what would you eat in a 2400 calorie day diet?

My calories are not that high but I find cottage cheese and fruit to be good ones and whole grain carbs like a tuna sandwhich on whole grain bread or at lunch time some whole wheat pasta with garlic or tomato sauce. drink lots of WATER it will help you feel full and just stay under a few days and your body will adjust and you will not be able to eat a ton anymore I know the fist few days were hard but now on days when I do go over I feel so sick.

I really like to do 4oz. of thin turkey or chicken lunch meat with a laughing cow light swiss wedge. you roll it up and you have a really great snack, and because there is so much protein, I find it really filling. Thanks Power90!
Also, on days when I know that I am going to want a lot of quantity because I'm hungrier, I like to fill up on veggies. A favorite of mine is 5 cups baby spinach, 1/4-1/2 cup light vanilla yoghurt, 1 serving walnuts, and 1 apple. The yoghurt makes a great "salad dressing," and the apples make it sweet. This way I can get a "sugary" snack, but still get in all that spinach. The walnuts are good for protein, too, which means I stay full longer.
That aside, I read a magazine once that had an article from a lady that lost a lot of weight and she said of the things she had to realize was that it was okay to go to bed hungry. Now, you shouldn't be starving yourself or be hungry all the time, but I think it is good advice. If at the end of the day you are ready for bed and you know that you have had your calories for the day, just tell yourself, "It is okay to be hungry."
Other than that, I'd say up the protein (black beans, chicken, tuna, chickpeas, nuts, cheeses, etc.) to keep you full. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

I'm a firm believer in including daily indulgences just to avoid burnouts.

That said...I like my meals to be full of veggies when possible to add to that sense of fullness without adding too many calories, so I can afford to have my bottle of frappuchino or whatever else it is.

i'm 310 pounds, with a goal of 1 pound a week weight loss. i put that into the calulator, and that's what it says.

Because you have a lot to lose, you could safely go to 2 pounds a week...granted it will cut down your calories significantly, but once you learn what healthier low cal foods you like and get yourself into a routine, you'll find it doable, especially when you add in exercise (I recommend Leslie Sansone walking dvds...awesome!) I am about at your weight afer losing 28 pounds, and I am consistently losing 2 or more pounds per week. Once you get some of the weight down, you may need to go down to 1 pound per week and eventually .5 pound per week...

Edit: Please read the other posts below as there are some other perspectives on this topic and I may be totally off the mark. Two pounds per week works for me but may not work for everyone, so definitely do what works for you!

I am cracklin in at 1200 cals...not including exercise cals (which I live for)...I would love some of yours:laugh:

2400 a day? Are you sure that's correct? Seems high....

I agree with you 2400 seems high. I have problems getting my 1300 in a day and when I exercise (6 days a week) I have around 1700 to 2000 to eat. When we take trips I get up to 2800 because of our activities we do on vacation. Let me tell you what a challenge that is. :sick:
All I can say is maybe add some wheat pasta, some kind of protien for dinner and DON'T forget the veggies. Also steel cut oats or regular old fashion oatmeal for breakfast, add some berries or a scrambled egg to your oatmeal. Maybe for a snack some reduced fat peanut butter with low fat gram crackers?
just few suggestions. I'm probably not a good person to suggest thing though. I'm way to picky hahah! :happy:
Good luck, Kel~

i'm 310 pounds, with a goal of 1 pound a week weight loss. i put that into the calulator, and that's what it says.

I commend you for going for 1 pound a week! I was aiming for 2 or so but now my doc wants me to slow down to 1 pound a week :grumble: But we'll see how that goes. with the exercise I do, it's hard to eat enough to keep the loss down to 1 pound a week sometimes--especially now that she put me on a diuretic and I'm fiinally losing the fluid weight (4 pounds in 2 days!)

Try eating lower cal but more filling foods--like spaghetti squash. YOu can eat a TON of that and hardly have calories. Really filling, too. Or Salads, etc. I'm not big on vegis but love my squash! Eat it every day in some form.

OMG!!!! SPAGHETTI SQUASH IS AWESOME!!!! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! HAHAH! :laugh:

And passing out while cycling...NOT GOOD!!! :sick: :noway:

Eep looks like I was wrong :ohwell:

Well, couple things.

One---1 pound is what most docs will tell you to shoot for, as it is slow and allows your body to adjust. It is also the most likely to allow you to lose weight AND keep it off.

Two--Diabetic here-and having problems with meds; so am tweaking my meds. She wants me to slow it down so my body has time to adjust and I can make the adjustments needed in my meds without bad things happening--you know, like passing out while cycling or worse.

I spoke to my doctor and she said that 2 pounds was healthy for me...and I'm not doing any exercise that is anywhere near as intense as your superlong cycling trips (I still don't understand how you do it but that is so awesome!)...so I guess 2 pounds per week is okay for me for now, but I know everyone has to go by whatever is best for them.

Here's how I would (and typically do!) spend 1500 calories:

7:00 = Workout
8:00 = Protein Shake (Whey protein powder, strawberries, almond milk) ((160 calories))
9:00 = 1 Tablespoon peanut butter on a brown rice cake and a cup of coffe ((155))
11:00 = slice apple sprinkled with cinnamon ((80))
12:00 = grilled chicken breast in a whole wheat wrap with loads of veggies and low cal dressing ((375))
2:00 = raw veggies dipped in hummus, 5 black olives ((200))
5:00 = broiled tilapia, steamed asparagus, quinoa ((400))
8:00 = popcorn made in olive oil with sea salt, diet coke (I know - bad - but good) ((130))

Hunger: I deal with my hunger with green tea before 2:00 p.m. and mint tea after 2:00 p.m. I keep a huge mug (you know those "Friends" cafe mugs that were huge in the 90's) on the counter all day, and just keep refilling the mug with the tea bag. I drink it lukewarm (chug it) and fill it up again! Great help.

See how quickly you are losing at 2400 cals, and if it is slow, you might want to go to 2lbs a week (1900 cals). Then when that slows, you can "zig zag" a bit and increase again. Just a thought!

If you eat healthy choices you can get a lot of filling food into your body to help with hunger pains.

Salads -- filling and you can eat a TON
Veggies -- stay away from corn, peas, and you can fill up on broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc
Fruits - can get high but two apples a day is a good amt around 110 for two
Protein -- lean protein, chicken / turkey / eggs (1 whole 2 egg whites)
Carbs -- multigrain types,

I read somewhere -- the closer to the ground a food is the better it is for you, example; choose orange over juice, juice over sports drink.

If you are like me, I get into trouble when I eat start eating non-complex carbs - white flour and sugars. I would suggest that you concentrate on whole grains and getting enough protein to balance your carbs. I personally opt for the zone (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat equation (good fats like olive oil, avacado and nuts)). I find when i keep this balance or close to it, I'm less likely to snack and crave more food after i've eaten my calories.

Elle,

If I understand your post, you have no problem eating 2400 calories but rather have a hard time staying under and are still hungry. Here's what I would advise:

1. Eat 6 to 8 small meals a day that are all around 400 calories each.
2. For each meal make sure that you are getting a lean protien as that will keep you full longer, and
add bulk with lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
3. For at least a couple meals a day add in some kind of whole grain like oatmeal or a whole
grain bread.
4. Make sure you are getting sufficient healthy fat in your diet as it will keep you full longer and help
with energy levels.

With exercise I usually eat about 1600 to 1700 calories a day, but lately I've been exercising a lot and have had up to 2000 calories. Here's what I have planned today:

Breakfast:
Quaker Weight Watchers Oatmeal (has more protien)
1 large banana
1/2 cup blueberries

Mid-morning snack
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese (I don't like yogurt)
1 cup blueberries

Lunch:
Homemade macaroni and spaghetti sauce (lots of veggies in the sauce)
Tomatoe and cucumber salad with light balsamic dressing

Note: I make the macaroni for four and then divide it into portions for lunches. so it's about a cup of macaroni with the sauce.

Afternoon snack
Carrots with hummus
Hard boiled egg

Dinner
8 oz boneless pork chop
Sauted green beans with garlic and butter
Green Giant digestive health frozen vegetables

Evening snack
Sliced cheese and crackers

That will put me at about 1800 calories You could easily increase the portions or add some other small snacks into it. You'll notice my evening meal is larger than normal. That's because I tend to cheat if I'm sitting around the house in the evenings feeling hungry. So I plan a bigger meal in the evenings. Trust me, the combination of a protien, which has staying power, and bulk fruit and vegetables should keep you satisfied. The trick is to plan it out ahead of time. Never leave your house without a plan of what you are going to eat for the day and how you are going to exercise. It's the spur of the moment decisions that will get you in trouble.

A couple other tips:

Salads with cheese and nuts are very bulky and filling and, as long as your reasonable in your cheese and nut portions are not too high in calories. You can have a HUGE salad for under 500 calories.

I find that deli meats do not fill me up. I bake boneless/skinless chicken breast over the weekend, slice them up and then use them in sandwiches and salads during the week. For some reason, I feel more satisfied, like I've had real food.


Hope this helps.

I am cracklin in at 1200 cals...not including exercise cals (which I live for)...I would love some of yours:laugh:

Me too! Would LOVE some of those extra calories! As it stands now I burn most of my calories by lunch time and HAVE to work out if I want a decent dinner!