What I Ate/Eat to Lose 35lbs.

shrimp, avocado, blueberry, cherry tomato, herb & mixed greens salad w/ Japanese dressing

Since I posted that I've lost 30 pounds (I've actually reached the -35lbs. mark now), I've been getting lots of questions about my fitness and nutrition habits.  Earlier, I posted about my fitness routine, so I thought I'd follow up with a post on what I eat.

And the truth is


I eat A LOT of food.  Everyone at work knows that I pretty much never stop eating throughout the day - mainly because my desk is like a cornucopia & there's always a huge pile of food that I pick at all day long (below).  I never let myself go hungry because I know I'll just end up binging, which is a very unhealthy thing both physically and emotionally.  Most importantly, there is absolutely no need to go hungry, especially if you're exercising.  If I'm ever hungry during the day, I know I haven't eaten enough.

Typical Day e.g.1: orange, strawberries, banana, Greek yogurt & baby carrots

Typical Day e.g. 2: celery, strawberries, baby carrots, orange, apples

Other favourite snacks include bananas, mini-cucumbers, bell peppers, mangoes, pineapples, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, clementines, etc.  In addition to fresh produce and yogurt (which I mix Fibre One into), I also nosh on string cheese, cottage cheese, and dehydrated fruit (like apple chips), etc.  If I'm really craving something that tastes like junk food, I'll have Jell-O Mousse Temptations (the chocolate-flavoured ones are very good!), Fibre One brownies or VitaTops (which I only buy on sale), flavoured mini-rice cakes , and so on.

For lunch, I must admit that I don't make the best choices all the time.  I don't have the time to prepare my lunches beforehand and I don't really want to bother with doing all that work the night before, so I've been surviving on lots of those "healthy" TV dinners (supplemented with large piles of fruits & veggies, of course).  I know, I know - they're not really healthy - but they are portion-controlled and some of them sometimes have lots of fibre, so it's not too bad, and I can conveniently have hot food.  My favourite brands include Lean Cuisine and Presidents Choice Blue Menu.  I don't like the Healthy Choice Steamers, however, or Irresistibles Healthy Choice, the generic brand from Metro/Food Basics.  I try to save money by bringing lunch from home Monday-Thursday and only going out for lunch on Fridays.  When I do go out, I'll have salads or sushi/sashimi, wraps, or soup noodles.

Other lunches & dinners I might have include:

grilled whole grain sandwich with chicken breast, olive tapenade, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, avocado

sort of my rendition of Greek salad (I'll throw in a chicken breast or shrimp or some kind of meat)

garlic bread, warm, crusted goat cheese, grilled chicken, & candied pecans over tomato & mixed lettuce salad

fish with lemon herb sauce and endives over mixed wild greens

striploin steak over mixed grilled veggies & wild greens salad, plus whole grain bread

grilled salmon w/ dijon crust & baked potato w/ grilled veggies

prosciutto w/ cantaloupe (which I'll have with a salad and soup or sandwich)

That last one isn't the best choice because of the high sodium content, but the meat isn't processed, and every so often, you've gotta treat yourself.  In fact, I have a cheat meal once a week - usually lunch or dinner on Saturday - and then, I will get my fix of heavy pastas, pastries, chocolate, etc. ;)

Hope this is helpful and that you're all healthy & happy! :)