Counting Calories

After an eye opening visit to the nutritionist, I was shocked to learn that my average daily menu is over 1000 calories more a day than I need. Lately I had been forcing myself to down snacks of Honey Crisps apples and cheese, only to discover that my apple was 3 times the size of the average portion and the cheese was 4 times the amount (a whopping 450 calories for a snack).

I always thought that dieting was just straight forward, but today I realized it is all about strategy; getting the most bang for your buck or taste for your calories.

I decided to create a Happy Good Guilt Free Food List of items that are good for me an allow me to stay within my calorie limits.

Happy Good Guilt Free Food List

• · Cucumbers
• · Broccoli
• · Lettuce
• · Any Steamed Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
• · Popcorn (100 calorie bags)
• · Red Pepper
• · Shrimp (in moderation)
• · Garbanzo beans (in moderation)
• · Roasted Garlic
• · Hummus (in moderation)
• · Jicama
• · Frozen Grapes (apparently these are supposed to be amazing)
• · Blueberries
• · Egg Whites
• · Celery
• · Watermelon
• · Cheese (low fat or small piece of high flavor)

I love the structure of this list; it is almost like a Project Runway style challenge. The combinations are endless and so much more satisfying than my usual stand bys.

For instance I can have:

• · Watermelon Blueberry Salad
• · Steamed Broccoli with lemon (this is heaven if you love Broccoli)
• · Sliced Cucumbers with Poached Shrimp and a little touch of rice vinegar
• · Scrambled egg whites with herbs
• · Red Pepper slices and Hummus

Mind you these are just snacks. I still get my regular meals (which are always to be ½ vegetables, ¼ protein and ¼ (good ) carbs. So really there is no reason I need to ever feel hungry and according to my nutritionist, two of these snacks a day will still be much less than my one apple and hunk of cheese.

Just wanted to share… this is such good info, I wish someone had told me this before I packed on the pounds.