Thought the first week of the New Year would be a good time to share the menus that have helped us all lose weight, both what and why. FYI, I built my diet myself in consultation with my doctor and a nutritionist, but it pretty closely follows the Harvard Food Plate for my main meals. This is a good sample of what I eat most days:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with a dollop of peanut better and a sliced banana. I'll usually add 1 soft-boiled egg on the side, sometimes 2 if I know I'll be out and about longer than normal (usually if I bike to work).
Why: Oatmeal is a great overall food that helps with many things, including feeling more full for a longer period of time. The peanut butter adds both taste and protein, and the banana adds more taste and a fruit to the equation. The egg is still more protein and also has lots of good nutrients, and it tastes good. I use plain oatmeal and add no sweetener.
Mid-Morning Snack: A Kind bar with two big glasses of water. Or I'll eat a whole fruit like an apple, which happens to have a lot of fiber.
Why: The Kind bar is one of the least offensive "bar" foods out there (most are processed crap). It contains whole nuts which are healthy and help me feel satiated, and the bar is chewy so it feels like I'm eating something. If I have fruit instead, it's a good source of volume and nutrients, plus has fiber.
Lunch: I eat almost exclusively salads packed with protein because it's an automatic way of making sure I get enough greens every day. I alternate between Romaine Lettuce, Baby Spinach and Arugula, topped with chopped broccoli, wheat berries, quinoa, tomatoes and sometimes I'll throw chopped apple or avocado. I put grilled, chopped chicken in it and use an olive-oil based balsamic vinaigrette.
Why: The veggies are great for all the obvious reasons. The quinoa, wheat berries and chicken all add protein, and the dressing gives me a healthy fat and also helps me feel full.
Snack: In the afternoon I'll usually have a plain Fage yogurt with some sunflower seed based granola (not too much).
Why: Fage is low in sugar and high in protein, and dense so it feels like I'm eating something. The sunflower seed granola adds taste and some sweetness with dried fruit, and the seeds provide more good, filling fats.
Dinner: This winter I've started eating mostly veggie/bean soups with some quinoa and a little parmesan cheese on top. I'll try to have a salad beforehand too.
Why: Soups are incredibly filling and the beans provide both protein and fiber. The veggies are good for obvious reasons and the salad before hand helps add more veggies and volume (and, you know, it tastes good!). The quinoa adds bulk, texture and protein, and the sprinkled cheese adds flavor.
After Dinner: I usually get a little hungry later at night so I'll drink two big glasses of chilled water.
Why: The water usually makes my hunger go away after 10-15 minutes.
That's it. By varying the ingredients in all of these (for instance, I put blueberries in the oatmeal or fage some days, I use all sorts of different beans and veggies in the soups, etc.) it keeps the taste diverse and gives my body a variety, but all built on a very healthy base.
I've really stopped eating processed food, simply because the whole foods now crowd them out. And breads have almost fallen out for the same reason. If I do eat bread it's always of the whole grain kind. I don't eat potatoes anymore or white rice, just because I'd rather put better, tastier foods in there. When I have meat it's always lean.
One of my goals is to work fish into my diet 2-3 days a week. Although I love sushi I don't care for cooked fish all that much, so will have to work on ways to get my taste accustomed to it.
Hope this is informative to some of you! Looking forward to seeing what's on your menus :)
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- Breakfast: 2 Eggs, Bacon (or leftover meat from dinner), spinach, & cheese - all in omelet form
- Lunch: Two handfuls of mixed greens or spring mix lettuce, cucumbers, shredded cheese, slivered almonds, chopped up cold cut turkey or leftover protein from dinner, homemade italian dressing
- Dinner: Some sort of protein (chicken, pork, beef, sometimes fish) and a hearty side of veggies such as broccoli, spinach, aparagus, cauliflower, etc or sometimes another salad
- Desert: If I'm feeling fancy I'll have a piece of super dark chocolate but it's pretty rare.
- Snacks: handful of almonds or unsweetened coconut flakes
- Primary Beverages: Black Coffee, Water, Diet Coke, Coffee, Seltzer - If I want alcohol, I like tequila or gin and seltzer with lemon
As you can see I'm eating lowish carb paleo (aside from the diet coke). I feel fantastic!
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Breakfast: Nothing, never hungry in the morning
Lunch: Bacon and eggs
Dinner: A big juicy steak and veggies
Occasional snack: Almonds, kale
Weightloss: 30 pounds in 3 months, and still going strong
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Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 strips of bacon
Lunch: 2 baked chicken thighs + 1 cup of broccoli/cauliflower
Supper: 1/3 pound of ground beef + 1 cup of broccoli cauliflower + One of Many Sauces.
Snack: 1 stick of cheddar cheese.
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