thanks for the tip about myfitnesspal... i just added it to my phone... and i just found out that i'm supposed to be eating 1200 cal per day! eek. i don't know how i'm going to do this.

I'm supposed to be at about 1200 cal/day too.. I'm kind of tapering it down, though. Yesterday I tried to stay below 2000, today I tried to stay below 1900. I figure I can use a week to learn how to keep my numbers low. Doing it cold turkey kind of intimidated me, so I compromised with myself.

My food journal has been my lifesaver. Everytime I indulge, I don't want to write it down! LOL Like THAT is going to change the fact that I ate something I shouldn't have, but it helps keep me accountable.

My breakfast are usually in the 300 range, but i eat 6 times a day.

Originally Posted by kbandnerd91:
my breakfast today had 636 calories (2 eggs, english muffin w/butter, grapes and a glass of milk). I've never counted my calories before but I still feel like that is a lot.

It's not how many calories per meal you have, it's how many calories you have during the day (or really, during the week) that matters.

I average 1500 per day. I do a little calorie cycling (where I have about 1300 one day, then 1500, 1500, 1500, and then 1700 or 1800 on another day) and it's working. My weight is coming off slowly, but it's coming off, and from all my research & trial & error, I've learned that taking it off slowly is the best way to go (makes it more unlikely that I will regain the weight at any point.)

I use FitDay on-line. It's quick, it's easy. And I also do a lot of pre-determined caloric meals. For instance, breakfast is one slice toast with 1/2 tsp mayo, 2 slices Oscar Mayer ham & 1 slice 2% cheddar cheese. With my 2 cups coffee (cream & Equal) that's 365 calories for breakfast. The protein in the ham & cheese helps keep me full til mid-morning snack.

Snack consists of a piece of fruit or a couple tsps of peanut butter, handful of nuts or other such quickie bites. About 90-150 calories worth.

My lunch usually consists of a Green Giant Healthy Vision frozen veggies (90 calories) and I mix in a can of white chicken (140 calories) with that, so there's my veggies & protein right there! -then, I have a half cup of cottage cheese (low fat or fat free) with some type of fruit (usually about 140 calories). That's 370 total, and a good, healthy easy-to-calorie-count lunch. :D

For another snacks (I like one around 2:30 or 3pm, to help tide me over til dinner) I enjoy the 100-calorie bites of nearly anything, from Chedder Chex Mix to Fudge Stripe cookies.

Dinner is super easy - I like to eat Honey Nut Cheerios with skim milk - 2 cups/1 cup - it's less than 400 calories. Or a nice broiled chicken breast with more Green Giant veggies (those are sooooo good!!!!) or an ear of corn, AND a 100 calorie ice cream treat afterward. On high-cycle days, I can even enjoy a cheeseburger & fries for dinner... How cool is that?!?!?!?

Don't be afraid. What's to fear? It's just food. ;) And you can totally do this! :D

Originally Posted by Huzzahforska:
I'm supposed to be at about 1200 cal/day too.. I'm kind of tapering it down, though. Yesterday I tried to stay below 2000, today I tried to stay below 1900. I figure I can use a week to learn how to keep my numbers low. Doing it cold turkey kind of intimidated me, so I compromised with myself.

Why are you 'supposed to' eat 1200 calories a day? There is no need to go so low to lose weight. At your weight, you could eat 1800 a day and lose 1-2 pounds a week depending on if you exercise and your metabolism.

This isn't a race to see how fast we can get it off. It's a lifestyle change to KEEP it off.

You shouldn't be afraid of food, food should be afraid of you!

For calorie counting I use DailyBurn (online nutrition and exercise tracker). They have a huge database of foods and I like that it also gives me the percentage breakdown for protein/carbs/fat, which helps me adjust my intake throughout the day so that I remain within acceptable margins (I'm going for 40/30/30 percentages for calories from P/C/F).

My suggested calorie intake is also 1200, but most days I'm actually below 1000 without getting hungry between meals. I expect that will change once I start working out again though.

Also, breakfast should provide you with calories and nutrients for the first half of your day, so don't worry too much if it seems big. Just try to get the most out of it by eating a good source of protein, some healthy fats and vegetables or fruit. I usually make some scrambled eggs with vegetables and sometimes things like a bit of chicken or turkey breast.

Originally Posted by catgirl:
thanks for the tip about myfitnesspal... i just added it to my phone... and i just found out that i'm supposed to be eating 1200 cal per day! eek. i don't know how i'm going to do this.

You can TRY the 1200 calorie thing, and see if it works for you. Not gonna lie, thats what mine said also, and pfft...yeah right! I did that for about 3 days and I was STARVING even eating high protein. That was just TOO low for me. So it may SAY your supposed to be that, but play with it and see how you feel. I bumped mine up to 1500 and am doing/feeling ALOT better!