too much? too little?

I'm afraid that I'm getting extreme with my dieting habits and I need someone to let me know from an outside point of view.
Yesterday I ate 3 atkins bars as my 3 meals.
Today I had 1 atkins bar,
a bowl of chicken salad, a 1/2 a cup of mixed nuts and a luna bar for lunch
, an apple, a few pieces of watermelon and a luna bar or dinner. and I feel like a pig. Is this healthy? Is it diet success? too many carbs? am I going crazy? please help

Wed. Oct 26, 7:52pm

You're definitely not eating too many carbs - I don't know about the atkins bars, but even the luna bars (which are not low-carb), don't have that many! So the only thing you ate that has any carbs at all was fruit and veggies - the best way to get carbs (especially since an apple only has 19g carbs anyway!).

My feeling is that bars are great (especially the ones high in protein and/or fiber - watch out for cereal bars that are just empty carbs!), but that they should be used as snacks, not meals. Non prepackaged food is better. Also, you need variety in your diet. Problems with eating the same thing all the time include missing out on important nutrients and getting too much of other nutrients, and your body can get tired of the same thing all the time, and you'll stop losing weight. Mix it up - eat as many fresh foods as you can! You'll feel better.

Thursday, October 27, 2005, 6:04 AM

Be careful with the bars - to the OP and the previous poster! Bars are generally meal-replacements for the occasion when you need to skip a meal, not as replacements for all 3, and not as snacks, b/c they're fairly high calorie. They're fake food, and don't give you all the nutrients you need.

To the O.P. - your "today" meals sounded much better, because you added vegetables, lean meat, nuts, and fruit, which are all wonderful for you! Your "yesterday" meals, all bars, sounded like you're missing out on a lot of the foods that you need, and probably not taking in enough calories to get your body out of starvation mode. If each bar is 300 calories (some are probably less), 900 calories a day isn't nearly enough - even if you're tiny, you should be eating at least 1200 calories, otherwise your body will try and protect all of the food that you put in it! Also, as a more general rule, you should try to stick to, at most, 1 bar a day, and eat it with some fruits/veggies. For the other meals, you should eat real food.

If you honestly think that your "today" meals were too much food, you might consider finding some professional help? Or maybe see a nutritionist for help with your diet plan; he or she should be able to help you find supplements to the bars that'll give you the nutrients, vitamins, etc., that you need to stay healthy.

Thursday, October 27, 2005, 8:59 AM

I'm the poster who said bars should be used as snacks, not meal replacements. Almost all the bars I've ever had (and I've tried quite a few!) have between 180 and 250 caloires, which is not enough for a meal (at least for anyone eating 3 meals a day and getting at least 1200 calories). I agree that a 200-calorie snack is pretty steep, but you're right that they are fake food and don't give you all the nutrients you need - another reason to use them as a snack, not a meal!

Ok, I just checked the Atkin's website. Their bars have anywhere from 180 to 270 calories each. Even 270 is not enough for a meal if you're getting more than 1200 calories a day (and if you want to be fell full for longer than a couple of hours).

Friday, October 28, 2005, 6:21 AM

Side note - you ate 3 bars both days! Replace at least two of them with "real" food, and you'll feel better!

Friday, October 28, 2005, 6:27 AM

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