getting back on track! menu plans please

hi everyone, this month I will be celebrating 3 years out and I have kind of slid off the menu plans and need some input on what others are eating on the maintainance diet,  I have already talked to my dietician and she gave me the booklet to look over again but she hurt herself and is getting ready to have surgery so I thought I would look here for some food menu ideas. I have maintained my weight loss and it seems that I can not gain or lose anymore and I am just sitting at around 150# give or take about 7#  I still stick pretty much to the menu when I go out to eat but I must admit to eating some really bad stuff for a while.  My excuse is I am under a lot of stress with my 19 year old son who is a Marine in Iraq. We are a close family and he does is not married so we are the ones he calls when he just wants to talk.  we dont talk about what is going on over there but I know he is really homesick and I am of course worried about him everyday. then I am having some other medical problems, I have a lot of nerve pain due to tumors and pain medication barely helps and I have found myself dumping on purpose because when I dump, I normally just get a little bit nausious but really sleepy. to me this helps with the pain and I can get the much needed sleep I miss. BUT its time to stop whining and get back on track!  My husband is going on a diet starting tomorrow. his blood pressure was really really high a few weeks ago when he got bronchiatus and he said he is ready to go back on his diet and start exercising again SO I am going to join him and we will work on our diets together. I have my food journal all ready and I am ready to go but I am hoping someone can give me a sample of their daily menu.  I pretty much remember all that I have to do but all the stuff I did got boring after two years. so I would like to know what you eat when you eat how often you eat if you eat snacks how much you can eat in one sitting all my labs are great and I just recently got my iron up where it needs to be. thank you in advance for reading this long post. also if anyone else is planning on doing the same thing. we can do this together, I did see the post of someone wanting to shrink their pouch and start all over.  I may be willing to try that but not sure if I ever want to do protein shakes again... yuck.. Thanks Donna

Hey Donna! Well, here's my info - I'm hoping to learn from others as well, so I hope many respond!  Admittedly, I don't vary far from my meal plan - I have a tendency to eat the same things each week, which isn't always good.  I have found myself slipping into some poor eating habits (I don't dump too often, so carbs and sugars have reared their ugly heads) and I want to gain better control.  When I do plan my meals, I tend to stick with it better.   The less I have to think about food, the better off I am! Breakfast is usually 4 oz. low-fat cottage cheese, grape tomatoes (about 6 or so) and a hard-boiled egg. Snack is usually nuts or a piece of fruit.   Lunch is usually left-overs from the night before - meat, veggie and a small portion of carbs. Afternoon snack varies, depending on my schedule.  If it's a gym night, I have a protein shake or peanut butter crackers or 3-4 oz. of boiled chicken.  If it's not a gym night, I will have fruit or skip the afternoon snack. Dinner is usually 3-4 oz of lean protein, a veggie and a carb.   I allow myself a "treat" of some kind nearly every night.  While it is usually a good choice - low-fat or sugar free, it's a habit that I picked up a year or so ago and can't seem to stop.   All of this is on a good day.  On a bad day, there are way too many carbs and fats and I tend to graze and snack when I'm bored.  That's when the pounds creep back up! Sparkpeople.com has a feature in their food tracking program that offers menu planning and grocery lists.  It's helpful if you are trying to break outside the box and try different things.  I've used it a few times, but my DH does most of the cooking during the week, so I don't challenge him too often about our dinner choices!  I just feel fortunate that he willingly enters the kitchen to cook!!! Hugs! Kristi 

thanks Kristi, I just recently found sparkspeople and I think i like it better then fitday.com.  I am trying to figure out how to do my type of meal plan there. I was going to start my daily walk again but Mother nature has lost her mind and we are under a freeze here in western Ky, thankfully we did not get any snow. your meal plans sound pretty much like i used to do and plan to get back to.  I will start tomorrow and hopefully stick to it and I am sure I will feel better about everything. Thanks again. Donna

Donna off the top of my head I am no help but if I think of anything i will let ya know..  I did want to say, thank you and thank your son for his service, my son will be deploying the first week of May and the stress and anxiety of him leaving is already getting to me in a big way.  He's also 19 and un-married, I have already made it clear to my boss that if my son calls while I am working I will  stop everything and answer his phone call..   Your son is in my thoughts as are you.. Debby

Donna, Good for you for trying to get back on track.  I'm about 3 weeks from being 2 years out and I've basically followed the same plan since day one.  I eat very naturally.  I don't mean all totally orgranic stuff, but more things that are as close to their natural sources as possible.  I eat lean proteins (chicken, lean cuts of pork, fish, very lean beef, etc.), whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.  I do not eat sugar.  It is very close to the South Beach Diet, however I do allow myself sometimes a white potato or something like that - again, as it is natural.  I eat low-fat (not fat-free) cheeses, real butter (sometimes the light butter - the one mixed with canola oil for easier spreading), etc. My labs have always been exemplary, BP is great, and I've lost 198 pounds.  I'm 5'7-1'2" and have gone from a high to 370 to maintaining between 170-180.  I wear anywhere between a size 10-14 pants or skirts depending on the pant/cut and a size M/L top.  I really do not want to lose anymore weight as I am skin and bones from the waist up and mostly just skin from the hips down.  I just had a TT done 2/1 and my abdomen is flat as a board. I agree with you on the protein drinks.  Yuck.  I do not count calories, protein, etc.  I eat healthy, natural foods 3-5 times/day.  That's it! Michelle

Hi Donna, It's so good to see you.  I am sorry to hear about all you are going through.  Anytime I found myself off track it was due to STRESS!!!!! One thing I didn't see on your post was exercise.  Trust me this is key for losing, staying on track and helping with STRESS!!!  I take a kickboxing class and girl do I burn off some stress BIG TIME As everyone said, get back to writing things down.  Protein, Protein, Protein, Water, Water, Water and Move, Move, Move :-) Here is what I eat in a day.... Breakfast:  Oatmeal with a scoop of Whey Protein and NF/LF milk Snack:  Apple with peanut butter Lunch:  Protein like chicken, fish, salad or Protein drink Snack:  hard boiled egg Dinner:  Protein like fish, chicken, steak, steamed veggie, complex carb Snack:  Protein drink or hand full of almonds Good luck to you!!!!  And it was great to see you again! Take care, Kathy