15 April 2009
Analyze This: Stephanie
Stephanie’s already at a healthy weight, but she’s in a food rut. I’m here to help! This is what a typical day looks like for her (comments in bold):
Breakfast:
1/2 cup regular oatmeal w/
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
couple raisins for taste
banana
This is a good breakfast, but I can understand getting bored with it. If you want to stick with an oatmeal-based breakfast, try creating your own breakfast cookie. It’s different enough from oatmeal in taste and texture, yet provides a lot of the same benefits. I also think it’d be great if you tried some eggs in the morning. Make a frittata on the weekend or early in the week and have a piece every morning. For an easier egg dish, try my breakfast sandwich.
Lunch: Sandwich on low fat bread either turkey (turkey w/ avocado), ham w/ swiss or roast beef (2 oz worth)
Greek yogurt (Fage or Trader Joe’s)
Apple
Baby carrots
Again, this lunch is solid, but I sandwiches get boring really quickly. The solution? More stuff in your sandwich! This is where wraps come in. You can stuff more stuff in wraps than you can between two slices of bread. Try buying a large, lower calorie wrap like Flat-Out or Ezekial and then stuffing it with all your favorite fillings. Try adding things like chick peas, alfalfa sprouts, spinach, cabbage, slices of green apple, baked/seasoned tofu, etc. in addition to your usual deli meat.
Snack: (on days that I go to the gym right after work) one of the following:
-1 tblspn natural peanut butter on low fat/cal whole wheat english muffin
-10 pretzel sticks (trader joe low fat honey wheat)
I usually stay away from eating pretzels/chips/etc. for snacks. I find that they don’t fill me up at all or give me energy. For me, they’re like eating caloric air. I like your first snack much better!
Dinner:Turkey/Chicken/veggie/whole wheat carb or potato situation 25/50/25
It sounds like your dinner could use a little jazzing up. Try other proteins like beans or tofu. Try other grains like quinoa or whole wheat pasta. May I suggest any of these recipes?
- Royal Quinoa with Tofu and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
- Italian Stew with Parmesan Crostini (use whole wheat)
- Whole Wheat Pasta with Peppers and Mozzarella
Whenever I’m in a dinner slump, I try to inspire myself with recipes from Real Simple or Eating Well. Both websites have great, simple, and healthy recipes and I’ve never had a dud.
Stephanie was worried she wasn’t getting enough of the right foods, but I think she’s doing a decent job. I think she just needs to get a little creative and branch out so she doesn’t get bored with what she eats.
