Let's talk about food. You like to eat, I like to eat, everybody likes to eat. But what should you eat? Think of your calories like you do your bank account, when your account hits zero, you are done for the day. Today I'll give you a sample menu for one day. This is what I ate most days when I was in the "losing" phase. Breakfast has always been my downfall, I was never really successful at losing weight until I found a breakfast that I liked, had basically no sugar and was EASY and quick to fix. So what did I find? Hormel Compleats. Hormel Compleats are not a typical breakfast food, they are pre-packaged, not frozen or even refrigerated. I get them in the aisle with the canned soup, etc. The Compleats have about 250 calories, and 20 grams of protein. They are a little high in sodium, but they work for me. Anyway, back to the menu:
Hormel Compleat Chicken Marinara 250 Calories
Sun Chips 100 Calories (pre-packaged)
Grilled Porkchop 3 oz 130 Calories
Salad 100 Calories
Cheerios 100 Calories
Protein Shake 200 Calories
Grilled Chicken Breast 200 Calories
Green Beans 50 Calories
Vegetable Dip 2 tbsp 35 Calories
Ice Cream 1/2 cup no sugar added 120 Calories
Total Calories for the day 1285 Calories
Calories burned working out 950 Calories
Net Calories 335 Calories
3 meals and 3 snacks, you'll notice I did not count the vegetables in the salad or the vegetables I ate with dip. The calories in lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers etc are negligible. The porkchop is a serving about the size of a deck of cards, the chicken breast is boneless, skinless, medium sized. The calories in the salad are the dressing and olives. A cup of PLAIN Cheerios is about 100 calories.
A few hints, watch out for pre-packaged salads, cheese, croutons, fried chicken strips, boiled eggs and "regular" dressing can easily take a salad to 500+ calories. When you start, measure everything, that way you'll know what 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, or 2 tablespoons of dressing or dip look like. Buy snacks in 100 calorie bags or buy snack bags and measure out 100 calories in each bag. No eating out of the bag. Be careful when you eat out. I like Subway, but there's a big difference between a 6 inch ham and turkey on wheat, no cheese, spicy mustard, light mayo, lots of veggies and a 6 inch spicy italian, with cheese and mayo. The ham and turkey is about 350 calories, then I have LIGHT chips (75 calories) and unsweetened tea. About 425 calories total. Spicy italian, regular chips and regular coke is close to 1000 calories. I'm not saying you can never have the spicy italian, but you should know the difference in calories so you can make a conscious decision. I'll never say you have to eat this, or you can't eat that. I'll always say you should know what you are eating and make a conscious decision about whether it will cause an overdraft in your account. I rea-e-e-e-ally want you to think about what you eat.
