no eating crap at night 1200 calorie diet but smart choices.....if I stop that I believe 30 lbs wont be hard

I am a gastric bypass patient, 2004 lost 125lb, got thyroid cancer, gained back over the years 80lbs, now losing again, but difficult, when I lose I have to adjust my medicine or feel awful, I have been at a 3 week standstill, changed my goal to 1lb loss per week, so it increased my calories, i try to eat more protein, eating healthy nuts daily and getting energy to exercise.

Be so off track lately. Do alot of stress eating. Trying to get back on track with calories set by MFP and not going over.

1400 calories a day and I usually eat them back if I've worked out.

Ive spent my whole life eatting like a child and over indulging n crap food. I cut pop out of my diet at the beginning of the year and swapped chips for smart pop popcorn (baby steps).

I've also have been eatting 5-6 meals a day since the beginning of the year and have noticed a major increase in energy. Before I would drink coffee all day, until dinner and then binge all night which left me feeling exhausted. I really think smaller frequent meals make the day more manageable.

I've always been a picky when it comes to vegetables, but I've been trying new things and stick with what I like: carrots, green beans and Bell peppers. I aim to have 2 servings a day, but its hasn't become a natural habbit.

I love fruit and have replaced the bad sweets with the good ones. My favorites are strawberries, raspberries, apple's and mango. I usually have 2-3 servings daily. I eat some sort of berry every day.

I choose whole grains almost always.

I eat chicken everyday, but one meal a week I allow myself red meat. Usually I splurge on my homemade pasta sauce or tacos.

I have a protein shake with coconut almond milk every day, sometimes I have 2.

I love to cook, but I cook two meals every night (mine + son&husbands) so I'm looking for ways to simplify.

I think that the most important thing is not to consider that one is on a diet, but a healthy eating plan for life, which includes treats, chocolate, pizzas, birthday do's, restaurant meals and so on. But all in moderation. The worst thing about a diet is that one sticks to it, loses the weight, then goes back to "normal" eating - which is what put the weight on in the first place!

I eat above my BMR at 1600and if I work out very hard and am hungry, I eat back some of my exercise calories. I eat fairly clean, i actually don' t like junk food, I love wine and chocolate but I have been able to have it all in moderation in past 11 weeks since joining MFP. For now, diet is under control for me. I need to find more time for working out.

MFP recommends 1200 calories for me, which surprisingly is hard for me to keep up with, I never seem to make it. I cannot follow their recommendations on sugar intake as mine needs to be higher for medical issues. But when I see that in red it irks me.

So far what I'm mainly working on is the portion control. I cook from scratch on an almost daily basis, so that's usually not a problem for me. While I will limit what I eat, I will not suddenly stop eating a wonderful food simply because it's high carb or high calorie. The compromise is the much smaller amounts.

Prime example, I'm making cabbage rolls today. It is a tradition and an old family recipe. Somehow I've got to figure out how to measure exactly what goes in and the calorie counts.

As for energy levels, I lag mid-afternoon. Whether this is from starvation or the BP meds, who knows. I also get extremely hungry around 9 or 10pm every night. I'm still up working at that point. Last night instead of eating, I ignored it. I'm starving this morning and want more than my blah oatmeal Help?!

I'm eating between 1500-1700 calories a day. I try to stay on the lower end, but if I eat to the higher end I don't feel defeated. I lost weight before on 1300 cal a day, but it didn't stay off. I have insulin resistance and my blood sugar last time it was checked was in the prediebetes range, therefore I am trying to not eat a lot of carbs. and of course no sugar , white bread, or white rice. I do take a med. to help control the insulin levels and feel it is helping me. I try to keep carbs under 100, but it would probably be better for me to go lower.
Yesterday was a bad day because I ate out twice. I do so much better when I don't eat out!

My diet... wow... that's a loaded subject! LOL... I am pretty good with food. I do not crave or even want sweets, so that's not an issue. I eat a lean cuisine meal at lunch. I drink at least 8 bottles of water a day. And thru the week, I eat a sandwich and soup for supper or something equally low cal.

My Problems!!

1. Beer is my biggest downfall, this maybe an odd problem area for a woman but there it is. I know this should be an easy one. 96 calories per can of totally empty calories. Common sense says just dont do it!!! . BUT it's part of my life. In the evenings, my husband and I sit and talk and have a couple of beers together. It's just what we do, what we've always done, and our downtime. I do figure these calories into my total every day.
Also, most nights we eat very late. Then go to bed. I've read alot about eating late. Some advice says it's a no-no, some say as long as your under your calories, then your fine. So I just don't know.

2. Weekends - We have have a large group of friends. Almost every weekend year round we grill, go to the lake, etc... (again, beer is an issue as far as calories go) There is no part of any of our weekend life that is fitness or nutrient oriented. i.e. In my world, folks think fried okra or squash is healty because it's "vegetables"... LOL

I want and need to find a way to make all this work for me. I'm getting older but we still live a young and active lifestyle. I want to feel and look good and still be able to be a part of my world of friends and life!

Tell me what your diet is like, sticking points, and how your energy levels are. Keep each other motivated as well. Everyone should get to know each other. 12 Weeks will go by very quickly!! Get ready for that Sunshine and warm weather. Well in PA it is still snowing i'm sure some of you have warm weather already and for that I am jealous =-)

Im trying to stay between 1457 and 1957 for my daily calories. When i work out I try to net 1457. Figuring out my calories has been my biggest problem. My energy is down most days. I work from 5:30am - 2pm, so I have a hard time getting 8 hours of sleep as this would mean I would need to be in bed by 8pm. I also suffer from allergies and I believe this contributes to why I'm so exhausted EVERY day. Last week I started following the Dash Diet Plan, which is basically exactly what you have recommended to all of us.

My biggest challenge is the lack of sleep. All I want to do after work is go home and take a nap and by the time I wake up it's too late to get to the gym because I need to get dinner and laundry and food packed for the next day before I get to bed. I'm at work right now and my eyes are burning and watering from my allergies and I'm yawning and can't wait to get to bed, but I know I need to get to the gym:yawn:

I also have a husband and daughter who refuse to give up the crap foods and so I have that temptation in the house too.