Diet question

[oxox2013]

So if pickles have essentially no calories in them, can I snack on pickles and it not be considered a snack or is this a no no? The wait between meals draaaagggs!!! I feel like I'm starving! [emoji37]


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[Beau82]

I was hoping this too but no, anything that brings your blood sugar up counts as a snack. I had a lot of trouble with snacking earlier in the diet and I still have some days where it's hard but for the most part, I've gotten used to it. Try drinking water. A lot of the time, just drinking water will stave off hunger.

[oxox2013]

Yeah I figured as much but I was hoping! Lol


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[atomic sagebrush]

If you can't stick to 3 meals a day, then eat 4.

you may find that once you give yourself permission to have a meal, it is easier to go between meals.

Can you tell me what you're eating? I may be able to help you tweak it.

[oxox2013]

I have actually been sticking to two meals a day. I'm thinking of bumping to three. I have really just been eating pop tart or English muffin around noonish with usually salad of some sort and a cheese or fruit (I know it really doesn't go together well but it's easy) then for dinner I usually just tweak what the family eats so that it isn't too inconvenient for us all. I wanted to try and cut out meat completely but I never make it to my protein limits that way so I've been having a serving of meat a day and I usually land around 40g protein, 50g fat and lots of carbs! I usually get about 1300-1500 calories per day.

I may not be doing things 100% right, but I'm trying to keep myself sane and stress free!


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[atomic sagebrush]

No wonder you're needing a snack! It's fine to do 3 meals, you just push breakfast back or have a late night snack after dinner.

I would try three meals and see if it works better. Even if it's a meal of pickles haha

Meat isn't forbidden, if you can stick in protein and cal limits while eating it, it's fine. The main reason I have people leave it out as much as I do is because people can't figure out how to do that without ending up on a starvation diet of chicken, cucumber, and Swedish Fish LOL. It is possible though, so if you're finding it easy to do, carry on.

[oxox2013]

Omg I wish I wasn't struggling with diet soooo much! Ok so my next question has more to do with what is more important...focusing on fat/protein being between the certain percentage or focusing on keeping the grams right. I think I am getting myself confused because my diet is never exactly fat 20-30% and between 30-60g. For example if I get between 30-60g fat I'm always like 45% fat for the day. What do I do? I have gone over on my protein here and there but never much (outside of my one bad cheat day!)

I really feel like diet is the most important part because it was the one thing I didn't really focus on much with my failed girl sway in 2013 but at the same time I really want to make it so that I can stick to what I am doing... I'm terrified that I am screwing it all up when I feel like I am really fighting to eat the way I normally eat at the same time. The struggle is real.

I know nobody here has a crystal ball, but I have still made changes so that has to sway in itself right? Ugh


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[atomic sagebrush]

Grams are easier than percents. I only mention the percent as an illustration of why I suggest that level of grams of fat, if that makes sense.

If you're worried over that level of detail, take a step back. As long as you're eating fewer calories and less tat than you WERE then you're still swaying pink (particularly if you're eating mainly vegetable fats instead of animal ones)

Can you give me a brief rundown of what you're eating? Many times I can help you tweak that.

[oxox2013]

Ok well a typical day includes coffee with sugar and cream(very little) in the morning, a pop tart and maybe a fruit around 1030 or 11 depending on what time I ate dinner the night before(usually at least 15 hours after dinner and I don't do this everyday) For lunch (around 130-2) I usually do a salad with dressing (I've been buying the premade ones that I can just grab and take to work so usually they are about 230 calories, 10g fat, 12g protein) and a yogurt then around 630 or 730 I have a glass of wine or a beer then I'll either do rice and a veggie, veggie stir fry or tweak whatever my family is eating to fit in the LE limits.

Yesterday I had two cups of coffee in the morning, ate a bean burrito with salsa and ice cream for lunch, and had salad, ****d cheese, and a glass of wine for dinner. Totals yesterday were 59g fat (it was the ice cream, had a slight meltdown and way overindulged!) and 37g protein 1465 calories. If I don't add chicken or turkey to one meal per day, I am always low on protein!

Ive been doing fiber rich smart ones and other frozen meals (pizza or pasta that are pre calculated so I can add it into my totals for the day without thinking too much) that are quick and easy and sometimes I'll splurge on a frozen pot pie if I have enough calories and protein to spare in my limits.

I know it's definitely less than my normal intake and it is working! When I started this diet back in August I dropped from 175 to 158 then took a couple months break cause Hubby and I decided to wait to TTC so I gained some back. I started again a few weeks ago and I am down to 156 from 160. I'm hoping to get closer to 140-145 before we conceive. I have had two occasions where I had red meat otherwise it's been chicken or turkey.

I think that covers most of it! I know this is a lengthy post :/


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[atomic sagebrush]

Ok. All those things are things that burn off fast. I would try something that is a little more "stick to your ribs" if the poptart and fruit is not cutting it. Try adding in a hard boiled egg, they are low cal and high protein.

The salad and yogurt is good, but you would burn thru it fast. I also want to be sure you realize that the protein in the lettuce doesn't count, it is only the protein in the toppings.

Being low on protein actually means it's OK to add in a little chicken or turkey. no worries there.

Your meal on May 2 seems pretty good as well but again you might want to add something like an egg to top the salad because you would get some protein that way.

40 g protein is barest minimum, remember that. You have up to 50 g! There is no bonus points for staying right at 40 g.

[oxox2013]

Ok so here I am only a few short days later with yet another question on this diet. So I know I have read a bajillion times that cheating is ok (even though I feel guilty!) but how often can we cheat and it still be ok with the sway? Once a month? Once a week? I only ask because I am still struggling with protein. If I stay the vegetarian route, I am always under. Like between 27-37g. If I have a protein, I am finding myself more like the 55-62g range. Now this isn't everyday.... More like once or twice a week. Should I let it go and keep working what I can or should I regroup? My first attempt is in June and I will have about 9 weeks on the diet at that time...


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[Erin514]

When you say you have a veggie stir fry, what does it usually have in it? For vegetarian meals, you could up your protein with beans and rice, chickpeas, quinoa, or tofu. A handful of almonds or a diced up egg on your salad. When you eat meat, could you just have smaller portions of it to stay closer to totals? I don't think you should worry too much about a few days of 55-62g of protein, though. You're not over by a huge amount. Maybe if your protein was a bit higher on vegetarian meals you wouldn't need to cheat as often because you'd feel more full.

[oxox2013]

Good point Erin. Nuts and eggs are on my list of foods that I really don't like all that much so I dont really consider them but I may just need to suck it up and do it for the remainder of the diet. It's not forever after all!


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[Erin514]

If you don't like nuts and eggs, legumes are a really good source of veggie protein. They can also go well on salad epecially if you sprout them or buy dry roasted (like wasabi peas or chickpeas).

[atomic sagebrush]

Ok so here I am only a few short days later with yet another question on this diet. So I know I have read a bajillion times that cheating is ok (even though I feel guilty!) but how often can we cheat and it still be ok with the sway? Once a month? Once a week? I only ask because I am still struggling with protein. If I stay the vegetarian route, I am always under. Like between 27-37g. If I have a protein, I am finding myself more like the 55-62g range. Now this isn't everyday.... More like once or twice a week. Should I let it go and keep working what I can or should I regroup? My first attempt is in June and I will have about 9 weeks on the diet at that time...


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It depends on how you're defining "cheat". Some people are calling eating an egg a cheat, or some beans a cheat, and those things ARE NOT CHEATS if you stick in diet limits and are fine to do that all the time really. another thing that is NOT a cheat is something like broccoli. That's never a cheat. It is free and unlimited and you'd have to eat a literal mountain of broccoli to make up the nutrients in a Big Mac, fries, choc. shake.

ON the other end of the spectrum are people who cheat by going off diet for the whole entire 2ww "because they may be pregnant" and then justify it by saying that cheating is allowed on LE Diet. Cheating IS allowed but it has to be kept within the limits of good sense and used as a tool for social situations when you're needing to have meat because it will scandalize Aunt Edna if you don't have a serving of pot roast, or nipping cravings in the bud such as when you are about to eat 7000 rice cakes because you're craving a cheeseburger (just eat the smallest size cheeseburger and skip the 7000 rice cakes)

Now - If you're calling 55 g protein 2x a week a cheat when most of the time you're at 37, then that's not really even a cheat (and honestly, the 27 g is WORSE, that's really not what I want you to be eating so we have to get a handle on that)

I will reiterate what Erin is saying, some shredded cheese or a few garbanzos or almonds or hard boiled egg can go a long way towards upping that protein intake without harming a thing. 27 g protein, we gotta fix that. Remember this is meant to be a healthy prepreg. diet and it's already cut back as far as is advised by health professionals. Since we start off at the lowest healthy intake it means we have to be diligent in geting adequate protein because otherwise it may harm your health in the long term and reduce our ability to get and stay pregnant.

[atomic sagebrush]

Good point Erin. Nuts and eggs are on my list of foods that I really don't like all that much so I dont really consider them but I may just need to suck it up and do it for the remainder of the diet. It's not forever after all!


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Cheese?