Archived Ask a Dietitian 4/24/14 - 10/21/14 Topic

EXOKai 05/21/14
I was wondering how much a cheat meal can be (calorie wise)? For example, today my friend gave me a loaf of challah bread for my birthday and I ended up eating about 2/3 of THE WHOLE THING. But the loaf was medium size. I also did about 30 minutes of day, 30 minutes of ultimate Frisbee, and about 800 calories of other meals throughout the day collectively. My daily calorie allowance is 1300. Was eating all this bread considered a cheat meal or was it too much and was just flat out bad eating and how many calories of bread did I eat? Thanks for answering!

Dietitian 05/22/14 replied to MtnDog
Hi MtnDog, you can share this with her:
Avocare is a company that sells nutrition products for weight loss. I am not a big fan of these types of products since they are not well regulated. There is the assumption of safety and efficacy, but in fact, no studies need to prove it to be marketed. The FDA relies on consumer reported "adverse events" to pull products if they have undeclared ingredients that are causing harm.

So, my recommendation is to not rely on supplements to lose weight, but to work on basic changes to food & beverage intake and to move more. I know that isn't what people want to hear, but it really is the safest way to lose weight with the fewest side effects - create the needed calories deficit, eat healthful, whole foods (e.g. less processed, more homemade), portion control, and exercise most days of the week.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Dietitian 05/22/14 replied to Katy
Hi Katy, our weight will fluctuate with hydration - so food and beverage intake all affect water weight. I typically recommend that folks weigh themselves first thing in the morning after they go to the bathroom (before breakfast/coffee/tea). That way, you get the least amount of variation due to food/beverage.

Also, if you take blood pressure medication, be sure to take it on schedule and not miss days - that can affect your body weight. Also, if you find your weight goes up and down a lot within the day or from day to day, then consider tracking sodium and limit to 2300 mg or less.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Dietitian 05/22/14 replied to EXOKai
Hi EXOKai, you might want to buy an inexpensive kitchen scale so that you can measure portions. This is especially helpful for measuring homemade bread and other foods. Challah is in the food database, so knowing what an oz will run you is helpful in choosing portion size.

But to answer your question - depending upon how the bread was made, it likely contained 80-100 calories per 1 oz serving. The loaves can vary in size and I can't really guess at the weight of your loaf (maybe the baker would know).

My guess is that a small loaf might contain 12 oz so 2/3 loaf might contain about 8 oz. 8 oz challah likely has somewhere between 640 - 800 calories. But I am just guessing.

Try not to get stuck on this too much - just move forward. If you decide you are going to cut a slice and weigh it, it will be easier to limit your portion to a more healthful size if you are trying to lose weight.

Try not to get stuck on it - especially since it sounds like you were quite active that day anyway and burned what was likely the challah calories consumed.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Dietitian 05/22/14
Hi Folks - this is the topic to use if you have questions for me! I look foward to helping you!
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE
Consulting Dietitian with MyNetDiary

SRHP 05/22/14 replied to EXOKai
If you are sure you ate 2/3 of the bread, then weigh the bread (if you have a scale) and then multiply by 2 for the total quantity. Then look it up in the database.

Dietitian 05/23/14
Hi Everyone - we are coming up on a long holiday weekend in the U.S. Monday is Memorial Day - the day we recognize the soliders who died in military service for the U.S. Since I will not be on forum over the long holiday weekend, I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and thoughtful holiday. I look forward to reading your posts next week on Tuesday (5/27/14).

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

MtnDog 05/23/14
thanks much for the info on Avocare; i will pass it along to the person who inquired about it; have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend and please everyone remember our fallen warriors in your prayers! MtnDog

Dietitian 05/27/14
Hi Folks - I am back online. If you have any questions for me, post them here so I am sure to see them. You can see more forum topics if you use the web program for forum (vs. just using your phone).

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

U5793623 05/27/14 replied to Dietitian
Hey, I have a little question. I'm trying to lose weight by eating right and exercising atleast 5 days out of the week. To meet my goal, I'm allowed 1,194 calories a day, but I tend to burn over 400 at the gym each daily session. My account is on sedentary, I just log in the calories I burn manually. Do I need to adjust my calorie intake or should I just keep it the same (at 1,194)? By not adjusting will I lose more weight or will not eating enough have an adverse affect? Any advice would be great :)

Archived Ask a Dietitian 4/24/14 - 10/21/14