I too see lots of room for improvement. I too would be hungry (& sad) on that menu.

You need to bulk up on veggies, veggies, veggies and protein.

Dr. Siegels cookies, peanut butter crackers, cheerios, empty calories that won't leave you full for very long.

Thing rich, hearty veggie soups. No sugar added yogurt, partially frozen with some Fiber One cereal thrown in. Enormous salads - romaine hearts, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, red onion, mango, slivered almonds, shredded carrots, cubed grilled chicken, with a Red raspberry vinaigrette.

Think enormous egg white omlettes, loaded with sauteed peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and onions.

Think spicy chicken, turkey or black bean burgers with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. With a HUGE side of spicy cauliflower poppers or homemade crispy beet chips - or heck - have em' both.

Think talipia, cooked with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and wine. Served over a huge portion of spaghetti squash.

The possibilities are endless.

Every meal and snack should contain fiber and/or protein to keep you full. And should be yummy too. No deprivation. No hunger. No sadness.

Currently I'm eating about 1400 calories a day with a typical day something like this:

Breakfast: 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese and about 100 calories of fruit (1 cup of strawberries or blueberries for example), 6 oz. espresso, 2 tsp agave nectar, 2 TBS fat free half and half

Snack: 2 oz low fat string cheese, 1/2 to a cup of raw veggies (pepper strips, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, celery - it varies)

Lunch: leftovers from the night before. 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup peas, 3-4 oz shrimp, small tomatoe OR spring mix, carrots, radishes, celery, cherry tomatoes, cooked green beans, alfalfa sprouts, 3-4 oz. steak, chicken or fish. 1 tsp olive oil based salad dressing.

Snack: cucumber rounds with 2TBS to 1/4 cup hummus OR 100 calories of nuts OR almond butter on two light rye wasa crackers

Dinner: 3-4 oz lean protein, 1 to 1-1/2 cups vegetables. 1/2 cup of some type of beans (if I haven't already had some)

Snack: fruit - fresh peach or pear

Originally Posted by xty:
Now that you posted your diet, right off the bat I see several issues you could address to likely lower caloric intake and increase satisfaction and overall health too :) I am not a dr or nutritionist, and we each have our own needs so take everything I say with a grain of salt!

1) Why is dinner your biggest meal of the day?! If you are mostly sedentary after, and if you are sleeping within a couple hours of eating most of your calories...no wonder you are hungry the rest of the day. I refuse to ever eat after 9pm and try to make dinner on the small side but with good protein, even if I work out that evening.

2) At first glance, your fat content sounds high (bacon, peanutbutter). Nothing wrong with fat, but those arent great fats. And they are calorie dense without optimizing protein content. Again, this makes me understand why you are hungry.

3) How much protein are you getting? Your above info on diet seems to indicate you get a little protein in the am, maybe under 10g...then almost none til dinner. I am to get 60-90g a day and to space it out evenly. More than fiber, getting good protein really helps me feel full and not even think of food. Try chicken, fish, beans, low fat cheeses, and good whole grains.

4) How much fiber are you getting? Women need at least 20g a day. I aim for more, evenly spaced thru food not fiber supplements!

5) Where are your fruits and veggies?! Apples are great. But we need at least 5 servings a day of veggies, and a lil fruit. Aim for a variety of colors in your produce to maximize nutrients and antioxidants.

Here is a little sample menu to illustrate some changes...

Breakfast:
Steelcut oatmeal with berries and flaxseedoil (300cal, 15g protein, 10g fiber)

Snack:
Apple, large (100cal, 0g protein, 5g fiber)

Lunch:
4oz shrimp Cajun style (100 cal, 25g protein, 0g fiber)
4 stems asparagus (13 cal, 1g protein, 1g fiber)


Snack:
String cheese (100 cal, 8g protein, 0 fiber)

Dinner:
Spinach salad w/ tangerine slices, sprinkle of almonds, 1/2oz goat cheese, 3oz salmon (400 cal, 35g protein, 4g fiber)

total: 1013 cal, 84g protein, 20g fiber (and still a couple hundred calories for a treat!)

Just thought that up off the top of my head based on what I often eat, Im sure it could still be optimized.

Wow... you really drilled down on this issue with ease, didnt you? I'm impressed and overwhelmed.

I sure have a lot to learn...

It's amazing how ignorant I am about food and nutrition. I dont just need 'support', I need a full-on education.

Thanks, that was eye-opening :)

Like has already been said, I would be starving and sad on that diet too. The carbs for breakfast + the carbs for lunch would leave me a total witch all afternoon, then I would feel too full after dinner and not sleep well.

I am 38, just shy of 39. I'm 5'5.5". I lost at 1600 cals, continued to lose until I raised them up to about 1900 average, actually. I got down to 117 at one point on those cals, at eating 1850 I maintain at 127-128ish, but have built some muscle the last two years so am in 2-4 sizes.

You definitely need to add more protein, more fiber, things that will fill you up and leave you happy. I can't say it any better than XTY & Robin already did. Good luck.

I'd be hungry all day too on that type of eating. Then I'd eat everything in sight once I got home.

I try to keep my calories aroung 1400 when I'm losing weight well.
I spread my calories out throughout the day, trying to get the majority in before dinner-dinner is about 400 calories and try not to eat after dinner.

Breakfast is eggs and veggies or flaxseed muffin-eggs and flaxseed microwaved
midmorning -cup of coffee with cream (my indulgance) and sweetener
lunch is somesort of meat from dinner the night before-with 3 cups of stir fry veggies, 1/2 C beans.
snack-1 piece of fruit~2:00, ~4:00 I eat some raw sliced veggies with hummus so that I don't eat everything in sight when I cook dinner.
Dinner is brown rice and some sort of veggie/meat I divide my plate 1/2 cooked veggies, 1/4 meat, 1/4 rice.

I try to keep my intake about 30:30:40 30% fat and protein and 40% carbs I tend to get ~>40g of fiber a day. Fiber is your friend.

I don't do dairy (cream for coffee only) or wheat because of allergies-I have terrible post nasal drip that causes a annoying tickle makes me cough all day long. If I cut out the wheat and dairy it gets much better.

I'm also at 1430. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I never get hungry, because that is the nature of a calorie deficit (I'm not eating enough to sustain 130lbs), but it is reasonable enough that I can get through the day :)

Breakfast
1 egg (75), 2 egg whites (35), 1 cup diced veggies (40), 1 tsp olive oil (40), 2 slices weight watchers bread (100), 1 tsp margarine (35)
Total: 325 calories
19g protein

Snack
1 scoop ON Whey (120)
Total: 120 calories
24g protein

Lunch
5 oz chicken breast (230), ¼ cup dry quinoa (170), 1 cup diced veggies (40), 1 tsp olive oil (40)
Total: 480 calories
49g protein

Dinner
X oz of meat (220), 1 cup cooked brown rice (220), 1cup broccoli (30), 1 tsp olive oil (40)
Total: 540 calories

= 1,430 calories

Cauliflower Poppers?
 

Robin, could you post a recipe for cauliflower poppers? I'm trying to expand the variety of vegetables I eat.

Originally Posted by sacha:
I'm also at 1430. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I never get hungry, because that is the nature of a calorie deficit (I'm not eating enough to sustain 130lbs),

I almost never get hungry. Really. Well actually it really is never, but I hate to use that term *just in case* I've forgotten something.

When trying to create a deficit by taking in less calories than what you burn, you are still able to function and function well, because your body has turned to your stored fat to use for it's it's fuel. And for me, this process involves no hunger; provided of course my calories are 100% nutritious.

Originally Posted by ladynredd:
Robin, could you post a recipe for cauliflower poppers? I'm trying to expand the variety of vegetables I eat.

Recipe? No recipe really. Just something I throw together.

Cut up a head of cauliflower, I usually cut up two, (I like to eat),

Cover a large roasting tray with aluminum foil (easy clean-up).
Coat with about 1 tsp canola or olive oil. Spread it around well (I use one of the florets, less to clean).
Lay out the cauliflower and sprinkle generously with spices - garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, a hit of cayenne pepper.
I've also been known to dice and onion and chop some garlic and throw that on there as well, though it's not necessary.
Spray the florets with cooking spray.
Roast in the oven at about 400 degrees, turning a few times, for about 20 - 30 minutes or until desired doneness.

Thanks Robin! Cauliflower just got added to my shopping list.

I may have missed if someone has said this, but meals out are usually 900-1500 or more calories *in themselves*. In order to go out and not go over your calorie count, you would have to eat half the meal and take the rest home, or choose something with fewer calories (very difficult when eating out). My carefully measured homemade tacos have about 350 calories each (there is cheese and a big shell and mex-seasoned chicken in them and FF sour cream). I can imagine an enchilada with cheese and sour cream adding maybe 5 or 600 calories to that.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I guess my problem is I like convenience food and will have to start devoting time and energy to eating healthy and preparing lunch to take to work, etc. I am definitely going to take this all to heart and try to make better food choices. ps. sacha, your diet suggestions sound more my style...something I could eat in a typical day :)

Originally Posted by michelinwoman:
Thanks for all the great ideas. I guess my problem is I like convenience food and will have to start devoting time and energy to eating healthy and preparing lunch to take to work, etc. I am definitely going to take this all to heart and try to make better food choices. ps. sacha, your diet suggestions sound more my style...something I could eat in a typical day :)

The problem with convenience food, is that after it's over and done with you're left with no nutrition and hungry - which isn't too convenient at all. They're initially easier, but that's about it.

Yes, eating well requires time,thought, preparation. But unlike so called convenience foods, you are left satiated and healthy and slim. So you spend some additional time, but you are rewarded with an easier and more joyful and hopefully longer life. Sounds like a pretty good pay off!!

Once you realize that it is worthy of the time, once you realize it really, really matters and you make it a priority, you will become accustomed to doing it this way and wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Allow yourself to get into it. Find/devise/develop healthy foods that you love. Be creative. Become passionate about it. Don't look at it as a burden, but a means to free you up to have the best life possible. :smug:

Please keep us updated.