Generally, I try to eat quite healthily, which means that I spend a lot of time preparing and planning for meals. Over the course of the three days that I recorded my food, I ate a macronutrient balance that was low on carbohydrates on purpose. I am quite precise with my diet, and I try not to deviate from my daily routine too much. The following chart shows my daily intake for three days—there is not much deviation on a day to day basis of the things that I eat and the way that I prepare my meals for the week. In fact, I often make large batches of meals for the week and then eat them over the course of the week.
It is estimated that women need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day to sustain a level of weight, while men need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories to sustain any kind of weight plateau (Fink, Fink & Mikesky, 2013; Livestrong, 2016). For this reason, it is important to keep in mind exactly what one is eating, and ensure that there are few overages on a daily or weekly basis. Of course, cheat meals are something that I work into my eating schedule regularly—my diet is relatively low-carbohydrate, and I do not often get the 130 grams of carbohydrates recommended per day (Williams, 2016). I do try to eat plenty of fibrous foods, however, as carbohydrates from fiber do not count towards my low-carbohydrate breakdown.
I try to retain good levels of protein and fat intake to meet my daily recommended calorie intake for fat loss without muscle loss. Too little fats and protein would lead to muscle loss and lack of energy. I know I must rely on fats in particular as stored forms of energy, as a lower-carbohydrate diet can leave me feeling sluggish and unable to perform physically or mentally. Too few lipids lead to a depletion in overall energy, and this is something that I can feel very significantly, especially in the morning when my carbohydrate intake has been low for the previous day (Fink, Fink & Mikesky, 2013; Livestrong, 2016). Eating too few lipids can slow bodily systems and does not give the body time to repair itself.
Although I pay close attention to my diet and my dietary intake, there is nothing perfect about my diet. Some days I do not get the recommended amount of fiber in my diet, and I feel the digestion problems as a result of this lack of fiber. To improve the amount of fiber in my diet, I know I must eat a larger portion of leafy greens and fibrous vegetables; however, aside from spinach, there are few that I eat in an appropriate amount on a day to day basis (Williams, 2016; Livestrong, 2016). I know I must do better with sources of fiber, but I am trying to adjust my diet rather than supplementing with other sources of fiber. Kale and spinach provide a lot of the fiber that I eat on a daily basis, but other fruits and vegetables like the ones in my smoothies and the vegetables in my curries are also high in fiber. I know that my biggest problem is my sweet tooth. It does not necessarily show in the food log contained here, but when I begin to eat sweet things, I become fixated and I consume too much sugar. I know that this will lead to obesity and diabetes in the long run, so I try to severely restrict the amount of processed sugar and processed carbohydrates that I eat.
References
Fink, H. H., Fink, W. S. L. H. H., & Mikesky, A. E. (2013). Practical applications in sports nutrition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Livestrong (2016). MyPlate Calorie Tracker and Fitness Program | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 30 August 2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/
Williams, M. (2016). Nutrition for health, fitness and sport. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
