Is my diet okay???

Im new to this but just wondered what your thoughts were on my diet? Im a 27 yr old male, 5'11ft and my weight is 178 pounds. I dont do any excercise and have an office job. This is bearing in mind im trying to lose weight and come down to about 165 pounds. :)

Breakfast: 

1 Bowl/Cup of Bran Flakes With Semi Skimmed Milk - Approx 250 Cals

1 Glass of Fresh Orange - Approx 60 cals

1 Cup of Coffee (no sugar, just milk) - Approx 10 cals

Lunch:

1 Tin/Bowl of Soup i.e Broth, Lentil etc  - Approx 200 Cals

1 Apple - Approx 70 cals

1 Kiwi Fruit - Approx 40 cals

Dinner:

1 Various Meal i.e Chicken and Veg, Pasta With Prawns - Approx 440 cals

1 Glass of Fresh Orange - Approx 60 cals

2 Plums - Approx 70 Cals

Total calories per day = 1200

Off the top of my head, 1200 isn't enough for your size (check out www.phord.com/cc, because I know sometimes CC recommends a too low calorie intake).

Too low calories and no vegetables.  Try adding a salad for lunch and some steamed veggies for dinner. 

Also ditch the orange juice and go for an orange.  The juice is just sugar and calories with no fiber.

Scotch Broth soup is full of veg and I have veg with most of my meals for dinner. Thanks for the advice though. I do need to eat more calories.

you need more calories and more healthy fat. i don't see ANY fat. also, you're probably not getting much calcium since you have no dairy products. instead of orange juice try having a yogurt or a glass of milk.

I see that this is your first day here.  Have you put your stats into the Tools yet and seen what you calories per day should be?

You need more calories and more balance. Healthy fats, complex carbs, whole grains, lowfat dairy, meats and fish.

Rather than guessing and making yourself ill.... use the CC calculator, input your stats and set a 'light' level of exercise.  See what calorie intake comes back from that.   You're not overweight and you'll probably find that with a better diet (rather than a drastically microscopic diet) and some daily exercise you'd look a lot slimmer even if you were only 7lbs lighter.  Daily exercise would certainly mean you were a lot healthier..... people who are completely immobile from one week to the next are at risk of all kinds of medical problems long-term, even if they're not particularly fat.

If you're not sure how to get a healthy diet try to remember that at each meal you're aiming for a nice mix of carbohydrates, proteins and a little fat.... so a traditional plate of, say, a baked potato with some grilled chicken and plenty of salad greens would be an example of a good balance.

I would estimate that you could start losing weight quite safely on 1800-2000 a day, provided you made an effort to get moving.  Just a half hour walk each day would be a good start.

Good for you for asking, btw!  You've only got a little to lose, and as a man, it should come off very quickly.

A man should not eat less than 1500 calories per day.  With that in mind:

For simplicity's sake, and healthy portion control, divide your food on your plate like time sections on a clock:

A full 1/2 hour should be healthy veggies (green beans, salad greens, spinach, cauliflower, brocolli, radishes, etc.), cooked without oil or fat, if possible.  Note:  No one ever got fat eating healthy veggies, so feel free to load up to feel full.

1/4 hour should be protein:  egg, fish, chicken, lean beef, soy beans, etc.  The portion should be approximately the size of a deck of cards.

The remaining 1/4 hour can be starch (or a higher carb veggie): potato, squash, corn, carrots, rice, pasta (preferably whole grain)

Whole fruit is MUCH better for you than fruit juice, which is very high in sugar.  Plus, with the whole fruit, you get the added benefit of fiber.

If you're going to omit protein from any meal, omit it from dinner, not lunch.  Protein at lunch helps you avoid the afternoon slump, and keeps your mind sharp for the rest of the day.  Even so, a little protein during dinner helps keep your blood sugar stable, which helps curb hunger and carb cravings.

more veggies, more fat, more protein.

Here's my thoughts...  First off, I'm a 6' guy, who went from 207 down to 165.  So I know what worked for me in your situation.

Soup broth will usually be high in sodium, unless it's home made and you can control that.  Higher sodium levels = water retention = more weight.  Not necessarily a big deal if your blood pressure is ok, but there you go.  I found I could put on 2 or 3 pounds overnight if I had a high sodium day.

Not enough calories, as people have mentioned before.  I was losing on 1700 to 1800, and I'm about 15 years older than you.  But I'm also doing some form of workout 3 to 5 times a week.  I'd guess you're probably good on that same amount though, but you should work it out with the tools provided.

Not enough protein.  Enter your food in the CC system.  I tried to keep a 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat.  The fat and protein would be interchangeable, though.

Don't drink your calories.  Eating an orange should keep you full longer than a glass of orange juice.

Add some healthy fats.  Peanut butter, dairy, etc.

For me, lunch would often consist of leftover protein from the night before (chicken, steak, salmon, whatever), rice, and veggies.  Or the protein with a spinach salad.  Breakfast would be either  protein/meal replacement shake and a piece of fruit.  Nowadays breakfast is usually Kashi cereal, raisins, and skim milk.  You will want some protein for breakfast, too.  Don't know what bran flakes are like for that.  I have snacks in between main meals.  Fruit, nuts, cottage cheese, etc.

One of the things to keep in mind is that you want to set up sustainable eating habits for when you're done losing weight.  Nobody else can tell you what those might be though, because they're very individual.

Clint