b

oatmeal made with milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract (251)

s

baby carrots (35)

l

toasted whole wheat bagel thin with tomatoes, spinach, onions, mozzarella and pepper
creamy grape-clementine shake
(442)

d

whole wheat tortilla with albacore tuna, spinach, tomatoes, celery, olive oil and celery
brussel sprouts
(486)

s

light popcorn (140)

total: 1354

@ma26: Don't worry, 1200 likely won't be your maintenance range. Right now, I'm at the higher end of my maintenance weight range, and I'm also trying to lose a little more anyway, so I'll be at 1200 for a while. (I had a few setbacks but I'm doing really well right now )

As for maintenance calories, I know that I lose about 1 pound/week on 1200 so my maintenance should be 1700/day holding all else equal, but I was gaining just slightly on 1700 when I switched to maintenance in June. However, I didn't get to try it out for long because I kept going between deciding to lose more, and then changing my mind and getting frustrated at myself and eating more etc, so I ended up losing and gaining the same few pounds. Because of all of that, I didn't really get to try out any calorie range for long so I still don't know what it is for me. Anyway, now that I have a clearer goal in my mind, it's working out much better. So, this was a VERY long winded answer but: no, 1200 is not my maintenance calorie range

Hi ladies! Very excited because today is my Friday and I get a long weekend! I hope you are all doing well!

Today:

8am (105)
large coffee w/ 2 tbsp pumpkin spice creamer and 1 tbsp cinnamon bun creamer- 105

10am (330)
3 lower cal homemade pumpkin muffins- 330
H2O- 0

1pm (Schlotzsky's Deli, 590)
small chipotle chicken sandwich- 365
small bag jalapeņo chips- 225
H2O- 0

4pm (125)
1 lower cal homemade pumpkin muffin- 110
1/2 hot chai honey vanilla tea w/ 1/2 tub French vanilla creamer- 15

7pm (410)
4oz grilled lemon chicken breast- 165
2/3 cup lemon wild rice- 200
roasted asparagus w/ EVOO and grated Parmesan cheese- 100
H2O- 0

= apprx 1560 calories

@Fashinjunkie - Can you point me to your pumpkin muffin recipe? I've been wanting to make some pumpkin muffins but was reluctant due to calories. Would love to see your lower cal recipe!

Here is my today...it was a rough day, I was soooo hungry. I got quite mopey at lunch feeling deprived of being able to have a mocha from starbucks, so I just went and had one and savored the thing - sitting there for 40 minutes drinking it and reading a book. lol. Got home from work and basically "binged" on all the healthy stuff in sight...quite funny I could binge by stuffing carrots and red cabbage into my mouth but I tried to keep it healthy at least. lol.

Breakfast (260): 1 slice bread (110) with 1 T nat pb (100) and 1 T blackcherry jam (50). Herbal tea (0)

Lunch (470): well...was planning on eating a sandwich I brought to work tuesday when i ended up going out for lunch with a friend. It was...soggy and awful and after a few bites I pitched it. Don't know how many calories for that. I started over with this: soy mocha from starbucks (190) and 6 inch veggie sub from subway (280)

Snack (35): 6 honey roasted almonds (35)

Dinner (793): Ugh, I was so hungry. Salad of herb mix (15) with grape tomatoes (10), Boca Chickn Patty (160) 1 T vinaigrette (30). Cup of butternut squash soup (90), 1 small piece of toast (70) with 1 tsp margarine (33). Handful of baby carrots (10), handful of potato chips (75), red cabbage slaw (no idea, 150?), manchego cheese (150)

Total Calories: 1558ish

Walking - 2 miles

Woohoo tomorrow's friday! Hubby and I are going to Panera Hope everyone has a happy friday!

8AM:
-Frosted flakes = 130
-Skim milk = 30
-Gum X 2 = 10

11AM:
-Wrap = 70
-6 slices turkey = 45
-Lettuce = 5
-Laughing cow = 35
-Gum X 2 = 10

2PM:
-Orange = 70
-Cocoa roast almonds = 100
-Gum X 2 = 10

6PM:
-Panera bbq chopped chicken salad = 500
-Coffee with splenda = 15
-Vanilla cone = 150
-Gum X 4 = 20

Total: 1200

Somehow I managed to erase most of what I ate yesterday but I remember my total for yesterday: 1265

Hrm. My menu plan ended up changing last night when I realized I had forgotten one of the main ingredients for minestrone, so we had spaghetti, meat sauce, and Caesar salad instead. I ended up somewhere around 1700 calories (which seems to have worked in terms of my plateau, b/c I was down 1.6 this morning and finally dropped below 235!).

So, today:

B: FiberOne bar 140

S: Banana 105

L: ham with horseradish mustard on low-cal bread, popchips 275

S: Reduced fat triscuits with blue cheese Laughing Cow 155

D: Homemade minestrone, grilled cheese sandwich 527

S: Skinny Cow cookies and cream ice cream sandwich 160

Total: 1355

Exercise: 30 min hiit

YAY!

Good Morning!
Today's menu...

Breakfast: 3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal. 1 cup low fat milk. 1/2 cup of 100% pumpkin puree. 1 small banana. Dash of splenda & cinnamon.
=370 calories

Snack: Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt
=80 calories

Lunch: 6 oz Light Tuna in water. 2 Tbsp Fat Free mayo. 1/2 cup low sodium sweet corn. 1 Tbsp Relish. 10 wheat crackers. 1 Diet Pepsi.
=470 calories

Snack: Skinny Cow Fudge bar
=100 calories

Dinner: 4 oz Grilled Lemon Chicken Breast. 1 cup of veggies.
=250 calories

Exercise: 1 hour of intense cardio at the Gym.
=approximately 600-800 calories burned.

Total calories consumed: 1270

Yaaay!

Here is my today. I might add a piece of toast though, as I was saving a few calories for a drink and we ended up not going out tonight as planned. It was a pretty good day! I didn't feel deprived at all, maybe because i ate a bigger breakfast?

Breakfast (440): tall soy mocha from Starbucks (190). Bread (100) with 1 T nat pb (100) and black cherry jelly (50).

Lunch (240): Medium pumpkin soup from Au bon Pain (240)

Snack (180): Lemon Luna Bar (180)

Dinner (370): Amy's Indian Frozen Dinner (Muttar Panir with Dahl)

Today is about 1230 so far, and if I have a piece of toast that'll be about another 150 calories. So...1380 for today. Not bad, I ate yummy food!!!

Tomorrow is my first weigh in...been sticking to plan for almost 2 weeks now. Jeans felt a bit looser today and I picked up a scale (we didn't even own one!) and I am a bit anxious to weigh in the AM. Hoping to see a few lbs down...will report back and change my ticker if I am!!!

OCTOBER 1, 2010
coffee 70
perfect portion pepperoni pizza serving (200)
parmeasn cheese on pizza (25)
Salad-salad mix, 2 0z ham, 1/8c cheese, 15 goldfish, and light ranch (240)
grapes (60)
cheddar crackerful (140)
vegetable soup (200)
ham (60)
perfect portion pizza w/added cheese(275)
honey nut cheerios(185)
wine(200)
chai latte (40)
1695

Went just a little high on the calories but not too bad.

Today:

b: Fiber One bar 140

s: 7 reduced fat triscuits, wedge blue cheese Laughing Cow 155

l: ham with horseradish mustard on low cal bread, popcorn 235

s: McDonald's ice cream cone 150

d: bowl homemade minestrone with parmesan cheese 255

s: peanut butter Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich 150

Total: 1085. Gonna have to add something in there.

October 2, 2010
coffee (110)
grapes (100)
crackers (45)
zaxbys chicken finger and salad w/ light ranch(550)
cheddar crackerful(140)
chai latte (40)
ham (60)
grilled cheese sandwich(270)
carrots w/ranch (115)
nectarine (65)
1495

Plan for today:

9AM:
-Oatmeal w/ cinnamon X 2 = 200
-2 splendas = 10
-Coffee with 4 splendas = 20
-Gum X 2 = 10

12PM:
-Wrap = 70
-6 slices turkey breast = 45
-Laughing cow wedge = 35
-Lettuce = 5
-Gum X 2 = 10

3PM:
-Blueberry parfait = 120
-Gum X 2 = 10

6PM:
-Panera orchard harvest chicken salad = 550
-Apple = 80
-Soda X 2 = 10
-Gum X 5 = 25

Total: 1200

I need to get a couple of things at the store. I think I preferred having a routine rather than figuring out different times I can eat and what things to eat etc. I used to just eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast, snack, and lunch. Then I'd have the same amount of calories left over for dinner and I would pick whatever I wanted for dinner out of about 10 or so choices. With this new semester, my schedule is different each day so I planned my meal times in accordance with when it's most convenient, but honestly, everyone eats during X, Y, and Z and I wait until after because I feel funny eating in front of others and basically I want to get over that. And I stopped buying my fave breakfast (fiber select cereal, the stop and shop brand of fiber one) and the routine just died. I neeeed routine lol. Anyway, so my foods will be very similar each day after today so my posts will be quite boring hehe so I apologize, but yeah, I need to "go back to basics"