I hear many people talk about ‘eating like a bird’ and still gaining weight. If you are one who eats very little yet keeps his or her weight on, it may be that you are not eating enough to fuel your body. If your body doesn’t get enough fuel, your body will hang onto the fat it has, because your brain has sent the signal that you are not getting enough fuel. I’m not going to tell you how many calories you should eat. There are apps and websites that can do that for you. You should also talk to your doctor concerning a safe caloric intake for your age, weight and height.
I don’t really count calories. However, I do check my caloric intake once in a while out of curiosity. I am eating roughly about 1500 calories per day. Yesterday I consumed 1460 calories. I do something a little different than most people. I prearrange my day. I write down what I am going to eat and then I follow it each day. I break up my calories (points in my case) into 6 to 7 mini-meals. I never eat more than 4 ounces at one time. I do this because I have a pouch for a stomach. If I eat more than 4 ounces at a time I get a very uncomfortable full feeling in my stomach.
To give you an example of what I eat, I will give you a list of the mini meals I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: 1 – 8 ounce glass of fat free chocolate milk, an English muffin, egg fried in PAM, and a slice of fat free cheese
Mid morning: 1 ounce of mixed nuts, and a bottle of water
Lunch: English muffin pizza…(Cover muffin lightly with pizza sauce, and cover with fat free cheese.. heat in oven until cheese melts) and baby carrots on the side, and a bottle of water
Mid afternoon: Ice cream sandwich
Supper: Cheeseburger (1 frozen 100% ground beef patty (lean) grilled on English muffin and a slice of fat free cheese), celery sticks stuffed with fat free cream cheese and sliced olives, and a bottle of water
Evening snack: ½ cup of cottage cheese and a half peach (canned drained and rinsed)
Bedtime snack: 1 ounce of pretzels (48 pretzel sticks) and bottle of water
As you can see my portions are small. I am getting a safe amount of calories in my body. I am eating foods that I like. I eat whole grain English Muffins a lot because a whole muffin is just 2 points, where 1 slice of bread has two points. I like having sandwiches, so one slice of bread doesn’t do it for me. I often get too full with two slices of bread anyway, so an English muffin is just right.
I’ve mentioned this before in another post, but it is important to mention it again. Tracking: Tracking is most important, because it is so easy to lose track of what you put in your mouth on any given day. You don’t have to do everything the way I do it, but it is a good idea to keep a note pad with you at all times. If you are going out to eat, bring that tracker. It’s also good to have a calorie counter handbook with you also. I have a point counter with me at all times.
If you are going to eat out, don’t be afraid to ask the server how food on the menu is prepared. If you need your food cooked a certain way, ask. I like going to the Waffle House to eat once in a while. If I go now, I ask them to steam my hash browns in a pan, rather than frying them in grease on the grill. I like them scattered, smothered and covered. I now ask for the cook to put give me my chili on the side and I spoon on the amount I want on them. I just put 2 or 3 tablespoons of chili on my hash browns. I can have what I want, but I have it prepared in a healthier way. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
In conclusion, I want to stress that it is important to eat your calorie allotment for each day. If you are on 1500 calories, don’t try to cut them down to 1000. It’s important to eat the calories that your body needs. If you don’t eat you may hold on to the weight you want to get rid of. I find it is better to eat several times a day in small portions than to eat them all up in 3 meals.
Try to eliminate unhealthy foods from your menu. I have changed from regular mayonnaise and salad dressings to low fat. I tried the fat free versions, and I didn’t really like them very well. Use these in moderation though, because just to use freely you may use too much and get way more calories than you intend. If you are a grazer, like me, you should make sure you have healthy snacks to graze on.
Always watch your portion sizes. It’s important to eat enough, but you don’t want to eat too much, by eating larger portions than you should. Your caloric needs will change as you lose weight. You may hit a plateau for several weeks where you don’t lose or gain. This may be because your caloric needs have changed. You either have to cut down on your caloric intake or increase your activity to start burning calories again. It’s a delicate balance you need to maintain to lose weight consistently. You can do it, and so can I. Good luck!