Got the exercise part. Can't get the eat less part.

[KSH]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I was so afraid to post this because I feared there would be backlash for such an overweight person being into cycling (I'm very self-conscious).

Well, cyclists (and triathletes!) come in ALL shapes and sizes! And honestly, I respect someone who has a few extra pounds on them... getting into cycling/etc.... more so than a fit person getting into cycling/etc. Good for you for getting out there and doing it!

OK... about the food... I will try to give you an idea of what I eat. I actually log all my food... and I wish I could just do a copy/paste of my days! HA! I log my food on www.sparkpeople.com, you might want to check it out.

A little information about me and my dietary needs:

I am a 15 year-vegetarian.

My body burns 1600 calories a day, this is my RMR (resting metabolic rate).

I am 5'4" and 125 pounds with 25% body fat.

I have currently been eating 1600-1800 calories a day, because I was up to 130 pounds- and I needed to lose a few pounds.

I exercise 5-6 days a week on average.


Here is a typical day:

BREAKFAST, 8:00 AM-
2 slices of Sara Lee Delightful Wheat bread (YUMMY!)- 90 calories
3 slices of veggie bacon - 90 calories
2 slices of FF American cheese (It's good cheese!)- 60 calories

SNACK, 10:00 AM-
Quaker Instant Oatmeal- Brown maple sugar- Low Sugar- 160 calories

LUNCH, 12:30 PM-
A frozen low fat/calorie meal- around 300-400 calories

SNACK, 2:30 PM-
2 String 'ems Mozzeralla Cheese - 140 calories
1 Lite and Fit Smoothie- 70 calories
1 Kashi Trail Mix bar- 140 calories

SNACK, 5:00 PM-
A health bar- Luna/Mojo bar/etc. - 180 to 200 calories

DINNER, 8:00 PM-
A frozen low fat/calorie meal- around 300-400 calories


Here is a great dinner as well, that is easy to make and low calorie!
Have a bowl of soup. You can get a large serving of soup for 200 calories.

Make a grilled cheese:
2 slices of Sara Lee Delightful Bread- 90 calories
"I can't believe it's butter" Spray - 0 calories
2 slices of FF American Cheese- 60 calories

TOTAL FOR THE MEAL: 350 calories and very filling!


The key to your healthy eating is picking the foods that stick with you. For example, I use to eat a bagel at 10:00 AM, but I would quickly get dizzy and hungry. So, it was a wasted 300 calories. I found that my 160 calorie bag of oatmeal filled me up more and stuck with me fine through my AM workout and until lunch.

Also try to drink a LARGE glass of water when you feel hungry. Oddly it helps with the hunger pains.

Try to only eat ONE cheat meal a week! Learn how many calories are in all the foods you eat.

It's so easy to eat too many calories, when you don't look up the calories. www.calorieking.com has the most comprehensive food list I have ever found.

You can easily look up food for just about all restaurants too. So, if you are going out to eat, you can plan your meal ahead of time. It's harder to cheat when you walk in with a plan.