I had the same problem getting in all six meals myself and here's what I did about it.
Meal #4 was my problem meal...since I'm still at work at 4:00, for about three weeks I set my Outlook Calendar to go off at 3:30 to remind me to eat Meal #4. I also used meal replacement bars at that time, but I've since moved to cottage cheese and fruit for that meal. I just keep a tub of cottage cheese on hand in the fridge here at work, and bring in fruit on Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays here are 'fruit day'. My employer generously puts a huge bowl of fruit in each kitchen (there are two kitchens on each floor) for the employees - bananas and one other fruit (this week it was grapes). I generally grab three fruits on Wednesday and that keeps me going til Friday.
The whole key to BFL - indeed, the key to success in pretty much anything you do - is PLANNING AHEAD. Use the "Eating-for-Life" daily progress reports for awhile. Have Tall Jen (TJ) at L&S critique your daily menus for a few days. I'm sounding like a broken record here but it really works!
Now...about eating the same thing every day...I do that too - I love my staples (Myo Lite, cottage cheese, fruit, chicken breasts, brown rice and lots o'veggies for the most part). How about your portion sizes?
I urge you to re-read the Hussman site - specifically
http://www.hussman.com/eas/#measure - for more info on measuring your progress.
There's an interesting section entitled "Unleash the Secret Weapon" which begins as follows:
Quote:
Now, if you've gone for more than about 6 weeks without any measurable fat loss, you're probably asking What's wrong with me?!!! I understand. You're convinced that your entire metabolism consists of a small turtle on a treadmill. You think that regardless of how much effort you put in, your cells can still be seen eating Twinkies when viewed under a microscope.
I've seen this problem hundreds of times. Trust me. Nothing is wrong with you. There's only one reason you're not losing fat, and it's that you aren't creating a persistent caloric deficit.
It may be that you're not working out consistently enough, but my bet is that you're taking in too many calories. Don't throw things at me yet.
Most likely, there is some source of caloric intake that you haven't accounted for properly. I know you don't believe that. How can I say that without even knowing you? Simple. Studies show that people tend to significantly underestimate caloric intake, particularly those who report having trouble losing weight. My favorite study involves 41 women eating chocolate Haagen-Dazs. Another study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that, on average, subjects who claimed to be resistant to losing weight were underestimating their actual food intake by 47% and overestimating their activity by 50%. The greater the degree of overweight, the larger the estimation errors tended to be. I know you really don't want to believe that. But I'm going to prove it to you...
Later, Dr. Hussman goes on with some tips as follows:
Quote:
A few more specific tips if you're having trouble losing fat:
*Emphasize lower glycemic carbs. They keep you burning fat, and they dramatically reduce feelings of hunger. There is no possible way I could say this too often.
*Never eat standing up. You're apt to forget or ignore the calories that you eat. If you're hungry and need to snack, go straight for a piece of fruit, sit down, and eat it along with a large glass of water. Don't worry, you'll have protein at your next scheduled meal. Just eat the fruit immediately so you don't go on a binge. Some people can't stand celery, but once a week I cut a bunch of sticks and store them in a ziplock bag just to munch on now and then.
*Don't be a bandit. This is often a problem for people who prepare food for others. If you closely study the intake of people with weight loss problems, you often see them eating a surprising number of uncounted calories during food preparation and while putting plates away. Your body counts that chunk of cheese, and the crust you cut off of Jimmy's peanut butter sandwich. You should too.
*Beware the big meal. My bet is that 5 meals out of 6, you're doing just great. But once a day, you have a meal (usually socially or with family) that is far over the appropriate portion size. Watch out.
*Don't equate "protein" with "meat." Try to include sources other than meat (which is relatively high in fat). Fish, turkey, and grilled skinless chicken breast are great, but whey protein, egg protein (little or no yolk), soy protein, and casein protein such as low-fat cottage cheese are great alternatives. They also give you a good, complete amino acid profile.
*Don't equate healthy ingredients with healthy food. Consider spinach dip. Oooh! Spinach. It's a vegetable, isn't it? Yeah, but it's the "dip" part that will kill you. You might as well spoon mayonnaise out of a jar and eat it plain. Ditto for Caesar salad, and other salads using oil-based dressings.
*Learn to jump rope. The cross-training benefits are outrageous. It has less impact than running. To start, form a nice U shape with the rope. The movement is all in the wrists. Be sure to use good shoes. Warm up by doing some jumping jacks, stretch your calves well after about 2 minutes of jumping, and also stretch afterward. Like many cardio exercises, the first two minutes are very anaerobic and will trick you into thinking you just can't go on. But if you get over that hump, you can go much longer than you think.
*Focus on the short-term. If you're tempted by something, don't think about the long-term benefits of avoiding it. Think about the short-term benefits. You'll be thinner tomorrow. You'll be proud of yourself 20 minutes from now. Picture the temptation as a little monster that you can whack away. And be aware that the motivation for cheating is often stress, anxiety, loneliness, or feelings of low self-worth. Don't use food to solve these. Staying on track will reduce those problems better than giving in ever will.
*It's all about blood sugar. Remember that the point of the frequent meals is to keep your blood sugar stable, not to make you a fanatical clock-watcher. Just eat so that you are generally neither hungry nor full. Half of a protein bar, with a piece of fruit and a big glass of water (about 250 calories total) is a great mid-afternoon meal at the office.
*Plan. Write out your menu for the week and then go shopping to make sure that the elements of your nutrition plan are actually available at home, work, on the road, wherever you go. You'll minimize cheating that way.
*Remember to give yourself an occasional opportunity to choose treats. It's helpful to plan your binge in advance and make a mental list of the things that you're going to have. Use them as motivation to stay on plan during the week. Have those treats, and then get back on plan. It's not necessary to binge, but if a one-day binge will keep you strictly on plan the rest of the week, then binge. Whether you need a lot of treats or just a few in order to stay on plan the rest of the week is up to you. The point is to occasionally exercise choice - whatever that means to you personally - and then to stick to the plan on other days. You're always in control.
Hope that helps...
