average daily intakes...
 

I was wondering if anyone knows of a site that lists average daily intake of protein, fat grams, etc.

Hi Jason :wavey: You may find what you seek here: http://www.nutrition.gov/

fwiw, i don't follow the fda's recommendations ... their guidelines are skewed. i have found this website invaluable. unfortch, i haven't found anywhere where they enumerate specific intake recommendations, but they've built their own food pyramid that is far more balanced & offern plenty of good information.

thanks guys.

dude, I'm so depressed. I feel like I've hit a plateau or something. dieting and exercising for 3 months and I've only lost like 10lbs. was 12, but I weighed today and had gained 2. I don't know really what I'm doing wrong. I think I need to get a little more strict about what I eat and change up my exercise routine.

what's your exercise regimen, jaz? maybe you need to spice that up. your body may have just adjusted to getting a certain amt. of activity. how many cals do you eat? how much lean protein do you get?

I walk 2 miles at least 4 times a week, weights about 3 times a week and some type of ab or leg workout 2-3 times a week. as far as eating goes, I eat a cereal bar for breakfast, a 6inch turkey Subway sandwich for lunch and chicken and black-eye peas for dinner. for snacks, I eat rice cakes with peanut butter. I try to stay around 1200-1500 calories a day. I don't drink sodas, I watch my sugar and have had NO fast food for 3 months (with the exception of one cheat a couple weeks ago).

I think you're right that I need to change it all up a little and eat more lean protein. I've still got Strand's list of what he eats so I might try that.

well, i'm no expert, but 1200-1500 sounds too low ... i'm eating around 1600/ day, and i'm a girl! :p really, maybe your body isn't burning the calories you're consuming because you're not consuming enough. as for exercise, how fast do you walk? maybe you should introduce some more vigorous cardio into your workouts, like bike riding or jogging. (sorry this took me so long to type, my friend just called me)

yeah, I've heard conflicting reports re: how many calories to consume so I'm confused. I walk at 3.6 for 5minutes, jog at 4.0 for 10 minutes and then finish the 2 miles at 3.5 or 3.6 - I know I need to change it up, just not sure how right now. here's another thing, I could go longer if my damn calves wouldn't cramp on me. I mean, I stretch before and after walking and they still cramp up. I guess I just need to condition them. I'd love to be back at my gym and have all the classes, but just can't afford it right now.

I appreciate you talking about this with me! :xoxo:

I thought that was how you DID lose weight, by the body needing to convert stored fat for energy (if the calories werent enuff to do the job) ???

everything Ive read recommends cutting calories to lose weight? :shrug:

Cereal bars usually are loaded with refined sugars that go straight to your waistline. So, be careful with those despite the caloric content.

Also, some suggestions if you are not already doing them -

no mayo on that six incher - if you must have mayo, use the light version (bringing your own usually works best as few places have that) and eat the wheat not white bread.

Peanut butter is rather fattening and contains too many carbs (1 cup = 1500 calories and 50 carbs) as seen here http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c219p.html -- but it is a great source of protein. So, use it sparingly. Honestly, a grilled chicken breast, pulled pork, or a small steak would be better for you than this carb fest.

Black eyed peas make great music, but are also full of carbs http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20dB.html -- also if you are eating them out of a can, stop immediately as they have relatively no nutrional value. Frozen (with nothing on them) is better, but natural is the best.

Also, congrats on the 10-12 pounds - that is a positive to focus on. Hang in there and remember Rome was not built in a day.

Your cramping could be due to a low level of potasium. Also, drink at least 64 ounces of water every six hours.

the musical froot!!!!!!!! (misspelling intentional!)

ok, so I'm not doing anything right. ****. it's damn hard to try to keep up with calories, refined sugar, fat, carbs...where does it end? I mean, seriously.

I need to get a better meal plan I guess. you know what I want? I want someone to tell me exactly what to eat. lazy, yes, I know. thanks for the tips! :wavey:

Remember - bad carbs = weight gain --- and no muscle can be built without protein

For breakfast, eat things like grapefruit (NO WHITE SUGAR) or an organic breakfast bar - look at the lable and see with it says things like enriched flour, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Those are calories with no nutritional value. When you are limiting yourself to 1500 calories a day, you want all of those calories to work for you.

You can also have egg whites with veggies (raw or frozen) in them. If you cannot stomach separating a dozen egg whites, buy the generic brand of plain egg beaters, which is about twice the price as doing it yourself and contains alot of sodium, which you will pretty much sweat away with your cardio - though it should be limited.

For lunch - I would stay away from Subway because of the carbs. I would prepare thee lunches in advance at home and take them to work. Not only is this wildly less expensive than $10 a day at Subway, you can control the make of the food. Grill chicken, steak (lean), and porck shops. Or, get a ham or turkey from the Kroger. Eat veggies with that. Again, nothing from a can is good for you - so eat frozen or raw veggies.

Snacking - very very important as it keeps the metabolism going. A handful (no more) of RAW almonds is great for you. Also, good for you is another meat (that you have prepared) - a protien shake, grapes (handful only) or other fruit (careful of the sugar here) - etc.

For dinner, eat what you had for lunch or a variation thereof.

Finally, drink only low carb protein shakes - ISS Advantage Matrix is the best tasting for me, but Myoplex is ok as well - compare the nutritional data on the products and use the one you like. Get them from www.bodybuilding.com (a GREAT source for nutritional data if you can wade through it - and great people to work with) for the cheapest around. Do NOT, go to GNC as they usually are at least twice as much. I find the one with the individual packets (as opposed to the usually less expensive huge jar with a scoop) to be the best. The shake immediately after a workout is a good idea as your body is poised to absorb the whey (protein)

One final bit of advice, if it is white, it probably is a carb that will make you store fat. So, avoid that!

I also take a product called Vitrix, which is a plant extract that natually increases testosterone. This helps in burning fat and increasing muslce tone. It also make you get a stiffy if you so much as sctach your knee :laugh:

ok, jaz, hopefully i can be a little more helpful now that i'm not trying to type and talk on the phone at the same time (i was on the phone for 3 hours with my friend last night helping her with an assignment ... i swear i deserve a couple law school credits for that call alone).

subway: have you tried their low-carb wraps? even wheat bread is highly caloric & high in carbs. a wrap might be the way to go.

peanut butter: i contend that pb is a great food, as long as you eat the right kind and in moderation. 2 T of all-natural peanut butter is enough to eat with a sliced apple, and that makes a great 300-cal snack or meal. delicious and very satisfying.

how often are you eating? eating 300 cals every couple of hours keeps your metabolism working. it may be worth a try.

get more fruits and veggies in your diet. seriously, the more natural foods you eat, the better you will feel. apples and blueberries, for instance, are delicious and good for you. spinach is a great dark-green veggie, just as long as you don't eat too much (it is extremely high in vitamin a, overdoses of which are related to hip fractures. more info here.)

my motto in life actually. :laugh:

thanks again my dear. I am going to sit down this weekend and figure this all out. now, I must work on some Daubert motions. yuck!!!

The natural PB's are the way to go. You can even easily make your own :shrug:



Very true!!!!! If you make your body's furnace always burning, it will more efficiently burn anything you throw in it. For example, if you throw a huge log into a tiny fire, it will take hours to burn. Conversely, if that fire is raging, the log will be burned quicker and more efficiently. To keep this fire burning, you need energy, which comes from the right kind of foods, read protein.

also, jaz, this is a great book: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...21/9702327.gif

great analogy!

one more thing about pb: stop eating jif/skippy/whatever. they are high in sugar and horrible for you. they express the healthy oils out of the peanuts & put bad oils (like rapeseed oil) in the pb. avoid!

have either of you looked at or have thoughts on the South Beach Diet? I'm just curious. I was reading some stuff on it last week.

i never have, just because i've always felt that for me, it was more enjoyable to figure out what to eat on my own, although i know not everyone feels that way. i'm kind of curious to see what the SBD is all about ... i think i'll do some reading when i get home from the gym.

It is a good diet in that it changes the way you eat as opposed to limiting your eating, which really never works as the minute you lose the weight, you stop the diet and revert to the old eating habits.

What, in a nutshell, it will tell you is to eat five or six meals a day, limit the bad carbs (usually white), and eat protein. But, it provides it in a way that let's you plan your means, so it is a good thing.

Keep in mind, any so called eating plan that makes you exclude all of a certain food group a la Atkins usually is not a good idea.

The energy comes from carbs not protein. The protein keeps you satisfied and provides the building blocks for muscle mass. It is not broken down by the body to use as fuel very efficiently.

Jaz, just make a couple of changes this week and a couple more next week. That way it is not as overwhelming. For example, this week, stop eating that cereal bar for breakfast and have something with protein such as an omelet and a piece of whole grain toast (with at least 3 grams of fiber). I personally don't think you have to eat only the whites. The yolks have all of the nutrients. Plus, there really is only a couple of grams of fat in them, no biggie to me. Plus, that little bit of fat keeps you satisfied so you don't overeat at your next meal.

Change your exercise so you jog for 2 minutes twice instead of the 4 minutes. Add 1/2 mile to your walk too. Try to change the timing of when you jog and when you walk every time you go out.

Okay, maybe 3 changes, if you're going to continue to get Subway get whole grain and throw out half of the bread. Have some fruit instead.

Okay, maybe 4, make sure you are lifting enough weight, you should barely be able to lift that last rep.

Peanut butter is a great food, it does have to be all natural though, there was a recent study done where people who ate it lost more weight than those who did not.

Also, 10 lbs is great!!! It has taken me 8 mos to lose 10 lbs so chill dude. No seriously. :lol:

^^^^^^

But, I meant that protein is the fat burner and burning fat requires energy -

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/bo...oss-tips-4.htm

This article really explains metabolic rate, fat burning, energy levels, etc.

Okay, so what this means is it takes your body more energy to burn protein than carbs hence an increase in metabolism. Also, after exercise there is a "thermic effect" which is 3x higher if you are eating a high protein diet. I have never heard this before. Also, body building publications have always had a bias toward high protein diets. But I'm not saying this is wrong, but if it is based on only one study then it is not yet a fact.

It is a pretty much accepted theory. I mean look at their bodies :shrug:

You guys are making me hungry!!!! :blob1:

I meant the mechanism of it. But this guy says he eats 40% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fat. http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/bo...on-guide-1.htm. So I think he eats more carbs than you realize.

I tried dieting, but I can't live like that. I hate counting calories. I have only gained 3 pounds in a year so im doing something right. I'm at 157 lbs right now. If i feel I ate ****ty one day, Ill diet for the next. Like i'll eat crackers, smart ones, apples, grapes, and boca burgers.

Bike Riding seems to work up a sweat for me, I think im going to try that more.

My personal philosophy is that "Food Should be FUN". anything that detracts from the "fun" aspect is verboten. A good rule of thumb is "everything in moderation." Those are the sum total of my guidelines. I admit, I sometimes dont follow the "moderation" guideline, but in those instances, I sure as hell had FUN!! :]

I think I am not being clear - you must eat from all food groups. If you do not, then your diet is not that great and in the end will likely backfire.

I am saying that protein is the muscle builder and will make you lean - carbs (no matter how complex) cannot really do that - but you still need them, along with fat, etc.

Just go to Weight Watchers. You can eat anything you want, until you've used up all your points. Then, start over the next day. :D

Exactly. Though - if you like to booze it up WW is not for you :laugh:

^^
Just booze it up on your "free day" :laugh:

Seriously though - WW is a tremendous program that is NOT a diet - I'm having an interesting time basically learning how to eat again...well at least learning not to grossly over-eat as I've apparently been doing for the last many years.

Many over eat and not just that - they do so with crap food - like the two large McDonald's fries I had the other day :laugh:

If you are training, you can eat all the grilled chicken and veggies you want and it will be used wisely by your body.

^^

:nod: I was over-eating AND eating a lot of crap foods. And getting pretty much NO veggies or fruits in my diet. That has shifted dramatically this week.

I'm not training - I'm not throwing exercise into the mix until next week :D But yeah - when you exercise you get to add points to your day :D

WW really is a great program. I have seen it do wonders for many. I was not into it, but that is just me. I knew what I had to do and I just did it. But, I essentially did the program without actually counting the points.

^^
Yeah it's not for everyone -and it really turns some people off.

I knew what I had to do - the problem was DOING it. So I figured if I put my money behind it - and meet with a group of people with the same goals - I will be more accountable...and so far so good - in recent tries at healthfulness I give up a day or two in -

This time I'm determined...(and too broke to buy bigger clothes ;) )