I'm eating around 1200 calories per day. I drink around 10-8 oz cups of water. I eat every 2-3 hours. In the morning for breakfast, I have a protein & fruit. Mid morning snack, I have protein & fruit. For lunch, I have protein, whole grain & vegetable. Mid afternoon snack, I have protein, whole grain & vegetable. Supper: protein, whole grain & vegetable. If I need a evening snack, I have a protein & vegetable.

I got this plan from June issue of the All You magazine. I can e-mail you the article, if you'd like. It's a PDF. Just send me your e-mail address and I'll forward it to you. I'm really enjoying this plan and I'm not hungry and I'm no longer struggling getting my water in or my fruit/veggies. I also don't miss my sweets, because I get it from the fruit. I used to have a HUGE sweet tooth.

Don't get me wrong, I sometime desire to have some sweets and I do indulge if I have enough calories. But I'm making the choice to say No, for a healthier me. The other day was hard as my DH and kids stopped for ice cream and I chose nothing. I was so happy that I had the willpower to say no and waited til I got home and had a good healthy snack (protein & veggie).

I started this plan last Tuesday, 6/8. I weighed in yesterday morning and found that I've lost 4 pounds.

Here are some example of protein + fruit:
6 oz nonfat greek yogurt + 1 cup sliced strawberries
8 oz skim milk, blended with 1 scoop protein powder + 1 cup frozen/fresh mixed berries
2 oz lower sodium ham + 1 cup cubed cantaloupe
1 egg + banana

Here are some example of protein + whole grain + veggie:
-1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter spread on 1 whole wheat English muffin +1 cup cucumber sticks
-1/2 cup prepared chicken salad with 3 whole-wheat Melba toast crackers + 1 small tomato sliced
-1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella on 1 whole-wheat English muffin topped with 1/2 cup marinara sauce + 1/2 cup chopped broccoli. Broil on a cookie sheet until cheese is bubbling.
-4 oz tilapia, grilled + 1/2 cup cooked brown rice + 8 spears steamed asparagus

Basically I don't follow their examples from the magazine, just the guideline of protein, fruit, whole grain, veggie. I chose items that I like to eat and stay low on the calorie range.

I hope that this is a help to those that want to try something new, or mix things up, or whatever. I'm totally enjoying this plan and I don't feel deprived of anything.

Update 6/24:
Since starting this plan, I've lost 8 lbs since June 1. I didn't lose any this past week, but I think my body is leveling out a bit. I hope to have a good week this coming. It's hard to stay good when you have a birthday and your family is taking you out to dinner. I'll do my best to stay on track.