shirleylawson's Journal, 25 April 2017

Welcome to FatSecret! I'm relatively new here too, but I love it and am making steady progress. Here is what I have figured out so far: (1) As much as possible, plan your full day of meals in advance, paying attention to caloric intake and ratio of carb/prot/fat (and sodium!), prepare them yourself so that you know the ingredients and nutritional content, and stick to the plan (which means that the plan shouldn't leave you hungry!) -- okay, maybe 2 apples when you had planned for one (lol). (2) Every meal should contain a (lean) protein and a carbohydrate (avoid refined carbs). I'm eating many more and healthy veggies than I used to. I used to snack on salty crunchy things a lot, but if I eat regular full meals, I have a much reduced urge. I average around 800-1000 cal/day with 3 meals that leave me satisfied, and a couple of pieces of fruit as snacks in late afternoon or evening. (3) If you can, learn to like hard boiled egg whites .. low in cal and good source of protein .. imagine its a new kind of tasteless cheese or something. I have 2 every morning as part of my breakfast, and sometimes a third later in the day Also (4) Exercise daily .. go for a long walk while listening to your favorite music or something. Oh, one more thing, and the hardest for me: (5) Give up all alcohol (or whatever your favorite "bad thing" is) .. except maybe once in a while when you decide to celebrate and blow it! Good Luck! 

All sounds like good advice, thanks. I don't drink anyway so that's no problem. Exercise is easy, I just turn on my favorite music and dance!