I did things in steps. First I started exercising, then I started exercising a little more, then I started limiting my calories, then I increased my exercise even more and was actually able to increase my calories.
I never calorie-cycled, I've always kept my calories at an even amount every day. I don't think I could manage the low days necessary to keep my average where it needs to be.
When I first started limiting my calories, I cut them all the way down to 1200 per day. Here is what I typically ate:
Breakfast (generally around 200 calories)- Cold Cereal with Milk: On weekdays I eat cereal that is 120 to 150 calories per cup with 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk. Favorites are Flax Plus (flakes, not granola), High Fiber cereal (from Trader Joe's, similar to All Bran), Kashi Go Lean, or oatmeal.
- Bacon with English Muffin: On weekends I would have 3 slices of bacon (105 calories) plus an English muffin (110 calories) with 1/2 tbsp NF cream cheese (7 calories) and 1/2 tbsp guava jelly (25 calories)
Mid-morning Snack
When I was at 1200 calories, I had decaf chai tea with 1 tbsp soy milk and sweet-n-low. Now that my calories are higher, I throw in a piece of fruit.
Lunch (around 300 calories)- Tuna Salad: Various versions of tuna salad on low carb tortillas or crackers. I have one recipe that is tuna mixed with mango, cajon seasoning, red onion, a smidgeon of olive oil and cilantro (no mayo). You can eat it on a low-carb tortilla, crackers, or on half an avocado (by far the healthiest alternative). I have another version that includes tuna, pinto and garbanzo beans, mustard, red vinegar, onions, fresh herbs, and tomatoes. I eat it over lettuce.
- Sandwiches: Sandwiches on low-fat bread. I try to find bread that is less then 100 calories per slice. My current fav is Trader Joe's Fat-Free Multi-Grain, which is 70 calories per slice. The sandwich would also include deli meats that are 60 to 90 calories per serving, laughing cow cheese which is 35 calories per wedge, tomato slices, lettuce, various low-calorie spread (no mayo). Also, PB&J although I try to limit this because of the high fat content in peanut butter.
- Frozen Meals: Low calories frozen entres like Lean Cuisine Panini or pizzas (around 300 calories), Amy's savory pies (around 150-200 calories), Ethnic Gourmet entres (around 200 calories). If the entre is around 200 calories, I would also have some low-calorie crackers or a tomato, cucumber, and raspberry salad in balsamic vinegar with it.
Afternoon snacks- Low calories energy bars (anywhere from 80 to 200 calories per bar, depending on how many calories are available in my plan).
- Microwave popcorn (100 calories)
- Fruit
Dinner (around 400 calories)
I eat far too many different things for dinner to list them all here. Here is the general idea of what I eat for dinner. I get most of my recipes from Cooking Light and BHG.com.
- Chicken: I eat a lot of chicken. In casseroles, ground, baked, broiled, grilled, in various sauces, in soups and stews...I swear, I am the woman of 200 chicken recipes.
- Other Lean Meats: I also have a number of recipes that call for lean ground beef, ground turkey, or pork and we eat a reasonable amount of fish.
- Salads and Veggies: I almost always have a nice big green salad with 1/2 serving of low calorie dressing with dinner. If I don't have a salad then I have some other veggie as a side.
- Starches: I eat a fair amount of brown rice and polenta, but not so much pasta and not a lot of potatoes.
- Emergency Meals: My staples for when I don't feel like cooking are Trader Joe's salmon patties (80 calories per patty) on low-cal bread with a vegetable or salad; chicken sausage (130 calories per sausage) on a hot dog bun (120 calories per bun) with a vegetable or salad; pre-made salads from Trader Joe's (around 200-300 calories); turkey kielbasa (70-90 calories per serving but I usually have 2 servings) sauteed with onions and peppers with a vegetable or salad; and pork tenderloin (160 calories per serving) with a vegetable or small baked potato.
Now that I am up to 1400 calories per day, I eat a few more snacks and a little bit more for lunch. My breakfasts and dinners have stayed pretty much the same. In fact, if anything they've gotten lower in calories because the longer I do this, the better I get at it. When I first started I made a lot of mistakes in terms of meals that were higher in calories than necessary.
