TheChocolateSheep's Journal, 10 April 2015

you can do it  

My best advice for dinners is plan ahead, be prepared. Some people do well preparing meals for the week in advance as that works with their schedule. I don't do that but always have in mind what to have ahead of time, meats defrosted, etc, so when I get home I can get to making it. Usually I enter everything into my food diary ahead of time which also helps me plan. For me, if I don't plan I'll end of grabbing whatever is available and eat too much and the wrong balance of macros. I would highly recommend measuring all foods and meticulously entering it into you food diary. That's the only sure way to know how many calories you're eating or what the balance of fat/carbs/protein/fiber is. Looks like you're all set and planned out for exercise and activity which is great. Wishing you lots of success! 

I think Jmb is right. Don't go looking for what's for dinner when it's dinner time. For a long time I planned each meal for the day on here before I began eating. That helped a lot. I eat very simply, so that helps. I'm fine with chicken breast, a salad and a piece of fruit for dinner. After 3 years of this (wow) I can walk into a grocery store and pick a few things for lunch and know pretty much exactly what I'm getting for macros and calories. Good luck. 

From your exercise plans, it appears that muscle mass might be the culprit. Ask your gym if they can test for muscle/fat ratios. Good luck with the triathalon; they're tough! 

Some great sites: Emilybites.com, skinnytaste.com, laaloosh.com (laloosh.com?) cookinglight.com They all have interesting and healthy recipes.  

Just one more thought. Save some calories in the day to have something to eat in the evening or after dinner. For me it's often a treat of frozen fruit and berries run through the Dessert Bullet to make a fruit sorbet, sometimes with one Andes mint added. A planned healthy treat that helps keep me from going off track. 

I found that I had to get a lot of the tempting food out of the house. I got snacks for the kids and hubby that they like but I don't crave. For dinner, I am a big fan of stir fries. I keep a lot of veggies on hand and make sure I add a veggie dish to each dinner--it is not hard to steam up some broccoli or saute some asparagus and mushrooms while putting the rest of dinner together. When you have the time, prepare the vegetables in advance--chop and peel so that you can just pull them out and use them at dinner time or for a snack. Broiling some fish or grilling some chicken breasts will make quick, simple protein. I also love soups--that is something you can cook in big batches and have leftovers that can be pulled out of the freezer for dinner on busy days. Best of luck--you can do this! :) 

hmm my go to meal is ribs.. with sauce on the side.. with veggies. Or a good steak with a side of veggies. Salad for appetizer  

I always pre-plan my meals on here, often a week at a time. If I know I'm going to have something with higher calories or salt I adjust the rest of the day around it (like not having oatmeal and rice on the same day). I tend to eat simple dinners: chicken, veg, potatoes. There are all kinds of sauces/seasonings to change up the chicken and I rotate the vegs. I love potatoes so have them often and they don't get boring. We doo chicken at least 4 days a week then add a beef and pork day. 

Git back here, missy. 

A couple of good recipes. Turkey Enchilada Casserole on this site is a keeper. Also Black Bean & Corn Salad, Crab or Seafood stuffed Portabello or a crustless quiche with tons of spinach, asparagus or whatever vege you have in abundance. Frittata mini muffins are a great snack or grab a couple for breakfast. Try soup it's pretty low cal/fat.