judge me! is there an ideal diet?

This is what I'm eating today.  Would you guys say it is healthy? Would you say it is wise for someone who is careful about carbs or sugar?

Breakfast: One cup of oatmeal, with low fat unsweetened almond milk, agave, cinnamon

Apple

Lunch: Celery and salsa

Hard boiled egg

Snack: Soy protein bar (the brand is Genisoy), 150 calories and 2 net carbs

One half cup of nonfat Greek yogurt with agave root

Dinner: whole wheat tortilla with a tablespoon of guacamole, fresh salsa, some chicken, eggplant, spinach, onions

Celery, salsa, and a hard boiled egg isn't much of a lunch.

How many calories are you eating?

What is your BMR?

Are you seeking to gain, lose, or maintain your present weight?

=^..^=  MOLLY

yeah, but considering it's balanced by a pretty heavy snack (lunch is eaten around 1 and snack is around 3h30....basically it's two small lunches)

I don't know, I don't really count calories. How many do you think it is?

I don't work out, but I walk a lot.

I am 5 foot 7 and 120 pounds.  I am looking to maybe lose, maybe maintain, mostly just firm up my stomach area (please no one give me **** about BMI, we all know it is a very flawed system)

No this is not healthy because you are not eating enough. I know you don't want to hear it but 5'7" and 120 lbs is already very thin. If you want to firm up your stomach do ab exercises. Simple as that.

It sure looks like it's under 1200 cals, which is the recommended minimum for adult women before counting exercise.

If you want to maintain, I suggest you use the CC tools to determine what your maintenance calories are.  If you're looking to firm up your stomach, the exercise tab on CC has great exercises for your midsection.

oh i don't know, i'd say it's over 1200, easily.  one cup of dry oats is 300 calories, probably another 100 calories with the almond milk.  similarly greek nonfat yogurt has many more calories than normal nonfat yogurt. 

again, five foot seven and 120 sounds thin, but on me, it is more like slender....distributed very oddly! since i am an apple shape, i need to be very careful about my weight as i have a body prone to diabetes and heart disease when overweight....what i like to call "death fat"...it is also very aesthetically unappealing!

i think i'm going to start another thread but of interest: a photo shoot with women and their BMI's was done....technically "obese" people just looked plump, "overweight" people looked very healthy, "underweight" people looked fat.....just height/weight is a very very flawed basis of judgement!

I don't know why you are getting so defensive, especially when you started a thread yelling "Judge me!". Secondly, I think you are right to a degree about height/weight being a poor judge. But it's not the only factor we have to say you might be too thin, what you're eating is not very much so we can include that as well. People here look like they get pretty concerned since eating disorders go both ways as far as being over-weight but also being under-weight.

Borgesgreen, your diet seems kinda anemic.  I'm not sure what agave is but doesn't seem like you are eating enough.

BTW, you said one cup of oatmeal - that assumes one cup COOKED oatmeal which is about 150 calories - I eat it daily.  And nonfat plain yogurt (greek or not) is under 100 calories per container - again another food that I also eat.

If I were you, I would boost up my lunch a bit - have a healthy sandwich with whole wheat bread, turkey breast and bunch of veggies.  Banana and peanut butter for snack.

And agree with others here, do exercise instead - 120 lbs is perfect (or even a little light) for your height. I am also 5'7", my goal weight is 140 lbs!!!!

i don't think i'm being overly defensive. it never hurts to clarify.

one cup of dry oats is 150 calories.  These aren't Quaker Oats.  It is McCann's Irish Oatmeal which is 150 for a half cup dry.

Also I had some extra fruit after dinner (berries and melon).....maybe when you saw lunch as celery and egg, you guys panicked....but that was actually only half of a lunch.  My snack was more like the second part of my lunch.  I think I'm well over 1200.

Well, instead of having the argument be over the calories of your diet, maybe you should enter the diet into the calorie-count system and let us know how many it is ... if it's over 1,200, you're OK calorie-wise. And in terms of fat, the diet also looks OK. I couldn't tell you if you're getting enough protein or calcium or other nutrients without running the numbers, but you should also look at those.

I think the diet is healthy (assuming it's enough calories) ... but you should also look at what your goal is -- maintaining weight, losing weight, building muscle, etc. and tailor your diet for that goal.

For someone at your height and weight, I would recommend going to the gym and eating relitivley the same amount as you had before this diet but perhaps a little more healthily including mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts, good oils, etc. Your weight if anything is too low but if you have a small frame and little lean tissue, it's understandable. However, it sounds to be like you need to just do some weight training or pilates to firm and tighten your muscles (pilates does wonders for a flat stomach!) which will in effect, burn more fat and give you a leaner look. If you feel a change in diet is nessasary, I'd simply add more protien to every meal to help you build and maintain muscle.
  The problem with restricting calories to that extent (especially at your weight) is that although it may give you the desired results in the short term it is hard to keep up in the long run especially if you're only interested in losing a couple pounds and looking firmer. You will eventually gain the weight back, and possibly more, should you change your diet or exercise. Hope that helps!