[Shannon in ATL]

I make smoothies for breakfast pretty much every work day, with protein powder, greek yogurt, milk, a splash of OJ, banana and frozen fruit. Love it. I bumped my breakfast cals up at one time, but have brought them back down to around 300 again. I have to have the protein in the AM or I'm dying by lunch, too.

[chnkymonkey]

I have a great cookbook called the 1500 caloried diet cook book and breaks down by meals (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, dessert). Where the meals are about 300 cals and the snacks 150 (average).

My days are similar to yours, I get the bulk of my calories in the morning/lunch and could all out skip dinner if it weren't for the family.

Typical breakfast for me would be.

Option 1.
1/4 cup egg white, scrambled, 1oz cheese, bagel thin or english muffin and a banana

Option 2.
Quick Oats oatmeal (plain, no sugar). 2 packets of splenda, and a french vanilla creamer. 1tb peanut butter or some protein powder. 1 banana

Option 3.
Protein shake: 1 scoop protein powder, 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen fruit and 1/2 cup low sugar juice. I'll also add in ground flax seeds, and fiber powder.

Those are all about 300 calories. I try to get some good fats, and protein and go lighter on the carbs and avoid sugars. That way it keeps me going well into lunch.

When I do Option 1 - I can have that at 8 or 9 am and not be hungry for lunch until 2pm.

And, unless I'm out of bananas - I almost always have my banana first - on my drive into work. (I don't eat breakfast until after I get to the office, around 8 - 9am)

[mkendrick]

6oz chilled coffee
6oz dannon light n' fit yogurt
1 medium banana
1 tbsp torani sugarfree syrup (I use hazelnut, but there are a zillion flavors)
1 squirt, about a tbsp, of hershey's sugarfree chocolate syrup
ice

And blend...makes a glorious mocha banana smoothie that fills me up big time. And a caffeine boost! For around 200 cal.

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by ncuneo

I think I'll give myself a window of cals to play with and if I need higher cals then there and if I don't I don't, but I'm going to stop focusing so much on the calorie level that I'm trying to eat and instead just living a healthy lifestyle. I'm going to really focus hard on my exercise and try to really nurious (spelling?) my body. While I love my skinny cows, I think there are some other things I can eat that are better fuel my body (those dark chocolate almonds were pretty darn good).

Don't kid yourself. Calorie levels are critical to that healthy lifestyle that you want to live and I urge you to not give up on tracking those calories. Even if you were to eat strictly healthy foods, if you're not mindful of your calories you then wind up OVERfeeding yourself - well then - that's not so healthy in the end. Because the single most healthy thing we can do for ourselves is keep to a healthy weight. And without a doubt you can pack on the pounds eating exclusively healthy foods. Anyway you look at it, if you want to remain trim and slender you will have to always be careful of the calories you consume.

But I actually think you've made this harder for yourself then need be. Me and yes we're all different - I could never handle that zig zagging thing, certainly not to the extent that you've got it going on. I would go nuts remembering which day to do this and which day to do that.

Me? I have a couple of breakfasts that add up to a certain calorie allotment, a few different lunches all within the same calorie range, a bunch of dinners with similar counts and snacks equaling more or less the same calories. And they are interchangeable. Easy shmeazy. I don't even have to think about my calories anymore. All the *work* has been done for me previously.

I understand your hesitancy to change things up, I go through that sometimes - I've been wanting to try a bigger lunch and forgoing some of my snacks - but I'm afraid I'll have nothing to eat and be hungry. But so what, if it doesn't work out I don't have to do it anymore.

But in your case, I really think you should do some calorie shifting/food swapping. I really do think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you're capable of. Look what you've already accomplished. Did you ever think you could do what you've done? Yet you have. I think there's more good stuff headed your way.

We are all works in progress, always striving for improvement. Who needs to remain stagnant anyway?

I'm actually excited for you as you venture into some new arenas. Keep us posted.

[ncuneo]

I urge you to not give up on tracking those calories.

Oh no no, I fully intend to continue to track every morsle and continue to practice level of cals that I should be either losing or maintaining at. I will weigh every day and adjust my cals as necessary as I get more comfortable with my new foods and meals. It's a work in progress I have a big shopping list ready to go and I'm excited. First breakfast I want to try is steel cut oats or Quinoa w/ sweet potatos, walnuts, cinamon and a little milk (a >300 cal serving). I stole this idea from the whole foods forum which I need to spend more time in. I think now that my pallette has change there is a whole new world of foods to explore. But I will absolutly continue to monitor my calories very closely.