Operation Fabulous!

Well….. After the Gym last night, I realized that I ran out of “lunch supplies” so I went to the store.   I usually buy unnecessary items when I go shopping by myself and spend outrageous money on junk….like Candy Bars that I will never eat and IceCream that will sit in the freezer and get freezer-burned or chips that I will open and eat once then they get stale.  That was the OLD me.  Now the NEW me starting Phase II is a bit more aware of what to buy and what to eat…well atleast stuff that has worked for me!  I lost 7 lbs in Phase I and am inticipating loosing more in Phase II! 

Anyway, I went shopping and here are some of the things I bought …

   *General Mills Multigrain Cheerios and 1% Milk (in Phase One, I was having 2% Milk and Honey Nut Cheerios, but Phase II calls for a little healthier change). 1 1/2 cups of Cheerios every morning with a half cup of milk.

   *Clemetine Oranges.  I love Citrus fruit.  I eat two of those with my breakfast and two for lunch.  They fill me up and are very tasty…not to mention EASY to peel and no seeds!

   *100% Whole Wheat Bread.  I buy the bread with the actual wheat grains on top.  I find that it is much tastier than regular bread.  From eating the wheat, this not only gives you fiber, but also gives you a better tasting sandwich!

   *Lunch Meat (Cold Cuts).  In Phase I,  I was going to an actual deli and getting my meat cut (I have connections at an Italian Deli, so I got really good meats! ).  I never really knew how many calories were in those meats, but in Phase II I will be buying the already packaged meats that are leaner so I could keep track of my calorie intake.  I bought Chicken Breast, Turkey Breast, and Bolied Ham.  For lunch I would make that sandwich with 4 pieces of meat, two pieces of wheat bread, mustard (0 calories) or LITE mayo (One Tablespoon), with some lettuce and one piece of LITE American.

   *Prepackaged Lettuce Mixture.  I buy that because its easier for me just to take it out of the bag instead of making my own salad.  I usually buy the Spring Mixture because it has snow peas, broccolli, and carrots in the mix.  I bring a side salad for lunch with a spray italian vingarette. The Spray allows me to control the dressing to my taste).

   *Tuna.  I buy the prepackaged tuna in the bags, because it has a lot of different flavors so you do not have to put mayo in the mix.  Very good with whole grain crackers. I bought the Lemon Pepper, the hickory Smoked, and the Garlic and herb! Delicious!

    *Frozen Dinners.  Well, I do live on my own and sometimes do not have time to cook.  I buy some healtier frozen dinners that cover the meat, and veggie and a little desert.  The calories might be low, but you have to watch the sodium….some could be too high.

    *Whipped Cheese.  There are many flavors of these whipped cheeses.  Calories are really low too if you get the lite ones.  I have these for a snack…. There are a few flavors that are AWESOME!  Garlic and herb, Sundried tomato and Basil, and Spinach and Artichoke. MMMmmMM.  Two Tablespoons are like 50 calories and put it on a few whole grain crackers, you got yourself a filling healthy snack!

   *100 Calorie Packs.  I know this is pretty dumb cause you could count out 100 calories in chips or cookies, but this is done for me and the companies do make them taste a little different.  They cut out a lot of bad stuff.  Not all, cause they are chips and stuff, but its enough to get by.  In Phase II I am gonna cut those out completely, but They were on Sale!

   *Pickle Halves.  I LOVE PICKLES!  Especially Garlic ones!  Come on, I am Italian, I could eat Cloves of Garlic!  Anyway, at lunch I usually bring one Half of a pickle.  It is 80 calories of goodness.

   *Gram Crackers.  The ones that come in full sheets.  If you take One full sheet or a half and crumble them up in your Yogurt, it makes a wonderful dessert!  I usually have the Yoplait Cherry Orchid Yogurt and the Gram crackers… it makes me think I am eating a Cherry Pie!

I bought some other things that have nothing to do with my diet so I dont have to put those down….just know that I am a magazine junkie!  I spent like $20 on magazines!  What could I say, I love the Hollywood gossip!   Oh I did buy a fitness magazine cause I plan on stepping up my Activity Level because in Phase II it mentions this is what you need to do.  In those magazines, it shows you how to do simple things at home with household items! 

I hope I could give you some ideas on choices on what to eat.  Please…. if you have some ideas, tell us!  I am always looking for some good things to add to my diet!