I know “fast food” is very popular but it is not very healthy and you are not doing your body any favors by not spending some time and preparing your own meals and eating those vegetables. How much fiber are you getting??

you are on a plateau, you want to get through it, maybe you should take some time and rework that menu. There are a lot of options for you at the grocery store that are healthier.

And I can’t imagine what your sodium count is either..

I’ve already limited processed foods/take out and the sort, but I’m not prepared to eliminate it or restrict it much more… yet. I typically do eat a lot of fruits/veggies, this was simply a one week sample — keep in mind, we JUST had the baby. We’re all about the quick, crap meals that come quickly. I have very little time with additional work from the office this week, as well as the baby.

Once I get more into a routine, the baby gets a little older, and my office workload gets back to normal, I’ll definitely try the suggestions you recommended. When that time comes, I’ll probably shoot you an e-mail and see if you have any more tips for me.

Thanks for reading and helping out :)

You make some really good points:

-Everyone has unique challenges with weight-not everyone’s problems come for eating out. Finding our own challenges and strategizing is important.

-Cutting any food out entirely and permanently can lead to a binge. Working out how to fit them into a healthy lifestyle is important in the long-term, although can be tough for some people in the short-term.

-And that finding something sustainable is the key.

No wonder you’re doing well with your plan! :)

-not enough protein early in the day
-a real lack of vegetables
-a pretty high reliance on packaged/takeout/heavily processed foods
-extremely low calorie counts for the day
-curious about the timing of eating and workouts

I realize you are beginning a journey here so I wouldn’t expect you to turn your diet upside down overnight. But down the road, the lack of protein and veggies and the reliance on simple carbs may hinder your weight loss.

I am a huge fan of getting protein at every meal. Like you, I have oatmeal frequently for breakfast (the kind you actually have to cook though–no sugar, more fiber) and I often add a Morning Star Farms soy sausage patty. Huge jolt of protein and flavor for almost no fat and under 100 calories. Also, at the rate that you are losing weight, you really are going to have to work at getting protein so that you don’t lose muscle when you’d like to be losing fat. Building muscle is very difficult with insufficient protein. A rough estimate for an active person would be to aim for protein grams that are half your weight–so for you around 90 grams a day at least because you are working out and losing weight.

I’d try setting some goals around what you are eating over the next few weeks-maybe one week focus on adding protein to each meal/snack, the next try to cut out a processed carb, the next start adding in some veggies.

Do you eat anything within an hour of your workout? Before and after? A small (100 calorie) carby snack before can help you get through a tough workout. A small snack after wards that is roughly 60/40 carbs/protein can really help you recover from a workout. Just something to consider.

Coryad-I traveled for work for many years and managed to not gain weight by doing the following: always working out, eating a balanced breakfast, and at lunch and dinner always ordering a small salad (dressing on the side) as an appetizer and eating all of it before I ate my meal. I found that after I’d eaten the salad, I was generally too full to have client dinners thow me off track.

Best of luck to you , Tyler, and congratulations on your continued success! You’re doin’ it!