My dietitian girlfriend was visiting from New York the other day, and she mentioned how much readers of her blog love to see her document everything she eats and drinks on a daily basis—complete with photos and nutritional breakdown of every gram of fat, milligram of sodium and, of course, the dreaded calories.
I asked: “You do all that for a blog? Don’t you feel exposed? Aren’t you letting people to close to your real life?” She responded, “Yes, yes, and yes!” She said that while it’s a lot of work, readers really like it and can relate better to her because they learn that we (dietitians) are just like everyone else when it comes to overcoming daily food challenges and trying to tame temptations.
I thought I would try this just for a day. If you like it, let me know and maybe I’ll be inspired to do it again. Taking all these photos took time, but in the end it was an interesting experiment. And while I’m usually pretty conscious of my calorie intake anyway, this really made me aware of every bite—an interesting diet strategy in itself!
Wake up at 5:30 a.m.
2 cups of tea with about 1/4 cup soy milk (50 calories) and 1 Splenda per cup
A handful of Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal (50 calories)
1 banana on my way out the door (100 calories)
Total: 250 calories
6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Exercise time: I swim about 3,300 yards, take a half-hour break, and then run five miles with a few uphill sprints.
9 a.m.
I’m home from my workout and I’m really hungry!
3 mandarin oranges (120 calories)
1 slice whole-wheat bread (90 calories) smeared with peanut butter (90 calories) and jam (40 calories)
Another cup of tea with soy milk (25 calories) and Splenda
Total: 365 calories
1:15 p.m.
Workers are roofing our house right now, making the noise unbearable for me to work at home. On the way to the quiet library, I thought I’d meet my husband for a nice lunch.
I order a Mediterranean salad with dressing on the side. Unfortunately, the salad comes with dressing on it, as well as on the side, so it’s hard to figure out exactly how much oil my salad has on it. I also savor a delicious hot roll from the bread basket. It comes with butter, but I assume with the oil that was drowning out my salad, I can instead just dip the bread into my salad for some extra flavor.
Salad (400 calories)
Bread (170 calories)
Diet Coke
Total: 570 calories
3:30 p.m.
Hmm, I want food, but is it because I’m bored or hungry? Probably more bored, so I don’t want to overdo it. I toast a piece of whole-wheat bread and add one slice (about 1 ounce) Havarti cheese and a couple of thin deli slices of peppered turkey breast. Oh, and of course, I add a big dollop of Dijon mustard. This hits the spot, but I really should have put some veggies on this to make it better.
Whole-wheat bread (90 calories)
Slice of cheese (100 calories)
Sliced turkey (130 calories)
Total: 320 calories
4 p.m.
Not sure why I’m not satisfied, but I’m not. I feel a snack attack coming on. I head to the pantry and enjoy an entire snack pack of pistachios (about 40 nuts).
Total: 120 calories
6:15 p.m.
I’m feeling guilty and somewhat satiated from my afternoon snacks, so I am going to make a “kitchen sink salad” for dinner. I go through my refrigerator and pantry and piece together a bunch of random items into a salad. I add a 90-second microwaveable brown-rice packet to put on top of my salad to make it more satisfying.
1/2 cup sautéed asparagus (75 calories)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (25 calories)
½ cup arugula (25 calories)
1 cup of spinach (25 calories)
1 tablespoon Almond Accents slivered almonds (40 calories)
Olive oil and vinegar (50 calories)
2 whole-wheat flat crackers (150 calories)
Hummus (50 calories)
1/2 cup Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice (100 calories)
Total: 550 calories
After dinner, my house rule is that I don’t eat anything until bedtime. I find that if I get into a habit of a night snack, I crave it every night, regardless of whether or not I’m actually hungry. So, after dinner, I just turn off the light to the kitchen and try my best to not go back into that room until the morning.
I’m assuming I ate around 2,200 calories for the day. (Actual total I added up later: 2,175 calories. Man, I’m good!) That’s pretty average for an American woman. The only problem for most women is that they didn’t exercise for two hours, burning off about 600 calories or more for those workouts. That’s part of the reason why so many adults are gaining weight; they aren’t exercising enough to make a dent in their excess daily calorie intake.
What was good about my diet today is the fact that I had fresh fruit three different times, and two of my main meals were based on vegetables. You will also notice that my diet has very little meat in it, and without my afternoon snack of an open-faced turkey and cheese sandwich, I would have had no animal products in this entire day. I have explained that I eat a “flexitarian” diet and this is a great example. The majority of my meals are vegetarian but I do enjoy animal products in moderation.
Of course, not every day is like this, and with the holidays in full swing, my calorie count is bound to fluctuate from day to day—as I’m sure yours is too. Try this experiment for yourself (minus the camera) and see what a typical day is like for you. And if you’re interested in seeing more of my daily diet, just let me know.
Comments (29)
I love the food blogs that show what they eat daily. It does seem like a lot of pressure though – but it’s interesting to see how people “put it all together.”
I think your regime is great, but I work 3 jobs and certainly don’t have time to swim 3,000 yards or run 5 miles! I run, run, run to each job, and sit for 2 of them. I already get up at 5:30 and go to bed at 11. I’d like anyone’s comments on how to fit in exercise – the pounds are building up!
Hi Barb,
I share your concerns and anxieties. If you can get up and walk around the office, rather than emailing people, you will be getting more exercise than what you are doing now. Walking is wonderful, even for just a 10-minute timespan. But I am just beginning my long journey of losing 50 pounds and need all the love,and support. Is anyone out there, aslifeis discouraging.
Yes, please post more example days for us with your meals; this was wonderful. I want to become a “flexitarian” as well but need advice/examples to succeed! Also, how often do you run 5mi and swim that much; (I’m trying to start exercising as well and would love to work up to what you are capable of doing now….)
Thanks so much!
You go girl!!! Keep it up …. All the best !
It’s great having a chance to see how you are “accountable” for your calories and exercise. This has served as an inspiration for me to keep up with what I’m eating and WHY I can’t get my numbers down by 2 pounds each week. I do a LOT of snacking while I’m sitting @ the computer AFTER dinner. Now, I see where I’ve been going wrong. Thanks 4sharing!
Your gonna have a hell of a time losing weight with all that processed food in your diet. Eat raw food and you will over time become satisfied nutritionally and you will eat less because you will now be getting the bio active minerals that the cells and tissues crave. Living cells need living cells to thrive, eat more raw food and leave calorie counting and overweight issues behind forever. Overweight and disease can only take hold in an acid medium. Alkalize yourself with raw fruits and vegetables and get your lymphatic system moving. Make sure to focus on keeping your kidneys clean so the lymph fluid drains through the urinary system instead of the skin.
Drink fruit and vegetable juice and fill your cells and tissues with the living water. Your body will thank you with greater health, higher energy and a better outlook on life. Fruits regenerate the brain and nerves. Vegetables (succulent leafy greens) build the body, mineralize and provide chlorophyll to neutralize acid wastes and get you fresh and clean inside. Eat your fruits and veggie’s……:)
oh i love it i wish i can also eat the same way
thanks
I’m curious about the splenda your drinking in your tea, your a dieticina and yet your allowing chemicals to enter your body everyday? seems a bit odd to me
Your diet sounds great! I do an hour on the treadmill everyday (about 8.5km) and try and consume about 1500 calories. I’m 5 foot 4, and weigh about 40-42kgs(although most people think it’s a lot less, and may well be). I was wondering how good/bad that was
I enjoyed reading your food journal and would love to see more. It is very helpful to get ideas to compare with as well as help me make alterations and better choices in my own meals.
Compared to most Americans, your diet/exercise routine on this particular day is good. However, I have to say, as a weightlifing/fitness enthusiast you have a lot of room for improvement. Animal protein is not a bad thing! I would highly recommend anyone trying to build muscle and burn fat to not follow the example outlined here. Especially the lack of proper protein intake after a marathon aerobics (swimming plus 5 mile run) session. This is a recipe for burning muscle and storing fat.
You should eat more protein. It keeps you feeling fuller longer & you don’t get food gravings. Eat a half a can of tuna or a boiled egg as a snack. I am an athlete: competitive runner & powerlifter & I also teach fitness classes. Combining more protein with carbohydrates has helped me to control my calorie consumption!
I agree with the above poster (Erik) that animal protein is good for you, and that this dietician’s diet is way too low on protein. Protein also keeps you full/satisfied, so the reason she was hungry and getting a “snack attack” in the afternoon is that all of her food up to 3:30pm was mostly carbohydrate. She needs to add more protein and healthy fats to her diet (organic butter, avocado, raw organic coconut butter).
hey ladies. ive been reading your comments and i can see that most of you are looking for a good diet to follow and work out regime. what most women dont know, is that you only need 45 minutes of excersize three times a week. besides that, you can bring your weight down by eating all through out the day and making sure not to cheat. The above diet plan is okay, but you dont want to cut out mean in your diet, unless your a vegetarian, then you can substitute soy products. i eat 5 meals a day, usally starting at 7am-8am and eat every two to three hours. breakfast is about 500cal, snack between 9am-10:30am 300cal, Lunch between 11:30-1:pm about 500cal, snack after lunch 3pm-4pm about 300cal, and dinner 5pm-7pm about 400-450cal. just remember you can eat anything in moderation. small portions of macaroni salad ranch dressing and fresh corn, is one of my favorite snacks. i do lots of salads and fresh fish. fish will help you drop weight even quicker. try making home made dressing, and you will find that salads become quit addicting. also for snacks do a lot of fruits and vegetables and if you have a craving for a late night snack try a handful of almonds or a banana. before i work out i also drink a glass of vinilla protein, and i follow my workout with another glass. also try and keep your workouts a hour after meals. another thing that is amazing for weight loss, is wuyi tea. you can buy is on the wuyi website and that stuff is amazing. i recommend it to all my clients. thanks guys, and good luck with your weight loss goals.
Thanks for all of your great comments. I will do this again soon.
I agree on the points that I also need to improve on the high-quality protein on my diet; also agree that I probably have too much processed packaged foods. However, we are all busy and can’t be perfect 100% of the time. We’re all just doing the best we can…:)
As for fitting in more exercise, I have seen lots of research to suggest a few things:
1. do a variety of activities that you like and
2. try to become an am exerciser. People who get it out of the way in the am don’t get derailed from their exercise routine due to the course of the day.
3. try to find friends/family to exercise with. This is one of the best ways to keep me on a schedule, when I know I have a friend waiting for me!
Julie
Thank you. I enjoyed your post and like the woman with multiple jobs, I am finding it challenging to get in exercise time. I am up by 5:00-5:30 a.m. and typically get home in the evening at 9:00-11:00 p.m. I do more sitting than I’d like at my job, but get up and move as much as I can. Anyone with suggestions for people like me? Thank you.
I agree with Dan in regards with the packaged foods. We are trained to think that eating nuts is good for you for example but we don’t realize that most of the nuts you find in stores are actually toxic and unless you eat raw nuts you are just filling your system with garbage.
We are eating too much “dead” food and, even though we are havier on average than we are supposed to be, our bodies are starving important nutrients that come from fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts and grains, raw dairy etc.
I think that the best way to lose the weight is to start getting informed and making changes in your diet little by little. Start reading the labels and understand what you are eating. It takes years and commitment but you are not only losing weight, you are changing your life style.
As far as exercise, it is important to just do what you can, but do it – start taking the stairs instead of the elevator, park further from the entrance, walk whenever you can and for as long as you can but don’t let a day go by without doing something. For those of you who have the luxury of time, just start going to the gym or take that extra hour or two to go outside to run or walk. There are no miracle solutions for getting fit other than good old sweat. It is just a mental game.
Thank you Julie for your daily journal – it is inspiring and it helps a lot to see what is considered a proper diet. I am myself trying to keep a daily journal and it is not easy – but as I like to say – it is mind over matter.
Good luck to all of you!
It is helpful to see how someone else eats. My own choices would be slightly different as I am not a fan of salad dressings at all and prefer more meat (usually low-fat roast beef, turkey, or ham). I have set myself some small goals for exercise to get started in accordance with my personal Body Nazi (who prefers “fitness guru” whose name happens to be Dan and would give similar advice to the Dan above (Hmmm, I wonder…) At any rate, we all want big results to start with for encouragement, but we need to just add a step every few days–whether it be limiting calories and eliminating fats and sweets, or by adding a little more exercise. Hope springs eternal but persistence is a step at a time.
I thought It was interesting to see how the dietians eat. I need to loose quite alot of weight. i think reading this will help me. Thanks so much.
Teresa Bardroff
Julie Upton’s diet is typical for a person trained in U.S. nutrition schools within the last thirty years. The problem is, she drank the koolaid, believed what she was taught, and has put her body at grave risk by eating a diet with too few proteins and natural fats, and too many processed carbohydrates. Lay down a solid breakfast of 2 eggs – cooked any way you want them, even in butter, and you will be off to a better day. Try eating 2 ounces protein four times a day in addition to that breakfast, add unprocessed salad, veg and fruit,(organic if you can) and your health will improve. I would hate to see a bone scan on Julie.and she is actually at risk of type II diabetes. In our practice, we see many vegetarians with elevated blood sugars, high cholesterol, and other markers for serious chronic diseases. Letting go of faulty beliefs about diet is one of life’s hardest tasks, and when we’re bombarded with misinformation from big pharma, the nutrition schools themselves, and the processed food industry, it is really hard. I say just eat the way your grandparents did. A balanced diet of unprocessed foods, as close to the earth as you can get, and your health will improve.
best
Linda West Eckhardt
James Beard award winning cookbook author
http://www.fightfatwithfat.blogger.com
I too, eat quite a bit like you. But I have to admit that I eat too much processed food. And my Mom is constantly harping on me about the splenda and diet soft drinks.
But, I haven’t been exercising this winter and have managed to maintain my weight. (I just started a new business, have a full time job and am performing musically… I’m working on how to fit in the workouts with all of this) I would normally walk 3 – 5 miles about 3 times a week, and do strengthening exercises. I have a very bad back and am not supposed to run.
It’s interesting to me, because I’m a grazer. I eat all day long. I don’t eat huge meals, usually. People at work think I should weigh about 500 pounds, but I’m 5′9″ and weigh between 130 and 135. I’ve been at this weight for YEARS.
I think it’s the metabolism factor. If you eat smaller portions more frequently, it keeps your metabolism going. Well, that’s my excuse. And I don’t deny myself anything. But, I don’t go overboard. And, like you – I cut it off at night. No late night snacks. And I don’t eat if I’m not hungry. And believe me, this has offended others at times. But why people try to force feed you when you are not hungry is beyond me. Or those who think you are trying to “offend” them in some manner by not being hungry, is also beyond me.
Anyway, I think it might help people to know that in college I had a horrible eating disorder. But I managed to overcome it and feel “entirely” normal in the eating department now. For those of you that are going through a similar plight, or who have also overcome an eating disorder – you know how hard it is. I’m 45 now. So YES! It can be done! It also helps TREMENDOUSLY to get your focus OFF OF FOOD and on other things, like passions in your life. If you are busy and doing things you enjoy and attaining your goals – it assists you in keeping your weight under control.
Thanks for sharing your diet! It reaffirms my self “normality” in the eating department anyway… :P
Heather
Question: About tea with soy milk… I read several places that tea with milk (dairy milk clearly)does not have the antioxidant properties of tea without milk. Evidenced by the differing results in studies done in Asia and in England of tea drinkers. Asians had the positive health benefits with tea consumption. Has the effect of soy milk been addressed? I’d like to know as I preferred my tea with milk until I learned this and switched to just Splenda. We eat remarkably similarly. I’ve even has Havarti on wonderful multigrain bread twice in the past two days!
A lot of you ask how to manage your weight when you have no time to workout. It’s easier said then done, but really..cutting out snacks from your daily intake cuts MAJOR calories and it will definitley help you lose weight! You’ll see results in a good week or two (depending how much you snack). I did this once the first 4 weeks of summer and went to visit a friend I hadn’t seen in 2 weeks. Her mom (who watches HER and her daughters weight like it’s her job) asked me if I had lost weight. She said that I definitely looked thinner (and I was in a bathing suit!) I didn’t cut the snacks because I wanted to lose weight, just because I wanted to be healthier…and I lost a few pounds! I don’t know how much exactly because I didn’t weigh myself, but if it’s noticeable then hey, whatever! So really..if you can’t make it to the gym, cut the snacks and just eat meals. If you find yourself not being able to do it from day to day…do it every other day. It’ll help!
I can’t believe that you had to ask if you were bored or hungry after the tremendous physical exertion you had in the a.m. with little food before or after. Of course you were hungry! Your insulin levels were probably through the roof, too.
Your diet diary makes me want to cry. It is sad, because as someone who has spent the time and money to get an RD degree, your day’s menu is so lacking in protein, and in food altogether, and yet you fall for feelings of guilt, and wondering if you’re bored vs hungry. You didn’t eat enough food for that big work-out, and still didn’t eat enough afterwards, and wondered why you weren’t satisfied yet, and feeling guilty about it, at 3:30 in the afternoon. Guilt abut being hungry?? And the qualifier, “unfortunately” they put dressing on the salad? Why unfortunately? What is wrong with a little fat? Biology and Anatomy & Physiology will demonstrate clearly why you are hungry and why you need fat and NOT soymilk and Splenda.
I would agree to say that your definatly not eating enough protien, which will cause you to gain weight over the years because your muscle mass will not be able to be sustained. Especially after a workout, I would recomend eating plenty of protien and carbs to rebuild your muscles, as there are many little rips and tears in them, and not just throw your workout away. I hope your taking a calcium supliment, because you are deffinatly not getting enough from your diet, not to mention vitamin D, which is now being considered one of the most important nutrients in the world.
Maggie, I think too much protien definatly does not help your spellink. I recomend spelchek to supliment your spellink.