December 01, 2012

Typical meals

I've been asked quite a few times recently about the specifics of what some of my typical meals are, especially since I've been doing Weight Watchers. I was avoiding this post, because I know that my diet is FAR from perfect. I probably have too many carbs, too little protein, not enough veggies, too much processed crap, and too many sugary grapes. However, this is an honest look at what I eat.

The point of posting this isn't for a "meal plan" but to show that I eat things I like and still manage to lose weight. I don't live off of salad and grilled fish. These are things I enjoy eating. I usually go through phases, where I eat the same thing for a long time before switching to something else; but these were the common things I found while going through my food journal from the last three months. I just eat whatever I feel like eating, and I count the PointsPlus in it.

Typical breakfasts:
  • Healthy Life English muffin (toasted) with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter + 1 Tbsp. Nutella and a banana
  • 1/2 cup (dry) oatmeal prepared with 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup water and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and a banana
  • Healthy Life English muffin (toasted) with 1 egg + 1 egg white (scrambled) and 2 Tbsp. Hormel real crumbled bacon and 1 slice Kraft 2% American cheese, and a banana
  • Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Raisin granola (1 serving) with 1/2 cup 1% milk and a banana
  • 1/2 cup (dry) oatmeal prepared with 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbsp. PB2, and 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips, and a banana
  • Protein shake
  • 1 serving Kashi GoLean Crunch with 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and 1/2 cup 1% milk


Typical lunches:
  • 2 eggs + 1 egg white, scrambled, with 2 Tbsp. Hormel real crumbled bacon and 1 slice Kraft 2% American cheese; 1.5 cups grapes
  • Healthy Life English muffin (toasted) with 1 egg + 1 egg white (scrambled) and 2 Tbsp. Hormel real crumbled bacon and 1 slice Kraft 2% American cheese, and 1.5 cups grapes
  • Subway 6" ham & turkey sub on wheat bread with provolone cheese, lettuce, green peppers, onions, banana peppers, and mustard; and 1.5 cups grapes
  • Healthy Life English muffin (toasted) with 2 Tbsp. almond butter; and 1.5 cups grapes
  • 1.5 cups spaghetti squash (cooked) topped with 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup jarred spaghetti sauce with 1 oz. cooked lean ground turkey, and 4 tsp. parmesan cheese; 1 slice 35-calorie bread, toasted, with 1 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light spread and sprinkled with garlic salt
  • 1 can light Progresso soup with 5 saltine crackers; and 1.5 cups grapes
  • tuna salad (1 can tuna + 1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese) on 6 Dill Triscuits with 1.5 cups grapes


 Typical dinners:


Typical snacks:
  • CLIF bar
  • 1.5 cups grapes
  • 2 Tbsp. peanut or almond butter
  • Fiber One Oats 'n Chocolate bar
  • 1 oz. almonds
  • 6 oz. wine + 1 Dove Promise (dark chocolate)
  • Broccoli with 2 Tbsp. Marzetti light ranch veggie dip
  • McDonald's vanilla ice cream cone
  • 2 cups Kroger Butterfinger ice cream (I only have this occasionally when I earn a lot of activity points--the pint is 18 PP, so I obviously can't have this very often!) 


As you can see, I just tend to eat whatever I'm craving at the time; and I'm happy with the way I eat. However, I do plan on challenging myself to eat more veggies sometime soon--I'm definitely lacking in that department, because I'm just not a big veggie fan (and when I do buy them, they go bad before I use them). So while my diet certainly isn't ideal, it's definitely MUCH healthier than what I ate when I was obese!

Now that I've shared, what does a typical day's food look like for you??

28 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post! I eat a lot like you do, probably too many carbs and not enough protein and definitely not enough veggies! I eat similar, grapes and apples are my favorite fruit and I eat a lot of PB&J, homemade egg mcmuffins, tacos and fajitas. Also, I am on WW and am learning how to eat better and get the most out of my points (I currently have 33/day). Walking is my only exercise and your blog really inspires me to try to run...eventually. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really should try and get more food out of my points (I only get 26/day!)--and I know I can do that with more vegetables. But I also happen to love my carbs and peanut butter ;)

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  2. I like your honesty!
    My breakfasts are usually toast and PB (no exceptions really!) And lunches can range anywhere from soup and a sandwich, to salads, scrambled eggs, or tuna sandwiches. Supper is a whoolle 'nuther ball park. I eat something different pretty much every day. I agree with the veggie bit too. I have a hard time adding veggies unless I want to "bulk up" a high calorie meal.

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    Replies
    1. Toast and peanut butter is a match made in heaven! <3

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  3. Your meals sound really yummy! And you can lose weight eating foods you love...that's great! I eat oatmeal and fruit every morning. The rest of the day I try to get in all the nutrients Sparkpeople tell me to get. That folate is a real challenge!

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    Replies
    1. I've never given a second thought about folate! That must be difficult to try and get in all the micronutrients. But it is fun to see the numbers and how your diet matches up!

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  4. Very similiar! Phew ;) I love love PB on oatmeal with cut up banana- I usually have it with a yogurt parfait (greek yogurt, frozen fruit, and granola or cereal on top)...but I know yogurt is not your thing; totally fine! I am a cereal-aholic. If I go over our grocery budget it is usually because of cereal...okay or ice cream. I snack a lot on cucumbers and carrots together, some of my favorites. Also, hummus is a sneaky and yummy way to get in a veggie :) I have been doing the tuna salad thing lately with triscuits also, pretty darn good. Thanks for the post, and please savor those grapes...I sometimes cringe at the price/lb, but they are my go to food when I am feeling snacky.

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    Replies
    1. I LOVE cereal--but unfortunately, it's a binge food for me, so I have to be careful about what and how much I keep in the house. Ice cream, too ;)

      The price of grapes IS insane, but I feel like I need them to stay on track!

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  5. We have 3 breakfasts that we rotate at our house: eggs & toast, yogurt & bananas or berries in season with a drizzle of honey and oatmeal. Lunch is usually PB&J, turkey sandwich, burrito or pasta (I have a toddler so our options are focused on her preferences quite often). Dinner is more varied, but usually a veggie stir fry, tacos and spaghetti make it onto the weekly menu, with crockpot curry or roasted chicken or beef stew thrown in from time to time. I made your beef/cabbage casserole this week and I'm planning to make red lentil soup soon, so thank you for sharing your recipes!

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    Replies
    1. Mmm, reading this just made me crave a burrito ;) I try to make kid-friendly meals too, and unfortunately, my boys have gotten to be picky. Drives me crazy!

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  6. Typical day for me...with my 100 pound weight loss
    Breakfast-smoothie...almond milk,2tsp ground flax, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2tsp honey, 1 cup spinach...yummy!
    Snack-nuts, apple
    Lunch- grapes(I love them too), sourdough bread made by me, cheese
    Snack-fruit, popcorn
    Dinner- keep it lite, grilled chicken and salad, fish or neat and veggies
    I wasn't a huge veggie person, but now I love them. Start slow and increase...soon you will crave them
    Allison, from the reynoldsnation

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  7. I've been using The Fresh 20 (two weeks now - it was a Groupon Deal a while back, but it's only $5 per month to subscribe) and I love it because it makes me use veggies I don't typically use (I had no idea what a leek was and had to google search how to prepare it). Anyway, The Fresh 20 provides five days worth of dinners for a family of 4 using max 20 ingredients for the week - each recipe builds off these ingredients, so it keeps your costs down. You can prep a lot of stuff on the weekends to use during the week, and it provides the nutrition info for each meal so you know exactly where you stand. The meals I've made so far have been pretty good.

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    Replies
    1. That's a really great idea! I can see how that would motivate you to use up what you're given, and to look up new recipes. Kind of fun, actually!

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  8. It's refreshing to see someone eat what they want and still lose as much weight as you did. thanks for sharing :)

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    1. I actually think that's WHY I was able to stick with it for so long. If I was eating things I disliked, I don't think I would have lasted very long at all!

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  9. I'm a carb queen. I had a bagel for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday. It wouldn't work for others, but it's ok for me. Some days are a lot better than others.

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    Replies
    1. My body seems to do fine with carbs, too. Some days, I eat pretty much nothing but carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I do fine with it. A bagel sounds so good right now!

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  10. I'm with you! I've lost 70 pounds without eating any vegetables. I hate them. My meals are similar to yours. I eat whatever I want, just less of it so I stay within my calories.

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  11. We are so very similar! I love peanut butter and I look at it as a protein opportunity. I drink protein shakes almost every morning (loving your peppermint patty recipe!), but today I branched out to Pumpkin Spice. It was so good! Someone posted about adding spinach to their shakes. You should give it a try! You really, honestly can't taste it. My skin also looks great when I add it regularly. I eat Greek yogurt everyday, I know your not a fan, but have you tried Oikos? It's so good that I'm surprised John Stamos really doesn't show up when I eat it. Key lime is the best! I also love the WW Taco Soup recipe. It's very good and low on PP.

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  12. Breakfast is almost always fiber cereal, cheese stick, and greek yogurt or cottage cheese.

    Lunch is generally some type of salad w/ chicken (summer) or soup/chili (winter) plus a protein bar. I found a brand (Promax LS) that is low in sugar, high in fiber/protein, and it's like a treat.

    Dinners vary: frozen pizza (Trader Joe's thin crust); spaghetti squash w/ shrimp & pasta sauce; grilled or roasted fish or chicken w/ veggies; stuffed bell peppers; more soup/chili

    Dessert (every night!) - 1/4c premium ice cream or 100 cal dark chocolate bar

    (My go-tos for eating out are Subway - roast been & swiss - or sushi)

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  13. I like veggies, I might have been a rabbit in a past life, it's fruits that make me bloat like crazy! I always watch my fat intake and attempt to keep within my calorie limit. Thank you for sharing your recipes, today is a flood watch-high wind advisory day in Northern California and the Southwestern Chicken and bean recipe looks perfect, I also have all the ingredients at home, what is better than that?

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  14. I like veggies but i tend to go towards the carbs too ... i'm a carb-a-holic!! right now i am on this peppermint icecream kick that i can't get off. i love peppermint anything. thankfully it really only comes out during christmas. peanut butter is also a vice of mine!! i love that you eat "normal" foods that we can all enjoy. I am slowly learning what is working for me and what is not. thank you for posting this.

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  15. Lots of veggies at dinner I love them.
    Bfast= smoothie I 'm addicted.
    Dairy Free Smoothie
    2 Tbs lactose free vanilla yogurt
    8 oz vanilla almond milk
    1 tsp cocoa nibs
    2 heaping Tbs PB2 (powdered low fat peanut butter)
    1 large handfull spinach (no taste)
    2 tbs Mila chia
    About 3 ice cubes

    Add to Vitamix or Blendtec for best results, blend until smooth.

    Two tbs chocolate pb2 = 45 cal
    Fat 10 cal - 4 grams protein

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  16. I've been trying to "eat clean" lately (a la Tosca Reno) because I was eating way too much food that wasn't technically real food, if that makes sense. Too much processed stuff....

    Breakfast:
    *Protein powder "pancakes"
    *eggs & oatmeal

    Snacks:
    *green smoothie (that's actually purple because it has raspberries in it)
    *Ezekiel Bread, apple, almond butter

    Lunch/Dinner:
    *Turkey breast, sweet potato, green beans
    *whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, turkey meatballs
    *chili made with lean ground beef or turkey

    Ellen

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  17. Thanks for the list! Such great ideas!!

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  18. Thanks for the list, Katie! I like so many of the same things as you. I've got about 30 pounds to lose (I've lost 10 already) so have really tightened the reins on what I've been allowing myself (I have no willpower when it comes to sugar - none). A very typical day for me looks like the following, and it's about 1500 calories (I have no idea how anyone who is even moderately active could exist off of less than 1500 calories!!!).

    BREAKFAST: 2 eggs (farm fresh from our chickens!); 1 pat of butter; 3 strips of turkey bacon; handful of melon or grapes; 1 cup of coffee (with 2 T. half-n-half and 1 Splenda).

    SNACK 1: Chobani fruit yogurt (one container) w/ 1/4 c. of granola (Safeway brand).

    LUNCH: lunch is the hardest for me! A typical lunch might be 1 cup of homemade soup/chili or egg salad over shredded lettuce - and a Coke Zero!

    SNACK 2: 1 apple w/ 1 T. natural peanut butter.

    DINNER: a protein (chicken breast/steak/pork chop) with roasted sweet potato and a green vegetable or side salad.

    Sometimes I treat myself to 4 dark chocolate almonds at night too, but that puts me at about 1650 calories.

    Something that I really struggle with is getting enough water each day...

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  19. Hi! I just found this blog and watched Fat to Finish line. Super motivating!! Does anyone do low carb or Keto?

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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