In my neverending tweaking for the better ... I'm going to try true mini-meals ... 200 calories at a time.
Any suggestions? I'd like 40% protein/40% carbs/20% fats but am happy with 30/30/30-ish.
This may not be the kind of suggestion that you're are looking for, but I've been making the meals that I used to make, but just adjusting the amount I make to correspond with the total calories I want in the meal. (My new specialties are the tiny chicken cordon bleu and the miniature lasagna- they are almost too cute to eat... well almost!)
I don't know if I could manage with 200 cals per meal... how many cals are you shooting for in the day? I've been working with 100, 400, 100, 400, 100, 600, 100 as my "base guideline", then adding some here and there, or an extra snack or meal on my higher days. But, then again, I'm working on an average of 2000 with a spread of 1800-2200.
Even so, if I were working with 1400 cals and 7 meals, I'd be happier with 100, 300, 100, 300, 100, 400, 100, so that I could fit in some more complex dishes, but I've really started to enjoy cooking so that is probably just me. (Oh, and I should mention that the first meal is not breakfast, but a starting snack- I don't want anyone to think that I'm short-changing breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day!)
Otherwise, I guess you could just think about your meals as 2@ 1/2 portions a time: 1/2 portion meat + 1/2 portion veggie, then 1/2 portion veggie + 1/2 portion grain, then 1/2 portion meat + 1/2 grain, or switch to lots of little salads and sandwiches, small portions of soup, etc.
Good Luck! If anything, it's an interesting challenge that I'd think would add some fun to your eating not related directly to cals!
I'm reading Tom Venuto. He talks about grazing, which is pretty much what I like to do. I like to eat all the time! And since I'm pretty much an empty nester, I only eat one meal with another human being per day (most of the time). I have no trouble making that a nice balanced meal. But the snacky things ... I've tended to just nibble on something throughout the day and then I end up with awful percentages or later in the day I try to 'correct'.
I guess that Venuto's theory is something like the Zone where each mini-meal is balanced.
Oh and I'm heading toward 16 or 1700 cals per day. Supper would be considerably more than 200 cals ... I'm still thinking it through.
Ok ... several days later, I've finally got one day in that suits me ... almost. My percentages are good but my cals are low. If I had added my vitamins into fitday my nutrients would be good.
Tomorrow, I work 3 to 11 so I'll probably slip another meal in there ... I guess I could just eat bigger portions.
The smartest thing I did was the oatmeal, egg white, psyllium and whey powder breakfast ... and I could certainly eat a bigger bowl of that.
I just had to let you know that you inspired me to creat my own 200ish calorie snacks. Last weekend, I made 4 PBJ sandwiches (180 cals each) and 4 ham, turkey, and cheese sandwiches (195 cals each) so I would have one of each every day throughout the week. I also bring a SmartOnes meal to work each day (140 cals), so this has worked out WONDERFULLY!
LOL Susan. I love to eat too. I aim for something similar, not that I always hit the target! Today so far I've had:
Cheerios w/half cup of ff milk
1 oz walnuts
3 dried plums (i.e. prunes )
small whole wheat toast
Grapes - 20? What was left anyway, not a lot
Hard boiled egg
More
For a snack this afternoon I have half cup of ff cottage cheese and half cup of raspberries (frozen from my last year's crop) sweetened with splenda.
Lunch is a cold grilled chicken breast on salad - but I have to run to the grocery to get the salad as we were out this morning. I played on Sunday rather than grocery shop - and I'm noticing.
How about those cottage cheese pancakes? I make them in a huge batch - 1 part cottage cheese, 1 part egg whites and 1 part oatmeal. Then measure 1/2 C mixture out to fry, and that's 150kcals, then when you add fruit to that - BINGO! Perfect meal! They freeze pretty nicely or will keep in the fridge for a few days.
I've also found that cold (cooked) quorn sausages are very nice - they're about 60 kcals each, so 3 of them with some fruit...
I also like BfL "apple pie" But I think it's about 300kcals, it's very filling though. Peel and chop a cooking apple, place in bowl with seasonings to taste (cinnamon, splenda, nutmeg, ginger, whatever you fancy), place 1/2C oats on the top. You CAN put a dribble of water in, if you'd like your crumble topping to be a bit softer than just oats... Nuke this for 2 minutes, then while this is cooling put 1/2 C cottage cheese in a blender with vanilla and splenda and whizz up to cream... Plonk the cottage cheese on the top of the pie bits and there you have it - the most gorgeous of diet desserts (If you add raisins or more fruit then the carbs get a bit high, but you can always compensate with more CC)
Snacks are usually my biggest downfall and so I had cut them out entirely from my food intake and focused around one major and two minor meals a day. However, I had surgery last month and I wasn't able to and didn't want to leave the house for about a month and so I did a complete 180, I cut out meals and only ate snacks, about 100-400 cal at a time and this way I was able to graze my way through a day of doing nothing but recovering/watching tv/ reading and not be able to take in any exercise.
My meals were/are usually string cheese, orange, plum, cherries, 100cal snacks like cookies, 94% fat free popcorn, and a few vegetarian chick'n nuggets at a time, a handful of york peppermint patties (my weakness). All added up I eat/ate about 1700 a day and am always eating and never hungry.
How do you make PBJ sandwiches for just 180 calories? What kind of PB do you use? What kind of bread?
I use whole-wheat bread with added flaxseed by Healthy Life for 40 calories per slice (80 total), 1 T all-natural peanut butter (the ONLY ingredient is peanuts...90-95 calories depending on the brand, as some jars say 180 cals in 2 T and some say 190 cals in 2 T ), and Smucker's sugar-free strawberry preserves (10 cals per 1 T). So, it's 80 cals (bread) + 90 cals (peanut butter) + 10 cals (fruit spread) = 180
I like to eat my calories in 300 calorie meals, that way there not too big or too small. Sometimes it's hard to make a dinner for less than that. So i eat 1500 calories a day, which is 5 mini meals of 300 calories ^___^
HOw exciting, this is the first thread I found that is doing the mini meals like me!!! I have been doing 5-6 100-300 cal meals a day. Every day it varies on what I eat and when, but I am averaging 1200 cal a day and I am never hungry. I keep in a range of 900-1500 cals per day. My stomach feels like I am eating too much, but the calories can't lie, I'M LOSING!! I also try to make sure I have at least 30% of my calories from protein.
Is there other places in the forum for mini meal people like us?
How do you make PBJ sandwiches for just 180 calories? What kind of PB do you use? What kind of bread?
Find some very low cal bread, go easy on the pb&j and skip the butter. That's what I do. I can make satisfying sandwiches of any kind for between 105 and 180 cals.
200 Calories at a Time
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(Oh, and I should mention that the first meal is not breakfast, but a starting snack- I don't want anyone to think that I'm short-changing breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day!)
Today so far I've had: 
I played on Sunday rather than grocery shop - and I'm noticing. 
), and Smucker's sugar-free strawberry preserves (10 cals per 1 T). So, it's 80 cals (bread) + 90 cals (peanut butter) + 10 cals (fruit spread) = 180 
