Sample Eating Plan for Weight Loss

Last night I saw my friend who wanted the weight-loss specifics I wrote up in this post. Now she wants specifics and details on what I actually ate while losing weight. So here is what I wrote her:

Here are some sample "day in the life" food plans I used while losing weight. I didn't journal, so this is the best I can remember. I'll put the time of day I ate as well, and estimated calories in parenthesis. I ate about 1800-2300 calories a day starting out. As I got lighter, the range was more like 1500-2000.

Day 1 (exercise day)

9:00 am Meal 1
1 serving of old-fashioned oatmeal* (150)
toppings: 1 teasp. dark molasses (15), 1/4 teasp. cinnamon (0), about 1/2 c skim 1% milk (40-50) and a generous handful of walnuts (100).

1.5 mile walk to work

11:30 am Meal 2
1 banana (80-100) This was really the rest of my breakfast, but it went further when I ate it later. Timing it 1/2 hour before my workout it also doubled as fuel.

1.5 mile walk home

12:00 noon I did a strength-training workout. (45-55 min DVD) This would kill my appetite as long as I was moving, but then it would come back with a vengeance!

1:30 pm Meal 3
Ham sandwich:
1 slice 12-grain bread (110)
whipped cream cheese, thin layer (40)
1 ham steak, 4 oz. (120)
slices of tomato (5)
banana peppers, the lowest sodium you can find (5)
a pile of leaf lettuce at least an inch thick as a lid for your sandwich (10)
1 can Diet Coke (0)
1 medium apple, cut into slices (80), plus 1 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small slices (110)

4:00 pm Meal 4
1 medium orange or 2 clementines (60)
High fiber granola bar (130)

6:30 pm Meal 5
Cupcake-size homemade bran muffin, 2 oz. (150)

9:00 pm Dinner (I didn't count calories for dinners, so I really have no idea, but I'll try to estimate)
5" square of homemade meat lasagna (ground turkey instead of beef, whole grain lasagna, 1/3 less cheese than recipe called for but still regular cheese, not reduced fat) (600)
steamed veggies (generous portion of broccoli, carrots, asparagus, etc. lightly salted) (50)
La Croix flavored sparkling water (0)
3-6 small squares of high-quality 70% dark chocolate (we think Green & Black's is by far the best!) (55-110)
________
Calorie total: about 1900-2000


Day 2 (rest day from exercise)

9:00 am Meal 1
1 South Beach Diet high protein cereal bar** (140)

1.5 mile walk to work

12:00 noon Meal 2
1 hard boiled egg (80)
1 medium banana (80-100)
1 8-oz light yogurt (120)

1.5 mile walk home

2:30 pm Meal 3
Homemade Burrito: (microwave for 1 min)
1 burrito-sized whole wheat, low-carb tortilla (100)
1/4 can organic refried beans, about 1/2 cup (120)
a couple spoonfuls of good salsa (we like Muir Glen) (15)
2 teasp. sour cream (40)
banana peppers (5)
thin slice of extra sharp cheese (maybe 3/4 oz) cut up in little pieces (80)
1 can Diet Coke (0)

5:00 pm Meal 4
pieces of celery with 2 teasp. natural peanut butter (130)
high fiber granola bar (130)

8:30 pm Dinner
Italian chicken:
1/2 cup (this is less than you think) spaghetti, half white, half whole wheat (120)
1 chicken thigh with skin (300)
1/2 cup of pasta sauce (70)
a little grated fresh parmesan cheese as a topping (100)
green salad (at least 3 big leaves of leaf or Romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, etc) (30)
1 tablespoon high-quality real (not diet) salad dressing, such as Newman's Own or Annie's (70)
La Croix flavored sparkling water (0)
3-6 squares of dark chocolate (55-110)
________
Calorie total: 1800-1900

More Tips

• I drank about 4-6 cups of water throughout the day. Not everyone needs 8 cups.
• Sugarless gum is also your friend. I chewed about 2-5 pieces a day. Comes in handy when you want something sweet or minty that lasts 45 minutes for 5 calories!
• Eat with lunch-sized plates instead of dinner plates. It's more psychologically satisfying to see your smaller portions filling up the plate!
• The only reason coffee isn't included is because I don't like it. I think up to 16 oz a day is fine if you do drink it.
• Sometimes you will eat out or go to a party or potluck. What I did for eating out: order something lighter (not fried) and take the other half home for the next day. Potlucks: fill half your plate with salad/vegetables, 1/4 with starch, 1/4 with meat/main course. Take half of what you think you want and eat slowly. Only get seconds if you're still hungry after 20 minutes. Eat just one of the best dessert there. If you can't decide, take 2 half servings of 2 desserts. Eat a little lighter the next day and you will be fine!
• I almost never have caloric drinks. They don't make you feel any fuller than water. I'd rather chew my calories. I do occasionally have alcohol, like 1-4 drinks a month. I'd usually rather have sweets than alcohol. So if you have a drink, have one less sweet and it should come out even.

Other good mini-meals/snacks

• 4 oz shrimp or crab delite with coctail sauce (90)
• banana dipped in 1 teasp. natural peanut butter (150)
• bowl of high fiber cold cereal with skim or 1% milk (my favorites these days are Spoon Size Shredded Wheat & Bran and Fiber One Honey Clusters) (220)
• handful of nuts (120)
• 1/2 cup frozen berries (60)

Our dinners varied more than this. They were all just regular food, just smaller portions than I used to eat. But the other meals, I pretty much ate as above or very similar. I love all of those foods so I didn't mind eating less variety. I still eat pretty much the same.

Maybe there is still too much sugar in my plan for it to be optimal for health. They say you're supposed to eat sweets once a week or less. But that's just not gonna happen for me. And this still worked for me and I never felt deprived. Sometimes I did get a little hungry but it just made me enjoy my food even more.

If I can do this, I know you can! Best of luck.


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* Who has time to cook this every day? Not me. I cooked 5 servings at once about once a week, when I had time, then refrigerated the servings in individual airtight containers. Microwave for 1 minute, and, voila!

**I mostly refuse to eat "diet" food, but I really like the taste of these and they keep me satisfied much longer than a bowl of cold cereal and they are a godsend if you need to eat on the run. Even more filling: Slim-Fast high protein meal bars. 4 oz Vita Muffins are also great.