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Nutrition Anonymous
hey /fit/

I'm 5'7, 180 lbs (80kg) and I'm trying to lose weight. I run 2 miles per day and lift every other. I've also tried to limit my caloric intake by eating smaller meals more often, but I'm afraid I'm sacrificing nutrition.

My daily meal schedule is something like:
wake up-fruit(banana or orange)
2-3 hours later-granola bar
2-3 hours later-different granola bar
2-3 hours later-protein bar (20 g protein, 270 cal)
2-3 hours later-Dinner, salad (spinach, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, peanuts, olive oil and vinegar with a serving of grilled chicken)
sleep

Is this healthy? Are there better alternatives for my small meals than the granola bars? Pic related, I alternate between those and Chewy chocolate chip bars.
>> Anonymous
I run the 2 miles in ~16 minutes. I'm also worried that carbs are too much of a percentage of my diet.
>> Anonymous
anyone?
>> Anonymous
natural food is always superior.
Oatmeal, eggs, bacon, steak, fish, potatoes, rice, etc.
>> Anonymous
I'm currently living in a dorm, so it's hard to prepare my own food.
>> Anonymous
I wouldn't eat the same thing every day if I were you. Take a multi-vitamin and eat a variety of foods and you'll be fine. And watch out, some of those granola bars have a lot of refined sugars that you shouldn't be eating if you're trying to lose weight.
>> Anonymous
>>67808
lame excuse.
all you need is a small portable hotplate, a pot, a pan and you're set.
>> Anonymous
Alright, so what do you guys suggest for the small meals? I'm thinking they should be less than 300 cal and pretty accessible/easy to get or make.
>> Moonmauler
>>67771
Not good. You get very little protein until your 4th meal. You should eat a lean protein with EVERY meal ideally. Also, carbs aren't bad, but eating an almost all carb meal is.
>> Anonymous
>>67832
I don't think you really can eat healthy if you're unable or unwilling to cook for yourself.
>> Anonymous
>>67834
I knew I wasn't eating enough protein, but I'm not sure what kind of food I can eat that I can make without too much trouble. I was thinking wheat bread and peanut butter,but that's little else than protein and carbs.

At the very least, would the diet I mentioned at least lose some weight?
>> Anonymous
>>67849
STEAK. Prepared in 5 mins and keeps you running for a day.
>> Anonymous
>>67854

Would a sandwich made with a meat (roast beef, ham, anything pretty much) do the trick?
>> Anonymous
>>67859
sure.
Ham, bacon, eggs, chicken breast, steak, tartare
+ bread are always awesome.
>> Anonymous
>>67832
Drop the granola bars = meal altogether. Only use them when you can't get something better.

Breakfast -
1/2 banana
slice of whole grain toast with about a tablespoon of peanut butter on it, OR
oatmeal with dates or figs or something
Meal 2 - a salad like the one you already eat, only smaller maybe
Meal 3 - rice pilaf (or quinoa or some other kind of grain) with a lot of fresh veggies and some tofu
Meal 4 - other 1/2 of banana with a lean chicken or tuna whole grain sandwich with a lot of fresh veggies on it again
Meal 5 - maybe another salad

Depending on when you work out, change these around. I suggest a larger meal, half of which you eat right before your run and lifting, and eat the other half afterward.

The key is to balance the protein and carbs. Eat a little bit of protein at every meal (peanut butter, chicken, tofu) and you'll feel full longer, because it takes longer to digest than complex or simple carbs, and because you're trying to build muscle.

A good rule that I try and follow is to have all 3 (protein, simple carbs, and complex carbs) included in at least half of my daily meals, and at least 2 in all the others. Also, variance is key!
>> Anonymous
>>67868

I usually work out later at night, around 9:30.

Are olive oil and vinegar good replacements for salad dressing or should I just go with a low cal dressing?

I'm going to have to go shopping to get some salad fixins.
>> Anonymous
>>67886
joghurt is fine with salad too.
vinegar and olive oil are nice, but oil has lots of calories, so don't overuse it.
>> Anonymous
Granola and protien bars are the last thing you want to eat to lose weight.

Hard boiled eggs, tuna, a handful of nuts, yogurt, cottage cheese... try some of these instead.
>> Anonymous
Well I'm glad I came here to find this stuff out. Thanks, guys.