Help me analyze my diet

[halfpint]

So I'm nursing, and I'm tall/overweight, so my caloric needs are a bit higher than normal. I've tried WW and MFP, and always seem to be under the goal calories/points.

A few factors - I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, so I assume they are mucking things up a bit and making it harder to just be successful with fewer calories?

Here's a pretty typical day:
Breakfast -
whole oats with brewers yeast and flax added
spoonful of brown sugar and spoonful of natural peanut butter (just ground peanuts)
coffee with sweetened creamer

Lunch -
sandwich made with a Flat Out wrap, a few slices of thin turkey or ham, one slice of cheese, lettuce, mustard and a thin scraping of vegan mayo
maybe a serving of baked chips or a piece of fruit as a side

Dinner -
typically a meat and a veg, fruit for dessert.
Last night was 1.5 chicken brats, no bun, and a bunch of broccoli, no butter or oil added. I shared a mango with my kid for dessert. I'm careful to keep meat servings in check - 1/2 a chicken breast, etc. The chicken brats were pretty small.

Snacks -
I usually have one in the afternoon and one at night. Might be a low fat yogurt (flavored, so there's usually some sugar there), a bowl of cereal with unsweetened almond milk, or a piece of fruit. Sometimes our nighttime snack is a bowl of frozen yogurt, popcorn or those popped rice snacks.

I drink a couple of glasses of 100% juice a day, no added sugar, but I know they're still high in fruit sugar and calories. I don't drink pop. Everything else is water. I rarely drink alcohol. Once a week I indulge in a tall crazy frozen coffee drink from Starbucks.

I try to be really mindful of what I eat, but maybe I'm missing something? My weight isn't budging, and I've actually gained about 5 lbs in the last few months.

[gt7301b]

I don't know anything about PCOS and hypothyroidism, so I'm no help there.

I'd add in more healthy fats and protein. I do better when I increase the protein and limit the sugars, even in fruit. I'd probably start by cutting back on the fruit juice and adding a snack of nuts/cheese/veggies. I'd also add some olive oil to your veggies, plain cooked broccoli makes me sad. Maybe also try limiting the baked chips/popcorn/rice snacks to one serving a day.

[shauni27]

I'm no help, I eat a similar meal plan as you and keep gaining as well :/

[emuni04]

Does your current daily meal plan leave you feeling satisfied? Reading through the list, it looks okay - pretty similar to what I eat every day. I would try to eliminate the juice, though.

[phoenixrising]

How far under the goal Points/calories are you? There is a point where less calories =/= more weight loss. You have to be operating at a reasonable deficit so that you give your body enough fuel to function while still losing weight.

[halfpint]

May 30, 2014 10:20:08 GMT -5 phoenixrising said:

How far under the goal Points/calories are you? There is a point where less calories =/= more weight loss. You have to be operating at a reasonable deficit so that you give your body enough fuel to function while still losing weight.

I'm usually right about where I need to be.  I think the couple of glasses of juice get me just under the goal.  I know I should probably replace them with something else, but man, I need a little treat sometimes  It's not like I'm hundreds of calories short each day - I'm usually just shy of the goal.  I don't track daily anymore, as I feel like I eat such a similar diet each day that I know kind of where I'm at.  If I eat out, or vary my meals much, I'll track.

  

[halfpint]

May 30, 2014 10:17:50 GMT -5 emuni04 said:

Does your current daily meal plan leave you feeling satisfied? Reading through the list, it looks okay - pretty similar to what I eat every day. I would try to eliminate the juice, though.

I'm fine.  I think I'm busy enough that I don't have a lot of time to want to eat more.  I rarely feel truly hungry.  

It would be hard to part with the juice - it's probably less than 20 oz/day...but maybe I should give it a shot and see.

[halfpint]

May 30, 2014 10:14:57 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I don't know anything about PCOS and hypothyroidism, so I'm no help there.

I'd add in more healthy fats and protein. I do better when I increase the protein and limit the sugars, even in fruit. I'd probably start by cutting back on the fruit juice and adding a snack of nuts/cheese/veggies. I'd also add some olive oil to your veggies, plain cooked broccoli makes me sad. Maybe also try limiting the baked chips/popcorn/rice snacks to one serving a day.

I love plain steamed broccoli!  Sometimes I'll toss a little parmesan cheese in with it, but it's good plain.

Other veggies, we will add olive oil if we roast or do on the grill, but most steamed veggies end up with just a little salt or herbs.

[shellfish26]

I know nothing about PCOS/nursing, so my caveat is that you should run this all by your doctor. But a few things stood out to me.

You are taking in a LOT of sugar. Much of it is coming from fruit,but there are plenty of places that you could cut back. Try diluting the juice with some sparking soda. You didn't specify which yogurt you are eating for a snack, but some have a good bit of added sugar. Maybe try avocado or cheese for a more filling/less sugar snack. Also, if you are willing to cut out the creamer in your daily coffee, you could try plain coconut milk creamer with some agave.

Dinner looks a bit...sparse. Dry broccoli and chicken doesn't sound like much fun, lol. Do you like veggies? You can try roasting Brussels sprouts or cauliflower in olive oil with a sprinkling of parmesan. Adding some healthy fats will keep you fuller longer. Or maybe a sweet potato?

[Deleted]

About how many calories are you eating? You can use MFP without following their guidelines. You can just add a custom setting for calories per day and follow that.

Your plan looks low on fat. I know that if I don't eat much fat I just end up hungry all the time, causing me to eat more. I think breakfast is good, with adding PB to the oatmeal. For snack, in stead of non-fat flavoured yogurt, maybe try plain greek yogurt (with fat) with sliced almonds sprinkled in for extra protein. I eat that for breakfast most days and it keeps me full for a long time.

Although juice has good vitamins, it doesn't offer any fullness at all. I'd try to sub out whole fruit.

[wambam]

May 30, 2014 10:14:57 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I don't know anything about PCOS and hypothyroidism, so I'm no help there.

I'd add in more healthy fats and protein. I do better when I increase the protein and limit the sugars, even in fruit. I'd probably start by cutting back on the fruit juice and adding a snack of nuts/cheese/veggies. I'd also add some olive oil to your veggies, plain cooked broccoli makes me sad. Maybe also try limiting the baked chips/popcorn/rice snacks to one serving a day.

I agree with this.

More protein and fat, less sugar. The low-fat products are red flags for me - it's probably a lot more sugar than you might think there is.

[halfpint]

I do watch the sugar in the baked products, and do usually just do one serving/day - either with lunch, or as a snack. I definitely have a need for the kind of snack you can munch on while we catch up with our shows after the baby is in bed. I'm not sure what to sub in there other than some popcorn or similar?

The yogurt is a relatively new addition, I was off dairy completely for a while - it's not low in sugar. I'll stop buying that once this box is gone.

I think I mentally know that I'm trying to aim for lower carbs, higher protein, less worry about fats, but as I look at my meals, I don't think I'm getting there!

Last night's dinner was a little sad - chicken brats and broccoli - but we do get a little more exciting. When we don't steam our veggies, I do add in some fats. Over the weekend, we had pork loin from the grill and lots of summer veggies like asparagus with oil.

[wambam]

May 30, 2014 10:43:23 GMT -5 halfpint said:

I think I mentally know that I'm trying to aim for lower carbs, higher protein, less worry about fats, but as I look at my meals, I don't think I'm getting there!

I think planning your meals around a hefty portion of protein and then adding lots of non-starchy vegetables with a dollop of fat would really steer you in the right direction. Then add a serving of starchy vegetables or whole fruit here and there would satisfy your carb needs. 

[emilyinchile]

What do your macro %s tend to be on MFP? I'm pretty sure you can see this on the phone app under nutrition but not on the computer versino anywhere. And what about your grams of sugar? I agree with everyone that it seems like protein may be low with sugar too high, but if you've tracked days like this then you should have the numbers in front of you to know for sure.

I also was going to suggest putting a bit of carbonated water in the juice so that you still get the taste but with less sugar. For nighttime snacks what about crisp veggies or good quality crackers with hummus or a Greek yogurt-based dip? That would give you crunch and help up your fat/protein.

[shellfish26]

May 30, 2014 10:43:23 GMT -5 halfpint said:

  I'm not sure what to sub in there other than some popcorn or similar?

Popcorn is a great snack- high in fiber and hard to eat quickly. 

Carrot sticks and hummus
Homemade guacamole and some corn tortillas
Roasted chick peas
Corn nuts (this is my latest obsession!)

[mrshandy]

Replace yogurt with cottage cheese

Cut out juice. Try lemon in your water.

Replace one of the fruit servings with a veggie like avocado.

Spice up your dinners. Really you don't have to eat so spartanly to lose weight. There are a ton of delicious Paleo recipes on Pinterest.

Here are a few of my faves.

Thai Beef Lettuce cups -http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2013/02/25/thai-beef-lettuce-cups-recipe/


Chicken Stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes-
www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/paleo-recipe-chicken-breasts-stuffed-with-sun-dried-tomatoes

Lemon chicken - damndelicious.net/2014/02/01/pan-roasted-lemon-chicken/

Eating well Cobb Salad - www.eatingwell.com/recipes/the_eatingwell_cobb_salad.html

Herb Marinated Pork chops-
www.everydaymaven.com/2013/herb-marinated-pork-chops/

Spaghetti squash carbonera-
www.health-bent.com/pork/paleo-spaghetti-squash-carbonara

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa-
www.thecookierookie.com/salmon-with-avocado/

[gt7301b]

May 30, 2014 10:43:23 GMT -5 halfpint said:

I do watch the sugar in the baked products, and do usually just do one serving/day - either with lunch, or as a snack. I definitely have a need for the kind of snack you can munch on while we catch up with our shows after the baby is in bed. I'm not sure what to sub in there other than some popcorn or similar?

For snacks I eat:
Guacamole/ Avocado and veggies
Hummus
Cheese
Greek Yogurt, I can't do plain w/out fruit
Nuts
Almond butter/peanut butter
Kind bars
Meat - sometimes I just have a chunk of chicken or turkey w/ a little guac and salsa as a snack

[ktzmoh]

Def try dropping to the juice and easing your way into an unsweetened yogurt and coffee. But you are breastfeeding - my body did not lose any weight at all after an initial postpartum drop while I was nursing. I only started losing the rest of my pregnancy weight after my daughter was weaned fully.

And I think you should focus less on calories and more on good nutrient dense foods (without sugar) and exercise while nursing. Be gentle with your postpartum self- you dont have to drop a ton of weight quickly, just let it come off slowly and keep your supply healthy!

[wambam]

May 30, 2014 11:30:14 GMT -5 ktzmoh said:

And I think you should focus less on calories and more on good nutrient dense foods without sugar and exercise while nursing. 

I also very much agree with this.

[Deleted]

Both of my pregnancies, I lost no weight while I was nursing. It didn't matter if I ate 1500 hundred or 2500 hundred calories a day. I would drop at least 5 pds a month once I weaned, until I was back to pre pregnancy weight.
That being said, I also see too much sugar. I am hypothyroid and at a normal weight. I am on synthroid and I only get 22 WW points a day. I basically have to eat less than 1200 calories a day to lose weight.

[sweetiesparkles]

I was going to say drop the juice, but others had said it already.

Best of luck to you!

[Deleted]

What's your last tsh number? Pregnancy both time really screwed with my thyroid, have you had your levels checked recently?