Some thoughts on today's food

Health Iowa is offering a program on campus this semester called Passport. Each week there are nutrition and fitness goals. Reaching goals earns points, and if at the end of the nine weeks enough points are earned you get a prize! So of course I signed up.

This week's nutrition goal was to take in the recommended daily amount of fiber, which is 25g-35g. I knew I wasn't getting enough in my diet before. So this week I started keeping a journal (mostly just in my head, though I did write down a few days) of what I was eating. I tracked calories, fiber, and protein. 

Why these three categories? I've mentioned before that I have a problem overeating every now and then. For my age, weight, and activity level I should be eating around 2000 calories per day. I surpass that quite often. I wanted to see where my calories were coming from throughout the day. Then I tracked fiber for two reasons. First, I wanted to keep track for the Passport program. Second, I know that fiber is important for a healthy digestive system. My boyfriend has health problems with his gut, so healthy digestion is important to me. And finally I decided to track protein because it is necessary for muscle development and recovery. It's important to consume protein after a workout, and it will become more important in my life as I slowly overcome my fear of the weight room. 

Let's take a look at today's food.

Total calories: 2580

Total protein: 99g

Total fiber: 24g

...yeah. 

There were successes today. I got pretty close to the recommended amount of fiber. I know better than to dive right in and consume 30g after not eating much. It can cause some intense stomach pain and bowel issues. I'm on the right track by building up to it. 

Downsides? Oh, lots of downsides. 

First, let's start with the calorie intake. I went over by nearly 600 calories. Let me tell you how: donuts. About 10 minutes before I left work tonight the local donut shop sent us over a box. I had a "few." There's my overeating coming in to play again.

Second, let's talk protein. I overdid it. The fitness community I hang around (www.reddit.com/r/fitness) likes to recommend you eat your body weight in grams in protein. That's all broscience. There's actually a nifty little equation found here to figure out roughly how much you need. Someone like me really only needs 45g per day. I doubled that. Why so much? As if all those donuts weren't enough after work I also took home an extra large order of chicken strips. They fit my calorie goal but they pushed me way over the edge for protein. I guess I didn't realize just how much protein things like milk and cheese contain.

These will all be lessons to learn from tomorrow.

* Further information on how much protein you need
* And some information about fiber