what is everyone eating??

renatapiras

I am having a rough start at this whole calorie counting thing! I have done weight watchers which is points driven but now that I am counting calories I am always going over. What does eveyone eat? How do you stay within your calorie range?

Thanks for all your help!

Kanuenue

Daily: I eat lots of vegetables and fruits. A serving or two of whole grains. And enough protein to meet my workout and body goals (90 grams for me). And a palmful or so of mono unsaturated fats like nuts and avocados. This is a 40% carbs, 40% protein, 30% fat plan. Counting calories is like points,set a budget, plan meals, and try to eat foods you already enjoy (or healthier versions of them).

Good luck!

bcattoes

Generally, I skip breakfast other than a cup of soy milk.

Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner, or a sandwich wrap.

Dinner is usually at least 1/2 my daily calories, and often includes wine and/or dessert. But the dinner meal could be anything. It usually includes a lean meat - chicken, pork loin, fish or other seafood. One or more vegetables, usually cooked in oil (roasted, grilled, sauteed, stir fry). And about half the time, includes a grain - brown rice, quinoa, wholemeal bread, pasta, etc.

Sometimes I snack, sometimes I don't. Usually low sodium V8, dry roasted edamame, nuts, low sugar granola bars, and/or fruit.

steve2kay

One of the nice thing about MFP is that people have their diaries open (mine is open to friends, feel free to friend me) and you can see what people are eating. I always wonder how people get plenty of protein, sometimes looking at other people's diaries are a good way to find other meal ideas.

I read somewhere that people tend to find a few meals that suit them and eat those frequently.

Today I ran for 45 minutes, so that makes my dinner choice a bit easier.

chezjuan

When I was at a calorie deficit, I kind of stuck to the same types of food for my breakfast and lunch, then ate a sensible dinner.

Breakfast: Hard boiled egg and a cup of yogurt (either regular or Greek, depending on what I felt like eating)
Lunch: Either a small portion of leftovers, or an Amy's Organic frozen entrée (Amy's bowls were a staple for a while)
After work snack: 1 oz of cheese on 4 Ritz 9r similar crackers)
Dinner: This varied a lot - generally a balanced home-cooked meal, Usually enough to finish my calories for the day
Dessert: If I felt like dessert, I would leave a little room in my dinner and then have some fresh fruit or one serving of ice cream.

madaughe

I try to avoid soda and junk food. Which can be hard because my husband has to have a sweet treat almost every night. Ive been doing Greek yogurt with granola for breakfast, but I did mix it up today with half a bagel with some peanut butter on it. For lunch I have been doing a salad or a special K protein shake. Then for dinner I try to do a meat and a vegetable. I have also been trying to do 30-60 mins of cardio 3-4 times a weeks. I haven't been having to much of a problem staying within my calories but I do struggle to get in the recommended amount of protein.

Francl27

Well it's harder when you have a very low goal, like all the people who eat 1200 calories. I wouldn't be able to do it, but again my goal has pretty much always been 1600ish... but I make sure to walk 5 miles a day so I can have some treats too.

The key is low calorie filling foods and a lot of protein, and to avoid empty calories. Fruit, veggies, lean meats, eggs, Greek yogurt are things I eat a lot of. I do buy low fat cheese and low fat/fat free yogurt because it fills me up just as well as the full fat version for less calories, but some people like the regular stuff best. I buy whole grain bread/pasta.

CarmineDeMarco

I'm in the process of losing 20 pounds that I gained after I recovered from an illness back in January, so this is my first experience with trying to lose weight. In short: I will eat anything and everything, as long as I keep within my daily caloric limit. For breakfast, I might have a couple of pieces of fruit, or a bowl of oatmeal. During the day, I'll eat nuts, seeds, raisins; peanut butter on a slice of bread or on an English muffin; hummus on pita; soy milk; Greek yogurt. I juice when I have the time. For dinner, although I always try to include a salad and some vegetables, all bets are off - I'll eat whatever I want, I'll just ration myself. For example, if we go out to breakfast or to dinner, before eating I will first divide all of my food into two halves, and eat only one half.

Everything in moderation....take the middle way.

Look at it this way: as long as you're not exceeding your daily maintenance level, you're not losing ground, since you're not GAINING weight. Eating any amount of calories less per day than you need for maintenance is going to result in a loss. My program is to lose 1.5 pounds/week. Are there days when I "go over" my target number? Absolutely. But I don't let it bother me, because although I may then be off track for my pace of losing 1.5/week, maybe instead I'm going to lose ONE pound this week.

Although I've personally never had to go on a weight loss program before, I've always believed that there's only one "magic formula" to weight loss: eat less (and use portion control), and exercise more (including low-impact activities like walking, which can burn 100 calories/mile). I like this app because it raises your awareness of what you're putting into your body, plus it integrates with apps like Runkeeper - so it factors in the calories that you burn by running or walking. So you get a great overall picture of how many calories you're taking in (the focus on FOOD), and how many you're burning (the focus on EXERCISE).

Best of luck to you, Renata!