Eat all day

Fruit Salad by yikesleanne

I had a discussion with my friend Lisa who is trying to loose weight and said she was failing, nothing seems to work and what little she looses one week she gains the next.  She shared her daily menu during the week when she was loosing weight and it would seem to her that she had established good eating habits.  She was eating more fruits and vegetables and refraining from late night eating as well. He schedule was what we've all known since forever, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at AM, noon and 6 pm, respectively.  However, this schedule was also the problem as she felt hungry, tired, and cranky around 3:00 pm every day and then she found herself splurging just before dinner because she was just too hungry to wait.  To make matters worse, the late night munchies came back into the picture.

Obviously, this schedule is not working for her so told her to try a new way of eating.  "I want you to eat 5-6 times a day." "What!? Are you crazy? That's way too much food," she said.  "Actually, no, it's about the same amount your eating now but we're going to break those up into smaller meals, that's all.  Just try it for a week or two."

• Old Breakfast:  Bowl of whole wheat cereal, 1/2 cup fat free milk, Yogurt, fruit, tea or coffee.
• New Breakfast: Bowl of whole wheat cereal with fruit or 100%fruit juice, tea or coffee.
• Add a snack about 2 hours later:  Yogurt with granola or plain OR fruit. 

  

• Old Lunch:  Grilled Chicken salad (Romain lettuce, tomato, carrots, celery, radishes and light dressing), Soda and a bag of sun chips.
  
• New Lunch:  Keep the salad and dress it with lemon juice and olive oil instead. Drink water or Crystal Light and drop the chips.
• Add a snack about 2 or 3 hours later: fruit salad OR 1 apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter OR a Cheese Stick with 6 wheat thinks or Triscuit crackers OR a Banana.

• Old Dinner: Usually grilled chicken or fish, side of either rice or mashed potatoes and a cup of green veggies or salad.
  
• New Dinner:  Keep the grilled meats lean, but good choice there.  Switch to brown rice and sweet potatoes or eat less off them if you're not ready for the brown version or if sweet potatoes are not your thing.  Definitely keep the veggies, add more of them and/or a salad.
• Evening snack: Not a problem, keep it sensible:  Hot Cocoa made with water, yogurt, fat free pudding or gelatin, popcorn, any fruit, hot tea.

• Drink green tea through the day.
• Drink water in between meals.
• Stay a step ahead of those cravings by keeping protein bars, hand fruits, nuts, and water bottles in the car, gym bag, purse, etc.

The first week she lost 5 lbs, the second and third week she lost 3 lbs, now she is loosing between 1 and 3 lbs each week.  She has since started walking because, she has the energy in the afternoon or after work and she doesn't feel so cranky at the end of the day.  She really didn't have to change much to get her going. 

Personally, I try to keep protein bars and hand fruit in my gym bag and my purse as well as bottles of water.  I really don't like going shopping on an empty stomach because crazy things happen, like the other day my car just automatically turned into a Starbucks.  I don't remember ordering my grande- skinny-vanilla-latte-with whip but there it was in the company of a low fat blueberry muffin, as if that was a good thing.  

I do the same for my kids if I know I will be out running around for more than 2 hours - pack good, healthy snacks and drinks then I will be less likely to buy junk food on impulse or out of desperation.

Are you a scheduled eater or do you eat sensibly all day? I want to know what works for you!

Stay well,

Comments

[Fitness Surfer]

eating frequently is the key for me. Every 2 hours to keep up with my metabolism. I gained quite a bit of muscle and keep forgetting that i burn more calories. It's a good problem to have, but binging at the end of the day because I'm low on calories is not a good thing.

[Irene]

So many people who diet and fail do so for that reason - the old "3 meals per day" rule. My hubby has this problem. He doesn't eat a good breakfast, then he eats lunch and a snack, then dinner (always with ice cream). So he eats 4 times a day. I wish he would get into the habit of eating healthy 6 times per day.

[SpinDiva]

I find that when I eat all day I crave less of those food items that cause me trouble like salty foods or chocolaty sweet foods. I have those but more so in moderation and not to overload. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

[aion gold]

:P