Not doing very well...

Emily, when I first started , I would fill out the food diary the night before, with the food I planned to eat that would keep me under my count. Then I already knew what I could eat and would stick to it. it seemed to help me. Just a thought.

skinnytaste.com

Hey if you eat out alot, or eat fast food, or the tv pre packaged meals try to cut them back or completely out of your meals. They are killer in calories and sodium. Also eat more fruits and veggies. They are low cal and fill you up. Also try planning the majority of your meals the night before.

Sorry i know nothing about protein powders.

As for smoothies, Freeze a banana in the freezer over night, then in the morning or whenever you want it break the banana into small pieces, add 1/2 c of milk ( depends on how thick you want it), and whatever other fruit you want in it. If you need more cals and protein just do the banana and milk and add 2 tbsp. of peanut butter.

Hope i helped!

Many protein powders are aimed mainly at adding muscle mass, but there are some whey proteins that are intended as much to add protein to the diet. I find protein shakes pretty filling; I use Body Fortress...buy a tub for about $15 at Wal-Mart and I think both the vanilla and strawberry taste great. I try to pair it with a work out, but because of my work schedule I usually fit it in after dinner with or without exercise. I like to mix things like sunflower seed butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, raw nuts, or fresh fruit in with mine (in the blender) based on my caloric needs and whether I need more carbs or fat with my protein on any given day. Note I always make mine with skim milk. I also plan out my days in advance as much as I can. There are others on here who are more in touch with the protein powder market than I am. My diary is public so you are welcome to browse it and look for ideas. (Note I'm a 6' male weighing 205...with exercise calories I typically eat around 2200 calories most days...take anything you read with a grain of salt and scale down for your lower caloric needs.) Hope this helped some. Don't give up, though. The first few weeks are HARD as you adjust metabolically and psychologically to your new diet and exercise regimen. It takes about 32 days (there is psychological research to this effect) to establish a new behavior pattern for things of this sort. Keep at it and it will get better. Feel free to friend me if you think I could be a helpful supporter.