Daily Diet 09-21-12
Real world menu choices for real people trying to be calorie conscious throughout their day.
Tips for using the Daily Diet effectively:
- Have a calorie goal for the day (and every day.)
- Keep a food journal so you know what you ate (and how many calories.)
- If you're eating at a different restaurant from what's featured here, do the best with what's available. Look for a similar entre, or read the nutrition guide and order something which fits within your calorie budget.
- Keep in mind - every pound of fat in your body is 3,500 calories worth of energy, just waiting to be released and burned. If you're still a little hungry throughout the day, that's great - it means your body might just be tapping into that excess reserve.
- Check out the Daily Diet page for more details, information, examples, and links.
Today's meal plan
- Breakfast: Cereal w/ skim milk. (Honey Bunches of Oats)
- Morning Snack: Pretzels
- Lunch: Paradise Bakery - Thai Chopped Salad w/ cup of low-fat soup
- Afternoon Snack: grapes
- Dinner: two ground beef tacos
- Dessert: 1/2 banana
Total Calories: 1,200 - 1,400 (depending on portion sizes)
It's not easy, but it's doable. And once you reach your goal, "maintenance mode", where you can eat as many calories as you burn, and which should last the rest of your life, will feel like a change from fasting to feasting!
-Chris Butterworth
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I found if I calculate and buy breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack for a whole week, the only meal I have to figure out is dinner... I was getting "counting calorie fatigue", and the thought of writing down one more thing was enough to make me want to throw in the towel.
ReplyDeleteSo breakfast is either an eggwhite scramble with veggies and coffee, or a fruit smoothie (just puree, no milk or yogurt) and a coffee. Lunch is a whole wheat flat bun with hummus and a slice of tomato and an apple, a piece of fruit in the afternoon if I am riding my bike home. Totals 500-600 calories, so I know I have 700-1000 more for the day with dinner. It makes it much easier for me to stay on track. I can even have a beer if I want (200 calories).
@ Leauxra - you always have good stuff to share - thank you.
ReplyDeletere "fatigue" - I agree. As much as variety is the spice of life, and eating the same thing all the time gets very boring, very quickly, it's a lot easier to start with a smaller number of foods and expand from there a little at a time. Looking up lots of different foods, all day long, with each day's food being new to your plan... that takes a lot of mental energy.
re your calorie budget - anytime you can start off strong, it makes the end easier. Just like working out in the morning to get it out of the way, or getting your workout done on Monday so you only have a couple more to do that week... eating small early in the day is a great way to let your day build momentum. (and who doesn't want a beer once in awhile! :)