[Eliana]

You're doing great to gain 8 lbs and KEEP GOING! Quite impressive!

I started out with Lean Cuisines, Slim Fast and protein bars. I've slowly taken those out and am pretty gung-ho whole foods at this point.

I tend to mostly automate my breakfast, snacks and lunches.

Breakfast is usually Fiber One, strawberries and/or banana.
Snacks are yogurt or piece of fruit, usually an apple. I'll also eat a piece of meat for a snack.
Lunches: Usually half a sandwich on GOOD whole wheat bread, usually with natural ketchup (no HFCS). No mayo. Also a piece of fruit.

Dinner is almost always lean meat and two veggie sides, sometimes steamed, usually roasted.

[odonnela]

Originally Posted by synger

If you are aiming low in the calorie range (1200 or so), you absolutely have to make sure that every calorie is satisfying. I find that carbs will spike my blood glucose and make me hungrier, so I've pretty much eliminated sugars and starches. For me, the key to satiety is fat. I eat some protein for every meal, but make sure I get a good dollop of fat with it. Then I bulk it out with all sorts of veggies.

The fat keeps me satisfied, and since I've eliminated sugars and starches I need the calories from fat for body fuel (protein is a building block, not fuel, so if you lower carbs, you have to increase fat... and if you lower fat, you have to increase carbs). Anyway, I can easily stick to around 1200 calories (though my range is 1200-1500) without too much hunger so long as I'm eating enough fat for satiety.

OMG no wonder when I was doing the low carb/low fat protein shakes
I was HUNGRY! I was on a weight loss surgery board and they all said
how full and energetic the protein makes them so I tried it. My hair is awesome lol but I never stayed full. I'm sure reason #1 is that I have not
had weight loss surgery, but the fat really makes sense.

[SCraver]

Lean Cuisines/Healthy Choices were good for me to get a handle on what portion sizes look like. And I still grab a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer for lunch every now and then (eating one right now!). If you are going to eat frozen meals - my suggestion is to add extra veggies to them. Either a salad on the side or cooked veggies mixed in (I get those Ziploc, Zip 'n' Steam bags).

If you are having a hard time sticking to 1400 - 1600, keep experimenting. Maybe do 1800 - 2000. Or some people do calorie cycling (ie. have 1400 - 1600 for a few days, then do a day of 1800 - 2000). I am currently shooting for 1600 a day on the weekdays and 1850 a day on weekends.

[odonnela]

Thank you thank you everyone! I am LOVING this board already and
feeling really energized to kick my butt back into gear.
I am loving looking at everyones stats and seeing how much you have lost!
The other board I was on there was lots of weight lost but almost everyone had surgery (which is not a bad thing!!) but I know not everyone here has had weight loss surgery so that makes me even more motivated that yes I can lose it!

(Disclaimer - I think weight loss surgery is a wonderful thing! And I would have done it if I didn't chicken out! I don't think that people who have had it took the "easy way", because its really really hard work! So if I mention surgery and non-surgery, its because I almost had it and have spent the last year getting my support from a WLS website not because I am knocking it in any way). Don't want to ruffle any feathers especially since I just joined.