What is your grade?

I have only been on here for about a week and my average food grade is B but today it is C- the only thing different is a different Lean Cuisine Meal.  Is there any reason?

I am a lifetime member of weight watchers just can't make the meetings anymore.  This site is very similar I am just keeping my calories logged instead of counting points.(my food choices are about the same)

I just don't understand why my grade is a C- maybe I need more fruits and veggies?

Thanks in advance.

I really can't be sure, but this happens to me too (I also eat Lean Cuisine sometimes). I think that the sodium content is so high and there are not too many nutrients that even though these are usually low-calorie meals, they aren't exactly "healthy". That being said, I think it's fine once in a while -- as long as you watch your sodium intake for the day. I wouldn't worry about the grade so much, but work in some extra fresh veggies and whole grains and your analysis might improve. :)

Normally I get an A but today I am craving Stouffer's lasagna big time so I've had to mess with my numbers to get a nice big serving of that in for dinner along with a small crusty wheat roll (can't have lasagna without bread, I just cannot do it). That has screwed me all up and now I'm getting a B+. CC simply does not like frozen foods. They're not the best choice and I realized months ago that if I prepared my food from scratch instead of doing Lean Cuisine I could actually eat MORE food and the amount of food I'm taking in with my eyes is really important to my satisfaction level. However, sometimes you've just gotta do it because it feels oh so right. Lasagna here I come!!

BTW, I think sodium levels have a huge amount to do with it. I have super low blood pressure so I never worry about sodium but that's not something everyone can do. Also I suspect a lot of the fillers in the meals are empty calories.

My grade is usually B+ to an A

BUT when I slip up (usually on weekends) I just don't log all those awful bad for me foods.

I'm averaging an A, though I've had a few C- days ;)

I think it may calculate it by the grade of the foods you eat... perhaps weighted by percentage of your calories consumed that day.  So if half your calories are from A foods and half from C foods my guess is it'd rate you a B.

The grades have helped me a lot in finding yummy snack alternatives that I think taste BETTER than the junk snacks and are far healthier.  I have a smoothie I love that makes about 2 cups of yum, is just a shade under 200 cals, and is an A grade food.  I'll take that any day over a snickers!

Do add another 2 or 3 portions of fruit and veg to your day.... It's amazing what a difference it makes to the overall grade.   If you have a Lean Cuisine, for example, serve it with plenty of extra salads and vegetables.   

I normally get an A or A- but I don't tend to eat convenience foods at all plus many of my meals are vegetarian.

I've been here for almost a month - so far I've had 2 C days (the days I was completely dependant on what other people cooked), but I mostly get B+ or A-, sometimes A too

 

Maybe you're eating too much of one thing and not enough of another?

Wow, I'm starting to feel bad now...LOL

I've only been on here since 9/10 but so far most of my grades have been B- to C+.

Guess I need to be doing a little better! Although I have lost 7.6lbs...

Why don't you run your analysis for since you've started logging, and paste it here, and we can see what your averages are, and be better able to figure out why your getting those kinds of grades.  Just the top part that gives the averages, no need to post the individual days for now.

And congrats on the initial loss!

Nutrition Report Well, I guess when you average it out its not quite as bad as I though? Thanks for your help!

 

  Fat - 31.3% (313 grams)
Protein - 17.3% (388 grams)
Carbohydrates - 49.1% (1,102 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 2.4%

Daily Calorie Intake - 1,066 cals
Daily Sodium Intake - 2,119 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 41 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 97 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 10 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 13 grams
Nutrition Grade B-

I just ran my analysis for the last two weeks and got an A ... the main differences between ours is that my protein is higher and my carbs and fats are lower ...

 

Thanks for all the replies, here are my averages for today.

 

Fat - 17.6% (13 grams)
Protein - 13.8% (22 grams)
Carbohydrates - 56.3% (90 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 12.4%

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,000 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 45 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 25 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 2 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 14 grams

I guess I need to stay away from carbs. lol.  I will try not to rely on frozen meals, but they are convenient and way less calories than fast food.

 

I am hoping to do better

  Fat - 22.2% (86 grams)
Protein - 19.3% (168 grams)
Carbohydrates - 58.6% (512 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Calorie Intake - 774 cals
Daily Sodium Intake - 911 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 41 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 70 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 2 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 14 grams
Nutrition Grade B

 

Date Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein Grade

2008-09-12 510 409 7 98 14 A

2008-09-14 245 161 3 55 4 B+

 

2008-09-16 1,436 980 54 127 65 A

 2008-09-17 1,041 1,007 10 142 64 B

2008-09-18 640 503 13 90 22 C+

This is my average since I started... I guess a B isn't so bad.

I usually get an A- and when I do mangae to get an A grade it's because I ate extra fiber (just over 25g)  I noticed the lower grades averages consumed less.  I usually drink benefiber in my tea at night if my fiber is too low for the day.

I've been tracking here for a while and the grade was ALWAYS A! Granted, I don't eat any pre-packaged stuff and i cook the meals from scratch. I don't care much abt meat either but I eat a lot of veggies and fruits.

 

When you make the food choices you can see the grades near each one. Usually foods high in sodium and/or fats are lower graded. Even peanuts are B+

For today:

 

Fat - 12.4% (18 grams)
Protein - 11.5% (37 grams)
Carbohydrates - 76.1% (247 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,112 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 139 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 12 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 4 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 30 grams

Grade A

I had 2 nectarines; 4 cups of grapes; 1 carrot; 3 cups of green beans'; 1/2 cup of cauliflower; 1/2 potato; 20 peanuts; 50 g Fitness cereals; 1 cup milk 1% and home made chicken broth .

I notice you go below 1200 calories on a few of those days.  It's very difficult indeed to get a well-balanced diet when the total is so small.  It's also not very good for either your health or your weight-loss, long-term to consume less than 1200 a day.

The big flaw in the WW system is that it is entirely possible for members to undereat if they don't supplement their diet with lots of 'no point' vegetables.   Many don't add on more points for exercise.  A lot will 'save' points all week so they can eat too much at the weekends.   You  may need to 'un-learn' the WW system if you want to see progress.   Not knowing your stats (age/weight/height/activity level) I would say you need to aim for 14-1500 cals a day... or between 1300 and 1600 on a regular basis. 

One day i had a grade of C and added more fruits and veggies and it went up to a B.  So i guess it is true.  I on most days have a B or A.  Some of my cheat days may end up being a C.  But i have never got below a C.  :)


Clarice

gi jane,

The extremely low days aren't full days of logging.  I wasn't sure how to use everything yet, but i've got it now.I agree, I need to unlearn ww for progress, I had been on a plateau for  a while. 

btw 

I am 30 years old

5'5

137lbs      &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;         

Sedentary (usually) but i do work out, 4-6 miles of 4mph walking a day but  i choose to log in my exercise not change my activity level.

I am not looking to lose a whole lot more,I just want to get to a level where I feel better about myself.

Thanks for the help.

I have a question, I just looked at my grade for this month and noticed that the only two days I got a C+ on (the rest are As and Bs) were on days where I over or under - ate significantly.  Does CC also grade you on not just the nutritional value of the food you eat but on the total amount of calories as well?  I ask because I didn't eat particularly badly on those days, just either ate too many or not enough calories.

I agree that it helps the grade a lot to cook at home (I live in Spain and don't even HAVE a microwave, so frozen dinners are out for me) and to get plenty of fiber, since I don't really worry too much about the bad things as long as I get plenty of the good ones (eg. I can eat all the pizza I want if I eat a large salad or serving of veggies before).  The only problem is that you have to put the ingredients in on CC one by one....

Thanks in advance to all for your help!

Sarah

 

This is how I have been rolling for the past week.  I would like to see higher fat (20%) and higher protein (30%) but I am pretty happy with how I roll.  I have a A- for the past week and notice that is even with about 10 ounces of vodka in there (grade F)  I have noticed that high fiber, low fat and under 4k in sodium will always get me a grade of A.  I strive for under 2300 in calories a day average but today is Talk like a Pirate day so I am sure I will take in 3300 calories or so and end up averaging 2300 for the 7 day period.

 

Fat - 16.6% (297 grams)
Protein - 26.1% (1,053 grams)
Carbohydrates - 50.8% (2,048 grams)
Alcohol - 6.5% (149 grams)
Other - 0.0%

Daily Calorie Intake - 2,032 cals
Daily Sodium Intake - 3,657 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 82 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 268 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 11 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 37 grams

Hi,

Lean Cuisine products (all frozen pre-packaged meals) contain more salt for "preserving foods and for tasting better" as well as NOT enough protein serving for your daily allowance.

If you look at the quantity of chicken in one of those meals and take it out on a small plate, then place a 4 to 5 oz cooked chicken breast beside it and see the difference.

I have eaten Lean Cuisine products in the past due to speed and convenience but I"m starving after them.

Hope this helps.

still struggling with reaching my goal but I learned "preplanning" and counting calories/exericisng is the only FORMULA that works for me.

Good luck

Cheers,

Maureen from B.C. Canada....P.S. My grade is always A and higher