Food Choices, Question!

[christina916]

I am eating strictly 1200 calories a day.
Have been for about 3 months now.

And have began to wonder..
Does it matter what you are eating as long as it ends up at 1200 at the end of the day?
For example..
Fast Food and such..
And well of course picking the lower fat items, not hamburgers and stuff?

[TheAntar]

I am eating strictly 1200 calories a day.
Have been for about 3 months now.

And have began to wonder..
Does it matter what you are eating as long as it ends up at 1200 at the end of the day?
For example..
Fast Food and such..
And well of course picking the lower fat items, not hamburgers and stuff?

Yeah it matters! You want to make sure you are taking in enough good healthy protein, for one. 1g protein per pound of body weight. So a 120 pound person should still be eating 120g protein, or 480 calories of protein per day.

Otherwise, while some people here may disagree, a calorie is a calorie.

[christina916]

Yeah it matters! You want to make sure you are taking in enough good healthy protein, for one. 1g protein per pound of body weight. So a 120 pound person should still be eating 120g protein, or 480 calories of protein per day.

Otherwise, while some people here may disagree, a calorie is a calorie.

I am having a hard time hitting 140g of protein a day!
Are there any lower calorie protein supplements that you know of?

[Nektaru]

I am having a hard time hitting 140g of protein a day!
Are there any lower calorie protein supplements that you know of?

If I'm not mistaken, you need 1g of protein / lb of LEAN body mass. Your lean body mass is how much you'd weigh without any fat.

[Webber91]

Massive debate about this. For weight loss, essentially as long as you are eating below your maintenance amount of calories, you will lose weight no matter what foods you eat. However, that isn't to say it is the best option.

Most fast foods are all sodium enriched and HIGHLY processed, not to mention that most of the vitamins and minerals in them are gone. Have you looked at what goes in to the "grilled chicken" breasts at McDonalds?

Grilled Chicken Breast Filet
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates.
CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT.Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene

And that's JUST the chicken, not including the bun or any sauces. This is also considered the HEALTHY alternative.

You really want to put all of that inside your body? It'd be much better to just buya heap of fresh chicken breasts and grill them. You know whats going into them, and you can count everything.

Just my .02

[christina916]

Massive debate about this. For weight loss, essentially as long as you are eating below your maintenance amount of calories, you will lose weight no matter what foods you eat. However, that isn't to say it is the best option.

Most fast foods are all sodium enriched and HIGHLY processed, not to mention that most of the vitamins and minerals in them are gone. Have you looked at what goes in to the "grilled chicken" breasts at McDonalds?

Grilled Chicken Breast Filet
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates.
CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT.Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene

And that's JUST the chicken, not including the bun or any sauces. This is also considered the HEALTHY alternative.

You really want to put all of that inside your body? It'd be much better to just buya heap of fresh chicken breasts and grill them. You know whats going into them, and you can count everything.

Just my .02

I have looked all that up...not to mention the amounts of sodium and such in there. I have a time issue..but i suppose I could always cook up some chicken at home and reheat it throughout the week!

If I'm not mistaken, you need 1g of protein / lb of LEAN body mass. Your lean body mass is how much you'd weigh without any fat.

Ive heard that as well..either way...protein shake scoops tend to be high in calories. Whats a low calorie food or supplement that packs a lot of protein?

[Brklyns_Finest]

Massive debate about this. For weight loss, essentially as long as you are eating below your maintenance amount of calories, you will lose weight no matter what foods you eat. However, that isn't to say it is the best option.

Most fast foods are all sodium enriched and HIGHLY processed, not to mention that most of the vitamins and minerals in them are gone. Have you looked at what goes in to the "grilled chicken" breasts at McDonalds?

Grilled Chicken Breast Filet
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates.
CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT.Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene

And that's JUST the chicken, not including the bun or any sauces. This is also considered the HEALTHY alternative.

You really want to put all of that inside your body? It'd be much better to just buya heap of fresh chicken breasts and grill them. You know whats going into them, and you can count everything.

Just my .02

exactly... technically its all about cals in vs cals out, but u might as well actually be healthy if u wanna be healthy.

as far as the protein, its 1 g per lean body mass, as nektaru stated. so try to get an estimate of your lbm and get that much protein daily... for low cal ways to up your protein, theres always good ol fashion grilled chicken breast, but if necessary u can go with a scoop of whey protein here or there

[aussieangie]

I am having a hard time hitting 140g of protein a day!
Are there any lower calorie protein supplements that you know of?

Eat lean meats, and egg whites(high protein low cals), tuna, chicken, turkey breast etc..
All have high protein, its just a matter of taking some time out to prepare meals and think ahead. I think one of the mistakes that people tend to do is not be prepared.
If you plan your meals and have them ready, then you can quite easily make up your protein intake and macro for the day IMO.

[wildbill20056]

Protein shakes aren't really very high in calories, and they are packed with good nutrition and worth finding a place for in your daily nutrition if you can

Just try your best to get high protein, quality fats and complex carbs whilst hitting that calorific requirement.

Sure paying closer and closer attention to it enhances people's results, but if you are really struggling for time etc, then just make your best effort.

Will

[Webber91]

I have looked all that up...not to mention the amounts of sodium and such in there. I have a time issue..but i suppose I could always cook up some chicken at home and reheat it throughout the week!

It doesn't take much time to throw chicken on the grill and put it in the fridge

Ive heard that as well..either way...protein shake scoops tend to be high in calories. Whats a low calorie food or supplement that packs a lot of protein?

High in calories? Most protein shakes are about 20-25g protein, 1g fat and 2g carbs per scoop. This adds up to roughly 124 calories....not even a peice of toast with peanut butter. Try something like Dymatize Elite Whey, ON Gold Standard...or cans of tuna.

See bold.

[christina916]

Alright, thanks everyone!
Im not down for the supplements..
Ill just start cooking my chicken breasts before my week starts and gets hectic!!

[TheAntar]

Alright, thanks everyone!
Im not down for the supplements..
Ill just start cooking my chicken breasts before my week starts and gets hectic!!

Whey isn't really a supplement - its more like a milkshake or part of a fruit smoothie.

I know its technically 1g protein per lb of lean body mass ... but a 40/40/20 split is almost always at least 1g per pound of body weight anyway.

140 pound person on a 1200cal cut, 480 from protein, 480 from carb, 240 from fat. The math is actually, um, perfect.

260 pound person on a 2750cal cut (me), 1040 from protein, 1040 from carb, 520 from fat, almost perfect again. Works at almost every weight.

So although you want 1g / lb of lbm, really, you'll end up eating 1g / lb of body weight, assuming a 40/40/20 split which is a commonly agreed upon "good diet" around these parts. I happen to agree too, having done a 40/40/20 on a cut and had good results.

[cheeseandrice]

as long as you eat your protein (LBM pounds in grams) and take a multi, you can fill in the rest of your calories however you want

if you want to drink 4 protein shakes, and eat 10 twinkies, thats fine

3 protein shakes and a whopper meal? go for it

(i am not advocating this, its always better to eat healthy, however)

calories in - calories out

[TheAntar]

Alright, thanks everyone!
Im not down for the supplements..
Ill just start cooking my chicken breasts before my week starts and gets hectic!!

Oh I wanted to say too - yes to cooking chicken.

Yes to subway... 6" double-meat club, chicken, turkey, roast beef ... all pretty healthy, high protein choices. You don't have to cook it yourself to be healthy... but it helps!

I hardboil a half dozen eggs every second or third night for breakfasts, often a banana or peach and 3 eggs is breakie for me. I grill chicken mostly, but I mix it up so I dont get sick of it, tad of bullseye (30 cal worth) and 8 mins on the grill = yummy chicken breast.

Fish of all kinds is also great protein - fish actually seems to be the highest g of protein per g of food you can find short of whey. Most fish seems to be a tiny bit of oil (fish oil, good fat), and the other 98% is water and protein. Shrimp, scallops, tuna, halibut, crab, snapper, salmon, the list goes on.

Anyway - happy eating.

[firbrd]

kick you cals up to about 1800-1900 you'll lose more weight. if your lifting heavy the least you should eat. when i was cutting i ate 1500 and weight loss was VERY slow. when i got to where i wanted then i started a "Clean" bulk i went from 1500 to 1800 i lost weight. then i went from 1800 to 2200 again i lost weight. im now at 2700 and ill see tomm if i gain or lose. im eating clean foods and alot of them. the morla of this story is: if your lifting hard you NEEEEEEED more WAY more than 1200 cals/day. id start about 1800 and reduce if only nessarcy. at your height/weight you might not need more but id def experiment with the cals. at 18 yrs old 1200 just dont seem like enough. just me tho.

[Webber91]

kick you cals up to about 1800-1900 you'll lose more weight. if your lifting heavy the least you should eat. when i was cutting i ate 1500 and weight loss was VERY slow. when i got to where i wanted then i started a "Clean" bulk i went from 1500 to 1800 i lost weight. then i went from 1800 to 2200 again i lost weight. im now at 2700 and ill see tomm if i gain or lose. im eating clean foods and alot of them. the morla of this story is: if your lifting hard you NEEEEEEED more WAY more than 1200 cals/day. id start about 1800 and reduce if only nessarcy. at your height/weight you might not need more but id def experiment with the cals. at 18 yrs old 1200 just dont seem like enough. just me tho.

I agree that she should eat more, but do keep in mind...Christina is a girls name (unless there's something you aren't telling us OP ) therefore she would naturally have a lower BMR.

[stingray72]

"Am I really the only guy who went to McDonalds after he watched Super Size Me and ordered a Big Mac?"

I did too with fries and a drink

[christina916]

I agree that she should eat more, but do keep in mind...Christina is a girls name (unless there's something you aren't telling us OP ) therefore she would naturally have a lower BMR.

LMAO exactly.
I figure it to be only around 1500 calories.
So 1200 gives me a natural 300 deficit for the day.