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What's your food plan look like?

Thought it could be interesting to see what food plan/diet/guidelines people are using and how much weight they've lost on it.



Mon. Dec 19, 11:49am

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I lost 20 pounds by following one guiding principle:

I HAD to get 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies EVERY SINGLE DAY, and they had to be prepared healthfully.

In order to ensure I was doing that I began measuring all my food, and thus also learned what a serving was. My portion control became incredibly good and what was more I discovered that I felt quite satisfied without the extra bites here and there.

Even with strict portion control, that's alot of food and by the time I got those incorporated - everything else just kinda fell into place. However it does take planning and shopping and preparation, so the challenge has been to keep it up, because I am big on eating out and convenience, and preparing fresh veggies every day does get to be a burden when you're tired and stressed. I really don't care for frozen - I am very particular about the texture and consistency of my food and frozen veggies with a couple exceptions, almost always turn out kinda limp and soggy which I hate! Logging my food here has really helped keep me on track and is a very visible reminder of just how many times I decide I'm too busy to prepare a decent meal and that 'just this once' happens more often than I'd like.

I have about 15 more to go, and that's been a bit harder. About a month ago I began exerising almost every day for 1/2 hour and that has really toned and flattened things quite a bit :-) I am beginning to question whether or not I actually need to lose more weight or if exercise and toning will give me the desired end result. The changes in the way my clothes fit are becoming more evident every day.


Monday, December 19, 2005, 12:39 PM

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Several weeks back a couple of members requested that I post my food plan, and also that I make my log public.

The link below will take you to my food plan. You can find my log under "dwillard" in the blogs.

I definitely agree with what the previous poster said about measuring portions, weighing things out, etc. And as with the previous poster, I also eat enormous quantities of fruits and veggies --- on the order of 15-20 servings/day, I think it comes out to. I just really like fruits & veggies, which makes it a lot easier.

It is hard to answer how much weight I have lost, as I have been following something similar to the same food plan for almost 5 years. I originally lost 30-35 pounds at a steady pound per week in 2001.

In mid-November, I joined PeerTrainer to help me thru the holidays. I have a tendency to eat too much, drink too much beer and slack off on my workouts when the days get short and cold, and I was looking for a bit of added motivation.

When I joined PeerTrainer I reduced the calories in my basic mealplan from 2800/day to 2000/day, and also added a bit more workout time. I have lost 5 pounds since joining PeerTrainer, and have also reduced my bodyfat to a very low level.

Hope this helps.

Digby

Link

Monday, December 19, 2005, 2:17 PM

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I just count calories. I hate cooking, so I eat a lot of frozen meals and take-out. I now stick mostly to chain restaurants so I can check online for nutritional info first and make my selections in advance. Also, since I work out a lot, I make sure I consume lots of protein.

Monday, December 19, 2005, 2:23 PM

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I assign how many calories I'm allowed to eat at a meal. I'm "allowed" to eat 300 calories at breakfast, and another 500 calories during the time I'm at work (8:30am-5pm, including lunch). Then I have to eat a healthy dinner w/o much snacking/dessert, but I'm not sure how many calories are in most of my dinners.

In order for the restrictive number of calories to work, w/o being hungry and feeling munchy all day (I have no willpower when I'm hungry!) I need to get in enough fats and proteins, and pretty much zero simple carbs.

For breakfast, I typically have a low carb bagel (either Weight Watchers brand or Thomas's low-carb variety) with some light cheese (light laughing cow is my favorite) and either 2 pieces of turkey sausage or turkey bacon, or else I have a bowl of cereal (either Smart Start Soy Protein or Kashi Go-Lean Crunch), which I measure the serving size on the box with a measuring cup, and that's all I get, with some skim milk, and then I add frozen raspberries to the bowl or a banana, to "fill it up." Sometimes I add the turkey bacon or turkey sausage to this too, and reduce the amount of cereal by a bit.

For lunch, I typically do a soup-and-salad, with some protein and fats in the salad (usually beans and cheese, or turkey) but with light dressing on the side, and a broth-based soup. Or sometimes a heavier soup with fruit on the side (usually grapes), and either low-carb bread or some wasa crackers. But i switch it up.

It's working!

Monday, December 19, 2005, 2:31 PM

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Works for me!

I stick to 1200 calories a day;
no white carbs except for Saturdays, and then only within 1200 cals;
workout 5-6x/week with at least 1/2 hr. cardio each time;
limited packaged foods, if any;
major holidays are freebies (x-mas, thanksgiving, YOUR b-day only).
So far I've lost 5 lbs. in the last week on this plan.
I was only going to do this until New Years, but it's very do-able for me long-term.

Monday, December 19, 2005, 3:38 PM

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No measuring cups!

I hate to weigh, measure or count my food so I just eat as many vegs and fruits as I can in any given day. Like Digby, I probably have a good 15 servings each day and a great variety. I also limit the amount of animal protein I have to no more than 3 oz per day (and many days I don't even have that). I only have no-fat dairy products and not every day (except for a little bit of parmesan here and there).

I drink a great protein and fiber shake every morning with fruit (usually berries) and added flax for heart health. I also take vitamins and supplements regularly.

About the only thing I drink is herbal tea and water. I just don't like the taste of sodas anymore. It's something about the carbonation that doesn't appeal to me.

My diet is a conglomeration of the Pritikin program, the AHA diet, the anti-inflammation diet, and the Mayo Clinic diet. I lost 20 lbs in the first month and I will weigh again at the end of this month. You can follow my weight loss journey by visiting my public log.

OP....good topic! - Trish

Link

Monday, December 19, 2005, 3:55 PM

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Trish, you're doing awesome! Keep it up!

Monday, December 19, 2005, 4:07 PM

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Trish- I just visited your log- a year later, how has your diet helped you? I recently started an anti-inflammation diet, and am having grea results. It works so well I want to wander the earth and spread the message.

Sunday, November 19, 2006, 10:34 AM

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I don't have a specific food plan, but I have lost 17lbs since August. I monitor my calories and eat a lot of whole foods - chicken, whole grain bread, bananas, peanut butter. Nothing is off limits to me, I eat ice cream (light or fat free variety) almost every day. I drink a lot of water and allow myself a specific set of calories each day. I aim for 1300, but typically end up around 1700. I do cardio 5-7 days a week for 45-60 minutes each time.

Monday, November 20, 2006, 3:27 PM

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I'm all about counting calories. I've lost 14 pounds.

Monday, November 20, 2006, 4:25 PM

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getting back to WW

I lost 35 pounds in a bit over a year on WW. I did the points plan.
when I track my food, exercise (makies me feel better and lets me eat the extra points), and weigh weekly, I lose weight. When I lost my mojo and stopped tracking, I maintained. when I quit exercise and ate recklessly I gained the weight back.
I am not doing the meetings now, partly because I work swing and night shifts, and because I wasn't really "digging" paying for a group I didn't feel "tight" with. WW has gotten at least $1000 from me already. The program does work, though, so I will still do it. I have to plan ahead, not keep "triggers" in the house (for me: pizza, cheese, sourdough bread), and be craeful about dining out (I think Thai, sashimi, vietnamese veg soup, and salads are great choices).

The meals I plan rely a lot on: trader joes prepared fruits and veggies, broth-y soup, canned beans with flavors (ie: chilis, red peppers, garlic, onions), hard cooked eggs (2), nonfat sugar free yogurt (2), lite wheat bread (1 point for 2 slices instead of 2 points each slice for regular bread), lite peanut butter and jam, using nonfat plain yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream, incorporating protein and fiber when I want to stay full.

Monday, November 20, 2006, 7:50 PM

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wow, 7:50, i can totally relate to you! that sounds like my story... good luck, friend

Monday, November 20, 2006, 8:19 PM

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breakfast: cereal with soy milk
lunch: protein bar
snack: apple
dinner: pretty much anything

and i really only drink water. this probably doesn't sound that healthy, but i've been eating like this for a long time and have stayed a healthy weight.

Monday, November 20, 2006, 8:39 PM

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My central guiding principle is very limited sugar - nothing sweet. A lot of other things fall in line when I cut out sugar and I've lost about 50 pounds since the end of May.

Monday, November 20, 2006, 10:44 PM

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I guess my philosophy is that I wouldn't do a diet plan I had to buy a book for!

Of course, Americans do all pay through taxes for the USDA to come up with that food guide pyramid, so that's what i use, the modified vegetarian version. I think the main problem with the pyramid pamphlet is that it's written by scientists and not by advertisers. I gather that the Australian gov't. equivalent, CSIRO, put out a fad-diet type book of their recommendations and sold it at a profit! Not sure why more people are likely to do it that way, but if it works, brilliant!

Anyway, I've lost weight just fine. These are the things I would stress about the USDA food guide pyramid:

- servings are really small. They are not what you mean when you say "serving" at the dinner table. A sandwich is usually three servings of carbs.

- they do say it, but don't stress it enough: go for the high-fiber choices! Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, cruciferous vegetables, spinach and chard, etc.

- about sweets and oils, they say "use sparingly." Now, to some people this translates to "Eat 10 cookies instead of 20 cookies." While that would be a good start, I interpret "use sparingly" to mean a small dessert once a week, and using olive oil spray on my nonstick pans.

- find out how many calories you need. This might take some experimentation on your part, as well as reading from other sources. The USDA assumes a 2000-calorie diet is normal. Well, if you are a youngish guy, that might be true. If you are (like me) a short, middle-aged woman with a desk job, it is a useless number.

- the food guide pyramid is not a weight-loss program, it is a guide for healthy maintenance. Of course, if one weighs too much and starts eating to maintain a lower weight, one will gradually reach that lower weight. But not at a rate of 2 pounds per week or anything like that!

Just as an aside, I've seen a lot of fad diet books slam the food guide pyramid, yet basically adhere to it. The Atkins diet maintenance plan, when I broke it down (a friend had the book) was ONE serving different from the USDA guidelines. I do think that the interpretation of "serving" is a problem.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 9:05 AM

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Smoothie when I wake up. NSA fruit juice, a cup of strawberries and a banana, with a handful of walnuts.
Post workout brekkie or "brunch" - 2 eggs with a slice of cheese and 5 slices of turkey bacon.
lunch - big green salad (some mix of romaine, broccoli, kale, and or spinach, with tomatoes, peppers, carrots) 3-5 oz protein, and occasionally a cup of veggie soup
dinner- whatever I feel like- but never more than 1 serving of a grain product (pasta, rice, bread) and always 4-6 oz of protein.
Snacks are hit and miss. Some days I have them, some days I don't. Common snacks are dried mangos, goji berries, jerky, or dark chocolate. Or, if I've been baking, cookies. Exercise is also hit and miss- some weeks I get in 10 miles of running some weeks I don't get any.

I'm one of the wheat free people, and while I don't care about sugar content (providing it's actual cane sugar, and not an artificial or corn sugar) or carb content, I try to limit myself to one serving of grains a day. No bowel problems, and I've maintained my 40lb weightloss for about 10 mo so far...

Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 11:55 AM

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Breakfast: 500-600 calories, oatmeal, wheat toast w/ PB and fruit
Lunch: 300 calories, vegetable soup and salad
Snacks: 200-300 calories, granola bars, fruit
Dinner: 300-400 calories, veggie stir fry, salad, veggie burgers

Lost 35 pounds and am maintaining this way. I love a hearty breakfast, and it actually prevents me from binging in the evening.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 6:13 PM

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