Thanks very much for all the advice. I think I am going to stop stressing so much about exactly how many calories I take in (although have a general idea) and start a food journal which will help me to recognise my body’s signals. It will enable me to figure out what foods I eat at breakfast that make me hungry midmorning and those that don’t. I will take Athena’s advice and try to aim for slightly hungry by mealtime.
I had an english muffin, one egg, one slice bacon for breakfast…approx 250 calories.
I just had my midmorning snack from about 10-11:30 I have eaten my fruit salad (sharing it with my coworkers). That was about another 250 calories…it sucks that fruit has so many calories, but I feel better about eating 250 calories of fruit than 10 pieces of centre cut bacon which has the same number of calories.
IMHO, lose all the white staches for now. Pasta, potatoes, white bread. They really are “empty calories” with little nutrition. Replace it with a larger serving of a high nutrition vegetable and make whole wheat bread/pasta an occasional thing rather than a staple.
1 baked potato (no butter or topping) = 145 calories with virtually no nutrition or fiber. To get 145 calories of broccoli you need to eat 6 cups of it. Could you even eat that much broccoli at a sitting!? Or switch to sweet potato for similar caloric content but much more nutrition and more fiber.
Quick update: I went and bought a scale last week. I was off by 5lbs and was only 175, not 180. I have since lost 5lbs and am now consistently at 170. My diet has been fairly consistent, protein for breakfast, fruit midmorning and lunch and then a 6-700 calorie dinner. We kinda went off the rails a bit on Saturday, but have been excercising and walking with my daughter every day and my clothes are starting to fit looser which is a great sign. I still have about 25lbs to go, but slower is better because usually if I lose weight too quickly, I put it straight back on again. This is more of a lifestyle change than anything else.
I’m still hungry around 10/11am so I pick at my fruit from about 10 til lunchtime. Today, for some reason, I am super hungry and have already nearly finished my fruit (it’s only 10:42am) so I will have to suffer, but yesterday was good and I managed to make it last till I finished work at 2 and then we had dinner at 5. I know that my hunger today is just psychological because I’m craving a sandwich but I will be strong and not give in :).
Ok, so I gave in and had a sandwich (we have a sandwich place right outside where I work). It was a small turkey sandwich with lettuce tomato and pickle and no mayo or butter so only about 250 calories. Just means that I will take a longer walk tonight and excercise a bit more :).
I don’t eat breakfast because I can’t stop and have a snack at 9:30 or 10. I’m on my feet from 7 am to 11, get 20 minutes for lunch, then on my feet again until 3. It’s not an option to have a snack.
I was never a breakfast eater either. When I decided it was time to get back in shape a few months ago, I read all I could about non-fad nutrition and exercise, and I read something that suggested that if you are not hungry in the morning, you are eating too many calories at night and / or eating too late at night. So I started eating more for breakfast even if I wasn’t hungry (seems counter-intuitive, I know) and then a medium lunch and less for supper. I stopped eating at all after supper and after a few weeks I adjusted to this new routine and now I am hungry in the mornings and I don’t overeat at night anymore because I am starving, which used to be part of my problem.
I eat pretty much what I want, and don’t count calories anymore although I did for the first few weeks so I have a good idea of what a portion size is. I have lost 20 pounds and am now pretty much back at my ideal weight (BMI 23) although I would like to tone up a bit more and maybe lose 5 more pounds in the process.
And I agree with the bananas suggestion - those really fill me up. I also try to stick to the 20-30-50 balance at meals of fat, protein and whole grains and carbs, but now that I am maintaining and not losing I am more relaxed about what I eat. If I overeat one meal I go easy the next, likewise I am going easy now after eating over the holidays and it seems to be working, I did not gain any weight over Christmas even though I ate desserts and cookies and stuffing and everything. I just kept working out even though I felt like I couldn’t possible make up for all I ate, but it was enough to keep my body somewhat balanced.
Yay! It’s only been 10 days, but people are starting to notice that I’ve lost weight…my clothes are looser and I’ve got a lot more energy. I went for a walk with my daughter yesterday afternoon which was a lot of fun (2 year olds just LOVE everything and are interested in everything) and when she got tired, I got a bit of an extra workout by carrying her. I really think I’m liking this change of lifestyle.
As for the bananas suggestion, unfortunately I cannot eat bananas. They make me throw up. Even artificial banana flavour. I think it’s a psychological thing, but it’s been ever since I was a child. My daughter doesn’t like them either for some reason…but then she seems to hate all fruit and veges (except trees (broccoli) because they’re fun to eat)…LOL.
