Weekly Calories 4/20 – 4/24

I’m going to start tracking my calories Monday through Friday. I’ll post here every Saturday with the previous weeks’ calorie consumption.

Monday (1,400 calories)

7AM:  2 cups of Cocoa Pebbles w/ 1% milk = 290
10AM:  1 cup unsweetened apple sauce = 50
12PM:  turkey and cheese sandwich w/ light miracle whip and mustard = 250
3PM:  banana = 110 calories
6PM: 2 hot dogs (mustard, ketchup, relish, onions) w/ chips and salsa = 700

Tuesday (1,790 calories)

7AM:  2 1/2 cups of shredded wheat w/ 1% milk and raisin bread = 390
10AM:  1 cup unsweetened apple sauce = 50
12PM:  3/4 tuna sandwich, handful of fries = 600  est
6PM:  BBQ sandwich, chips = 650 est
7PM:  100-calorie snack pack, shortbread cookies = 100

Wednesday (1,530 calories)

7AM:  2 cups Apple Jacks cereal w/ 1% milk = 260
10AM:  1 cup unsweetened apple sauce = 50
12PM:  turkey and cheese sandwich, handful of chips = 420
5PM:  100-calorie snack pack, shortbread cookies = 100
6PM:  2 cups of spaghetti, bowl of Caesar salad = 700

Thursday (1,467 calories)

6AM:  2 cups Apple Jacks cereal w/ 1% milk = 260
10AM:  1/2 an orange = 25
1PM:  Arby’s french dip & swiss (took half the bread off) w/ small curly fries =  682
6PM:  Homemade tacos (beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, onions) = 500

Friday (1,582 calories)
6AM:  2 slices of raisin bread, banana = 300
10AM:  1 cup unsweetened apple sauce = 50
1PM:  TGI Friday’s Sizzlin Chicken and Shrimp = 300
6PM: Cracker Barrel’s Grilled Catfish, corn, mashed potatoes, and biscuit = 632

I know I eat a lot of process food. And yes, I know I’m lacking X nutrient from my diet. But here’s my response to that, and here’s why I’m posting the food I eat:

This is a realistic diet and meal plan to lose weight.

Ideally, yes, I’d love to get my multiple servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I’d love to have a grilled chicken breast with asparagus and a fruit cup everyday for lunch. But, for the majority people trying to lose weight, myself included, eating plush, healthy, balanced meals all the time is simply unrealistic.

Do some have the willpower and desire to stick to a “perfect” diet, composed of the proper balance of protein, fats, carbs, and all the necessary vitamins and minerals? Absolutely, I envy them. But whether it’s for a lack of time to prepare a decent meal, the financial constraints of buying fresh food all the time, or simply the desire to have some artificially flavored, man-made factory creation (Cracker Jacks!), a “perfect” diet would be nice, but it’s not realistic for most dieters.

So, until I have the desire, ability, and willpower to maintain the “perfect” diet, I’ll try to limit my portions, snack on fruits/veggies, and lay off the fried food.

It’s working… so far.