Not just regular cookies either. If that was the case, I could work one into my day and be fine. No...these are miniature little bite sized cookies - the ones you can eat a handful of and not even realize you've eaten anything.
Don't you just hate that? Run, don't walk, far away!
Thanks for the update. It sounds like you are staying with good principles of nutrition.
Well, today I'm at 1,654 and I'm stuck. I'm satisfied with breakfast, have a good lunch planned and a healthy dinner with snacks between. Maybe a good dessert is in order....Still no gains. In fact I'm at 138 today. So far, so good...
I wouldn't go for dessert necessarily. I'd increase your portions of protein foods or perhaps include a little bit more complex carbs to bring that number up. For example, if you're used to eating 3 ounces of chicken, go for 4 ounces. Or have a whole can of tuna as a snack or meal instead of part of it.
I think normally I won't worry if one day I fall in the 1600s or wherever....But this week I want to MAKE myself hit the 1800 goal every day to prove that it's ok for me, if that makes any sense. I think my weird little brain will try to justify the fact that I DIDN'T gain any weight by the fact that I went low a day or two...
I managed to get my total so far up to 1,704, and I'll put a little extra protein or veggie in with supper to get it up to the goal.
So here we are on Friday...140 this morning, which isn't out of the ordinary. I fluctuate from 138-142 from day to day a lot of times. I've hit 1,800 calories every day so far (maybe over yesterday, but I just couldn't stay OUT of the roasted broccoli and carrots at dinner!). Seems like this little experiment might work out ok after all...
I think it's interesting how most of us (Including Me),
work very hard to set and follow a Calorie Guideline
which involves both the fear of going over and the fear going under.
I, personally, have never been able to lose or maintain weight any other way,
however, having memorized most of the basic calorie rules,
I sometimes wonder why here in maintenance I can't bring myself to simply follow them..
like:
Just work to eat very small portions in general,
and teeny tiny portions of all foods that are high calorie.
When the scale goes up, then immediately cut down-however little/much I eat...eat less...until the weight drops again.
If the scale goes too low (...not that it ever has....) eat a bit more.
Using our vast stores of the calorie knowledge in our minds to keep us balanced,
without a detailed and rigid daily calorie guideline.
I'm not talking about "intuitive eating", as my experience and research makes me believe that the "intuitive eating" principles simply do not work for me...nor for almost everyone else who has a weight problem.
What I really mean, is how Great it would be to somehow
be Free of the total Greed to be able to eat as much food as I possibly can, every day,
(both "healthy" food and/or "junk" food) while maintaining my weight.
Cooking Light this month has a list of healthy resolutions, some of which speak to that Bright Angel has posted. Being more generalized, but not depending on "intuitive eating" which many of us agree just leads to disaster for us! Here they are. I especially liked "cook more" which seems to be slipping away from people. I overheard some parents talking to their small children at the pool the other night (swim lessons are at same time as lap swim) saying "yes, I know you're hungry. Daddy ordered dinner, we'll stop and pick it up and go right home and eat." Gosh, does just going to a swimming lesson necessitate a take-out dinner?
Oh, and the same CL magazine has a series on 10 healthy habits here which overlap with the resolutions, but include a few other things as well.
I've started looking at the "Cooking Light" site. Also, my mother-in-law gave us these little cookbooks for Christmas...one on 400 calorie or less meals and side dishes, and one on 150 calorie or less per serving desserts. We've eaten three things out of the 400 cal. or less book this week, and it's all been good! It's changing the way my husband is viewing a lot of things, as far as food is concerned...
