[JazzyNurse]

I'm just getting started with this healthy lifestyle of mine. I know what's bad for me, and what's good for me. I know that WW is wonderful, and once I have an income coming in, I do plan to join. But for now.......I wanted to know from others what a typical day of eating and exercise is like for them.
I get bored with what I'm eating, so maybe you guys could introduce me to something new to eat! I appreciate it!

[mousie]

Oh dear...well, to tell the truth I try to eat seven (!!!) times a day. I'm doing WW points, but with a higher minimum (35) so my 'meals' work out to about 300 calories each (counting free veggies). They're about 2 hours apart. I feel much more stable and much more even, eating this often, and it's easier to make healthy choices (because I'm not desperately hungry, and thus not grabbing whatever I can find).

I walk 45-60 minutes most days of the week. I have an active volunteer position (with small children, in a rehabilitation clinic) about 10 hours a week. I try to lift weights (home equipment) a couple of times a week. I try to get out on my bike for a nice long ride at least once a week.

I'm doing this because for a long time I was eating waaaaaaaaaaaaay too little for the size of my body and the activity I was asking it to do (1.5 hours daily at the gym, of fall-over-dead cardio and weights) and my metabolism was all messed up. My body flat-out refused to lose weight. Finally I was convinced to back off and heal it, and through upping my calories and easing up on exercise I'm starting to make progress. Very small progress--8 pounds in 11 weeks--but 8 pounds is better than beating my head against a brick wall!

Things I eat, typically...1 egg/2 % cheese/canadian bacon on a whole wheat english muffin...light yogurt and an applesauce cup...spinach salad with crumbled bacon and dressing...4 ounces of chicken that's been baked in pasta sauce, with some sort of veggie added...homemade shepherd's pie that's very heavy on the veggies (2 servings) with extra peas on the side...red beans and rice with sliced chicken sausages (protein!)...those are some ideas.

[goalnorolls]

I have switched it up with my breakfasts the mosts
I started out eating waffles- because I love that I can eat waffles and syrup on ww.


Then I moved to nutri grain bars and a banana. Then I found these mini bagels and I have two of those with an apple or banana. I will eat the bagel or nutrigrain bar right when I get to work with some green tea (Fuze) then on my first break I eat the fruit.

I always eat a smart one for lunch and have started eating a tomato and lettuce salad with olive oil/vinegar dressing cause I love the tomatos !

then a fruit for a snack apple or banana

dinner is the hardest. But I eat what my family wants but I have the points down. For example we have 'cheap' pizza night. I eat two slices and then a huge plate of salad.
Then I have an ice cream (ww)

This would be a perfect day there is always a slip here and there where something finds its way into my mouth!

[DishyFishy]

Have you checked out the Weekly Journal Buddy Thread?
I've picked up quite a few good ideas from nebbing at what others are eating.

[Sheila53]

My typical day is to get up and eat 1/2 c fat free cottage cheese with 1/2 c blueberries and 6 almonds sliced on top as my pre-workout snack. Then I go to the gym to hydrofit water aerobics class on Wednesday and Friday for an hour, the treadmill for 30+ min. (I'm working up slowly to 60 min.) at 4.3 miles per hour on Monday and Saturday, and the rowing machine for 20+ min. (again working up to 60 min.) on Tuesday and Thursday. I also lift weights for 35 minutes every day except Sunday. On Sunday I just walk for 40 min. I also do a 1.25 hr. yoga class on Tuesday afternoon. I try to stretch daily.

I eat 5-6 times a day and have an equal amount of protein, carb and a healthy fat at each meal. A typical breakfast for me is 4.5 oz. of canned salmon or other fish with a low-gluten cereal made of oat bran, oatmeal, nutty rice cereal, 1 tsp. sesame seeds, 6 pecan halves, a few raisins, some Splenda and a splash of milk. It works out to 3 protein portions, 3 carb portions, and 3 fat portions (the seeds and nuts).

Hope that helps! I did lose most of my weight with Weight Watchers flex plan, then switched to Core when it came out. I've been eating this balanced way for the last couple of months because I'm still trying to lower my cholesterol naturally and even losing weight and eating better with Weight Watchers wasn't cutting it for me.

[alphabetsoup]

I'll second the idea to check out the Weekly Journal Buddy thread - lots of us post our eats each day. I've gotten several ideas in there of things to eat.

I track my calories in Fitday.com and try to stay at around 1800. I *try* to walk each day or at least just get outside and play with my kiddos (ages 4 & 16 months) but now that it is raining so much - it's been hard to accomplish...

Good Luck!

[YP1]

My strategy has evolved - I didn't start with any set rules, I've just added things and taken them away as I've gone through this and worked out what works.

What I usually go is get up and exercise straight away. I might have a handful of something on the way out to the gym, but not often. I now exercise at fairly high intensity (running) maybe 2/3 of the time and do weights for the other 1/3.

Once I've finished I eat breakfast at about 9am - usually multigrain porridge with fruit and yoghurt. From there on I eat planned meals roughly every 3 hours - at work that's usually a mixed bean chilli at about 12, some fruit and yoghurt at about 3, something when I get home from work between about 6 and 7 and then if I'm still hungry some yoghurt and muesli at about 9. I find that taking a days worth of food to work with me cuts down on snacking because I know that I'll be eating something filling fairly soon anyway.

The eating often thing really works for me. Last weekend I was in Marrakech with my mother who's also fairly heavy, it was Ramadan and we were trying to work out before we got there whether it would be possible to eat during the day or whether everywhere would be shut (no problem in the end, as it turns out). Anyway, her approach on holiday tends to be to eat fairly little during the day then splurge at night on all the lovely food so the ramadan plan would have suited her, but I realised that I just couldn't do that - I'd rather eat one proper course at every meal than nothing at one and a three course meal at the next.

In terms of what I'm eating, I always try to make sure I get 5 portions or more of fruit and veg per day, I've cut down on refined carbs but still eat things like whole grains and some of the other stuff that's banned on Atkins. Nothing is banned, alcohol and chocolate still make regular appearances but I'm getting better at learning the meaning of the word moderation.

The key thing for me is that if I exercise first thing I know I've done it, and I feel like I've got that bit more leeway to enjoy my food and not count every gram. I do keep an eye on the general mix of what I'm eating and my portion size, but I rarely count up every calorie in total for the day.