Those who lost over 100ibs..plz share your exper.

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Monna2
Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
Hello guys
I am new here.
I have been overweight for most of my adult life.
No diets have ever worked for me.
Now, I need to lose about 100ibs as my healrh is deteriorating; I get backpains, climbing stairs is difficult, I even started having breathing problems.
I want to know your experiences. How many calories did you eat? How much exercise did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? And now, do you feel lighter and more able to move?
And how did you use fitnesspal?
Thank you
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Replies

  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
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    While I have not lost 100 lbs - I do have some advice.

    1. Start small - make little changes that are manageable and lead to success (i.e reducing pop, going from 2% milk to 1%, using less butter etc etc). Try swimming for exercise. while putting on a bathing suit can be mentally hard, it is best for your joints and is the easiest way to add exercise without major discomfort

    2. Log all of your food including things you think don't matter, try getting a cheap digital scale once you get used to MFP in order to improve your accuracy

    3. For now - make sure you do not deprive yourself of foods you enjoy - make dietary changes that you WANT to make - not ones you feel you have to make. So long as you are hitting your calories you will be fine. Later you can start worrying about diet quality. There is no sense in jumping into a kale, quinoa, and celery diet - you will likely hate it. Make changes you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life - otherwise you are likely to gain the weight back when you go back to your "old ways"

    4. Practice forgiveness and consistency. We are human, we are imperfect, we will falter. That doesn't mean we are failures, don't give up. Just keep trying until something clicks. Whether thats with MFP or without. But MFP works - just browse the success stories.

    Thats all I can think of for now. Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck - you can do it!!!!!
  • Monna2
    Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
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    Thanks you very much for the advice.
  • SisterMable
    SisterMable Posts: 40 Member
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    Hi there. I've lost 146ish lbs.

    My primary weight loss method is low carb + keeping on top of portions.

    It has taken me a bit over 3 years to lose this much weight.

    I now do Keto. It's a modified low carb eating plan that allows me sufficient fats to feel very satisfied, moderate protein so I stay in ketosis, and very low carbohydrates (less than 20 g a day net). I currently have my calories set around 1600, with 5% carbs, 10% protein, 85% fat. I eat a lot of avocados and coconut oil and butter for basic fats intake, delicious fancypants cheeses, organic and grass fed fatty meats, huge piles of leafy greens, and no sugars. You can read more about it here:

    Here's a good overview: http://www.ruled.me/30-day-ketogenic-diet-plan/

    My diary is open so you can review it too if you wish.

    As for exercise, I like walking. It's easy, doesn't take long, and I get it out of the way in the early morning before my shower before work. Half an hour or so, 3 km (I am walking pretty fast now) on a fairly flat surface. But even 15 minutes of sedate walking in your neighborhood is a start if you're not used to doing something every day.

    I'm 53 years old, hypothyroid (I take synthroid), and have recently had my high blood pressure meds reduced to 25% of what I used to be taking. I hope to be BP medication free within 3 months.

    You can see pics at my profile too.

    Good luck!

    Also, I do ex
  • Monna2
    Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
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    Thank you for sharing :)
  • RHSheetz
    RHSheetz Posts: 268 Member
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    I lost over 200 lbs using a meal replacment program and a health coach to get me on track and over my food issues. Once I lost the weight and started back on eating, I started putting on weight and could not get it stopped. That is when I started using MyFitnessPal to track my eating and exercise.

    I finally connected with a trainer and over the last year we have been able to identify why I started gaining and have gotten my body back into a place to loose. I put on 70 of the 200 I lost, and I am now down 30 of the 70 I gained.

    Yes, I feel MUCH better, walking is easier and enjoyable, I spend 5-6 days a week in the gym and enjoy it. I have much more energy and enjoy life, even though I am not where I want to be, I know I can reach it. I eat KETO (Low Carb, High Protein, Moderate Fat) because I am lifting and trying to retain as much lean body mass as I can.

    For me, I found that portion control did not work for me, the best thing I did was to move to the meal replacements and only let myself eat them. I know it was extreme, BUT it was better than surgery in my opion and worked well for me.

    Good luck in your journey, but remember, everyone's journey is different. We all come from different places. Work to find what will work for you, and I encourage you to find a trainer, coach, Nutritionist. Someone who has done the journey and can help you adjust along the way.
  • christinehuds
    christinehuds Posts: 42 Member
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    While I have not lost 100 lbs - I do have some advice.

    1. Start small - make little changes that are manageable and lead to success (i.e reducing pop, going from 2% milk to 1%, using less butter etc etc). Try swimming for exercise. while putting on a bathing suit can be mentally hard, it is best for your joints and is the easiest way to add exercise without major discomfort

    2. Log all of your food including things you think don't matter, try getting a cheap digital scale once you get used to MFP in order to improve your accuracy

    3. For now - make sure you do not deprive yourself of foods you enjoy - make dietary changes that you WANT to make - not ones you feel you have to make. So long as you are hitting your calories you will be fine. Later you can start worrying about diet quality. There is no sense in jumping into a kale, quinoa, and celery diet - you will likely hate it. Make changes you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life - otherwise you are likely to gain the weight back when you go back to your "old ways"

    4. Practice forgiveness and consistency. We are human, we are imperfect, we will falter. That doesn't mean we are failures, don't give up. Just keep trying until something clicks. Whether thats with MFP or without. But MFP works - just browse the success stories.

    Thats all I can think of for now. Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck - you can do it!!!!!

    This (^^) advice is SPOT ON. This is exactly how I've lost weight and kept it off. Brilliant. I couldn't have said it better.

    Measuring from my highest weight, I've lost about 100 pounds on the nose.

    I've lost about 75 pounds since last January when I realized my weight had crept back up to 240 after losing about 20 pounds through unsustainable methods. At my heaviest when I was about 20 years old, I was between 260-270 -- I didn't weigh myself much in those days. Now, I fluctuate between 160-164.

    The number one bit of advice I give people for long term weight loss is: Don't make any huge changes you're not willing to live with forever.

    The key to losing weight in a healthy way and keeping it off is by making small changes over time that eventually lead up to an entire lifestyle change -- a healthy lifestyle that you can truly live with and be happy with. At my heaviest weight, I exercised rarely (1-2 times per month, tops -- if ever) and ate mostly processed food and junk food. And lots of it. I couldn't run more than 60 seconds or so. I never ate fresh fruits or veggies.

    And now, I exercise nearly everyday. I've run two half marathons. I ran the second with a friend, talked through the whole thing and still shaved 15 minutes off my time. I went out last Friday and morning and ran 9 miles just for run. I cycle upwards of 20 miles at a time and do strength training. I practice yoga. I eat a healthy balanced diet consisting of mostly fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy fat and lean protein. I'm also vegetarian. I still have chocolate, beer and dinners out with friends, but I do so much, much less often and I've learned how to indulge in moderation. Knowing where I started from, it sounds crazy, even to me. I never, ever, in my wildest dreams thought I could live the daily life I do now. But through the steps listed in the post above, did it.

    I'd tried and failed with fad diets, intense workout plans and heavy restriction since I was NINE YEARS OLD. I've been obese my entire life. I actually weigh about 40 pounds less now, as a 25 year old than I did in the 5th grade as an 11 year old. So finally, I did the opposite approach and started small. Swapped out chips for carrots once or twice a week (but still had chips here and there). Started doing yoga. Did Couch to 5K. Learned how to make healthy versions of my favorite foods. I cut out meat without even meaning to, just because I was so focused on veggies and healthy grains.

    You can do it! Absolutely. Healthy weight loss is a journey. It takes months and even years. But it's a rewarding journey that will honestly change your life. Best of luck to you! I look forward to reading your success story one day :)
  • Monna2
    Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
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    Thank you so much for your advice. It really inspired me. And thank you your beautiful wishes :)))
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    I have lost over 150#
    I have been on MFP for almost 2-1/2 years.
    I had pain in my knees. I could not walk up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath. I began walking at around -90 pounds. I began walking (at first only 20 minutes) when my knees began to feel better from getting some of the excess weight off. I walk/hike everyday now.
    My best advice is to set small goals, log everything you eat and drink, and allow for bad days (they happen), but do not give up!
    I will be 63 at the end of September.
  • Cathalain
    Cathalain Posts: 424 Member
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    To date, I have lost nearly 112 pounds.

    I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes, which was enough to scare me into eating right. I immediately did everything the doctor told me to do - cut carbs (drastically in my case) and completely revamp my diet. I started out with eating meat, cheese and eggs - you couldn't have prodded me toward veggies at first - but over time, as I lost weight and became comfortable with my diagnosis, I began trying new foods, one at a time. And I discovered that I LOVED veggies. Love, love, love!

    The weight came off, but I added exercise to the mix per my doctor - and that's when it REALLY started flying off. Every time I thought about quitting, I thought about lying in that hospital bed getting stabilized, stabbing myself in the stomach with a needle twice a day.... it was enough to keep me moving.

    I wouldn't have lost all of this weight without both diet and exercise - one cannot go without the other, in my opinion.

    I'm now tightly under control - haven't had a blood sugar reading that was even pre-diabetic level for several months now. But I can't ever let my guard down - I have this disease and it's permanent, and I know it. It's up to me to keep it at bay.

    My advice? Research everything you can about nutrition and diet - get the facts for yourself. Try to remember that worse things might be around the corner if you don't get it under control. Diabetes is hell. It's expensive, it's life-threatening, and it's restrictive. (It can be, anyway.) But in my case, it was also my salvation.

    Hope this helps.
  • Ftw37
    Ftw37 Posts: 386 Member
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    I want to know your experiences. How many calories did you eat? How much exercise did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? And now, do you feel lighter and more able to move?
    And how did you use fitnesspal?

    I've lost about 254 pounds.

    I ate between 1600 and 2000 calories per day. Walked a lot. Started with a fitbit, moved to Garmin ecosystem eventually. Now walk, run and cycle frequently.

    Lost my weight in a little over a year.

    Yes, feel a million times better. Check my profile for stats and relevant links. I have more energy now than I have had since grade school. Feel so much lighter and mobile.

    I've used MFP to log my food and exercise every day for a long time now. 428 days as of today. I would not have succeeded in any weight loss if I hadn't recorded my food intake strictly.
  • shedghes
    shedghes Posts: 48 Member
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    I've lost 66 pounds so far with my goal of losing 140 total. I've been over weight since I was 10 and I've tried a ton of DIETS. Diets in my opinion don't work. It needs to be a lifestyle change. I started out watching what I was eating and how much. I lost 20 pounds in the first month. Then I switched to eating low carb, cutting out bread, pasta and a lot of processed food. I feel so much better and I'm getting more vegetables then ever. I started going to the gym now and lost another 46 pounds. I feel great now and much lighter. I took baby steps to start and when I slip up its no big deal. Don't let one bad choice ruin all the hard work you put in. Drink lots of water and listen to your body! You can do this one day at a time. I followed my calories on Myfitnesspal and logged everything. Feel free to add me! Good luck on your journey.
  • Kotuliak
    Kotuliak Posts: 259 Member
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    I want to know your experiences. How many calories did you eat? How much exercise did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? And now, do you feel lighter and more able to move?
    Honestly, none of that matters. I quit smoking, and I am losing weight. Both are hard as hell. Both are easy, if you have right mindset. Calories don't matter, exercise don't matter, how long don't matter. Mindset is all that matters.
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    When I started I didn't think I could lose weight. I thought if I made healthy changes and started getting more exercise, I MIGHT drop 40 pounds or so... maybe. I was 304 pounds

    My husband I decided to work with a personal trainer just so we could get a little more fit. The trainer asked me to set 3 goals, including a weight loss goal and I thought it was pointless, but did so anyway. My goals were 1) I will show up. 2) I will not get injured. 3) I will weigh less at the end of the year than I do at the beginning of the year. I set a hard, fast rule that I was NOT willing to go to bed hungry and I wasn't willing to make a single change that I wasn't willing to do every day for the rest of my life. But I was willing to make an effort to be healthier.

    I joined MFP in order to make that effort to be healthier. I had a vague idea of how much I was eating, but not exactly. I didn't know how much protein or fat or carbs or fiber or added sugar I was eating, though. I thought I ate a fairly healthy diet, and most of the time I did. Actually, I ate below maintenance, a little bit, most of the time. But I figured out that a couple of days a week I was eating enough (eating out or eating desserts) that I was gaining weight.

    So, I started making small changes.

    I attempted to work out at least 20 minutes everyday. I'm a bit of a slacker, so that meant I worked out about 5 days a week.

    I logged my food to see what I was doing that wasn't as healthy as I'd like to be. One of my first goals was eating more fiber and cutting back on processed foods. This wasn't too hard because I already did that most of the time, but I made a conscious effort to improve.

    This gave me a record of what I was eating, so when I had a bad day and was hungry all day, I could look back and see if I had done something different than I had done on easier days. It helped me to figure out if the types of foods I was eating were making it more difficult or if it was hormonal.

    I started out without a calorie deficit and gradually started cutting back.

    I looked up menues for the restaurants I liked and came up with a meal I could eat at each of them that wouldn't blow my whole day. I have a Waffle House meal, a Taco Bell meal, a Hardees meal, a Bojangles meal, and a mexican restaurant meal. I came up with some snacks that I could find when i was out, and a bunch of snacks that were easy to carry with me so I wouldn't have to buy something. This went a long way toward fixing some of my biggest problems because this put a stop to the 2 days a week I blew the rest of the week!!

    Gradually, I have ended up with a diet that is higher and protein, and sometimes devoid of grains. I figured out how to get fiber from fruits and vegetables (not quite as straight forward as I originally thought). I typically eat about 40% to 50% of my calories from fat! When I was 300 pounds I typically ate less than 18% from fat.

    I weigh and measure everything I eat.

    When I started I was eating about 1800 calories a day and not eating back exercise calories. Over time I tweaked that. Now I go for about 1650 and eat some of my exercise calories back. When my weight loss stalls and I'm working to get it moving, I eat about 1350 calories, plus I eat all my exercise calories, and I exercise a minimum of 300 calories... similar sort of plan, but I push hard for at least 300 calories of exercise.

    I lost about 90 pounds in the first year. I cheated almost every single day of that first year. I logged the cheats, and I often kept my total calories at my goal, but I ate banana pudding or chocolate candy or something almost every day. That was MUCH easier when my daily calorie goal was 1800ish.

    Every thing I did, I considered it a life style change.

    It has SO been worth it. I was 100% sure it wouldn't work. 100%. I KNEW I would never see anything under 200 and was pretty sure I wouldn't see anything less than 250. I'm still in shock. But I made small changes and stuck with them. I picked one thing at a time, or two things, and did those until I thought of something else later. I didn't plan to do it that way. It is just how it happened.

    I've looked around to find something active I would enjoy. It wasn't easy and I wasn't sure I would. But in March I discovered Dragon Boating and I'm SO SO glad I was fit enough to participate. Now I have a reason to get fitter and stay that way!

    Plus, I just really like taking up less room and not struggling so much.

    I told myself I would just be getting rid of the parts of me I wasn't using anymore... decluttering. :P
  • anmaner
    anmaner Posts: 1 Member
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    Although i have not lost a 100lbs.

    I am 27 yrs old. I was at 242lbs. I'm currently down now to 224. I have been watching my calories trying to stay under 1300. I try walking/jogging everyday unless i have been working 12hrs at the hospital.

    I have hypothyroidism, have been on Synthroid since i was 13yrs old. I'm new at this and would like to have anyones advice.

    My weight goal is to be down to at least 165-170.

    Can anyone give me some directions on foods, meals to eat. Kind of picky, i know its bad.
    I have been told to do a low carb and now sugar.
    I haven't had any soda's in about 3 weeks now, maybe a diet mnt dew. Other than that it has been water.

    Is drinking orange juice or drinking milk for breakfast bad for you?
    I mainly eat oatmeal, turkey sausage etc.

    Love to hear everyones opinion.

    Thanks Ashley
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    "Is drinking orange juice or drinking milk for breakfast bad for you?
    I mainly eat oatmeal, turkey sausage etc. "

    Drinking those aren't necessarily bad for you, but i would rather eat my calories than drink them. (unless its booze)

    Find what you like to eat and will enjoy long term, cause once you lose the weight, well, you don't get to go back to your old ways, you gots to learn to maintain,
  • MeRoHa
    MeRoHa Posts: 95 Member
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    I started my weight loss journey last July and have lost 110 pounds and counting. The major things that I changed in my life were:
    1. Logging all my food into MFP everyday ( I did not miss a day until I was in hospital for three days in July of this year.).
    2. I started getting regular exercise. I started out doing what I could which was about 15 minutes a day. I have arthritis and other health issues that impact what kinds of exercise I can do. I worked my way up to doing 45 minutes to an hour a day of aerobic exercise. Some days dance, some day Wii Fit, some days swimming. I have a set time everyday that I set aside for exercise. For me it is after I get home from work.
    3. I greatly limit the amount of wheat and sugar in my daily intake. I try to make sure that my MFP log numbers for sugar stay below their recommended limit. Am I perfect on that every day. No.
    4. I try to make sure that I get the recommended amount of protein everyday. Greek yogurt. Walnuts. Almonds. Help with the protein.
    5. I try to eat at regular times everyday. Meals and snacks breaks down to eating something about every three to four hours.
    6. I try to stop eating at least two hours before bedtime. If I do need a snack later at night I try to make sure it is something light and/or healthy.

    Since the surgery I had in early July 2014 I have been on very limited allowable exercise. Basically walking, tai chi and such. This has put me into plateau mode. I am just happy to keep weight from going up until I can get back to my regular exercise routine.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    I want to know your experiences. How many calories did you eat? How much exercise did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? And now, do you feel lighter and more able to move?
    And how did you use fitnesspal?
    Thank you

    I'm consuming around 2000 per day +/-.
    A lot of exercise, 6-7 days per week, mostly cardio.
    8.5 months so far
    I don't "notice" a lot of differences as things happen slowly so the changes don't take place all at once.
    How do I use MFP? I don't understand the question... I used the counting feature to track, and other people for motivation, no matter what's offered you have to be ready to do it for yourself and no other reason.
  • AlaskaSusan
    AlaskaSusan Posts: 34 Member
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    I'm 58 years old and have lost about 120 lb in the past year. I am on synthroid, so have a slow metabolism to boot - what I did, besides get the right mindset that I was going to finally FINALLY conquer this thing (and yes I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the years), is I started on low cal, low glycemic, high protein meals; due to GERD I have to stop eating about 5:00 pm so NO night time snacking, which is not hard once you break the carb habit. I drink 70-90 oz of water or more every day, sometimes I'll have an herb tea at night. I also weight train 3x a week (I had a trainer help me get started), plus aerobic exercise. For that I started out just walking about 5 minutes, gradually (so, so slowly), I worked up and now I am running 5 miles a day 3-4 times a week plus a longer run on the weekend plus I ride my bike whenever the mood and weather cooperate or swim...and in the winter I cross country ski and snowshoe.
    Basically, it's what we all know to do: decrease calories (and that is easiest if you also cut hi-glycemic foods), increase water consumption, add in more exercise all the time (but find something you will enjoy and DO regularly). I also log everything on MFP, and plan to keep doing that for at least a year after I hit my goal. Good luck to you
  • Fsunami
    Fsunami Posts: 241 Member
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    Hello guys
    I am new here.
    I have been overweight for most of my adult life.
    No diets have ever worked for me.
    Now, I need to lose about 100ibs as my healrh is deteriorating; I get backpains, climbing stairs is difficult, I even started having breathing problems.
    I want to know your experiences. How many calories did you eat? How much exercise did you do? How long did it take you to lose the weight? And now, do you feel lighter and more able to move?
    And how did you use fitnesspal?
    Thank you

    The difference between MFP and everything else? If you adopt the mindset that its a lifestyle change & not a diet, the rest will fall into place. The other posters have addressed specifics of the process, so I wont repeat them. A diet implies there is a finite end to proper nutrition and exercise.

    Knowing that plus the support I get from my MFP buds make enough difference that Ive lost 35 in 104 days without doing anything stupid.

    3 months ago, walking was a chore. today, I walked 6 miles.

    You CAN Do this.

    FR sent

    Fsunami
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    Is drinking orange juice or drinking milk for breakfast bad for you?
    I mainly eat oatmeal, turkey sausage etc.

    I try hard to not drink calories. And I try to eat food as close to its natural state as I can stand. So I often eat an orange with my breakfast, but I don't ever drink juice. The orange comes with fiber that the juice doesn't have, and I know it is still fresh enough to have micro nutrients in it that the juice may have lost through age and processing.

    One of the discoveries I made while analyzing the differences between what I eat on "good" days vs "bad" days is that eating oatmeal for breakfast ruins my whole day. It is entirely possible that this is unique to me, though. But if I eat oatmeal for breakfast, even if I eat 100% protein at lunch, I'm hungry all day long... and I'm always hungry sooner than I would be if I ate protein for breakfast. I can eat oatmeal for dinner without repercussions. This may not apply to you, though. My day works best if for breakfast I eat at least 400 calories of high fat, high protein food, with some fruit. On days when I know I'm going to be doing hard work outs, I also eat something of a grain, like grits or toast... I suppose oatmeal would be okay too.

    I heard a nutrition researcher discussing processed foods once and she spoke about orange juice. She said that it seemed to her that all foods that had enough sugar in them to cause problems with blood sugar, were "packaged" by nature with the "antidote". Many of them were high in fiber or fat or something else that would help manage the "bad" parts of the food... the poison was packaged with the antidote. But that when we started doing things with them, like taking the sugar out of the cane or the juice out of the orange, we removed the "antidote" part and kept the "poison" part... not literally poison, but figuratively. She said the exception that she could think of is honey, which has no fat or fiber, and "nature protected that with bees!"

    I love that story!

    For me it was much more helpful to log my foods, look at what I had, think of ways to improve it and work with that, than it would have been to eat a "meal plan" or "diet". In the beginning, many days I would log breakfast and lunch, and have a plan for dinner and realize that if I did that, my calories or my carbs or something would be way over. So I'd start plugging in other dinner ideas until I came up with something that sounded good, that I could afford or already owned, would be filling enough, and wouldn't ruin my numbers as much. Sometimes I just had to settle for being over, but tried to minimize it. Some days, with enough tweaking and creativity, I could salvage the day and end up with a working plan to use again.

    One of my go to meals on days like those above is 2 packages of tuna packed in water, 1 tablespoon of mayo, 2 tablespoons of sweet relish, 1/2 an avocado, and a bit of paprikia. I mix it and mash it and eat it on big romaine lettuce leaves. I like it, it fills me up, and it can mitigate a multitude of previous bad choices!
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