Leaning out Topic

Asphesteros 07/21/17
Hey Drink, OMG that position paper. Printed it so I can really read it. Thanks again!

Joanna, I love the MND feature that lets you track micros, wish that got more hype. It's one of the features that makes MND win over myfinesspal imo. All the work they did to develop Recommended Daily Allowances it's good to have a tool that lets them really be used.

Drinkmorewater 07/24/17
Asphesteros - I printed out the paper as well! It needs several rereads.

So I stewed all weekend on the micro tracking. Probably sounds ridiculous but I feel like that is a leap down the rabbit hole for me. I think you are the first person that I know of to track micronutrients. When you brought it up in earlier posts, I MAY have thought it was a little hard core...and now I am considering diving in! My family and friends think I am a fanatic already so I guess more tracking is not going to alter their opinions much! :) I feel like I am generally a very healthy eater, so I am really curious to see how that pans out in micronutrients. Although, I will still stick to my gummy vitamins - how pathetic that I look forward to those as a sweet bite every night.

Thanks for challenging me! It definitely helps me to really be consistent and focused!

Dietician 07/24/17 replied to Drinkmorewater
Hello Drinkmorewater- Let us know how the micro tracking goes and what has surprised you. And now for my favorite quote: "It's all about progress not perfection."
Best, Joanna (Dietician)

Asphesteros 07/25/17
Drink, Joanna - MND actually makes it really easy by comparison to what I used to do, I can tell you. I find, if I'm not planning out a routine like for the work week, I'll check half way through the day and let that give me ideas for dinner. After a while it helps you internalize a longer list of what foods are high in what which also you like and fit your other goals. Then it starts to become Easy peezy. One thing I learned for me is Popeye was right about spinach.

I love Balance Bars - the ones with the long list of added vitamins. They're the best meal/protein bars imo. None of the others (except maybe a special K bar I've seen) really is a nutrition bar, rather than just a candy bar with a little added protein. I've fallen into a habit of one of those as a lunch snack.

I wish MND would link the info popup for micronutrients to their tracking line in the diary.

Right now the pop-ups are hidden all the way in the 'nutrient's' tab under 'My Plan'. They're great because they explain the use and importance of the micro *and* give several suggestions of foods high in it, which would be perfect to have one click away on the tracking page, where you'd notice you're low and trying to think of what to have later in the day to raise it.

Dietician 07/26/17 replied to Asphesteros
Hi Asphesteros- Glad you have found a strategy that works for you to get the most out of your food choices. I will pass along the feedback on a micronutrient popup bar. BTW: I am a huge spinach fan for several reasons. It is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A to mention just a few of it's notable micronutrients AND it is versatile. I might use it in a smoothie in the morning, or salad at lunch or mix it in a soup or pasta sauce at night-
Have a good rest of your week- Joanna (Dietician)

Drinkmorewater 07/26/17
So I DO like the upgrade to MND Max! Asphesteros you are right that the extra tracking is not a big deal. The micros have been very interesting actually, although some are hard to get an accurate count on.

For B vitamins: the food manufacturers don't tend to include that in their nutrition info so it doesn't show up in MND. Kind of a bummer b/c I can't just scan my Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Foster Farms ground turkey, Costco rotisserie chicken etc and have the B vitamins recorded - they all show zero for B. It's not a big deal since I do take a B supplement (read a few months back that athletes tend to deplete on B). It IS fun to see that I do pretty good in some other areas!

An extra benefit...I was alarmed by my sodium intake...and I thought I was really low sodium compared to most! That will be a fun thing for me to watch out for.

Joanna, you are right that for some tracking could turn into maybe a perfectionistic thing but I know for myself (and likely for Asphesteros as well), tracking macros and micros is just a fun addition to keeping my weight off. The extra tracking is like getting a new toy. It makes my food life much more interesting and enjoyable than just trying to maintain my weight! :) I still take plenty of breaks (today's run was fueled by cheesecake and rib eye!)

Asphesteros 07/26/17
Yea, it's a problem that for most anything brand named, you're limited to the nutrition label info which is very limited. What I do is name search for the generic entry for the type of food, which would be the USDA entry from their database which they're fully tested. So like for non-fat yogurt, I name search for Yogurt greek nonfat, rather than use the entry for Fage or Chobani or whatever.

What I've found is Vit A and all the b-complex and stiff like niacin riboflavin are super plentiful in anything even halfway not total garbage. The thorn in my side has been fat soluble vitamin E. It's a catch-22 that one. With the exception of spinach (the true superfood) all natural sources are fats, which means calories. Actually hitting that while marinating a cut has been such a balancing act it's part of why I gave up trying to be totally purist and go for Balance Bars (and they're pretty much the only nutrition bar that pays attention to E, they really are pretty awesome).

For me it's been really important to track this stuff because my natural inclination is to be SO MASSIVLY UNHEALTHY in my food preferences. I track a day off and it's shocking the differences. I'm surprised I never came down with the berri-berri in the 40+ years I lived eating whatever I felt like before I wised up. And who knows? Maybe a little bit I did. I know I feel substantially better when I'm following the USDA's nutritional recommendations for health and well being, rather than actively flouting them (Who'd a thunk it?) .

Mariehelene 09/03/17
Mavirka hi I would like to know number of carbs that I should eat within my calories target. I am 159cm and weighs 72.8 kg. I exercise moderately cardio and strength training for approx 1 hour 3 times a week. I have a slow metabolism and I lose weight with great difficulty. I am a woman of 61 years old and with back pain I cannot exercise more than that. I am desperate to lose the weight I have taken since the last 3 years after having stopped smoking. Thank you for your help

Dietician 09/05/17 replied to Mariehelene
Hello Mariehelene. I would suggest striving to get between 40-45% of your calories from carbohydrates per day. Making sure to spread out your carbs between bkfst, lunch, dinner and small snack. You can adjust the macronutrients in your plan by clicking on the PLAN button at the top of the page and then the second option is fats/carbs/protein. Change carbohydrates to 40-45% of total calories. I am happy to review your food diaries and make suggestions. Simply send me a friend request and allow me to view your food diary. If this sounds appealing to you, just reply back to this message to let me know you would like me to look at your food diary. Hope this helps! Joanna (Dietician)

Dietitian 09/11/17 replied to Dietician
Just to add to Joanna's comment, the default or recommended value that MyNetDiary calculates is 45% total kcal coming coming from carbs.

Leaning out