Food Log

So i’m going to start a log of what I eat everyday and i’d like help with it. I want to loose belly fat to flatten my stomach and everyone tells me it’s all about my diet in order to get a flat stomach. So here it is. I started writing down what I eat about 5 days ago so i’m going to write it all out in here now in hopes people can give me advise on what to fix to flatten my stomach! Thanks!

Friday July 15th: (bartend from 9pm to 3am)
1pm: 2 overeasy eggs and 1 slice of homemade banana bread
4pm: 1 smart chicken andouille uncured chicken sausage
7pm: Protein shake (post workout)
7:20: 1/2 cup cottage cheese w/ small chicken breast w/ 10 almonds
9pm-12pm: Meal replacement proetin shake (Metabolic Drive)
10pm-2am: Small baggie of almonds, walnuts, pisachios, and dried cranberries

Saturday July 16th: (bartend from 4pm to 3am)
11:30am: grassfed ribeye steak w/ handful of almonds
3:30pm: 1/2 Steak wrap (veggie tortilla, steak, corn, quacamole, and tomatoes) w/ side of brocolli
3pm-4pm: green tea from caribou
4pm-9pm: meal replacement bar
9pm-10pm: meal replacement protein shake (Metabolic Drive)
2:30am: meal replacement shake (Metabolic Drive)

Sunday July 17th: (no work)
12pm: large banana w/ 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1pm: handful thia cashews
2:30pm: 10 almonds w/ grilled chicken breast
6pm: 1/2 chicken breast w/ 1/2 cup cottage cheese ww/ banana
8:30pm: 1/4 cup jasmine rice (cooked with chicken boulion cubes)

Monday July 18th: (no work)
11:30am: egg sandwich (whole grain round, 1 overeasy egg, 1 slice of american cheese) w/ 1/2 cup light and fit vanilla yogurt topped with 2 sliced strawberries
2pm: 4 small carrots w/ 1 tbl. dill dip
4pm: 1 celery stalk w/ peanut butter
4:15pm: 3/4 cup homemade chicken chili w/ 1 tbl. shredded cheese
7:30pm: pre workout drink (inertia)
8pm: workout (legs) drank 2 scoops of BCAA’s during workout
9:15pm: post workout shake (gold standard whey)
10pm: 3/4 cup jasmine rice (cooked with chicken boulion cubes) & 1/2 red pepper

Tuesday July 19th: (no work)
12pm: 3/4 of an omelet (2 eggs, 1/2 cup cubed turkey, 1/4 cup shredded cheese) 1 cup 2% milk
4:30pm: 3/4 cup light and fit vanilla yogurt topped w/ 4 sliced strawberries and then ate 2 whole ones w/ 3/4 andoullie pork sausage
7pm: pre workout (1/2 can orange spike)
8pm: workout (back & arms then abs at home)
9:15pm: 1 cup homemade chicken chili
11pm: 2 celery stalks w/ peanut butter

Wednesday July 20th: (no work)
1pm: egg sandwhich (whole grain round, 1 over easy egg, and 1 slice or american cheese)
3pm: smoothie from valley natural foods (banana, strawberry, pineapple juice, and acai energy)
4:30pm: Sushi (small salad & 3/4 of a dragon roll)
7pm: apple w/ little caramel dip and 3 pita chips w/ spinach dip
8:15pm: strawberry & 1/4 cup jasmine rice
10:15pm: homemade stir fry (jasmine rice, steak, peapods, snow peas w/ a chili sauce)
10:30pm: 2 strawberries & 2 cups 2% milk

Thursday July 21st: (no work)
10am: protein pancakes w/ syrup (1 med. size)
11:30am: pre workout drink (blitz)
12:15pm: workout (legs) drank 2 scoops of BCAA’s during workout
1:30pm: post workout drink (gold standard whey 2 scoops)
3:30pm: mini margarehta pizza from crave
7pm: 2 hotdogs w/ buns & cracked pepper and salt kettle cooked chips
(my bfs mom had us over to grill out, I was sort of forced to eat this food)

As each day comes i’ll keep posting!

congrats on starting a log.

Friday July 22nd (worked 9-3am)
1pm: lifetime strawberry yogurt and granola
1:30pm: 2 chicken breakfast links (from whole foods) & 1 3/4 cup 2% milk
4:15pm: PB&J (whole wheat round w/ 1 tbs peanut butter & 1 tbs strawberry jelly)
5:30pm: pre workout drink (inertia)
6:15pm: workout (UB - arms)
7:45pm: post workout (gold standard whey)
8:15pm: smart chicken sausage

Saturday July 23rd (worked 4pm-3am)
1pm: 3/4 cup light and fit vanilla yogurt w/ 5 sliced strawberries
2:30pm: homemade tuna sandwhich (whole wheat round, canned tuna, light miracle whip, dill weed, & celery)
7pm: 2 grilled shrimps, 1/2 cup steamed brocolli, & 3/4 of a side salad w/ 2 tbs 1000 island dressing
2:15am 1/2 cup cottage cheese and meat off of 2 baked chicken drummies

Is my “diet” starting out ok to loose belly fat and flatten it up?? Any suggestions for me??

i dunno. i’m more focused on olympic lifting / strength training and (at this stage anyway) eating for muscular growth. maybe other people are better placed to offer suggestions on fat loss.

do you track your calories?

something something (i’ve vaguely heard about) with respect to the macro breakdown (e.g., how much carbs, protein, fat).

then…

if you don’t find yourself losing fat then lower the calories. if you find yourself turning anorexic then raise the calories.

(of course that assumes you are holding your activity levels constant or else that will confound things. e.g., if your work capacity goes up such that you double your training weights then you will be burning more calories)

you will need to experiment a bit to see what works for you.

or so i’ve heard…

Good luck Jess. They say logging alone changes behavior since people don’t want to have to write down the bad stuff so that will often stop you from eating it.

When I started out, I used fitday.com The free one online is great. It becomes tedious after awhile but it will give you calorie breakdown, macros, etc… Do you have a good food scale?

Keeping a daily calorie total, with breakdown of pro/fat/carbs might help you dial in what you are doing better. It’s a pain because you need to weigh and measure.

understand that you’re gonna get more than one answer, there’s a lot of different things you can do and still lose fat, and a lot of different reasons that you may or may not lose fat on a particular diet.

my advice-

-dont eat carbs upon waking. spikes your insulin, sets you up for a crash, and thats an awful way to break a fast. eat bacon and eggs. or steak and bacon and eggs. or eggs and cheese with hot sauce. you get the idea.

-do not tell me that carrots and dip is a meal. its not. nor is 1 stalk of celery with PB. unless its half a jar of PB. 2 grilled shrimps? two packages or two shrimps? are we talking the little seafood creature thats about the size of my middle finger? just two of those? for 1 meal? tell me that’s a typo.

-get some healthy fats in there. avocado, coconut oil, fish oil, olive oil… did i mention bacon?

[quote]CBear84 wrote:
understand that you’re gonna get more than one answer, there’s a lot of different things you can do and still lose fat, and a lot of different reasons that you may or may not lose fat on a particular diet.

my advice-

-dont eat carbs upon waking. spikes your insulin, sets you up for a crash, and thats an awful way to break a fast. eat bacon and eggs. or steak and bacon and eggs. or eggs and cheese with hot sauce. you get the idea.

-do not tell me that carrots and dip is a meal. its not. nor is 1 stalk of celery with PB. unless its half a jar of PB. 2 grilled shrimps? two packages or two shrimps? are we talking the little seafood creature thats about the size of my middle finger? just two of those? for 1 meal? tell me that’s a typo.

-get some healthy fats in there. avocado, coconut oil, fish oil, olive oil… did i mention bacon? [/quote]

I get full so easily, a small side salad can get me full. The reason I didn’t eat many shrimp is bc I made the bad decision of eating the salad and brocolli first, but the good thing was I had shrimp leftover for the next day. No carrots and dip and celery and peanut butter are snacks. I only like avocado if its quacamole and on chips, I take fish oil pills (Flameout from T-Nation website) and I cook most of my stuff in an all organic olive oil spray.

Isn’t bacon bad for me?? I’ve heard that if i’m going to eat carbs that I should keep them in my morning meal bc then i’ve got an energy source for the rest of the day and then i’ve got the rest of the day to burn the carb off. But please keep the advice coming, i’m glad I can get suggestions and everything from people! Thank you so much!

[quote]Powerpuff wrote:
Good luck Jess. They say logging alone changes behavior since people don’t want to have to write down the bad stuff so that will often stop you from eating it.

When I started out, I used fitday.com The free one online is great. It becomes tedious after awhile but it will give you calorie breakdown, macros, etc… Do you have a good food scale?

Keeping a daily calorie total, with breakdown of pro/fat/carbs might help you dial in what you are doing better. It’s a pain because you need to weigh and measure.

[/quote]

I don’t use a food scale, and I don’t own one. I do like logging everything that I eat bc it makes me realize how much I eat a day or how little I eat a day. My calories actually lack everyday. I logged 3 of my days into myfitplan and I am not even consuming close to 2000 calories a day. One day i had 1355 calories, this one was alot bc it was my bad day having 2 hotdogs and buns with chips. Another day was 1109 calories and the other day was 735 calories.

the idea that you get an energy source for the rest of the day is bullshit. it spikes your insulin which means youre going to crash. breaking a fast with an insulin spike is also a bad idea as far as your metabolism goes. you dont have the rest of the day to burn them off, it doesnt work like that. you start burning them as soon as you get them and when theyre done, theyre done.

if youre going to eat carbs, eat them post workout. thats when the insulin spike will work to your advantage.

guacamole and chips is okay, but try guac and celery sticks. i thought it was weird at first, but its awesome.

dont cook with olive oil. its not refined for high heat, and under those circumstances it becomes denatured and breaks down into the awful shit fats you dont want in your body.

cook with coconut oil or butter. drink the olive oil (tbsp/day) or use it as a dressing.

bacon is not bad for you. bacon is good for you.

bacon is good. it is protein and fat and your calories gotta come from somewhere if you are reducing carbs. it is also really delicious.

there are some t nation articles on fats. good fats. perhaps surprisingly… butter and the fats on meat are actually pretty good fats. of course you want to make sure that they fit within your calorie requirements and your macros but good to know you can enjoy that kind of food while eating healthily.

i think you want to be careful about reducing your calories too much. if one does that then the body goes into starvation mode aka: losing muscle mass and retaining fat. women’s bodies seem to do this worse than guys because the body isn’t just preparing for your survival in the absence of food it is preparing for a potential fetus’ survival, too. that can result in the skinny-fat look where people just end up looking like slightly smaller versions of their current selves rather than having the shapely muscular definition and firmness they want. eating 5 or 6 times a day also helps the body not go into starvation mode.

it is easier to drop fat when you are strong… if you can squat so that your body literally gets a freaky shock of ‘omg i almost got killed!’ then it is much less likely to lose muscle mass than fat when calories are scarcer. if your work capacity isn’t that great then it is harder to shock it into keeping the muscle and dropping the fat when calories are scarce.

can you get some scales to weigh your food? the idea would be to get a general idea of what a serving size of different foods looks like. once you have an idea of that (and how many calories to a serving) then you probably don’t need to be so picky about it anymore. then take in a normal amount of calories for your height / weight and train hard. your training capacity will increase in a linear fashion since you are a beginner. that will result in more of those calories being burned.

then in 6 weeks assess things. maybe keep going like that. maybe tweak things a little (e.g., reduce calories a little) or whatever?

anyway, as i say, i haven’t actually done this. but after reading around this site (the articles and logs) that is how i plan on approaching things next year.

anyway, as they say opinions are like arseholes and everybody has got one. at the end of the day you need to pick what you are going to do (to start out with anyway) and then give it some time and then assess the results. then tweak it a little. there are some general guidelines out there… but there is also much controversy in the details… and everybody’s body is slightly different anyway so you need to figure what works for you. i know i surely learn more from my mistakes than i do from following the ‘right thing’ a lot of the time, too. only really stupid thing is doing what you have always done and expecting different, i guess.

will be interested reading along on your journey. i hope you log your training, too!! will be interesting to see what training you do, too (whether you follow an established program or do more of your own thing or whatever).

Bear speaks the truth (especially about the fats). If I want the flavour of olive oil in, say, bolognese, I cook the meat in coconut oil or animal fat and then add a splash of olive oil once it’s cooked. I have the bolognese over veggies rather than pasta (wheat is nasty shit - even if you’re not coeliac, wheat gluten attacks the gut wall, causing it to become more porous and thus you absorb more toxins that would otherwise get pooped out. This leads to inflamation in the body. I know it’s hard to pass up really good artisan bread or goodies like birthday cake or cupcakes but when I indulge I always notice my joints hurt more than usual. It’s best to avoid it.

Whenever I need more carbs I get them from rice, buckwheat (gluten free and no relation to wheat) or potatoes. However, if I’m cutting, carbs are the first thing to go as they make me store fat. Essentially, carbs are fat sparing in the same way that protein is muscle sparing. I know it’s difficult for you with the shift work as when you are tired you naturally crave more carbs. It’s just the body saying “hey I need more sleep” since starchy carbs generally make you feel drowsy.

Fruit is another thing that is usually viewed as a healthy alternative but can backfire. Most fruit contains fructose, but far from being the “healthy” sugar, it’s actually the worst kind. As a rule, if your body actually needs energy it will take sugars, break them down into glucose and store them in the muscles. However, fructose is only stored in the liver where it is converted into fat. Berries and cherries are low in fructose and high in nutrients so are generally good, but large fruit such as apples and bananas are fructose bombs and should be minimised if you aim to lose fat. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the fruit in relation to the skin, the better it is for you. The worst fruits are the ones where you remove the skin (bananas, oranges, mangos etc).

Good luck with your cutting plan - I also hope you will log your training.

re: cal’s stuff-

if you do get a craving for carbs, work around it. sweet and salty? Apple and PB.

do not stop eating fruit. with the few kcal you’re actually eating, make sure its a snack or a side (kinda like you’ve been doing) and just not the whole container. bag of oranges > bag of potato chips, but bacon and almonds is better.

mmmm. bacon.

Jess, I’m not one to offer dietary advice. But I have to echo Alexus’s concerns. Your calories are really low. I haven’t seen your stats listed- height, weight, age–but you look relatively young, thin, and fairly tall. You also exercise? And yet you are generally eating under 1200 calories a day?

If you have not already, it is very likely that you are tanking your metabolism. What I have read about dieting, and this is from Shelby Starnes, is that you want to make the smallest possible changes to start. One of the diets he uses is called carb cycling. When those changes stop yielding results, then adjust, which might look like dropping a high carb day and/or adding or increasing cardio.

Your body is an extraordinary machine. It won’t give up what it thinks it needs–which is that precious body fat during a period of famine–ie which is what your current diet looks like to me.

Good luck with your goals. But do consider your long term health and whether your current diet is sustainable.

just keep logging!

You can’t make every single change over night though. Advice is good but can be overwhelming.

In the spirit of it all I’m going to start logging my foods again too. My pathetically sad boring food. :slight_smile:
But I’ve been at this long enough to know what works and what doesn’t.

The hardest part? Consistency.

Jess have you plugged this all into a calorie tracking website? Please do so. Try fitday which I really like or there are apps for smart phones people use too.

You are a pretty small girl and dont need TOO many calories probably except now that you are lifting that number will be increased.

Plug this into fitday I want to see your daily calorie totals daily protein totals and daily carb totals.\

I’m glad to see your post workout whey protein. Please add some post workout carbs. Pick anything in the 150-200 calorie range with about 30 grams of carbs. Really, anything could be oatmeal, rice cakes, glutamine added to your whey shake, child size frozen yogurt, skinny cow ice cream cone… ANYTHING that fits those paramaters. You do need to add PWO carbs in addition to PWO protein.

So plug into fitday and come back :slight_smile:

[quote]Nadia Comeandeat wrote:
Jess, I’m not one to offer dietary advice. But I have to echo Alexus’s concerns. Your calories are really low. I haven’t seen your stats listed- height, weight, age–but you look relatively young, thin, and fairly tall. You also exercise? And yet you are generally eating under 1200 calories a day?

If you have not already, it is very likely that you are tanking your metabolism. What I have read about dieting, and this is from Shelby Starnes, is that you want to make the smallest possible changes to start. One of the diets he uses is called carb cycling. When those changes stop yielding results, then adjust, which might look like dropping a high carb day and/or adding or increasing cardio.

Your body is an extraordinary machine. It won’t give up what it thinks it needs–which is that precious body fat during a period of famine–ie which is what your current diet looks like to me.

Good luck with your goals. But do consider your long term health and whether your current diet is sustainable.
[/quote]

Yeah ive known for about a year now that I need to eat more. Its just so hard bc I don’t try to eat so few calories and I don’t tell myself “no I shouldn’t eat”. I’m not trying to cut calories or bulk up calories. I’m just eating when i’m hungry but trying to make my food clean. But I do know that I need to be eating more frequently but its sooooo hard bc I get full so easily. I can eat a side salad and be totally content. I can eat a 3oz chicken breast and be full. After my workout its hard for me to drink my 8oz protein shake bc I get full toward the end and then I don’t want to eat when I get home. Also with me at work bartending we are not allowed to take “food breaks” or “dinner breaks”. We are always sooooo busy that its even hard to take a bathroom break. I start at 4pm and work until 3am. Sometimes I can get some mixed nuts in throughout the night, and then drink a meal replacement at 230am. So i’m pretty much not eating for 10 hours, which I know is sooooo bad. I am 23 years old weigh 135 at 5 foot 6.5 inches and about 20% body fat. I’m not trying to train for a show or carb cyle or anything like that, i’m just trying to eat clean and see how it works. I started my food log here to see if what i’m eating is “clean” and ok and if i’m going about this right. I feel this will be a start for me to do a show in the future. If i can eat clean for a period of time it will build me up to be able to be more strict for a show per say!! Thank you for writing on here, and I appreciate your help. Keep following!! :slight_smile:

[quote]Hallowed wrote:
Jess have you plugged this all into a calorie tracking website? Please do so. Try fitday which I really like or there are apps for smart phones people use too.

You are a pretty small girl and dont need TOO many calories probably except now that you are lifting that number will be increased.

Plug this into fitday I want to see your daily calorie totals daily protein totals and daily carb totals.\

I’m glad to see your post workout whey protein. Please add some post workout carbs. Pick anything in the 150-200 calorie range with about 30 grams of carbs. Really, anything could be oatmeal, rice cakes, glutamine added to your whey shake, child size frozen yogurt, skinny cow ice cream cone… ANYTHING that fits those paramaters. You do need to add PWO carbs in addition to PWO protein.

So plug into fitday and come back :)[/quote]

Yes i’ve plugged 3 different days into myfitness pal on my smartphone. I logged thursday july 21st and only logged 1355 calories with 74 grams protein and 147 grams carbs. Then I logged friday july 22nd and only logged 1109 calories with 62 grams protein and 142 grams carbs. And then logged saturday july 23rd and only logged 735 calories with 80 grams protein and 65 grams of carbs. This doesn’t include my pre-workout, BCAA’s, or my post-workout drink.

[quote]jesskelly9 wrote:

[quote]Hallowed wrote:
Jess have you plugged this all into a calorie tracking website? Please do so. Try fitday which I really like or there are apps for smart phones people use too.

You are a pretty small girl and dont need TOO many calories probably except now that you are lifting that number will be increased.

Plug this into fitday I want to see your daily calorie totals daily protein totals and daily carb totals.\

I’m glad to see your post workout whey protein. Please add some post workout carbs. Pick anything in the 150-200 calorie range with about 30 grams of carbs. Really, anything could be oatmeal, rice cakes, glutamine added to your whey shake, child size frozen yogurt, skinny cow ice cream cone… ANYTHING that fits those paramaters. You do need to add PWO carbs in addition to PWO protein.

So plug into fitday and come back :)[/quote]

Yes i’ve plugged 3 different days into myfitness pal on my smartphone. I logged thursday july 21st and only logged 1355 calories with 74 grams protein and 147 grams carbs. Then I logged friday july 22nd and only logged 1109 calories with 62 grams protein and 142 grams carbs. And then logged saturday july 23rd and only logged 735 calories with 80 grams protein and 65 grams of carbs. This doesn’t include my pre-workout, BCAA’s, or my post-workout drink.[/quote]

YOU MUST EAT MORE PROTEIN. Period. I don’t care how full you get and i dont care what your work schedule is. You will NOT get bigger muscles on less than 100g of protein a day. You need to be eating AT LEAST 135grams of protein a day and really this should be much more on lifting days 200grams on lifting days.

You MUST do this no excuses. There are tons of ways you can get this done but probably whey protein is going to be the easiest considering your constraints. Add an additional shake or two every day. If the volume is a problem mix your shake with just 4oz of unsweetened almond milk insead of 8 oz. DO IT. You can keep a shake behind the bar every night. Two scoops of whey protein will give you an extra 60g of protein and get you to a decent daily limit.

Your calories MUST be above 1200 a day. I don’t care what this looks like. I don’t care what your work schedule is or how quickly you get full. You must keep your calories above 1200 no excuses.

Just adding 32g of almond butter before sleep (FAIRLY SMALL AMOUNT) will add 200 cals to your daily total.

These are not optional you must do these in ADDITION to eating “clean”

xoxo

hallowed is bossy. :slight_smile:

i’d say take more bathroom breaks at work and eat in the stall. (have done this.)

ease up into the protein, it doesnt have to be an overnight change, but shes right about eating more of that. and dont worry if you dont hit those exact #'s all the time right away, it’ll take some time to adjust.