Here's what I have been eating....think it's to much?

have been stuggling for the last few weeks so I decided to change my diet alittle. Would ya'll mind checking out and any comments good or bad are apreciated. 7am protein shake 10am protein shake 12pm 1/3cup tuna or chicken salad(fat free miracle whip,and pickels) 1/2cup tossed salad (2tbsp lowfat dressing and lowfat feta cheese) 1/4 cup cut up fresh fruit 3pm piece of cheese or 1 oz mixed nuts 6pm 3-4 oz chicken breast or 3 oz hamburger patty 4-6 broccili crowns 9pm shaved ice with sf syrup or 1/2 or 1 celery stalk with peanut butter Do you all think this is to much food?

I don't think it is too much food, are you logging it on fitday to make sure you are within your caloric requirements? Also, because you are doing 2 shakes a day are you going over your protein requirements? I will go way over 100 if I do this. If your shakes are 30 grams a piece (just for instance) right there in the morning you have 60 grams. 1/3 cup of tuna or chicken salad prolli adds at last another 10, low fat feta later adds another 2 prolli, cheese or nuts again add 6-7, 3-4 oz of chicken breast or hamburter adds another 30. So you would be over 100 at that point unless your shakes are quite a bit less. Anything we eat over our caloric needs can and does turn to fat my nut said. So I keep it at 90-95 and had to cut the shakes out to do this. I found eating the denser proteins I can get it all in without the shakes (me personally I know its harder for others) and felt more satisfied. But your menu looks great though! Very high protein low carb, do u ever get any whole grains in or do you avoid those?

I am a pasta addict so I stay away becuase I won't stop. I occasionally have a couple crackers or half of a baked potato. Can you give me a little more detail on to much protein. I was under the impression there was no such thing as "to much protein".

I personally think that when people say "there is no such thing as too much protein" is a misconception. I used to believe it but not after talking to my doc/nut. Calories is calories.. in vs. out. There are 4 calories to every gram of protein you consume. SO if you go way over well take that many grams times 4 caloires and you can add up pretty quickly the calories over your needs. Plus our kidneys have to work way hard to keep that protein going if its in abudance. But we do malabsorb that is why most docs say 60-90 somwhere in there. If you are working out then many times they let u go a little higher, mine says 90-95 is fine b/c I run everyday. Most docs that I have seen on this board say 60-85. As for whole grains I eat only high complex whole grains such as kashi go lean cereal, WASA crackers and high fiber/whole grain tortillas (low fat low cal). Otherwise nothing else gets allowed in my diet and it has worked for me. I have had a whole wheat pita pocket before also. I look for high fiber amounts in combination with lower fat and cals. Those are the only ones I consume.

So, in your opinion(not to be taken as medical advice maybe cutting out one of the protein shakes in the morning and adding some cereal and fruit may be a better choice? BTW, what is a WASA cracker? Do they taste like sawdust?

Well or if you aren't over on your protein maybe making it something denser like ham and an egg, or an omelet or kashi cereal that has a lot protein in it with some milk or yogurt with fruit mixed in? Wasa crackers are whole grain, I personally love the Rye flavor, no sawdust to me but I am way less picky after surgery then I was preop. Being on liquids for a month and pureeds for a month made me a much less pickier food eater I am thinking haha.. give em a try. You might like them. They also have some protein in them.

I just gave up my am protien shake. My dr asked me at my 6 mo appt why I was still drinking it, and I have been haveing hungry pouch issues. So no more for now.

I like having the Aciev One protein first thing in the morning kind of like a jump start when taking the kids to the in-laws, but I am starving by 10:00 ish. Guess I should track alittle better and see where my calroies and proteins are. DO you like the Fitday program or is there something better out there?

Amy, my doctor wanted me to stop the protein supplements at the 3 month checkup but I feel so much better when I begin the day with one that I have gone against his advice on that. However...they have evolved to meet my needs now. I make mine with a half cup of either nonfat milk or nonfat soy milk, 1 scoop of protein powder, prob. at least 2 cups of ice cubes maybe more, either a couple sweetener packets or a half-shot of sf coffee syrup and often a chunk of frozen fruit. All this goes into the blender till it is of a thick, milkshake consistency and it takes me at least an hour to fini**** Then I drink 20 oz. of water for the next hour (just the size of my bottle) and then have a protein snack of some sort...lately I've been using bars for convenience on the job. Often it is just a half-cup of Kashi Go Lean cereal if I have time to nibble on it. I don't have a desk job and can't bring messy foods out on the sales floor with me for that second 'feeding'. My nut. had suggested keeping my meals no more than 2 hours apart to help me deal with my hunger so I do try to follow that and it really helps. I tried Fitday and had trouble with it but seem to be doing ok with Sparkpeople.com. Plus, I like the amount of daily motivation, diet and exercise tips they send out. Some very interesting stuff and keeps my mind on the objective of keeping this lifestyle change going successfully. Molly

Molly, thanks for sharing your eating habits. One question though, if you are eating every 2 hours do you ever eat a "full" meal or just snacks? Can you give me an example of what you eat at a sitting? Thanks for all your advice, it really helps as I have been struggling the last month or so and the scale has not budged.