Eating-wise?

I've been focusing on calorie counting, and I've been allowing some not-so-wise choices to slip in (more occasionally lately) with the justification that it fits into my budget. So I'm trying to incorporate more healthy foods into my plan, only I really don't know where to start.

So what's a typical day of eating for you?

I've kind of changed up my typical days recently but I just posted my general food plan for today on my blog.

Here is what I have planned for today -
* Ultimate meal/protein shake
* kale, chayote squash and fava beans (lunch)
* an apple
* carrots with home made hummus
* high fiber protein shake
* chayote squash, fava beans and a small portion of chicken (dinner)

My breakfast every morning is the same. I generally try to have 1-2 pieces of fruit per day. I try to have some form of legume at lunch and dinner. I also generally eat some kind of cooked veggies for dinner and lunch. I eat carrots almost every day and since I recently made my own hummus, that is what I'm eating them with. I also will generally have a protein shake sometime throughout the day.

Last week, I was eating lettuce wraps for lunch but this week I decided to switch back to dinner leftovers for lunch. I really do enjoy my lettuce wraps though.

B - 1/2 cup Fiber One Cereal mixed with 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Cereal w/ 1/2 cup skim milk
S - 60 calorie Danon fat free yogurt with some Fiber One Cereal mixed in
L - Morning Star Farms Chick pattie with about 3 cups of cauliflower cooked in a little chicken broth or a 3 oz. piece of salmon fillet with the cauliflower or a can of tuna, plain no mayo. Or a big salad with the tuna.
S - jello fat free pudding with a squirt of fat free whipped cream and some Fiber One Cereal mixed in or perhaps a TBSP of hummus with baby carrots and sliced cucumbers.
D - usually a chicken breast stir fry with tons and tons of veggies - like spinach, red peppers, mushroom, zuchinni and onions. Sometimes spaghetti squash and chicken. Roasted chicken breast with roasted asparagus and brussel sprouts. Or fish and veggies. A huge salad with cut up grilled chicken in it. Basically it's a protein and lots of veggies. LOTS. I have to stay away from the carby stuff - even the healthy ones - I overeat it. So no whole wheat pasta or brown rice for me.
S - a sliced apple with cinnamon sprinkled on or another pudding.

I found when I switched to completely healthy foods, most ( I still have my days) of my cravings have ceased. I actually look forward to and crave the healthy stuff now. And with all the veggies that I eat I get A LOT of volume for my calories - which for me is KEY to staying on plan. I love the food that I eat now.

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WHEN I am able to resist everything at work (I work at Starbucks HQ and we have a store in our building, plus people bring in chips, cake, candy, etc) my typical day is:

Breakfast: espresso, WASA crackers with Philly light and/or chicken/turkey lunchmeat

NF cappuccino

Lunch: Sandwich or WASA crackers with a different kind of lunch meat; sometimes I have a LF sandwich from work - wheat bread with hummous, roasted red peppers, and spinach. I normally also have a small salad with spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms (minimum).

Snack: fruit, yoghurt with fruit, NF cappuccino

Dinner: rice/couscous with chicken/turkey and some kind of veggie

lots and lots of water, tea when I feel like it (I now have a max of two grande cappo's per day so I don't have too much milk, even though it's nonfat), fruit if I get hungry on the way home. I rarely have cravings at all, but sometimes just the sight of a lovely brownie or cheesecake at work gets my mouth watering! I also limit my time in the store so I don't have the temptations in front of me.

A typical day for me might look like this:

Breakfast:
Fibre One or Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal (1 cup) with 1/2 cup skim milk. Sometimes half a banana thrown in too.

Snack:
If I have a snack (I'm not always good about having one, sometimes I'll just drink tea instead) I'll have a piece of fruit, banana or some blueberries, or maybe a piece of crispbread with some pb on it.

Lunch:
This is, most of the time, something from fast food. I'm working on this but it is an area of weakness - I find I really need to get out of the office at this time of the day. My favourites are:
-grilled chicken pita from Extreme Pita
-6" chicken sub from Subway
-Salad from McD's or Wendy's
or
-Lean Cuisine of some description

Dinner:
-almost always a salad plus one of these:
-grilled chicken
-salmon
-ww pasta with tomato sauce

Snack (one of these):
-1/2 bag popcorn
-cauliflower w/ low cal ranch veggie dip

I try to stay around 1200-1300 cals per day, but sometimes I will go up to 1400 or 1500 if I'm extra hungry. I could definitely get more healthy choices in too...something I'm working on.

My days are almost always the same, I find it easier that way. A typical day is:

B....1 Cup cheerios with skim milk, A whey protein shake and two cups of coffee with splenda and a tiny amount of skim milk

S....1/2 grapefruit, 1/2c 1% cottage cheese. 1/2 ounce almonds or walnuts

L....1 small LA Tortilla with 2 oz chicken breast, a whole tomato and a whole cucumber with a large Red Delicious Apple and, most of the time, a small square of Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate and 32 ozs of Arizona Diet Green Tea.

S....1 Danon Light & Fit Yogurt with 1/2 oz almonds or walnuts...sometimes 1/2 cup kashi Go Lean Crunch or a Kashi cookie

D....1 can Healthy Choice or Health Valley soup with 3 ozs of chicken.


On Wednesdays I eat a higher amount of calories so I will throw in some natural peanut butter on whole wheat bread, a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonald's, more Kashi stuff, a Vita Muffin, more nuts, a banana, or things similar until I reach my calorie limit and still stay within my Protein/Carb/Fat percentages. On Saturdays, I do not count and eat whatever I want as long as it is still fairly healthy and I allow myself a dessert of anything....and I do mean anything.....I want. the funny thing is I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole white bread and it is what I look forward to most....lol

When I'm on plan totally, it really works well:

B: 1 c fiber one, 1/2 cup skim milk, coffee with half and half
S: Either 1 slice multigrain bread with 1 oz oven roasted chicken, 2 pieces of melba toast with 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, dannon light and fit yogurt, or laughing cow cheese on carrots or melba toast
L: Morningstar Farms Chik patty with 1 pckg frozen broccoli or spinach, with one slice of melted ff cheese
S: (if applicable, I allow myself a snack if I"m hungry around 4 to curb dinner cravings, if I think I can last I skip it)
100-calorie popcorn bag or smaller amount of the snacks listed above, if I'm really dragging 1 cup of coffee with a little bit of milk
D: Varies.. I try to limit myself to 600 calories, which is a lot, but as long as I'm under 1600 for the day, it works for me.

Breakfast: An egg and egg white with cottage cheese on top + a bowl of oatmeal

Snack: Lean turkey or chicken on wheat bread + fruit and veggie

Lunch: Chicken or tuna and a vegetable

Snack: Wheat toast with peanut butter and a fruit

Dinner: Beans in a tortilla and a veggie

It may seem kind of bland, but I love chicken and produce. I also often eat 4 slices of bread a day, but it's low-cal, high protein and high fiber bread. I try to get 1300-1500 calories a day.

Before I started, I was *not* a breakfast eater. I am learning. At first my breakfast was always the same.

B- Hard boiled egg, canadian bacon, piece of fruit. Once in awhile I'd have a bowl of kashi go lean with fruit and a cheese stick. Today I tried the Kashi blueberry waffles. Yum! I had 2 with 1TBsp of natural Peanut butter spread on them with a hard boiled egg and a glass of milk. It felt like such a "sinful treat". And i was full all morning.

L-usually leftover chicken or lean beef or shrimp from dinner in a ww tortilla or pita with lettuce and whatever veggies I'm in the mood for. I like a dash or 2 of balsamic vinegar thrown in. Right now I seem to always have strawberries with lunch too. They are so tasty right now.

D-Chicken or lean beef with 2 or 3 different kinds of steamed vegs. I always tell myself I can have a salad too but don't usually have the room.

Snacks- I try to always eat every 2-3 hours. I choose from the following for snacks, 30 pistachios (a great tv snack-you have to shell them), 15 almonds, a fruit, any vegetable (current fave is steamed green beans - wierd snack I know), a cheese stick (light or 2% or laughing cow), Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, sugar free jello and an occasional (maybe once a week) South Beach chocolate oatmeal cookie (2 in a pack) or South Beach chocolate snack bar.

When I really need a treat (or I think I'm gonna die) I go to a local coffee joint and get a large decaf skim milk latte with sf vanilla and caramel syrup. I put 2 splendas in it and I swear it tastes like cake or some decadent dessert! This is a far cry from where I used to be. I was tragically addicted to Coke Slurpees. 64 oz every day! I can't believe I did that.

Okay, I'm done with my novel now...