Loosing weight / food....

[nathaliabrown]

Okay I am trying to loose weight. Everyday I eat a damn salad for lunch. I think if I eat another salad I might just go off teh deep end.lol. Anyways, I am looking for healthy lunch ideas that are budget friendly. I work at home so packing a lunch is not a issue.

This is my dailey:

breakfast: small bowl of cereal / or 80 cal yogurt

lunch: salad half sand or big salad

snack: apple/bannana / gum/ 100 cal popcorn

dinner: what ever I make

 

[redlawyer]

Make sure you have protein at lunch, it will keep you fuller longer. I like Sabra Hummus with cucumber slices and pita wedges. Soup is also very filling, but watch out for too much sodium. If you have a salad, be careful with the dressing and make sure you add protein like hard boiled egg or sliced chicken breast. And not an iceberg salad either, use dark leafy greens and add as many veggies as you can stand. Good luck.

Almost forgot, you must exercise or all the dieting in the world won't help.

 

[sandynd]

How about soup instead? Warm, and filling, and not a damn salad. (I hate salad!!) And pretty comparable for calories if it's not a cream soup.

 

[happily single]

I found these terrific wraps at Stop & Shop at the deli counter with tons of fiber, low fat and low cal. RIght now I have rosemary wheat. Delish!!! I just can't remember the brand name and if I get up the cats will get my ice cream lol

Also I'm in love with Thomas' Bagel Thins. Again lots of fiber, low cal. I toast it and add homemade chicken salad (canned chicken breast which has almost 0 fat, with a little bit of low fat mayo)

 

[TandLMommy28]

I have recently discovered the joys of Kashi granola bars. They are so delicious and they are filling. I am always shocked how long they keep me satisfied. I like chocolate cherry and chocolate coconut. 120 calories and seriously keeps you full for awhile. they aren't the CHEAPEST but considering how long they hold your appetite I think they are worth the price in that you won't be wanting another cheaper snack quicker.

 

[Karenj2]

I highly recommend Weight Watchers - they teach you how to eat so you don't have to eat a salad every day... If you're not willing to try that, then I'd at least get a food scale and make sure you're eating proper portions of your breakfast, etc.

 

[pat fan]

For breakfast, try a plain non-fat Greek yogurt with artificial sweetener in it and maybe some blueberries. It is only a few more calories and much more filling and lasts you longer.

For lunch, make sure you have some protein (as someone else said). Add tuna, chicken, beans (kidney,chick peas) or cottage cheese to the salad. Or have some grilled fish (salmon maybe) and a baked potato or some brown rice and hot veg, like summer squash or carrots or green beans.

Really, unless you are having a big dinner, you seem a little shy on calories. Is this a doctor's plan or weight loss plan or are you winging it? If you don't eat enough, you'll just sabotage yourself. Losing weight is so hard, congrats for the effort! I'm back to WW and it's a real struggle sometimes! Good luck!

 

[dakcp2001]

A nice sandwich on whole grain or multigrain bread filled with veggies!

Pita pocket filled with veggies & deli meat.

English muffin pizzas made with light eng muffins, 2% shredded cheese, little tomato sauce top with veggies.

Stir Fry- bag of steam fresh veggies, chicken breast cut into chunks, and stir fry sauce over brown rice. Make one big batch on the weekend and separate into tupperware to take for lunches all week.

 

[apnep]

Okay I am trying to loose weight. Everyday I eat a damn salad for lunch.

LOL!

You need more protien woman! Eat smaller portions.

You need to throw two more snacks in your routine. It should look like this:

Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack

Eat something more filling for breakfast like an egg sandy or oatmeal with fruit.
A snack should be some kind of protien + small fruit. Have a handful of nuts cuz I'm sorry, gum has no nutritional value for your body.Yes, snack after dinner. Another yogurt, some fruit, or a smoothie. Just make sure your meals and snacks aren't BIGGIE sized. And don't take in a bunch of crappy carbs.

Use a smaller plate for your food to control portion sizes. Look at your fist. That is the size of your stomach. Eat slow. It takes a long time for your brain to realize it's full. And drink a glass of water before you eat. Good luck!

 

[StacyMarie]

My favorite thing for breakfast right now is a sandwhich made with a high-fiber Thomas' English muffin with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, 2 egg whites, and 2 slices of tomato. I eat it every day. You need more protein and I don't think you are getting enough calories to lose weight. If you don't give your body enough of what it needs, it goes into starvation mode and stores fat instead of burning it.

I also follow the schedule of:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack (if this one is needed)

 

[apnep]

My favorite thing for breakfast right now is a sandwhich made with a high-fiber Thomas' English muffin with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, 2 egg whites, and 2 slices of tomato.

Yum! Sounds delish! I love that Laughing Cow...

If you don't give your body enough of what it needs, it goes into starvation mode and stores fat instead of burning it.

Definitely. The more you feed your body, the harder your metabolism works. But again, no biggie sizing!

 

[Karlzmom]

1. make sure your calories are not too low! Your daily menu looks really skimpy, IMO.

2. lean protein is your friend. your body needs it, and it satisfies you completely so you will be less hungry/grouchy/at risk of "cheating"
- a scrambled egg for breakfast
-slice of deli meat wrapped around hummus
-tuna salad made with low/non-fat mayo
-chix salad made with low.non-fat mayo
-fish is your friend, unless fried
-greek non-fat yogurt

get enough water and do something everyday for exercise..even a walk! Rev those engines a bit and the pounds will peel off.

 

[Kfyr23]

Okay I am trying to loose weight. Everyday I eat a damn salad for lunch. I think if I eat another salad I might just go off teh deep end.lol. Anyways, I am looking for healthy lunch ideas that are budget friendly. I work at home so packing a lunch is not a issue.

This is my dailey:

breakfast: small bowl of cereal / or 80 cal yogurt

lunch: salad half sand or big salad

snack: apple/bannana / gum/ 100 cal popcorn

dinner: what ever I make

Need more protein for breakfast it will keep you fuller through the day. Try some egg beaters and some wheat toast and some fruit then a small snack around 10 lunch try a turkey sandwich or tuna with little mayo and again a snack between lunch and dinner. More protein and fiber it will make you feel fuller longer.

 

[grafxgirl]

Lots of protein, less carbs, less sugar.

I had to go on one of these diets while I was pregnant because I had gestational diabetes. Would you believe I ate peanut butter and low sugar jelly on multi-grain sandwiches nearly every day (cravings)? It was a quick energy booster and gave me the feeling of having something sweet.

I gained 20 lbs. during my entire pregnancy and ended up losing a total of 37 lbs within 6 weeks after my daughter was born. Same thing when I had my son 3 years later. Two years later I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease. I went from 120 lbs to 186 lbs. Now that it is under control, I've spent the last 2 years losing the weight, so the diet is now just a way of life for me along with 5 miles of running 5 days a week. So far, I've lost 55 lbs.

Another thing is portion control, portion control, portion control!

 

[phamy76]

I'm trying to lose weight, too.
But, your list it too small! you need to only cut 250 calories per day and burn 250 calories per day to lose 1 lb per week. don't cut 1,000 calories in one day. You still need to eat.

Breakfast - yogurt or cereal. a piece of fruit
snack - unsalted pretzels
lunch - soup or turkey sandwich. fruit. small side salad w/ lite dressing
snack - 100 cal popcorn
dinner - 4 oz protein, rice, veg
snack - scoop of ice cream

this is what I've been following for 3 weeks now and I've lost 8 lb.
It's still about having filling food. Just less of the fatty and salty food.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I agree with many others, that it looks like you're not eating enough!

I've lost about 70 lbs over the last year and a half or so. Here's some of my typical food

*As soon as I wake up, I have a piece of fruit (about 70 calories worth)
I need the carbs to do my workout, which I generally do about 1/2 hour later

*After my workout, I have a combination of carbs/protein. Sometimes I'll have 1 tbsp. of peanut butter (natural/organic) on some multigrain toast. Sometimes I'll have a cup of Greek Yogurt (if the taste is too much for you, try adding a tbsp of honey or maple syrup) and some berries or bananas. Sometimes I'll have a hard boiled egg or two and some fruit...

*Mid morning snack--usually a different selection from my breakfasts above

*lunch--1/2 Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread OR a salad (dark greens, not iceburg! chopped tomatoes if we have them, grilled skinless chicken breast) OR maybe some turkey chili

*Afternoon snack--maybe some carrots and broccoli with TzaTziki (a Greek cucumber Yogurt dressing, I buy it at Costco but it's available other places too!) or some greek yogurt if I haven't already had a lot that day...or maybe a banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter (my FAVORITE!!!!)

*Dinner--whatever I make for my family...I try to make it healthy.

The BIGGEST thing for me, is measuring my food, and recording it! EVERYTHING I put in my mouth is measured---I have a kitchen scale so i can weigh food, or I'll use measuring spoons/measuring cups, etc. I never just say that I had a "medium apple"--I always know how many grams the apple weighed. I never just pour some dressing on my salad, I measure out exactly 1 tablespoon.

Then I record it all on a site like Fitday or Sparkpeople. There are other sites with nutrition trackers too. That is how I make sure I don't eat too many calories each day.

 

[Green Tea]

Are you putting dressing on the salad? That is a calorie killer. If you put the dressing in a cup and dip the tines of your fork in before spearing your lettuce, you will get the flavor with very little dressing actually used.

 

[kathy320]

congrats on your efforts!!!! I too am trying real hard to get back in shape. This is what I have been doing..........for starters, I have been going to bed 1 1/2 -2 hours earlier than I normally do. I am talking 9-9:30. It is difficult because I am a tv junkie but I find that I am not up and eating ( I am a big night time snacker) and that I wake up fully rested and want to geton my treadmill. In terms of food......I will have a protien shake with a banana mixed infor bf, (not too high in cal and it has 50 grams of protien. I will have a cup of Chobani vanilla yogurt loaded with strawberries and bluberries or sometimes a banana for lunch, and for mid day snacks I have been slicing up various veggies (peppers, cucumbers,carrots,sugar snap peas) and I will dip them in lite ranch dressing. I do eat salads.....I love salads. I put sunflower seeds on mine. And I drink a lot of water. Also, one good tip I have is not too drink while you are eating. My DH had gastric bypass surgery 2 months ago and this is the one thing they told him to do. The reasoning behind it is if you drink while you eat, you turn your food into what they call a "slurry" and you can fit more into your stomach. Good luck!!! It is never easy.....don't be too hard on yourself.

 

[nathaliabrown]

Thanks

It really has been a struggle! I am down to 174 @ 5'9. I have been here for almost 3-4 months! It is killing me! Granted I do have bad days ( like last night I had a slice of pie...have not had one in weeks!!!). I do work out. I usually walk (very briskly) 4-4.5 miles 2-3 times a week and do my eliptical 4 days a week 10-20 min depending if I am walking that day. This was what I ate yesterday

Breakfast: yugart

Lunch: salad with lime cilantro dressing ( could not finish it out of disgust lol) so I also had a turkey sand that had swiss and lite mayo.

Dinner: Hamburgers with baked fries

dessert: piece of lemon mon. pie

 

[StevenV]

as some have mentioned, Weight Watchers is a good plan, though it does cost some $.

I'm a firm believer in "you get what you measure and track." For me, LiveStrong.com is an excellent tool (both the website and the iPhone app) - create a free login and start using "My Plate" to track EVERYTHING you eat and EVERY bit of exercise you do. As you track the food, note the calories, fat and protein content. Then use the "Calorie Calculator" with reasonable values and start tracking your weight as well. Tracking + discipline = results. I've lost 12lbs in the past 18 days and I feel great (and my blood pressure is within normal range now, too).