Several Small Meals?

[ZenDiva]

I eat 7 meals per day.....it's not always easy exp depending upon your schedule to get all of them in, and it does take some planning and preperation....my normal daily diet will look like this:

1/4 cup oatmeal/ 1/2 banana/ 1tbl flax oil
Isopure 0 carb protien shake w/ 0fat/0carb milk and 3 frozen strawberries 1 Tbl flax oil
6 eggwhites/ ground turkey or turkey bacon
chicken/tuna/turkey w/ veggie
isopure protien (0carb/0sugar) drink
chicken/tuna/turkey 2/ veggies
steak/fish/chicken w/ veggie

I usually cook up plenty of ground turkey, chicken breasts, ground chicken etc...keep fresh veggies cut up....or cooked and prepared....and make up small containers before work I ll pack a cooler bag w/ my me als for the day.... some days I end up dr inking more of the isopure protien drinks then I care to...but need to make sure I get something into me

 

[Gidds]

Thanks for all the suggestions

Here's what I'm trying at the moment, I picked four times to eat: 8-9 11-12 3-4 and 6 that work ok with my schedule. Breakfast is something like 1 or 2 small waffles or oatmeal and decaf coffee, next mealtime is a salad which coincides with the break in my 3 hour class, then at the beginning of my next class is some fruit or maybe half a bagel w/ cream cheese then the last meal is more salad with more traditional dinnerish stuff in small portions like a mini veggie pizza or a hearty soup or pasta in small portions. Seems to be ok so far but I am having to really stomp the urge to snack when I'm at home during the day, it's far easier if I'm in class. I also carry around a thermos of decaf and a water bottle.

 

[Diver Lori]

Gidds,

I don't see very much protein in your choices. Protein is satisfying. Your caloric intake is rather slim too. How may calories are you taking in? What is your current weight since you are not trying to lose? Your diet is heavy on carbs which will cause more carb cravings....especially if they are refined carbs.

Shoot for at least 2 servings of lean protein per day, 3 if you can. Round out with veggies, lowfat dairy and fruit. Keep your carbs to wholegrain carbs if at all possible.

Lastly....guzzle that water. It's filling too.

I have 3 meals and 2 snacks minimum, per day.

 

[Gidds]

I have limited food options at the moment protein-wise due to finances. I have no idea what the calories are, I don't count them. I weigh somwhere between 130-140 (probably on the lighter end) and I'm 5'7" or 8" according to the doc. I definately stick to the whole wheat stuff. For protein at the moment I have small amounts of fish and some dairy stuff and meat-based soups. I'm open to protein suggestions but I've been a vegetarian until recently so I'm not inclined to eat much meat. I am NOT eating tofu and I have a low-sodium requirement so I go light on the Boca burgers and related products. I also don't have a big appetite. I also noticed the large amount of carbs so I've been walking everywhere instead of driving, plus it saves gas and reduces emissions Suggestions for tweaking?

 

[jonnythan]

Soy protein is good, satisfying, and not too hard to fit into your diet. Protein bars like Balance bars make good snacks or even meal replacements. For breakfast I generally have a Balance bar with a bottle or so of water and that holds me over til about 1 PM when I have lunch, which usually consists of Subway, leftovers, or tuna on whole grain bread with a piece of fruit. Fish is great. If you like sushi, sushi can make a fantastic lunch or dinner.. low calorie, high in protein and omega-3.

Replace the regular bagel with a whole grain bagel. Just as tasty and WAY better for you. You can do the same with the waffles. You'll probably have to go to the organic section of the grocery to find the whole grain waffles, but Eggo and a couple other companies make them. "Enriched wheat flour" is something you really need to avoid. High-fiber/high-protein cereals like GoLean are also great... I love GoLean (I just had a bowl). Tons of fiber, tons of protein, and it still tastes good!

Lori offers some great suggestions with the water and more protein. Sounds like you're doing fine to me though... you might want to do something similar to what I dod.. for a few months I kept an Excel spreadsheet detailing everything I ate.. calories, protein, carbs, etc etc. It will really help you get an understand of what you're putting into your body on a daily basis and makes it really easy to tweak here and there.

 

[jonnythan]

I eat 7 meals per day.....it's not always easy exp depending upon your schedule to get all of them in, and it does take some planning and preperation....my normal daily diet will look like this:

1/4 cup oatmeal/ 1/2 banana/ 1tbl flax oil
Isopure 0 carb protien shake w/ 0fat/0carb milk and 3 frozen strawberries 1 Tbl flax oil
6 eggwhites/ ground turkey or turkey bacon
chicken/tuna/turkey w/ veggie
isopure protien (0carb/0sugar) drink
chicken/tuna/turkey 2/ veggies
steak/fish/chicken w/ veggie

I usually cook up plenty of ground turkey, chicken breasts, ground chicken etc...keep fresh veggies cut up....or cooked and prepared....and make up small containers before work I ll pack a cooler bag w/ my me als for the day.... some days I end up dr inking more of the isopure protien drinks then I care to...but need to make sure I get something into me

I've gotta say, that's an awful lot of protein (especially animal protein) with very little in the way of grains and probably fiber. Is there a reason for this?

 

[Gidds]

I beleive that is a competitive body-building regimen. What if I object to soy protein?

 

[jonnythan]

What's objectionable about soy protein?

 

[Gidds]

It just is something I am suspicious of for various reasons. What else can I have for protein? Protein shakes or are they gonna do a number on my kidneys? Aren't they expensive though? What proteinacous foods aren't expensive and do not contain things I'd rather not eat?

 

[jonnythan]

Protein shakes are fine.. Whey protein is very good. If there any negatives of that I haven't heard of any.. just don't overdo it. A super high protein diet isn't good for the kidneys no matter how you eat it. Toss some fruit in, have one for a meal, and that's pretty good. This is also why I was wondering about the mega-protein diet.. I guess it's understandable for competetive bodybuilding, but competetive bodybuilding doesn't mesh all that well with nutritional balance and health.

Peanut butter also has lots of protein, just be sure you don't get Jif... get the all-natural, no sugar added stuff. Egg whites too... Egg Beaters has some flavor varieties that are great to eat by themselves or with a piece of fruit or something.