Over 2 years out..what should my menu look like?

Hi guys! I haven't posted on this board in a very long time. I have no clue as to how I'm supposed to be planning my menus and I just eat and try to get protein in. So far it hasn't been working too well for me as I've began to gain weight! Here's a sample of what I eat in a day. Breakfast: Slim Fast Carb Control Shake Snack: Egg Lunch: Frozen lean cuisne/something along those lines with a yogurt/or cottage cheese Snack: Pear w/string cheese Dinner: Chicken with some sort of side Snack: Beef Jerky/hot tea With Christmas coming soon, I've been snacking when I know I shouldn't be..esepcially on the chocolates/cookies/chips that people bring into work. I haven't been paying too much attention to that and I know I should be. Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to spiral out of control with this and I don't know if my daily diet is giving me the calories that I need in my diet??!!! Thanks for any suggestions/help.

I'm not a dietician, but all in all I would say your overall menu looks good.  High in proteins, low in carbs, some fiber in fruits/veggies.  If you are starting to gain, you may want to look at the composition of your diet a bit more critically.   You may also need to start tracking your daily food intake at fitday.com or sparkpeople.com so you can get baseline information about what you are currently doing.  Then you can make small adjustments as needed until you are maintaining.  I make adjustments in 100-150 calorie increments, then wait 4-6 weeks to see what happens.  Results are not instantaneous, so you have to be patient, but it's all about figuring out how many calories your body needs on a day-to-day basis to maintain a particular weight.  (Sort of like figuring out your car's gas mileage!)   There was a post on this forum in the past couple weeks I think about what percentage of our calories should come from carbs, proteins, and fats.  Not sure exactly how long ago it was posted, but I found it super helpful.  I'll see if I can find it and update this entry later - don't have time to look for it now.   Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

Hi, Your sample menu looks pretty low in calories - probably around 1000-1200 calories per day. I'd highly recommend that you see a registered dietitian in your area or return to the one affiliated with your surgeon's office to get a handle on your weight re-gain. Nothing in your menu is really jumping out at me as the cause of your weight gain. Seeking individual advice of a dietitian may help. He or she will review your medical history, diet history and exercise history and help make plans to get you back on track. You didn't post your exercise habits here - it may help to take a look at how much you are exercising and increase the duration of exercise or intensity. This is something a registered dietitian can go over in details with you & personalize for you.

Remember it is the whole package deal we are suppose to be doing.  If you have your meals down, that is one thing.  Like mentioned above you might want to start journalizing your food.  Exercise was also mentioned, and lastly are you drinking all of your water?  Remember to do ALL of these things together for better results.