Well, so far I really like this little diet thingy I’m doing. The food is yummy, I haven’t been too terribly hungry and I’m seein’ some results! Wahoo.
However, I am getting sick of eating the same ‘ol thing every day. So, I’ve been changing up some of the food choices just a little bit. I’m still keeping it within the 950 calories range though.
Ya know, 950 calories is not a lot of calories. But, I still feel like I’m eating a decent amount of food. It’s amazing how much bang for your buck you get from clean, healthy, real food.
I’m eating 3 meals + 2 snacks every day. Do you realize that 2 donuts would wipe out my calorie allotment in one sitting. Dang.
Donuts are really yummy though, huh? 😉
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I’ve been having some cravings the past couple days. However, I know that whenever I start a really strict, healthy diet, I always have major cravings until about day 4-5 and then my appetite and cravings drop significantly.
I’m looking forward to that happening.
I’m always amazed by how GOOD I feel when I eat well consistently. When I feed my body good, wholesome food, my appetite goes down because I’m getting adequate nutrition and my body knows how to process and digest real food efficiently. However, when I eat fake, crappy (albeit yummy) food, my body gets all out of whack. Fake, crappy food messes with hormones and blood sugar and creates a whole lotta havoc.
I sleep so much better when I’m eating well too! I’ve been sleeping like a rock the past few days. It’s been great. Food really can be our medicine or poison.
K, that’s my deep thought for the day.
Oh, and so far I’ve lost 3 pounds. Yay. Oh and just so ya know, I’m not expecting to lose 10 pounds in 10 days. The book says you can lose up to 10 pounds in 10 days, but I only have about 10-15 pounds to lose period. So, I will be very happy if I can lose 5 pounds in 10 days.
Even though I’ve only lost 3 pounds, I can already see and feel the difference. I’ve felt a little chubby and bloated the past month. And, I don’t feel chubby and bloated anymore! It’s awesome.
Anyway, here are some pics of the foods I’ve been eating the past few days…
Breakfast: 1/4 cup oatmeal (topped with two crushed almonds, stevia and cinnamon) and an orange
This is such a yummy breakfast, although that bowl of oatmeal is teeny! I’m actually supposed to be eating half of a grapefruit instead of the orange, but I’ve been loving my orange every morning! I think I’m going to stick to the orange.
Morning Snack: 1/2 apple, 3-4 strawberries and 8 almonds
This is supposed to be just one whole apple and the almonds, but I’ve been changing it up with strawberries and blueberries. It’s been yummy. 😉
Lunch: A yummy wrap (Flatout) filled with 1/4 avocado, 2 tomato slices, 2-3 slices of deli ham, spinach, romaine and mustard.
This is supposed to be two slices of whole grain bread, but I’ve been subbing the Flatout (only 90 calories). The ham isn’t supposed to be in there either, but I’ve been putting it in there because I have calories leftover from not using the two slices of bread. This wrap is so yummy!
Afternoon snack: 8 (4″) celery sticks topped with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter.
Yes, some of my celery sticks are longer than 4 inches, but celery has like zero calories, so I haven’t been too concerned. I’m also supposed to be using almond butter, but I just really love peanut butter….so I’ve been using that. 😉
Dinner: 6 oz. chicken, 3 new potatoes (I’ve just been having a small portion of Yukon Gold potatoes) and broccoli (I’ve been having whatever veggies sound good (except for corn, more potatoes or carrots). Oh, and I topped the chicken with just a little bit of BBQ sauce too (maybe like 1/2 a tablespoon).
For some reason, dinner has been the hardest meal for me. I just haven’t been feelin’ the “chicken, potato, veggie vibe” for some reason.
On Monday, I made a whole bunch of chicken in the Crock-Pot. Btw, I’m still playing around with the recipe. When I “get it right”, I will share it with y’all.
I also made a bunch of roasted veggies….
And roasted potatoes (I made two pans). I added some purple onion to these potatoes and it made it so yummy!
I also made this for dinner the other night…
Turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and veggies! I figured turkey is similar to chicken and I didn’t want to have the same potatoes every stinkin’ day. I also just heated up the leftover veggies. This was yummy!
Soooo, now I have a whole bunch of leftovers and I should be “good to go” for the weekend. I’m a little nervous for the weekend though because I like to snack and eat more food. I will be strong.
Oh, and I’ve only cheated one little bit. I made grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids last night and I snitched a little bit. I made sure to count it in the calorie allotment for the day though. Oh and btw, I’ve learned how to make really YUMMY grilled cheese sandwiches. Kev and all my kids LOVE them. I love them too. I will share my secrets one day.
Well, that’s it! I hope y’all have a wonderful day! The weekend is just around the corner. Yay!
Wow, some awesome ideas here on how to eat low cal..yet not be left starving. Can’t wait for more ideas! Keep them coming:)
Thanks so much! 😉
I feel really good as well when I eat clean. I agree with you on the calories. I stay at 1200 a day and am usually not hungry as I am eating clean. Will be changing it up soon though. (And posting bout it too.) 🙂
I look forward to reading about your ideas. I’m always changing it up too!
Just a bit of background on myself. I was a competitive swimmer for many years and then got into weight lifting, which required a lot of nutritional research for bulking. A few years down the road, I gained over 100 pounds as a result of a brain tumor. So, went back to the research but on how to lose weight. Now, I’m an ISSA certified personal trainer and a CrossFit L1 trainer. Both use different methods of dieting, and I am actually doing a third. I say all of this to tell you that it my professional opinion that based on such a calorie deficient diet like the one you are on, the weight you are losing is not fat but muscle. Although your choices are healthy there is not near enough to maintain lean muscle and that is what your body will use when in starvation mode. This also supports both why you are having cravings and sleeping better. The sleep is because your body is trying to shut you down for energy support. Just my opinion.
Thanks so much for your opinion. You raise some very valid points. Although I agree with you in theory, I still think the plan I’m on is a good one and I’ll tell you why.
First off, I didn’t make it up myself. I am following a book by Jackie Warner, who is an extremely well known fitness expert. So, I trust my source. Also, I know 950 calories is extremely low, but it’s split into 5 meals and based on rock solid nutrition. This keeps the metabolism going and also assures the body is getting what it needs. Also, this plan only stays at 950 calories for 10 days and then goes up to 1200-1500 calories. Every single diet plan I’ve ever seen claims that 1200-1500 calories is the perfect range for weight loss (especially for women.) I know men can eat a whole lot more and still get great results, but women definitely need to restrict calories a bit to lose weight.
As far as cravings go, I always have cravings for about 4-6 days when I start a really healthy, clean eating plan (regardless of the amount of calories.) I know this is a natural response as the body gets over sugar and processed food addictions. I also always sleep better when I’m eating better too! I consider this to be a very welcome perk to healthy eating. I know that eating a healthy diet helps to regulate hormones (especially cortisol) and allows us to sleep better and deeper. I love it.
That’s my two cents. I thank you for your comment and know we do have to be careful not to let the body go into starvation mode and create a sluggish metabolism. 😉
God love you!!! I am looking at this and my belly is growling! Can you up the calorie in take or add more foods on days you have hard workouts planned? JUst wondering;)
Thanks for sharing,
Jeanie
ps.. I need to by flat outs!!
LOL! The book doesn’t say you can up the calorie intake, but I’m sure if you had a hard workout planned, you could have a pre and/or post workout snack and would still see awesome results! 950 calories is extremely low, so I’m sure another 200-300 calories would be fine, imo. The 950 calories is only for 10 days and then it goes up from there. I’ve been snitching a little here and there just to keep my sanity and it’s been fine. I really LOVE Flatouts. They are the best!
I have done this diet 3 times!!! The first time I lost 8 pounds … The first couple days I lost 2 pounds, then around day 4 it went to 1 pound or none. Still 8 pounds in 2 days is not bad. I am in pretty good shape. The workout in the book was quite simple for me, was a bit of relieve compared to the other workouts I do. Nice break. The reason they are simple is because You are only eating 950 calories in phase 1. The food I found very satisfying. I am a junkie…I love healthy food, however….Gummy Bears, Licorice, and kind of chewy candy, chocolate, ice cream…I over indulge. This diet makes it easy to stay away from the junk. I myself have not had any cravings 🙂 My second time on the diet….The results were less. I think I lost 6 pounds. It has been almost a year and I decided to go at it again. The weight is coming off very slowly but I can notice. I lost 4 lbs in 8 days but I feel it. I also got my period so I am expecting in a couple days to notice a couple more pounds do to the water retention I get during my period. No cravings before my period??? I believe its the food choices. I am almost done with phase one and this time I am going on to phase two (which I have never done). I am getting married in a couple months and this diet keeps me on track. I am 44 years old and greatful for this book!!! I cannot drink green tea…It backs up my insides! The only food I change up is I add a little cayenne pepper to my oatmeal and some onions and peppers/jalepenos to my chicken.
I’m so happy to hear about your experience and good results! I really liked this diet too and loved that it was based on sound nutrition. I also love how it helps to curb cravings and my appetite. I love all of the sugary stuff too!!! Congrats on your upcoming marriage that’s so exciting!!!