack on YouTube

Ooh good idea, I will have a look.

B- Greek yogurt (10%) strawberries,mango ,crushed walnuts and raisins
l- tuna and butter bean salad with red onions,tomatoes ,feta and green salad
d- steak kebabs,mixed salad and jersey royals

Made a roasted veg salad a couple of days ago, with chickpeas and beetroot lobbed in. Been eating for lunch with sardines and with feta today. It was absolutely lovely.

@BigDahliaFan that sounds really nice.

I have given up dairy in order to combat my inflammation so I am drooling at the thought of feta 🤤

today I had:
a seasoned chicken breast from yesterday
salad with tuna in cucumber ‘boats’ and a plate of fruit and peanut butter..
2 satsumas
dinner will be a steak with salad and homemade aioli

I’m struggling to get into calorie deficit because my food is higher fat and lower carb than I was previously managing. I am feeling a lot less inflamed in my hands and my face. I did have acupuncture on Monday for my facial numbness but that may have helped with my overall inflammation as well. I also saw the chiropractor on weds and after feeling very bruised yesterday, I have had no pain today. So that’s very positive after only a couple of weeks

this weekend I plan to go to the gym tomorrow, and do a long run on either Sunday or Monday (15km hopefully). We’ve got no real social plans, we have a meal out on Monday lunch but I’ve already looked and there’s salads and a fish dish which work be an ok choice.

I had:

Overnight oats

Soup with savoy cabbage, hijiki seaweed, onion, garlic, smoked tofu, egg and sweet potato noodles

This: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mushroom_chickpea_and_71193 with extra leek and lentils. Came out great, very tasty, lots of flavour and excellent value for money.

Snacks: strawberries, blueberries, kladkaka (we had guests), two coffees with oat milk, 188 ml of brut cava (half a 375 ml bottle)

2376 kcal. Done Body Balance as active recovery.

I just stew the apples on the stovetop @Clearingaspace
Cronometer is giving me an additional nutrition score for women for free when I view my daily report.

Playing catch up. I need to actually input my food choices before I eat them and not the day after as I do make better choices when I’m doing it in the moment.

Day 11 ??? Lost count!
1024 calories
Apple and 10% Greek yoghurt
Courgette, carrot, onion egg fritters with a tamari ginger dipping sauce. Token bit of green salad and acv pickled radish.
Pear with ends of cheese that need eating up.
85% choc
Drinks - 2 blk coffee, 2+ltr water, rum with a packet of natural sweetened mai tai mix that’s 25cals and prob upf topped with soda water

Day 12
1332 calories
Apple and 10% Greek yoghurt
Homemade gf bread and a mug of homemade veg broth.
Last of the blummin pears and end bits of cheese just cause I don’t like food waste. And 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and Marc de champagne truffles oops.
Drinks- 2 blk coffees, 2+ltr water and the wine