860 calories for a meal-scared

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

I'm totally going to get yelled at for this post, but hey, i AM a newbie right?!  I'm using an online food diary to just keep track of what I eat during my W30.  My Meal 2 was 860 calories and consisted of:

 

about 8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast

1 T coconut oil

1/2 c (maybe more) of mashed cauliflower

6 green olives pitted

1 small green apple

2 (ish) T raw almond butter

 

I have a surprise party later on and plan to eat before it (and after crossfit) so I figured it was best to have a big meal. 

 

Does this seem like too much? 

 

Sara

[Lhasa mama]

Ooooo too much oil and too much protein.

And...too big of a meal.

If you go by the guide, pick only one out of these three on your list - Coconut oil, Olive or Almond Butter.(1T instead of Two)

and keep your protein to the size of your palm. About 4oz.

[NMG]

Short answer - nope.

 

Long answer - noooooooooooope

 

You can adjust your calories (roughly) up and down depending how you feel - remember they average out over the course of a day, a week, a month. If you're not hungry for M3, maybe have a little less for your next M2; and vice versa.

[missmary]

we don't count calories during the whole30. let me say that again: WE DON'T COUNT CALORIES DURING A WHOLE30!

 

How do you know if you ate enough?: 1. it fits the meal template of 1-2 palm-size portions of protein, a thumb of fat, a large portion ("the rest of your plate") of veggies. 2. You have energy and are not hungry until time for the next meal.

 

Counting calories isn't particularly productive because each individual needs differing amounts of calories each day depending on many complex factors (size, activity level, stress, metabolism, hormones, etc.), and, unfortunately we have been taught that calories are "bad" so people try to restrict them to the smallest number possible. This is nonsense.

 

AND sorry Lhasa Mama, but you can't know if this meal was too big or too small for JerseyGrl's context (neither can I). If her palms are 4 oz, then 8oz is within the template guidelines.

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

Meal 1 was at 7:30 am.  Meal 2 was at 1:30pm.  I was hungry.  i think i only had a tablespoon of the almond butter.  Maybe even less. 

[Mom2A&M]

Also depends on if you are trying to lose or gain weight. It's not too much food at all, but if you want to lose weight maybe skip either olives or almond butter as cooking fat does count for one of your "thumbs" of fat.

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

Also depends on if you are trying to lose or gain weight. It's not too much food at all, but if you want to lose weight maybe skip either olives or almond butter as cooking fat does count for one of your "thumbs" of fat.

 

 

Trying to lose weight.  Ok-next time, i'll just do 1 fat.  Opps overdid it.

[Robin Strathdee]

Jersey - 

 

That meal was perfectly fine the way it was, no need to worry about that. If you were hungry enough for all of it, and you're hungry again at a reasonable interval, that's fine. You'll have higher fat days, you'll have lower fat days, but that's not going to affect you in the long run.  Unless you are GROSSLY over-eating fat (which is kind of hard to do within the template), having 2-3 fats at a meal will not harm your goals in any way.  

[Tom Denham]

What you ate sounds good for a "big" meal, except you needed more veggies. More like 2-3 cups of veggies. If that crowds the apple off your plate, so be it.

Eating big in the morning is one of my favorite strategies. Knowing that it would be 6 hours before you ate again is a good reason to increase portion sizes.

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

Thanks Moderators-I figured since it was a long time since I had eaten, it would be OK.  I'll go a little easier on the fats next meal and add more veggies.  Adding more veggies seems to be a challenge for me.

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

Jersey - 

 

That meal was perfectly fine the way it was, no need to worry about that. If you were hungry enough for all of it, and you're hungry again at a reasonable interval, that's fine. You'll have higher fat days, you'll have lower fat days, but that's not going to affect you in the long run.  Unless you are GROSSLY over-eating fat (which is kind of hard to do within the template), having 2-3 fats at a meal will not harm your goals in any way.  

 

It's so hard to tell if it's too little or too much.  I'm trying not to stress over it,  but it's hard not to. 

[Lhasa mama]

we don't count calories during the whole30. let me say that again: WE DON'T COUNT CALORIES DURING A WHOLE30!

 

How do you know if you ate enough?: 1. it fits the meal template of 1-2 palm-size portions of protein, a thumb of fat, a large portion ("the rest of your plate") of veggies. 2. You have energy and are not hungry until time for the next meal.

 

Counting calories isn't particularly productive because each individual needs differing amounts of calories each day depending on many complex factors (size, activity level, stress, metabolism, hormones, etc.), and, unfortunately we have been taught that calories are "bad" so people try to restrict them to the smallest number possible. This is nonsense.

 

AND sorry Lhasa Mama, but you can't know if this meal was too big or too small for JerseyGrl's context (neither can I). If her palms are 4 oz, then 8oz is within the template guidelines.

 

Don't be sorry. Since I am new to this too I am sticking with the whole 30 guide line and was just repeating what is on there. Oil - size of your thumb, protein - size of your palm.

[Jtandi]

I am a huge proponent of more fat rather than less. I have always eaten AT LEAST the recommended amount, often times more. I don't think your meal sounds too big, either - one OR TWO palms of protein. and lastly - were you overly stuffed after eating? felt like you were about to blow? or just satisfied and happy? eat until you are full. sounds like you did just that!

 

I counted the grams of fat I ate in one meal once. it was like 60 or something (soup made with coconut milk and sausage, etc). that's not a NORMAL meal for me, but it shows that it all averages out (needless to say I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day)

 

I have lost over 35 pounds and have never felt better. you are doing great! stay away from counting your calories/fat/etc and trust your body!

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

I am a huge proponent of more fat rather than less. I have always eaten AT LEAST the recommended amount, often times more. I don't think your meal sounds too big, either - one OR TWO palms of protein. and lastly - were you overly stuffed after eating? felt like you were about to blow? or just satisfied and happy? eat until you are full. sounds like you did just that!

 

I counted the grams of fat I ate in one meal once. it was like 60 or something (soup made with coconut milk and sausage, etc). that's not a NORMAL meal for me, but it shows that it all averages out (needless to say I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day)

 

I have lost over 35 pounds and have never felt better. you are doing great! stay away from counting your calories/fat/etc and trust your body!

 

Thanks for the reply!  I'm just not used to seeing that many calories for a typical meal and it freaked me out.  I'm so used to keeping it b/t 350-500 calories, you know??  It's just how i'm conditioned.  See-I have A LOT of habits to break!!  I'm trying to lose weight and redesign my habits. 

 

EDIT:  I wasn't stuffed.  I was totally fine.

[Physibeth]

Also depends on if you are trying to lose or gain weight. It's not too much food at all, but if you want to lose weight maybe skip either olives or almond butter as cooking fat does count for one of your "thumbs" of fat.

 

Actually cooking fat does NOT count towards one of your thumbs unless you are pouring all that fat onto your plate and eating it. I consider cooking fat to be bonus.

[NMG]

Thanks for the reply!  I'm just not used to seeing that many calories for a typical meal and it freaked me out.  I'm so used to keeping it b/t 350-500 calories, you know??  It's just how i'm conditioned.  See-I have A LOT of habits to break!!  I'm trying to lose weight and redesign my habits. 

 

EDIT:  I wasn't stuffed.  I was totally fine.

 

Understandable; but this is one reason we don't count calories We've to learn to trust our bodies. You'll get there!

[amberino21]

I'd eat that plus about 2-3 cups more vegetables easily....especially if I had a big gap between meals!

Too big...too small? Everyone has different needs and requirements. You said you were "used" to meals being a certain amount - forget what you're used to, I figure if that was working for you you wouldn't be here in the first place, trying to change?

[Bet]

Well 8 0z of chicken would be too much for me, but it's very personal. I like to eat big for breakfast and a bit lighter in the other 2 meals. As long as you didn't feel like you were going to burst afterwards and it kept you satisfied until the next meal, you should be fine. There are some meals where I finish and think 'I need more food', but if I then wait about 10 minutes, I feel more satisfied and don't get hungry for 4-5 hours. It's all about resetting those hormones that tell us to eat or that we are full.

 

I don't stress about fat. I cook in fat, I put it in my coffee in the am, I pour it on food. I'm sure I am getting more than a thumb at times, but hey, I did lose about 2 lbs a week, so I must be doing something right!

[MonicaM325]

So I do my best at keeping to the template and serving portions and when I began the whole30 was in awe of how much food covered my plate. What I learned was that I was eating too little before doing this Whole30 which explained why I was frequently hungry and not having enough energy. Also I feel like I tend to get more energy and get better workouts when I have a higher fat content to my meals. This is just how my body works. So I don't mind if on some days when I know I'm going hard at the gym or gonna have a long day there is more fat on my plate

[notacommittee]

Just to add to the chorus: if it fills you up, gives you energy, and makes you feel strong and and satisfied and happy, then no, it's not too much. Eat as much as you want to fill your hunger. If you've been dieting and restricting calories, this may feel like a lot especially at first when your body is trying to recover from the undernutrition and get enough nutrients. Calories are nutrients just like every other nutrient! Just like you can overdose on vitamin A, you can also overdose on calories, but that doesn't mean that less is necessarily better; you don't want a deficiency either.

 

Don't count calories! That way lies madness! If you were happy with that meal, you're doin' it right, regardless of how many calories were in it.

[Lizitea]

Jerseygirl

I would suggest not using an online food diary that counts calories. Try to forget all that calorie stuff -- if it worked for you before you wouldn't be here. Now you are here, try this wholeheartedly, by dropping the calorie thing.

 

Calories don't help us learn to trust our bodies, they do just the opposite.

[Chris74]

lose body fat, not weight....

[Jerseygrl4Paleo]

Thanks all-I stopped tracking as of 2 nights ago.