Ok enough is enough

I am sick and tired of trying all these different things and getting nowhere! I have been doing Fit for Life for a few weeks and have pretty much not lost anything else. And as much as I hate being wrong.........I will admit that the reason why there has been no weight loss is because I was not eating protein. I realize now that I have to in order to lose weight......especially with the way that I have been working out.  Things have just been so stressful lately in my life..............and I am really getting desperate to lose 50 pounds by my wedding at the end of June. I found my dress (YAY!!!!) and now I want to look good in it :-( So this is it. Back to MY basics.......and actually just a little bit healthier than I used to do. I am starting over with the system that I used after my surgery............that helped me lose 145 pounds. Counting my calories and protein intake.  Here is my outlined list of what I will be having today.  And I want opinions. This is good right?? Or should I be eating more calorie wise? Sweet and spicy tuna: 215 cal   24.5g pro

Protein shake: 160 cal   24g pro

Salad with 3 cups lettuce, 1 oz cheese, cran dressing, and cherry tomatoes: 226 cal    11g pro

3oz roasted chicken breast: 141 cal    26.7 pro

2oz raw carrots: 29 cal

Protein Shake: 160 cal    24g pro

1 medium apple: 71 cal  

1 small orange: 45 cal

1 cup (5oz) Strawberries: 46 cal    1g pro

1oz carmel veggie booty puffs: 120 cal   1g pro

Total calories for day: 1213   Protein: 112g

It looks great to me (and sounds good too!). My only caution would be on the carrots and fruits b/c they all contain natural sugars which for some is no good. I seem to eat fruits fine, but I have read where alot of people actually gain weight from eating too many fruits. Good Luck and keep us posted on how things are going for you!!! You're going to look beautiful on your wedding day!!!!!!!!!

I'd suggest looking at the total composition of your daily intake in terms of (1) overall calories, (2) carb grams, (2) fiber grams, (3) fat grams, and (4) protein grams.  I don't know enough of your history to know whether 1200 calories a day is a good range for you, but keep in mind that you don't want to eat too much less than your resting metabolic rate.  Otherwise, your body may try to hold on to its excess energy because it's not sure sufficient energy is coming it's way.   I aim to get 25% of my daily calories from protein, 25% from fat, and 50% from good carbs.  For 1200 calories a day, that works out to: 150 g. carbs 33 g. fat 75 g. proteins If you do 1400 calories a day, it works out to: 175 g. carbs 39 g. fat 88 g. protein You may do better with a slightly different ratio -- perhaps fewer carbs and more protein -- this is just what works for me. 

In terms of your menu, I do not see any low-fat dairy.  Light yogurt, Fage/Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, skim or 1% milk, low-fat cheeses, etc., are excellent sources of protein, reasonable amounts of fat, and calcium.  So I'd suggest that you incorporate some low-fat dairy into your plan to make it well rounded.   Finally, I try to eat some good carbs, fats, and proteins every time I eat.  It leads to greater and longer satiation because it takes our body different amounts of time to break each thing down into usable components.  (Carbs get processed first, then fats, then proteins.)  So by eating a combination of each item at every meal, you should feel satisified longer, thus eating less over the course of a day.   Anyway, just a couple suggestions based on what's worked for me.  Good luck getting yourself back on track; you can do this!!! Kellei

My doctor's nutritionist says to aim for 75% protein and 25% carbs. In otherwords, imagine your plate with 3/4 protein and a few veges or fruit to fill up the other 1/4. It's hard to follow - that's for sure but I do loose weight keeping to it. Diona

Thanks everyone for responding....... and thank you Tracy....you are so sweet :-)  I think that what I do works....I don't really want to worry about all the other aspects. I really do try to get as well rounded as I possibly can throughout one day. I might forget something here and there, but I usually make up for it the next day. Fruit doesn't seem to bother me at all. I feel better when I eat fruit............and it certainly is better than eating other sweet crap in its place! So I will figure out what I am having today and respost it later....maybe it will come out to be more well rounded today lol. 

Hey Kimmie... I'm a salad eater too...Love my salads! I just recently tried those salad spritzers (thinking they were going to taste boring and light)  If you have not tried them...They are yummy!  I was so shocked how much I love them.... I love the Italian one by Wish Bone (10 sprays is 10 calories!!!)  Yeesh!  That's nuttin'.... Then the Ken's Lite Accents sprtizer in the Raspberry walnut  (2 carbs and 2 sugars...but again only 1 calorie per spray) is yummers with some real walnuts and apple slices and goat cheese and chicken.... Crap...Now I am hungry... Just a neat little thing I wanted to share... Anita

Anita, I was in awe with the salad spritzer also, I love the flavor and the calories..

Good for you Kimmie!!!!  Now thats what I call back to basics. I remember dieting long before the weigh****chers and nutrisystems were popular. The basic diets always included counting calories and were much better than the new fad diets ever were.   Unless you already have a journal, try using fitday.com to enter your food intake and exercise for the day. The only thing is that it does not calculate sugar intake. I agree with one of the other responses that said to watch your sugars. I also followed a 'diabetic diet' for a long time and it really works too.  Best luck!