I need food options

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I need more food options. I have a hard figuring out what I can have. I make good choices for breakfast, sometime lunch, but then dinner comes around and I tend to mess up and choose not so healthy dinner choices.

Does anyone have a food list for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Kindof like a menu?.....

Replies

  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    I don't have a food list but you are welcome to check my food diary. Maybe we have to be friends first? if so, friend me!

    Here are several tips I have learned--hopefully one or more works for you!
    1. Try to eat complex carbs earlier in the day and make sure you are getting enough calories, so you are not starving by dinner time.
    2. Have a good snack mid-afternoon with some protein and healthy fat, like a handful of almonds or some string cheese.
    3. Keep a dish of veggies or at least some baby carrots in the fridge to put out for snacking when you are making your dinner. Also, have a big glass of water before you allow yourself even one bite of dinner (maybe drink that during food prep). Make it a firm rule that you can only have your fresh veggies and glass of water before dinner--NO snacking on what you are making. If you are "good" maybe allow yourself a spoonful of ice cream or a small piece of dark chocolate for dessert as a reward.
    4. Start dinner with a bowl of soup, low-sodium with a broth base. The liquid also helps fill you up and inclines you to eat less.
    4. Try to eat more lean protein with your dinner to help fill you up.
    5. If you like spicy foods, eat those too as you will probably be satisfied with much less!
    6. If you can, exercise in the afternoon and follow your exercise with a good amount of lean protein.

    I don't always do all of these every day, but I use a lot of the tips and they help me keep dinner lighter without feeling deprived. Something else that helps me is I try to log my food I PLAN to eat at each meal, before I actually eat. This forces me to measure it out and think as I am filling my plate. I have discovered I really don't have a good sense of how much pasta is 1/2 a cup and how much meat is 2 oz! I am too lazy to go back and change it, and I want my calorie count accurate (otherwise what's the point, right?). I started doing this after eating a LARGE piece of taco pizza from a local restaurant as a part of my dinner then discovering later when I logged it that it had a whopping 460 calories in one slice and 40-some grams of fat. Ouch. I had not planned on that!

    Hope this helps!
  • amybg1
    amybg1 Posts: 631 Member
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    Well, can you provide examples of what you eat?

    Breakfast - whole grain cereal with milk, sometimes protein shake on the side
    - oatmeal with a whole egg on the side
    -a quick omelette
    -fruits and yogurt with granola (granola optional) with mixed fruit, a light drizzle of honey on fruits

    Lunch - sandwich with tomato,lettuce,low-fat mayo or mustard - use cold cuts
    -whole grain rice with chicken (I usually cut up the chicken and fit the rice and chicken mix in Pyrex container, yields a cup or so), sweet potatoes and seasoned sliced cooked potatoes
    -salad with veggies, cheese, fruits, nuts...

    Dinner - chicken breast with whole grain rice and green beans
    - pork loin with mixed vegetables and homemade beets
    -steak, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies

    These are only a few ideas for each, didn't want to give you a whole list as UI'm unsure of what you eat, for dinner I always have a glass of milk (low-fat) and there's usually salad on the side
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Eat breakfast again?

    Depends on the issues you're encountering. Keep in mind that cravings are sometimes based on something you're missing.

    For dinner, instead of starting with thinking about the main course as meat, try vegetables. Maybe start with a soup or salad. Then... Like ratatouille? Vegetable sushi? Steamed mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes) add some cheese - maybe sprinkle with parmesan or romano, add a curry sauce or salsa. Now, if you want add a meat dish: 3 oz of chicken or fish. Or spaghetti squash with a tomato mushroom sauce. An omelette or Spanish omelette. Stir fry, but use less oil, many vegetables can be sauteed in water instead of fried.

    Now if you have room in your plan, you can have a starchy thing with dinner or as a later snack. I like couscous with soy sauce, salsa or maybe a bit of butter. Or a baked potato - the gold ones can be good without butter. Corn on the cob? Cereal with or without milk.

    I like something sweet to end dinner, so a piece of dark chocolate, an after-dinner mint or fruit dipped in chocolate.

    And if you're having trouble with snacking after dinner, plan a few things you can fit in... a cup of warm milk or herbal tea, a cookie, a small bowl of fruit, some leftover veggies from dinner.

    Someone else started a list that has over 100 snacks with fewer than 100 calories -- look for "88" (the list started with 88 items).

    Good luck!
  • dawsenahalsey
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    you could also check out skinnytaste.com it tells you how many calories are in their recipe's and there is a lot of wonderful recipe's it also gives you the other nutrition info and you can just add it to your recipe's and when ever you eat it just add it to your meal it also tells you how much is a serving also i would google low calorie recipe's you may find some other sights that also have wonderful recipe's. I hope this helps :smile:
  • Blessedmomof02
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    Well for breakfast I usually eat what I'm making my kids for breakfast which is like french toast, or oatmeal, or pancakes or sometimes I just make myself protein shakes.

    Then for lunch I'll make myself a salad with grilled chicken and veggies and a glass of water or crystal light. then for dinner ( where I do bad) I'll make ribs or pork chops.

    I guess my problem is I think i'm not eating enough during the day, like around lunch or in between snacks so by dinner I;'m starving. Thanks for your suggestion that really helps!!
  • Blessedmomof02
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    Thank you so much. I think I need to increase my protein to keep me feeling fuller longer.

    This has been really helpful!!
  • CollisionofNova
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    My main issue is going over my carb limit. Because I'm vegan, I generally eat more carbs as my main protein sources are starchy.

    For breakfast I'll have 1/2 cup of soymilk with 30g of kashi cereal. Sometimes I'll have a smoothie instead.
    Lunch is normally leftovers of my big cook day. I either make a chickpea curry, lentil and black bean chili, lentil sloppy joes. Sometimes it's a salad.
    If it's a salad, I also plan for another smaller meal between lunch and dinner instead of just a snack.
    My midday and post-dinner snacks are usually fruit (which sends me over my carbs, sigh). An apple or a pear, or a banana with natural peanut butter.
    My dinner is sometimes a stir fry (water sauteed veggies) or sometimes lentils in a tomato sauce.

    I do have a bit of a silly technique though. I take my time cooking and stretch it out. I find that if I take more time cooking, I'll spend more time eating it and actually slow down to eat less. I've also gotten into the habit of plating my food and washing the dishes while it's cooling off a little. If I try to eat when it's still hot, I find myself wolfing it down faster and then I just get hungry again.