tweeking my diet

[jennifercareer]

My weight loss has been pretty slow for the last 2 months. I can't fit anymore excersise into my schedule. 4-5 days a week for approx 60 min is all I can manage so I'm wondering if I tweek my diet some, if it will make a difference. I try to eat clean, but I'm not 100%. I don't eat clean at least once a week.....maybe twice a weeek. But on average, I eat 1500 cal a day. Do you think if I eat TOTALLY clean for 4 weeks, that I might see more weight loss? I'm also wondering what I can do different with my diet to kick things up a notch too. Breakfast is simple with 2 pc wheat toast with 1 tbls all natural peanut butter and 1 cup skim milk. Mid morning snack is some carrots, celery and cucumbers with 3 tbls homemade low fat dip. Lunch is a frozen Kashi meal with 1/2 c blueberries. Mid afternoon snack is 1 handful of almonds and 1 cup of grapes and cherries. Dinner is usually 3-4 oz venison, chicken, turkey or fish with 1 cup of vegetables. If I get hungary in the evening, I usually eat celery or All Bran crackers w/ peanut butter. I may even have an ouce of cheese. I work full time, go to school p/t and have a new baby at home so I can't squeeze in any more time for workouts OR preparing tedious food ahead of time. I need this to be as simple as possible.

I've barely lost 4 lbs since June 27th. I'm convinced I'm doing something wrong. I'm either not eating right OR i'm not putting in enough cardio?? I shoot for 2-3 days of cardio and then weight lift the other days. I barely ever do the same workout within 3 weeks of each other so I can't see how I could hit any plateau there. I'm always challenged with my workouts. I don't know........any suggestions? It's just been 7 months since I had my baby and I have 15 more lbs to go. If I only lose 1-2 lbs a months, it will take me an additional year from now to fit back into my clothes!

 

[RapidBreath]

Don't worry about the workouts. Its usually the eats. The only deal with the Kashi lunches is that they do have a lot of simple carbs in them. I don't know what a simple easy solution for you would be due to your heavey schedule. I used to work as a live in Nanny while I was going to school so in that way I have great sympathy for you. I know you are working super hard. Since you already take a frozen lunch and heat it up I'm assuming that microwaving something for lunch is doable, right? Can you make your lunch? I know that seems really unkind to suggest cooking. What my mom does is make a tupper ware of cabbage, squash, and some low sodium chicken broth with a little olive oil or coconut oil. This seems to work really well, she heats it up at work and its very filling. Its about 1.5 cups of vegetables and I roast some chicken for her and fill a baggie with about 4 ounces of chicken. I just put some foil in a glass oven safe dish put the chicken thighs in with salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, and some vinegar. I bake it for about an hour at 350 deg. F until the juices run clear. We vary the vegetables. I pre-cut them for the week and keep them in a baggie in the crisper drawer. I don't know if that would work for your schedule.

Good luck. I've been having a tough time with the weight loss cause I had a series of viruses this year. I'm impressed that you have lost any weight at all, way to go!!!! You are awesome!

 

[Jachum77]

i still really don't know the difference in "eating clean" and Low carb. I have followed WW but i am SICK of everything i eat and i have not really followed the plan. I need to change my diet for sure but i am never a good one to tell you what you are doing wrong.

 

[worseenemy]

HI Jennifer,
I have a suggestion for breakfast, what about a 3/4 cup of old fashion oatmeal whit water. Here is what I do.
3/4 cup oatmeal whit water cook in the macro way
put some soy milk, a tps of flax seeds, little bit of sliced almonds
2 tbs of vanilla protein mix .
And it taste really good.

Now I'm introducing fresh juice, I made this my self, celery, cucumber , carrots, 1 apple, and beets, I got almost 2 cups of juice. For snack.

I've been limiting bread and eating more fiber, and smooth. Some times before the oatmeal i blend fresh fruit with soy milk and it taste really good and it keep me full longer after that I workout for 1 hr- 1 1/2 take a recovery drink and eat some real food, eggs whites whit a muffin and a veggie sausage and a cup of milk.

I was reading that having the same thing every morning is not good for you body.
well I hope this help you some.
I got all my ideas from watching " You are what you eat" on the BBC channel.
and now I'm starvingggg, I just finish my workout and I'm going to eat.
Bye...






COUNTING DAYS
6 more weeks until my DH get back home.
Eunice

 

[jennifercareer]

The cabbage sounds delicious. It's almost like a cabbage and noodle meal only without the noodles. I wonder how many heads of cabbage I'd have to buy for a week? And are you saying you add the chicken to the cabbage then? I wonder if I could just make it all Sun and would it last until Friday?

I feel like I barely eat carbs now. If eat mostly fruits and veggies all day, especially for snacks. I'm gonna feel like a rabbit! So if the Kashi lunches are too high in carbs, then switching to a turkey wrap with hummus probably isn't a good alternative, right?

I'll guess I'll try this though. Maybe the wheat bread in the morning is too much too but I feel like I need to get that whole wheat in my diet. I get 6 gm fiber just from my bread.

 

[worseenemy]

I know how busy you can get. I don't work but I have 4 daughters, so cleaning, cooking, go in out, keep them busy as well, I live in Twentynine Palms nothing to do, some times I don't know what to cook.
So what i found very handy is cook a big pat of soup and eat this for maybe 2 days with some grill chicken breast, or some tuna sandwich. Or a big salad dish that it last for 2 days and grill chicken.
Some times just rice and beans. You can cook 2 cups of brown rice and made salad out of it, just chop a lot of your favorite vegetables, limon juice and olive oil salt and pepper.
See I'm giving you some ideas but today I don't know what to cook today..







COUNTING DAYS
6 more weeks until my DH get back home.
Eunice

 

[dawndmg]

Jennifer,
I know how you feel I have been trying so hard on my own diet to stay within a certain caloric limit and I still haven't been able to reach my goals. I seem to hover around the same numbers and can't break through my plateau...extremely frustrating. I workout honestly about 6 days a week w/ cardio everyday 30-60minutes and every other day adding in weight training (just started STS). I am 36 years old, 5'2" and currently hovering around 125ish. It is frustrating to see those around me do the exact same diet I am doing with less exercise and still losing weight.

I feel your pain though, you painstakingly try to eat good and don't even allow yourself to have foods that you enjoy and yet you still can't reach your goals. I wished I knew what the solution to your dilemma is, but I am in the same boat myself and wished someone had a magic answer for me.

If you find something that works for you please share!

 

[JanetP1507]

The sad scary truth is everyone's body is different and what works for some people will not work for others but you probably already knew that. Your body has probably adjusted to your exercise routine and eating habits and it's stalling you out.

You should definitely try varying your foods more. Like exercise, your body will adjust if you keep eating the same things all the time. The oatmeal is a GREAT suggestion. I nuke mine with 1/4 c. of unsweetened almond breeze, some frozen blueberries, little bit of water and a packet of splenda for some added sweetness. I also sometimes have a 1/4 c. of egg beaters with a whole grain waffle with nuked frozen blueberries on top. My snacks are either a trader joe's lowfat organic yogurt, a bowl of Joe's O's with almond breeze or some fruit. Lunch is usually a salad with a veggie corn dog or an Amy's frozen thingie or a veggie patty of some kind, or a humungous salad with tuna on top and some whole grain crackers on the side (too much ruffage hurts my tummy, I need something bready to balance it out!). Dinner is usually frozen mixed veggies sauted in Pam with a veggie burger and a 1/4 c. whole grain rice. Every couple of weeks I treat myself to some sweet potato fries instead of the rice and a little sweet treat after dinner...a country choice organic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, or a 1/2 cup of So Delicious "fake" ice cream.

You might also try playing with your calories a bit...shave off 100 calories per day for a week and see what happens. Conversely, add another 100 calories and see what happens. You don't say what you're doing for exercise but if you can, try doing something new/different once a week.