Last week went great. I exercised every day and ate correctly. I lost 3 lbs! This week is not going well at all. Friday my BF and I went on a long walk then out for pizza. I had looked up the nutrition online and had it planned how much of what I could eat for my remaining calories. After the walk I felt so weak and tired, I totallly pigged out.

I tried to get back on track this weekend and then again today but the same amount of food I ate last week just wouldn't cut it. I was hungry all day today. Eventually I ate a granola bar, a fistful of animal crackers, and a glass of chocolate milk. I've had no energy all day.

I'm not sure what to do. Change diets, or maybe change the foods I'm eating? I admit I have still been eating a considerable amount of sugar (instant oatmeal and granola bars). I've been calorie counting, did great for 5 days but now it doesn't seem to be working for me.

Hang in there, Fan!

Maybe you should try the regular Oatmeal and sweeten it with fresh fruit - I sometimes add a cut up half an apple or one (yes 1!) walnut meat to my oatmeal.

Granola bars have been the downfall of every diet I have ever been on. I loose all my weight, and then I get the idea that granola bars are "healthy for me", and start the whole thing over again. This time, I have banned granola bars from my life.

The granola bars were supposed to be for my 1-year-old daughter (what a bad mom I am, eating my daughter's snacks). The morning is my hungriest time of day. How exactly do you incoporate protein into breakfast? I don't have time for cooking in the morning. I should do a mid-morning snack, I suppose. I'm thinking of cutting out processed sugars entirely. Maybe I can do the plain oats with banana. I love my instant oatmeal, but it's a definite downfall for me.

Perhaps you've listed this before--but what is your calorie target, and how much/what kind of exercise do you do? Maybe we can make suggestions.

Jay

I'm doing 1500-1600 calories a week because I am still nursing my daughter. I do my gazelle 30 minutes a day. Do you buy the whey or soy protein powder? I've been wanting to check it out but it confuses me,lol. My friend works at vitamin world though, so maybe I should ask her about the diff. kinds. Thank you for all of the advice, it was really very helpful.

Hey - I have a few more breakfast suggestions for you (some of my favorites!):

Real oatmeal made with Soymilk instead of water - 1/2 c of Silk Plain has 50 cal/2g fat and keeps me feeling full!

Whole Grain Total or Shredded Wheat - Both have good amounts of fiber...I use soymilk on these too.

Egg beaters - Just pour some in a pan and they cook just as fast as oatmeal. I add a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and some baby spinach to mine.

I usually eat 1/2 to a whole banana depending on how many calories I want to add. I aim for 250-300 for breakfast unless I know I'm having a high calorie lunch or dinner.

Low fat cheese sticks are also a good way to add protein without a ton of calories (60 cal/2g fat)

Good luck finding something you love for breakfast!!!

These are great suggestions! Thanks for sharing... I find I get frustrated and I end up hating all food and I lose creativity. The cheese is a good idea to feel fuller...
Does anyone know of a good low-fat brand of tofu? I don't really eat eggs so I make tofu scramble (when I crave it) but some of it is too loaded with fat, surprisingly.

I had always thought " EGGBEATERS YUCK"
I tried them a few weeks back and they are wonderful!! I add fat free cheese and fresh mushrooms and onion and bell peppers and its wonderful and very filling. I have it with a slice of whole wheat toast. Its keeps me full and going until lunch time.
For me counting calories is all about planning ahead of time. I cant wait till im hungry to decide what to eat. I record everything that goes in my mouth.
good luck

I f you like oatmeal, you can also try pumpkin oatmeal. I know, it wounds weird. But, I add 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin to my oatmeal, add in pumpkin pie spices, 1-2 packets of splenda, and a tbsp of flavored low fat creamer (like pean praline or something to that effect). Definitely keeps me full, if anything I have trouble eating it all!

I also go for reduced calorie wheat bread with peanut butter and banana and a glass of skim milk.

From the standpoint of someone who was recently a nursing mother, you might need to adjust your calorie intake up a bit. If you lost 3 pounds in one week, and you are feeling physical hunger and weakness, maybe aim for 1700 a day instead for a couple of weeks, and see how you handle that. Nursing mothers have to not only be careful of their caloric intake, but also in how fast they are losing weight as well.

I would also go over your foods and what you are eating. Granola bars, chocolate milk, etc. are sugary and carby-and they can really start the hunger-binge-hunger again cycle.

If you don't have time to cook in the morning, maybe a slice of whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter would work? It would have some protein and fat, which would help keep you feeling satisfied for longer.

Try to work some Splenda into your oatmeal if you feel it's bland! Fresh fruit is better, but splenda is an okay substitute I think, anyway.

It's okay that you didn't do so hot today or in the past week. The point is to keep on going and not give up. We all have our share of bad days, it's not the end of the world.

I didn't mean for "It's not the end of the world" to sound like I'm minimizing the issue...after I read my post it sounded a little mean, which was totally not my intention. I just want you to know that we all mess up and it's okay, EVERYONE messes up. Just as long as you can learn from your shortcomings and try to do better next time, that's what really counts.

Have a wonderful rest of the day!

-Liz.