Can someone assess my diet for me and tell me if I'm getting enough calories?

Question

I'm 24 years old, 5'1, weigh 155. I'm hoping to drop about 20 lbs by Christmas, then another ten the following months. This is what I eat on a typical day:
Breakfast
1 cup fiber cereal by Kashi
1/2 cup of 2% milk
snack is a slice of cheddar cheese with crackers, or apple slices with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Sometimes I'll have plain yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit.

Lunch is salad with spinach, tomatoes, chicken, carrots, cucumbers, kidney beans and olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Snack is the rest of my salad that I didn't finish at lunch.

Dinner is usually 1 cup rice or pasta with 1/2 breast chicken and a small spinach salad. Then I'll have fruit or a 1/2 frozen low fat yogurt

Sometimes I give in and have a small bag of chips or a candy bar for a snack. This is about twice a week.

I'm going to start walking briskly for an hour a day starting tomorrow.

What do you think? Am I missing something?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Answer 1

sounds good, but what are you drinking? LOT'S OF WATER I HOPE!!

Answer 2

Looks ok. Spinach and cheese and yogurt are good source of calcium, but I think you may need more if you are female. You will feel better if your electrolytes are balanced. Try a calcium citrate supplement.
Also I think you will feel better if you switch your supper and lunch around. You need the protein and heavier foods earlier in the day and the lighter meal at the end of the day, so your body has time to digest and use what you are eating while you are active.
Chips, candy bars, and soft drinks really pack on the calories. If you must indulge, make sure it is half what you normally would eat ... carrots, celery, and yogurt with dill and cumin would be more tasty and dietetic.
I would switch up the menu or you are going to get bored. Use fish instead of chicken. Sardines have high calcium and are easy to eat for lunch.
The walking sounds good too, but you may want to do it every other day and just do toning exercises on the other day.
Good luck. Maybe you will inspire some of us to join you?

Answer 3

I think you are doing a good job. You are eating three meals and including snacks throughout your day, which keeps your metabolism going. You can change from 2% to fat free milk, which will save you some calories. You are also measuring your food WHICH IS THE KEY to weight loss. Another suggestion is to place half of your salad in another container and save it for your snack ahead of time. Fresh fruit is a great substitute for candy or chocolate. If you feel that you are constantly craving candy bars and chips, buy the baked chips to save yourself from the extra calories that come with fried ones. Energy bars are also a good alternative to candy bars. One reason you may be craving these is a lack of change. Variety is also very important when it comes to a healthier lifestyle. If you keep making the same things for breakfast lunch and dinner, you will get bored and start craving other things.

There was a study recently released that stated if you drink one can of soda a day you will gain approximately 15 pounds per year if you are not exercising regularly.

I weighed over 250 pounds at the age of nineteen and decided it was time to make a change. I did not diet. I made a permanent change to my eating habits and lifestyle. I never buy soda, even to this day. I stocked my refrigerator with bottled water, cut out all junk food and substituted with healthy alternatives. I also stopped drinking alcohol (no, that one was not permanent :)) . Everyone says cut out the junk food, but it is easier said than done. To make this transition easier, I started grocery shopping on Sundays. This way, after I get home I can cut all of my vegetables and fruits, so they are ready to go on the weekdays when I get home from work and pack my lunches. I also plan my meals for the week ahead of time, so everything is easy to prepare. Due to my weight, I too started walking. Once I lost some weight, I moved up to more strenuous exercise (to save my joints from damage). I began playing tennis, biking, and trail running and then signed up for kickboxing. Due to these changes I lost 110 pounds in 6 months (this was before I started kickboxing too)! That was seven years ago and have been able to maintain it since then. Sometimes I drop 10 more pounds, or gain 10 or 15 pounds back. Don't let yourself get discouraged or upset as this may happen. It seems to me that you are motivated and ready to lose the weight. I would wish you luck, but you don't need it. You are focused and I don't doubt you will lose the weight. I hope these suggestions help you with your goals.

Answer 4

First talk with your doctor before starting any program. Secound look up BMR.. this is an equation that tells your basic metabolic rate... this is how many calories a day you burn by just living (breathing, thinking, so on) 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat..... so consume the calories calculated from your BMR everyday, and walking for an hour will burn about 200 calories or so, and other excercise that you get to total 3500 calories burned a week.... so you lose 1 pound a week.... dont get discouraged if you dont and you know you calculations were right.... water weight will cause fluctuations

Answer 5

drink 8-10 cups of water/day
2-3 fruits
3-4 veggies