Planning Ahead

Today’s diet tip is planning ahead. When you are on a strict diet, you do not have many calories to spare, so it can be helpful to plan what you are going to eat ahead of time. If you are on a 1700 calories per day diet and you decide you really want a nice big omelette with cheese for breakfast one morning, you will probably find that you have screwed yourself over later on in the day, and by nighttime you’re starving. A bag of chips may sound really good along with lunch in the moment, but hours after dinner you may be upset when you have no calories left for a snack. Planning ahead works in a variety of ways. For some people it means writing down exactly what they will eat for each meal the night before. Others may go with just a general idea and think a few hours ahead as the day progresses. To others, planning ahead means leaving a sort of safety net for times of the day when they know it will be harder for them to resist a snack or some froyo. For example, someone who knows they will want to snack at night may eat fewer calories during lunch or dinner so they have some left for a bowl of cereal while watching TV at night.  A person planning on going out to a bar with friends one night may also eat fewer calories at each meal to save room for a few vodka sodas later. Some dieters plan ahead by figuring out what low calorie foods are most filling or figuring out which nutritious foods they like best. Those who have been at it for awhile use their built up knowledge to determine what they should eat and when. Building up this knowledge base and figuring out what works best for you is all part of the learning process of dieting and living the fit life.

Listed below are some great foods you can incorporate into your diet as parts of meals or as snacks. These foods are nutritious, low-calorie, and delicious!

~Mango Non-Fat Greek Yogurt: 120 calories

~Apple: 70-100 calories

~Pirate’s Booty: 130 calories (1 serving=2 cups)

~Special K Chips: 110 calories (1 serving-27 chips)

~Raw Almonds: 160 calories (1 serving=.25 cups)

~Rice Chex cereal: 100 calories (1 serving=1 cup)

~Whole egg: 75 calories

~Egg whites: 15 calories per egg white

~Lemon Sorbet: 120 calories (1 serving-.5 cups)

~Skinny cow Ice Cream Sandwich: 150 calories

~Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt by Turkey Hill: 120 calories (1 serving-.5 cups)

~Blueberries: 80 per cup

~Raspberries:  64 calories per cip

~Sweet Potato (Medium Sized): 115 calories

~Grilled Chicken Breast (Boneless and Without Skin):  210

~Salmon Fillet (.5 of a filet): 185 calories

~Flounder Fillet (4.5 oz.)=170 calories

Baby Carrots: 50 calories per cup

~Green Beans (Boiled): 45 calories per cup

~Oatmeal (Plain): 165 calories

~Whole Wheat English Muffin: 130 calories

~Smart Balance Butter: 50 calories per tbsp.

~Broccolli: 35 calories per cup

~Green Tea (Un-sweetened): 0 calories

~Americano (black): 15 calories