Lost 3 Pounds this Week---Here's the Menu

So my first week of renewed weight loss efforts brought me a 3 pound loss.  I am not using a commercially purchased food program and if I did I would use “Take Shape for Life” since I lost 50 pounds on their program in 2011.  I am using the same principles but building my own menus with food we buy at the local markets.  I eat every 2 – 2 ½ hours.  Here is an example of what I’ve been eating for 6 small meals per day:

1)      7am --- Weight loss snake from the store or made from whey protein powder as my first meal.

2)      9:30am ---- Bran flakes and/or Raisin Bran cereal (small portion) with lactose free milk. 

3)       12 noon ---- Shake made from protein powder, a table spoon of fiber powder, and juice whipped in crushed ice with our magic bullet mixer.

4)      2:30 pm ---- 5 bean salad (one cup) which is very helpful to keep my digestive system moving properly.

5)      5 pm ---- Green salad with chicken or fish and low fat dressing (this is my largest meal of the day).

6)     7:30 pm --- a few nuts and dates.

I try to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day. 

This schedule keeps me from feeling hunger pangs.  It is about 1500 – 1700 calories per day.  With aerobic exercise added regularly I lose an average of 3 pounds per week.  Weight loss is not a complicated as some make it.  It amounts to reducing calories and exercising more.  Consulting a doctor at the beginning of a concerted effort to lose weight is always a good idea.