Losing the poundage

rsaleh84

I finally found my dress!  And it fits me just as I am!  But...I want to definitely lose about 20 lbs., just to feel a little tighter and to be more comfortable in a bathing suit for the honeymoon...I'm going to the gym and doing tons of cardio and some weight training, but my biggest vice is food, of course...

I need some advice on things I can eat or drink that can help keep me feeling full longer...please help! 

Lobsters25

well, what do you eat now?

The usual suspects are avocados, nuts, greek yogurt, hummus, lean proteins, and fruit and veggies.

rsaleh84

I usually start the day with a cup or two of coffee with equal and low fat creamer...if I eat breakfast (which I know I need to do, but I am always running late and half asleep in the morning!) then I'll eat one of those instant oatmeal packets from Quaker Oats...lunch is usually either ramen noodles and some veggies like carrots, radish etc. (I love veggies) or a sandwich with veggies on the side as well...dinner is usually the kicker...my FI and I work all the time, and we hardly ever want to cook dinner after being exhausted all day (I'm in Radiology...he's works for an Auto Auction)...so we will wind up eating whatever we can.

We just bought our home, so we are pretty tight on money...we don't go out to eat at restaurants, and if it's something picked up it's usually pizza...we don't do other fast food joints very often because we wore them out in our early 20's! 

Lobsters25

Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast! And protein with breakfast!  There are plenty of make ahead recipes (I believe you posted one awhile ago, Anna?) with protein that you can grab and go.  Make them, put some in your fridge or freezer, and grab on your way out the door.

Lunch also has no protein.  Where on earth is your protein?  Ramen is also loaded with sodium.  How about a greek yogurt with veggies instead?

Dinner - do you have a slow cooker?  If so, spend just an hour whipping up a few recipes, and toss half in your freezer.  Then there will always be some sort of dinner that is healthy and easily accessible.

Also, it sounds like you're eating too few calories.  Try to get one or two healthy snacks in during your day.

For the budget comment-I sympathize.  FI and I cut back a lot, and watch what we spend on groceries very carefully.  For our dinners, we buy the family pack of chicken breasts and freeze them in sets of two - then we just either defrost a pack or through one or two packs in the crockpot.  We also buy the larger packs of salmon or tilapia.  The initial cost is higher than we'd like, but it lasts for weeks, so we're not spending it very often.  Also, canned tuna is very inexpensive (near ramen prices) and much, much better for you than ramen.
You can also make very healthy snacks on a budget, like baked chickpeas.  You just have to get creative!