Just started yesterday. Doing curves and for over a day now I have been eating perfectly on target. I have confidence I can keep it up.
I'm having a hard time incorporating enough protein. I'm not a big meat eater and I really don't cook. I like simple things that I can throw together and eat on a paper plate. (I hate dishes ... not that most people do)
I had a muscle milk after my workout. I also had a Naked protein chocolate shake but that has too much sugar (though a lot of protein and tasted good).
Breakfast was toast w/ PB and banana, Mid day had cheese stick and blueberries, Dinner was grape nuts cranberry/vanilla w/ skim milk
I'm a lot like you, I not a big fan of meats and I don't like to cook. I always keep a dish of hard cooked eggs in the fridge for a quick bite of protein. Peanut butter is good too, but can be high in fat and carbs too. Low-fat cheeses... Beans...
Boar's Head lunchmeat rolled up with cheese is a favorite for me. If you don't mind cooking like once a week, I make a few staples on every Sunday, and reheat, and cook as needed.
1/2 slice of bacon wrapped around asparagus, bake in the oven til desired doneness. I eat them cold for breakfast.
Meatloaf made in muffin tins with extra veggies, chili with extra veggies, taco meat, soup, etc.
If you cook eggs for breakfast and are worried about too much cholesterol, use one whole egg and add egg whites to it to make omelets.
I like to get a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket deli section. I cut it up into pieces and remove the bones and measure out 2-4 oz. portions into Ziploc baggies and stick them in the refrigerator. I can microwave a portion and put it on top of a salad, or in a pot with some mixed veggies and chicken broth for a soup.
The other night I steamed part of a cauliflower and chopped it up. Then I took a can of tuna and mixed it with a little organic spaghetti sauce and heated it up. Poured it over the cauliflower, topped it all with Parmesan. It was tasty and I didn't miss the pasta at all! I like tuna on salads too.
Other fish cooks fairly quickly, like salmon fillets.
When choosing bacon, if you're looking for more protein, try using a good-quality uncured turkey bacon. It is more meat. Pork bacon is more of a fat.
Semi-soft cheeses are nice. A bit of whole-milk ricotta cheese on toast is so yummy! Soft goat cheese on celery.
I would try a protein shake. You can use them as a meal replacement, with a meal, or as a recovery like I do. I recommend the "Phase 8" that Muscletech makes. It actually works over an 8 hour period so it's great to consume before bed which is usually when I do it. I make it with skim milk or water and call it a day. I drink it and I don't have to worry about it. It has 26g of protein per shake I believe.
Other ideas would include Greek yoghurt. I also make a Caesar salad (no fat, very low-cal dressing) and I add either cold water baby shrimp (which I buy frozen...just need to thaw) or cubed grilled chicken breast (which I buy pre-cooked/cubed, so you just it toss in your salad). I also enjoy baked salmon. Just buy salmon, add a bit of seasoning and stick it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes...very simple.
Protein shakes or tofu. I did Curves a few years back (did really well actually until I got pregnant and couldn't properly go into maintenance and gained it all back plus some friends.)
I remember just HOW much meat they wanted us to eat. Oh dear god it was insane! Granted, it might have changed since I did it, but it was an insane amount of meat at the time. Protein shakes were my friend, but only certain brands as I had to watch sugars and carbs AND make sure I was getting enough amino acids. I know EAS is a good brand for that. At the time I did Curves, I want to say I used their shake (which was gross) and Six Star Whey Protein Powder. I also used Special K Protein products. And almond milk instead of regular skim milk. And tofu. I like tofu, so that was easy for me.
Protein?
