Diet Analysis
I am female, 40 years old, and I exercise frequently. My height is 5'5," and my weight is 120 lbs. I undertook the dietary analysis for two days in order to gain more insight into my diet. The diet recorded is indicative of my normal eating habits, and reflects my active lifestyle in its composition.
The total number of calories for the two days was 2088. The total number of carbohydrates was 95.16 grams. The total number of fiber was 71.4 grams. The total amount of protein was 190.3 grams and the total amount of fat was 49.7 grams.
The macronutrient content of each input must be calculated in order to determine my macronutrient distribution. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram; protein the same and fat is 9 calories per gram. My macronutrients per day were as follows:
Fat
Fiber
Protein
Macronutrient distribution (g)
Day 1
Macronutrient distribution (g)
Day 2
Calories
Calories
% calories
Day 1
21.54%
10.40%
37.14%
Day 2
16.38%
17.17%
35.73%
The carbohydrates AMDR range is 45-65% of total calories. I am well below that with my consumption. There was a 1/2 cup of brown rice one day and a roll the next day, but my diet has little carbohydrates in general. The AMDR for protein is 10-35%. I am above that on both days, but not by much. The AMDR for fat is 20-35%, and my intake...
I feel that within the context of my exercise these totals are not unusual nor unexpected.
Note: the formulas used were straightforward. The totals for each category were added together for the first two rows. The calories were based on the amount of calories per each type as noted above, so Fat on Day 1 would be 29*9 = 232. This figure would then be divided into the total calories for the day: 232/1077 = 21.54%.
4. My BMR is 1294.5. Using the Harris-Benedict equation, my daily caloric needs are therefore 1294.5 x 1.725 = 2265.
This is the amount of calories that I need in order to maintain my weight.
Part 2. Overall, the quality of my diet is good, but not great. There are a couple of points of concern, one with the total calories and the other with the macronutrient distribution. In terms of total calories, I am consuming approximately half of what I should be consuming, according to the Harris-Benedict equation and my BMR. This means that with my current intake level and my current exercise regimen, I should experience weight loss. Perhaps more of a concern is that my calorie intake (averaging 1044 calories per day) is below my BMR. This means that even if I had a sedentary lifestyle I would be in a position where I was losing weight, just at a much slower pace. Ideally, I could give myself a boost by adding healthy calories to my diet. I am not sure that I would attempt to double my caloric intake, as I might prefer…
