I went to the mall today for some walking and stopped at GNC Nutrition. I was speaking to a gentleman there about how I was eating 400 calories 4 times a day. He said it's better to eat between 250 and 300 calories 5 times a day. So I said ok I will give that a try. He also stated that you should have 1 gram of carbs per pound you weigh....ie I way 234 so I should have 234 grams of carbs a day.

He also stated to stay away from all red meats and eat plenty of fiber. Now here comes my problem. I am a very anal person when it comes to plans...i HAVE to know in advance what the plans are (drives my hubs crazy) So off and on all day I have been trying to find information online about what is the best thing to eat for the 5 times I do get to eat. And really haven't come up with a good answer. I know egg whites, tuna and so forth are high in protein but low in calories. But I sure don't want to live on that!!!!

Anyone have any ideas??

oh and i also start a 7 day complete body cleansing program tomorrow. All natural no stimulants...will let ya know how that goes!!!

241/234/170

happy planning. I know how it is. I'm pretty anal myself about what I eat. I do the six meals getting 1500 calories in which was a bust today.

Let me know how the cleanse goes. I eat a lot of chicken, turkey and tuna.

This GNC guy gave me a pamphlet thing with meal ideas but it has a lot of things on it that I don't like. (salmon, rice cakes, soy yogurt, tofu etc etc) And I already eat so many fresh vegetables that I feel a bunny tail starting grow!!!!

And also being on a budget doesn't help with the eating healthy! Fresh anything is so expensive!!!

You can buy frozen fish fillets and frozen veggies in a wholesale store which can last you a long time if you are on a budget. Also chicken breast is awesome and can be prepared in so many different ways.

I personally would not eat that many carbs in a day, I try to stay <200 and preferably <150, and try to keep my protein >100.

From what I've read the whole concept of the metabolic effect of smaller more frequent meals is somewhat questionable.

I think of more significance is the fact that if you eat more frequent smaller meals you get less hungry and tend to binge less on 2-3 huge meals a day.

However, if you are eating healthy at 4x400, I really doubt you are going to see a noticeable diff with 5X300. So if the 4x400 was more workable with your style and personality don't be afraid to stick with that.

Also like anything else, I don't think there is anything wrong with red meat in moderation. I would never stick to something that never included this, just be sure to count it properly in your calories and don't overdo it.

I eat a lot of low-fat cottage cheese, broth (vs. cream) based soups of all varieties (chicken noodle, vegetable beef, etc.), lots of salads, stir fry's, nuts.

And dinner I always try to have "normal" food just vary portion size based on how healthy it is. Normally it's something like a meat, rice and veggies.

We do a lot of pork/turkey tenderloin, grilled fish, casseroles adapted to be as healthy as reasonable, etc.

It's confusing sometimes on how many different opinions "professionals/experts" have on what is the proper diet. I think I will try the 5-6/200-300 for a week and see how that goes. Maybe that will help with my unnerving sense to snack at night. As long as I stay with in my set amount of calories I will be alright. I just need to give my metabolism a kick start!!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ADVICE. THIS TRULLY IS THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT FORUM!!!