I don't know about you, but knowing I have to tell someone what I ate kind of motivates me more. Like I have to be held accountable for my eating habits. I think this is somewhat why weight watchers is so successful; knowing you have to go each week and weigh in front of someone. So I thought I would start a thread where you can post each morning what you ate the previous day. This can also give us all low calorie ideas. My calorie goal is 1500/day and I'm trying to exercise 3-4x per week. Yesterday I had:

Breakfast:
Thomas light english muffin: 100
2 T strawberry fat free cream cheese: 40

Lunch: Panera
1/2 strawberry poppyseed salad, no chicken: 80
1/2 cuban chicken sandwich, no mayo: 370
1/2 french baguette: 90


Dinner:
6 oz Chicken breast stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and spinach, ~350
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 70
1 cup green beans, 50
1.5 cup mixed fruit (mango, strawberry, melon), 100

Snack:
5 chicken nuggets, 230
1/2 pkg sweet and sour, 25

=1505 calories

Walked 40 minutes on treadmill at 3.0 speed and 4.5 incline, burned 300 calories. Did 150 sit ups and a few arm exercises with 5 lb weights.

I also like the accountability. I sometimes read off my plan to my hubby while he's doing something on his computer lol. I don't need him to respond or even necessarily listen. I just feel like when I say it out loud, I have to stick to it without making any changes to add in extra.. umm anything chocolate lol .

All of this is weighed out but I'm not going to write out all the grams here. I eat 1200 a day.

9AM:
-Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and 2 splendas = 210
-Gum X 2 = 10

12PM:
-Salad with lettuce, turkey breast, fiber one, tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, a few drops of balsamic vinaigrette, and a pita = 235
-Gum X 2 = 10

3PM:
-Pineapple and cherry cottage cheese = 110
-Cocoa roasted almonds = 100
-Gum X 2 = 10

6PM:
-Chicken breast = 130
-Medley of green beans, wax beans, and baby carrots steamed = 140
-Bean salad= 95
-Cup of hot chocolate = 25
-Chocolate vita brownie = 100
-Gum X 5 = 25

Total = 1200

So yeah, that's the plan for today. @Meremere, I've always wanted to try that salad from Panera but I never get there lol. Is it good?

Yes the salad is SO good. The dressing is VERY low calorie, their website list it has 1.5 oz has only 15 calories!! The full size large salad with the chicken is only 280 calories total, and its so yummy! Our Schnucks grocery store has been selling the panera dressings in their produce section but every time I go they are out of the poppyseed! I want it because it would be such an easy salad to make at home, and def cheaper.

That salad sounds really great! I'll have to give it a try some time. I always stick to my same fat free balsamic vinaigrette dressing (5 cals for 30 mls) but I think it's time to switch it up and try something else. I'll def keep my eye out for that one!

I LOVE this salad. I make it on my own at home, but don't use Panera dressing. I just found some low fat poppyseed dressing. It's close enough.

Here's today's menu:

Breakfast: FiberOne Oats and Chocolate bar (140 cals)

Snack: cantaloupe (60 cals)

Lunch: Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dog, hot dog bun, serving of popchips, sugar free chocolate pudding (350 cals)

Snack: cantaloupe and string cheese (140 cals)

Dinner: Ugh. My son requested Bertucci's to "celebrate" his first day back at school. I'll have a chicken caesar salad (550 cals) and maybe a cup of minestrone (100 cals)

For a total of: 1340

I burned 287 calories on the treadmill this morning.

Wow...you guys are amazing. I am so impressed. I have to admit that I am not nearly as precise as all of you. It honestly doesn't occur to me to factor in gum and mints and stuff.

Haha charmtime that's just my little OCD thing and it's mostly just to keep me accountable for how much of that stuff I DO have. Before I counted it in, I was easily getting 200 calories worth of gum and splenda and other "free" things ughh such a bad habit. By counting it, I see what a waste it is and I tend to have less of it (hopefully). I know it sounds kind of anal but 200 calories a day is a lot lol!

So here's my plan for tomorrow:

9AM:
-Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and 2 splendas = 210
-Gum X 2 = 10

12PM:
-Pita wrap with laughing cow, lettuce, and turkey = 135
-1/4 cup pineapple and cherry cottage cheese = 55
-Gum X 2 = 10

3PM:
-Plain Chobani greek yogurt w/ cinnamon and 2 splendas = 110
-Cocoa roasted almonds = 100
-Gum X 2 = 10

6PM:
-Black bean salad = 210
-Can of tuna mixed in = 120
-Green beans = 100
-Chocolate vita brownie = 100
-Gum X 5 = 25

Total: 1195

I'm guilty of not planning the day before, especially dinners if I'm at my boyfriends as I'm not in control of what I eat there usually.
Here is what I ate yesterday, as an example:

Breakfast:
Vanilla Spice Low-fat yoghurt - 75 cal
(I would usually eat more for breakfast but I was running late for work!)

Lunch:
Salad with lettuce, cucumber, carrot, sliced chicken breast and light balsamic dressing. - 202 calories

Snacks during the day:
Pre-packed crackers with dip: 84 calories
Mini bag of popcorn: 55 calories
Apple: 72 calories
Muesli Bar: 83 calories

Dinner:
Roast Chicken with broccoli, cauliflower, beans, potato and kumara:
592 calories

After dinner:
Creamed rice with 4 mini chocolates mixed in: 176 calories

TOTAL: 1340

This is lower than what I aim for - on days I exercise (which I did yesterday) I aim for at LEAST 1550, up to 1650 or 1700 if I'm extra hungry.
On days when I don't exercise, 1350-1400 is my minimum, and I let myself go to 1500 if I'm hungry.

I've lost 2lb/1kg per week doing this, I know I'll have to bring my numbers down but I won't until I stop losing!

It does help when you have to report to somebody. I don't belong to any program, but my best friend has been using fitday alongside me. He's skinny as all heck, 6' and 155 lbs, but he's concerned about his sodium and cholesterol intake. Every night, we talk on our google chat a bit and we ALWAYS share our total calories for the day. It's a little thing, but he helps me stay on track, because I am sure as heck not going to lie to him. He even tells me to go grab a cookie if my calories are too low, lol.

So my calories for the day so far are too low and I just finished a pretty filling dinner!

Here goes:

Breakfast:
2x Oat-Bran Weetbix and 200ml Light Milk - 252 cal

Lunch:
Salad with lettuce, cucumber, carrot & light balsamic dressing - 84 cal

Snacks:
Muesli Bar - 83 cal
Apple - 72 cal
Jarrah Hot Chocolate Drink - 45 cal
Small Salami Stick - 31 cal

Dinner:
Baked Salmon with lemon pepper seasoning, boiled potatoes with skin on and a little sour cream, mixed steamed veges (carrots, corn & sugarsnap peas), half a grain roll with light butter spread - 547 cal

TOTAL: 1115

Since I'm way under even my non-exercise goal, I think I'm going to have a treat - there is this new icecream I want to try so I might be able to have that I think... either that or I'll have some of the low fat icecream I have here, but even then I'd be under.

Here's my plan for the day:

Breakfast: Fiber One bar (140 cals)

Snack: Cantaloupe (60 cals)

Lunch: Ham sandwich, cottage cheese, strawberries and blueberries (300 cals)

Snack: 100 cal popcorn, cheese (200 cals)

Dinner: BLT, popchips, skinny cow ice cream sandwich (565)

Total calories: 1265

Exercise: C25K on treadmill, week 6, day 2. Will probably burn about 250 calories.

Yesterday I had:

Breakfast:
Thomas light english muffin, 100
Fat free strawberry cream cheese, 40

Lunch:
1 sandwich thin bun: 100
5 slices low fat roast beef, 50
reduced fat colby jack cheese slice, 50
1 cup honeydew, 60
1 light applesauce, 50

Dinner:
2 fat free ballpark beef hot dogs, 100
2 healthy life hot dog buns, 160
1/2 package Kraft spiral macaroni made with skim milk and no butter, 270
2 T ketchup, 30

Snacks:
2 nature valley granola bars, 280
1 cup smart start cereal, 200
1 cup skim milk, 90

=1580

I also did 50 minutes on the treadmill on 5.0 incline, burning 400 calories! yay me!!!


Plan for today is:
same bfast, 140
same sandwich for lunch,200
applesauce, 50
light pear cup, 40
nature valley granola bar, 140
dinner- same as last night-560
=1130 so will have room for some snacks

and i plan on going on walk outside for at least 30 minutes.

So I just had dinner a few minutes early. It was yummy! Here's the plan for tomorrow:

9AM:
-1 cup fiber select cereal (which is the stop and shop version of fiber one w/ 10 less calories per serving) = 100
-Gum X 2 = 10

12PM:
-egg beater omelette w/ 4 servings of "egg" = 120
-4 slices turkey = 40
-Green pepper = 35 (approx., still have to weigh it)
-Gum X 2 = 10

3PM:
-Strawberry chobani greek yogurt = 140
-Cocoa roasted almonds = 100
-Gum X 2 = 10

6PM:
-3 Turkey meatballs = 170
-Cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots steamed = 120
-Bag of popweaver popcorn = 220
-Chocolate vita brownie = 100
-Gum X 25

Total = 1200

Thursday my new semester of school starts so my eating times will have to change to accommodate six classes and an internship. Oyy! Time to get planning!

Can I just say that Chobani Greek yogurt is AMAZING! I used to get the Stoneyfield kind but the Chobani stuff is so much better and so creamy!

I eat plain chobani greek yogurt everyday for lunch, I love it too! I would love to post what I eat, but I eat so much that it would take me an hour to type it all in. I eat only whole foods, mostly fruit, so I need to eat much more to make my calorie count higher, between 1250 - 1450 a day is my range.