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Just wrote this in a comment to someone else's journal entry, and thought it might be useful to keep it here. I don't follow a meal plan every day, I prefer to be spontaneous and eat what I feel like in the moment, but that can easily lead to overeating, so what I do instead is follow a calorie budget.
First what I do is break down the things I like to eat that are low carb, low cal and nutritionally good for me into categories, based on how many cals they are, and their suitability, then make a list of each. Snacks are 50-100 cals, mini-meals are 150-200 cals, and main meals are 300-400 cals. I keep at least a few options of each in the house at all times.
Then I'll look at my schedule for the day, and break it down like so (just an example):
Breakfast 11am: One mini-meal.
Lunch 2pm: one snack.
Afternoon 5pm: one snack.
Dinner 7-8pm: main meal.
Late 11pm: one mini-meal or snack to bring me to my total for the day (If I splurged earlier, I save here, if I saved earlier, I splurge here).
This leaves me free to still wander to the fridge and see what looks good to me around 2pm, without just grabbing the jar of nacho cheese and a spoon. I have a list of pre-approved options, but I still have options. I'm not stuck staring at the can of tuna I thought would be a good idea three days ago, but right now just turns my stomach.
Not sure if it would be useful to anyone else to work this way, and it's probably so effective because I live alone, but I figured I'd at least mention my bizarre little alternative to strict meal planning or having to do all the calorie calculations on the spot every meal when your tummy is growling.
Remember: H.A.L.T.! Do not make decisions when Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired! They tend to be bad decisions!
View Diet Calendar, 20 February 2016:
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384 kcal
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Fat: 14.09g | Prot: 51.39g | Carbs: 8.00g.
Breakfast: Pork Loin (Tenderloin, Lean Only), Tap Water, Maple Leaf Protinis Chicken Souvlaki, Atkins Advantage Milk Chocolate Delight Shake, Red Bull Sugar Free, Tap Water, Tap Water, Red Bull Sugar Free. more...
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