Normal, Regular, Everyday Food....

"Paige, can you just tell me exactly what you eat everyday? I want to eat just that for a month and see if I can lose some weight!" Yes, this is what I get several times a week! The problem is losing weight is a very personal journey, especially when it comes to food choices. I eat what I do because it tastes good, I enjoy it, and I picked it out myself. Not to mention, it changes from time to time. Once you decide on how many calories you're going to be consuming, then start making choices from there. I think of it like a game. I will tell you though, for the most part I know first thing in the morning what I'm eating for the entire day. I've already made those choices, have things mapped out, and I stick with it.  Obviously there are times when dinner is eaten out or other things may come up, but it's not often I don't know that ahead of time and will have planned for it.

Just to appease a few of you, here are a couple of sample menus: The first one I will share is from a while back. The second one is what I seem to be enjoying these days.

Menu #1

Breakfast: 2 egg beaters with 2 tablespoons salsa

                1/2 cup Quaker Old fashioned Oats

                1/3 cup mixed berries (I put them in the oatmeal.)

Morning Snack: 1/2 Cup Vanilla Yogurt

                         1/4 cup low-fat strawberry granola

Lunch:  1 whole wheat sandwich thin

            3-4 0z turkey breast

            1tsp of either mayo or a Greek yogurt dip I love from Costco

            Lettuce

            1 cheese stick

Afternoon Snack:  1/2 Cottage Cheese

                            10 Red grapes

Dinner:  4 0z baked chicken or turkey burger (patty only)

             2 cups broccoli

             4 oz baked sweet potato

             1 pad real butter

Bedtime Snack: 1/2 cup cottage cheese or a cheese stick

Menu #2 

Breakfast: 1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch

                 1/2 cup of nonfat milk

                 1 cheese stick

or 

                 Spinach Smoothie

Morning Snack: Cliff Z bar (chocolate fudge or cookie dough)

Lunch: 1 whole wheat sandwich thin

           1 Tablespoon of peanut butter (Smart Balance)

           1 small Apple

Afternoon Snack: Vanilla Greek Yogurt

                            slivered almonds

Dinner:   (Chef Salad)

               spinach

               grilled chicken

               hard boiled egg

               Feta cheese

               peppers

               Balsamic vinaigrette
Bedtime Snack: 1/2 cup cottage cheese or a cheese stick

I aim for around 1350 - 1500 calories a day.

*Depending on where my calories are at, I always keep nuts on hand to add a few extra calories to my day if needed.

Again, this is just a sample and I eat many other things I seem to enjoy. Please remember though, in order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to be selecting the foods you enjoy! It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle, right? I'm just wanting you to see that people do lose weight, large amounts of weight, just eating regular, normal everyday food in moderation. It's so doable. The biggest obstacle is just deciding to do it!