Once I started counting calories I was shocked at what I was eating. Literally thousands and thousands of calories per day. A simple meal at a fast food joint and I was running almost 2000 calories from that one meal. Of course I'd later go on to have fast food in the evenings and snacking on 1000 calories worth of chips. None of this included breakfast or lunch! With virtually 0 exercise, I look now and tell myself that no wonder I gained so much weight.
2 Major changes have occurred to kick things off and that was to switch dinner time from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. This helps keep the evening cravings to a minimal. The second thing I cut out completely was the hoards of snacking in the evening and replaced them with berries, pineapple and other light snacks.
My diet currently consists of a variety of things such as (I know these will change as time goes on, but this is what I'm starting with to ease into this slowly):
10 Weeks In...
Breakfasts
Egg Whites and Toast
Cereal and Toast
Oatmeal and Toast
Lunches
Lean Cuisine
Fat Free Turkey Sandwich
Subway 6" Sub
Dinner
1 Pc Oven Baked Cod Fish
2 Pc Meat Loaf
7 Oz of Top Sirloin Steak
1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Chicken Wraps
Tacos
These accompanied by either Rice, Mashed Potato (Instant), Fettucini and a salad
Snacks
I usually snack in the morning around 10:00, again around 2:00-3:00 PM
100 Calorie Chips
100 Calorie Ice Cream
Bowl of Strawberries
Fresh Cut Pineapple
Babybel Light Cheese
Greek Yogurt with Granola Mix
Being a Newfoundlander by birth, alchohol consumption is pretty important LOL. That said I'll have a drink or two in the evening of Rum and Diet Cola.
I do have a very challenging time getting the recommended daily intake of water because I just can't stand the taste of the stuff.
Some meals that I enjoy:
Oven Baked Cod, Caesar Salad and Rice
One of my Favorites - Oven Baked Potato Crusted Cod Fish with Cheddar and Chives, Rice and Caesar Salad - 583 Calories
BBQ Steak w/Garlic Butter, Strawberry Salad and Mandarin
A yummy top sirloin on the BBQ. I melted some unsalted butter with a bit of garlic powder on them while they cooked. Other than that, a bit of salt and pepper to season while I sat them to bring them up to room temperature prior to throwing them on the grill. We also had one of my favourite salads, Strawberry Fields which is pretty much spinach leaves, dried up strawberry and almonds in a strawberry sauce. I added a small mandarin for some extra zing. Total Calories: 785 - Yes that's one of my highest calorie dinners, mostly because the steak was 7 and a half ounces.
Taco's with Lean Ground Beef, Marble Cheese and Lettuce w/ Fresh Baked Garlic Cheese Toast
This one can be another high calorie meal unless you ensure you're using minimal cheese and lean ground beef. I don't have a calorie count for it yet so on the loseit.com web site, I'm comparing them to a Taco Bell supreme. Hopefully next time around I'll actually add the calories together. The Garlic Cheese toast is simply a fresh loaf of
Grilled Chicken Wraps and Strawberry Salad
I took some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, garlic, lemon pepper and chili powder and threw them on the BBQ. Once done, I sliced them into strips and tossed in some marble cheddar, tomato and lettuce. Each one has about three and a half ounces of chicken. Totally delicious at about 235 calories per wrap. (yeah I accidentally wrapped one too tight hehe).
Steak with Scalloped Potato and Broccoli with Cheese
Being in cattle country in the Canadian west, beef is a big part of our lives and as such, steak is always on the menu. Toss in some broccoli with melted cheese (that the kids still won't eat) along with my favorite - scalloped potato in cheese sauce, I have a fantastic and filling meal. I have to be careful with this one as those potato calories add up fast. Total Calories: 1075 (And that's because I had extra scalloped potato LOL - but I still managed to come in under budget that day).
