Thanks to the 1200 calories for a week thread, I started a food log and am tracking calories (I'm not aiming for 1200, but was inspired by it). One thing that has surprised me is that I'm apparently not getting anywhere near the 25 grams of fiber recommended for a woman of my age.
Here are some examples of my recent days. Where would you pack in more fiber without going too crazy on calories? I'm right at what I am aiming for - 1400-1500 - so want to be careful with just adding food. Breakfast: 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 cup chopped strawberries, 1 tbsp peanut butter Lunch: salad with romaine lettuce, celery, cucumber, shredded carrots, one hard boiled egg, 3 oz shredded chicken, 2 tbsp yogurt-based dressing. 1/4 cup homemade full-fat yogurt, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sliced almonds. Dinner: grilled pork chop, 1 cup roasted broccoli with olive oil, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, banana Lunch: triscuit thins, smoked salmon, cheese, celery sticks, apple slices Dinner: spinach salad with strawberries and mandarin oranges, olive oil and balsamic. Soup with meatballs, white beans, chard, and chicken broth (homemade bone broth). Slice of sourdough with butter. I thought that was a pretty healthy menu - and it does well on calories, carbs, protein, healthy fats, etc ... but is apparently really low on fiber. What would you substitute? Eliminating the sourdough with butter to use those calories on something more nutritious is probably the most obvious, (but really sad). Beans instead of chicken in the salad? What else? |
Mix in some nuts and seeds with the oats. I like almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds with my oats/yogurt/fruit. And/or maybe mix in some ground flax seed. |
Chickpeas? |
Correction—sunflower seeds, not sesame seeds |
It’s actually going to be quite hard to get 25g of fiber a day when you aren’t eating enough to fuel your body. No woman needs only 1200 calories. There’s no way to meet protein and fiber goals while also under eating. I hate that stupid thread. 1200 is insane and not sustainable for any grown woman. |
I eat two whole wheat bagels a day. Done. |
It looks like plenty of fiber to me. I would go by what you see with your body instead of shooting for that number. |
Metamucil & Miralax |
You are getting plenty of fiber. These are healthy menus. |
Ezekiel bread, blueberries and raspberries, dark chocolate, and high fiber veggies, like broccoli, green beans, asparagus. Don’t try to sub your protein to increase fiber, as it is already pretty low. Look at the carbs you are eating. |
It’s pretty healthy already! But swapping quinoa for the mashed potatoes is a switch you could make.
But if you’re popping fine and have good heart stats at the doc, I wouldn’t stress about this. |
Add lentils and chia seeds into your day. |
+1 Add lentils, chia or hemp hearts to one of those meals. Add an apple. If you feel the need to offset those calories (which you shouldn't) swap out the potatoes |
Put chia seeds in your yogurt. Done |
Thanks all! I like the idea of adding some sesame seeds and flax seed to my oatmeal. I tried chia seeds a couple of times and wasn't crazy about the texture, maybe I need to try again with a smaller amount to start.
To the PP griping about 1200 calories - I'm not aiming for 1200. 1400-1500 is about right for what I need. Lentils are also a great idea. I love lentils, but the rest of my family doesn't, so I'm not in the habit of including them in dinners that we all eat together. I should make a batch on the weekend and use them for my own lunch. And finally, I appreciate the idea that maybe I'm overthinking this ![]() Thanks again, DCUM! |