average daily intakes...

[JazmenFlowers]

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

[BTFLCHLD]

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

[carrie721]

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.

[JazmenFlowers]

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.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

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?

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by carrie721

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? does a large portion of your cals come from lean protein?

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.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

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! 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)

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by carrie721

well, i'm no expert, but 1200-1500 sounds too low ... i'm eating around 1600/ day, and i'm a girl! 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!

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by carrie721

well, i'm no expert, but 1200-1500 sounds too low ... i'm eating around 1600/ day, and i'm a girl! 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)

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?

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

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.

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.

[irishgrl]

Black eyed peas make great music

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

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Cereal bars...water every six hours.

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!

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

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!

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

[carrie721]

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.)

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

One final bit of advice, if it is white...So, avoid that!

my motto in life actually.

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!!!