Maintenance Check-In: Weight--Exercise--Meals--Opinions--Information

This thread is for anyone who wants to log in his/her weights, exercises, meals, etc.  Feel free to add any other information that you find interesting.  Best of luck in maintaining.  Never give in.  If you fall off the wagon, as the saying goes, jump back on!  You can,  you will, and you must MAINTAIN!

• weight = 173.2
• body fat % = 18.6%
• body water % = 54.5%
• calories =3602
• exercise =173 minutes

meals:

1. 2 pieces of trail mix bread = 582 calories
2. Pizza Hut Noon Buffet = est. 2480 calories
3. 3 sliced baked Gala apples with 3 tbs. honey = 400 calories

drinks:

1. 4 cups black coffee
2. 10 oz. apple juice = 140 calories
3. 2 glasses diet soda
4. 2 glasses water

exercise:

1. 25 minutes heavy bag
2. 25 minute walk to and from grocery store
3. 40 minute walk around HS track--42° F, a bit chilly, but pleasant nonetheless.
4. 60 minutes stationary bike
5. 23 minutes weights biceps

• weight = 174.8
• body fat % = 18.1%
• body water % = 55.3%
• calories = 1700
• exercise = 272 minutes

meals:

1. 4 wild salmon fillets (16 oz.) and 1 tb. evoo = 520 calories
2. 12 oz. steamer green beans, 1 tb. grated 3-cheese, 1+ tb. bacon bits = 190 calories
3. 3 sliced Honeycrisp apples with 3 tbs. maple syrup baked and cinnamon = 390 calories
4. 16 oz. shredded cabbage, 1 tb. sunflower seeds, 4 tbs. Mrs. Ott's Nonfat dressing = 210 calories
5. 4 pieces of light whole wheat bread and 3 tbs. of Fitnutz PB mix = 250 calories

drinks:

1. 1 10 oz. glass apple juice = 140 calories
2. 6 cups black coffee
3. 2 glasses water

exercise:

1. 135 minute leisurely walk in and outside of town--taking photos here and there
2. 25 minutes heavy bag
3. 75 minutes stationary bike
4. 25 minutes triceps and hand grips
5. 12 minutes abs

john...a wee bit confused...2 days ago you were at 170...your maintenance goal and now you want to lose even though you know that the 4 pounds on the scale is food, water, and bloat from the buffet. that doesn't sound very rational. maybe you should reconsider. in a few days that weight will be gone. 

No, Chrissy, that is not from the buffet only.  If you check my calories--I have been on the feed bag for several days.  I simply need to get back to the things that got me to 170 in the first place:

• starting the day with a glass of water
• high protein breakfast
• eating 6 meals spread throughout the day
• making sure I have a good protein meal within 30 minutes of my hardest workout
• getting in quality exercise

John: do you also track your macronutrient ranges? I have been super high in carbs and thinking of changing it up a bit to a 50/30/20 split. carbs/protein/fat. I am thinking about all the ways i can make sure to get more protein into my diet...it is pretty tough. when i was eating beans more it was easier. i went and bought some today though. 2 servings of beans a day, 1 pouch of tuna, and 6 egg whites should make it easier if i do it daily. I'm trying to create DAILY foods...and then have about 300 calories that are unplanned to have snacks/bars/treats that vary from day to day. what do you think??

Chrissy:  You do a better job of getting a split target than I do.  My main concerns are that I get enough protein, eat some fruits and/or vegetables, and eat a lot of whole grains.  I try to limit the fat, but I get plenty of fat in nuts and meats.  I figure my carbs will take care of themselves.

Here are examples of foods that I eat to get enough protein:

• whole eggs:  6.3g. protein per egg
• egg white:  3.5g.  (I usually have 4 to 6 when I eat egg whites) = 14 to 20g. protein
• beans, small red or black (from dry--I soak them overnight) 1 cup cooked = 14g. protein (I buy them dry and soak them because the canned have too much sodium.)
• 28 almonds (1/4th cup) = 6g. protein
• 16 oz. shredded cabbage = 5g. protein
• 2 cups cooked from dry split peas = 36g. protein.
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour = 16g. protein
• Fitnutz peanut butter mix 2 tbs = 6g. protein
• Naturally More peanut butter 2 tbs.= 10g. protein

And, of course, I get a lot of my protein from meats, including fish and poultry--and I know you don't eat most meats.

haha...i'm allergic to nuts so i've got beans and egg whites. how much does it require to make 1 cup cooked beans. is that like 1/2 to 3/4 cup dry? i was thinking i'd eat more egg whites, more yogurt, and more beans. That should help.

y just the whites and not the entire egg? the yolk is delicious

read further up before commenting amy. i'm not going to eat 6 egg yolks in 1 day...that's unhealthy. i didn't say i planned not to eat ANY yolks but my motive is more protein. dont want to hijack john's thread.

oh, my comment was to both of u i guess, whatever, either way, its all good

Amy:  I think that is a legitimate question.  On the Foods thread, I have been in all the arguments I am going to engage in about eating/not eating egg yolks.  I have done a great deal of research about the benefits/dangers of eating chicken egg yolks.  There is no clear agreement among doctors.  It seems to me, though, that many caution against one's consuming very many a week.  I have found several that suggest eating egg whites is better.  Yes, I agree, egg yolks are delicious. 

1. But since I often count calories, I can eat 4 egg whites (64 calories) instead of one whole egg (70 calories)
2. and get more protein: 14 grams compared to 6.3.
3. and not have to worry about food cholesterol since egg whites contain no cholesterol, and yolks contain way more than the daily recommended amount.  

But I do eat whole eggs sometimes, and I sometimes include whole eggs in my Trail Mix Bread.

Chrissy:  Here is the lowdown on beans, especially small red beans, if you can find them. Otherwise black beans or kidney beans or pinto beans are good, too.  They are considered by all legitimate health experts to be one of the world's healthiest foods.  In fact, I have found sites that list them as one of the 10 healthiest foods.

1/4th cup dry equals one half soaked and cooked. So 1/2 dry equals one cup cooked.  Here are the great things about soaked and cooked small red beans (I am using Great Value beans from Walmart):  One cooked cup:

1. 120 calories
2. 14 grams of protein
3. only 2% sodium (check on a can of beans and notice how high the sodium is)
4. only 2 grams of sugar
5. 30% of the daily iron requirements
6. 12% of the daily calcium requirements
7. 128% of dietary fiber

Chrissy:  You often have better meal plans than I do, but here is a great breakfast idea that I follow through to get me a lot of protein:  I cut back a bit on the amount for you:

• 1 Flatout whole-wheat light wrap = 90 calories and 9 grams of protein
• 3 egg whites cooked in skillet sprayed with low-calorie spray = 60 calories and 10.5 grams of protein
• 1/4th cup of Kraft natural mozzarella made from 2% milk = 70 calories and 7 grams protein
• add a tablespoon or two of salsa or picante sauce (10 calories) 
• Total calories only 220-230 and a whopping 26.5 grams of protein
• put the egg and cheese on the wrap, add the salsa if desired, and roll it up!
• (I would eat two or three of these for my breakfast.)

This thread can be high-jacked any time!  LOL I get pretty lonely.

john...that breakfast sounds really tasty actually. i ran out of string cheese and the shredded cheese here is like 5  bucks per bag...even string cheese is about 5 bucks for 12oz...so 12 sticks. that's kinda pricey so i've been holding out...haha. i havent found the flatout wraps but i've found some pretty good ww tortillas. i've seen red beans...kidney beans i think. i was eating navy beans for a while but apparently those are like the least nutritious...being a "white" food i guess it makes sense. 

Chrissy:  Yes, the Kraft lower-calorie cheese can be high-priced.  In fact, I buy the Kraft nonfat shredded cheddar (only 45 calories per 1/4th cup); but it is high-priced at $4.69 a package.  The other day at Wally World, I bought the Kraft mozzarella from 2% (only 70 calories) for under $3. 

You can't go wrong with eating black, pinto, or kidney beans, but the small red beans, also called Mexican beans, are the lowest in calories and I think taste really good.  With all the chilies you make, you could play around with using the small, red beans in them.  I don't know how close you are to a Wally World, so maybe you can't find the Great Value brand.  Canned beans work great and are a lot less time-consuming, but I watch my sodium intake to a large degree.  If you don't care about sodium, then I recommend buying the canned beans. 

Here is another way to make a simple, non-meat chili.  I think you know more about making chilies than I do, though:

• 1(or 2) can of red beans (or 3 cups cooked from dry)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (for flavor, Italian and Mexican work great--but, again, they are high in sodium, so I use no-sodium diced tomatoes)
• add some medium or hot salsa if you used no-sodium diced tomatoes
• add some garlic
• add some diced onions
• add some bell peppers
• add some cooked celery
• add some red pepper flakes

In other words, just experiment as you and I often do.  It makes a really healthy chili and is low in calories.

john: that's the foundation of my chili already basically...beans...a can of tomatoes...celery, peppers, onion..but i add in carrots and other veggies as well. I also like to add in veggie "meat" that mimics ground beef i guess. the nutritional info isn't great though for those products but since i have so much of it i've been trying to use it up. i think i'll be refraining from most of the soy products that are currently staples in my diet because of the controversial effects of a high soy diet. also since it's overly processed i want to eliminate it as much from my diet as possible. 

i'm trying to think of more ways to make wraps and to use egg whites, tuna, and beans. I'm thinking i might want to try a black bean soup but i don't know what would make the broth of a black bean soup...it's kind of weird. i was also thinking of maybe making a potato soup since i can use skim milk for the cream which is high in protein (i do not like milk by itself) then adding in cheese, and broccoli. Probably not too high in protein though... i have to experiment with recipes.

I used to make black bean soup (with sausage or beef) and used beef broth as the stock/base.  However, now when I make bean soup, I don't use stock unless I decide to make a veggie-bean-(sometimes meat) soup, in which I use low-sodium V-8 juice.

• weight = 171.8
• body fat% = 18.0%
• body water = 55.1%
• calories = 1760
• exercise =158 minutes

meals:

1. 4 wild salmon fillets (16 oz.) and 1 tb. evoo = 520 calories
2. 12 oz steamer green beans, 4 teaspoons real bacon bits, 1 tablespoon grated 3-cheese = 190 calories
3. 4 slices light whole-wheat bread, 3 tablespoons Fitnutz PB = 250 calories
4. 2 light whole-wheat wraps, 2 light Laughing Cow wedges, 6 egg whites, evoo spray  = 360 calories
5. 1 can chunk light tuna in water (100), 2 slices light whole-wheat bread (80), sweet mustard (30), pickle relish (10), Miracle Whip light (60) = 280 calories

drinks:

1. 1 10 oz. glass apple juice = 140 calories
2. 6 cups black coffee
3. 4 glasses water
4. 2 cups coffee with nondairy creamer = 20 calories

exercise:

1. 60 minutes washed wife's car, cleaned out the garage, watered the lilac bushes
2. 38 minute walk around HS track
3. 60 minutes stationary bike

john...so you'll eat a bag of veggies by themselves? and the salmon by itself? why is that? it seems to me that they'd be part of the same "meal". 

I'm back to the sensible eating 5-6 meals/snacks throughout the day.  I don't want to pile all of them into 2 or 3 meals which is what was causing my weight gain late last week and early this week.

John...is the 1740 calories intentional? i'm hoping you plan to eat more than that. that's less than i eat ;) i like meal #4 :) yum yum.

Chrissy:  You should be consuming 2000 or more; age makes a heck of a difference.  I know you are short and slender, but I read one of your posts where you said you were only taking 1700-1900 calories.  That simply is not enough for a young, active person.   I only the last 5 years had to worry about weight gain; that is because my metabolism slowed way down, but I kept eating just as much as I used to. 

By the way:  Notice my average daily calorie intake for the last 6 days:  I averaged consuming 2928 calories.  That is a lot of calories!  I really, according to all the online calculators I have used, should only be taking 2400 calories a day.  When I keep my metabolism going well and exercise a fair amount, I can maintain and take in around 3000 calories.

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