Diet: Day 1

The first day of our new diet is almost over. It was a little hard today, but considering all of us probably cut our calorie intake by half, we didn't fare too poorly. I also earned the nickname "The Food Nazi" (so I counted out how many tortilla chips each person could have for dinner and measured the salsa with a tablespoon, that's a GOOD thing). I also have learned a few lessons already. My mom and I don't like a big breakfast so we do 200 calories for breakfast and then do a 200 calorie snack a couple hours later. We still stay on track, but don't get so hungry. My dad actually only did three meals of 400 calories because he skipped breakfast (which is a no-no!). He felt full with just the 3 meals all day, but he definitely is missing being able to snack while watching T.V. Charles text me from work claiming "my body is eating itself". I text him back and said that's what a diet is- your body eating the extra fat =) He is going to start working out every day though so he can add an extra meal to his diet. My mom and I went for a 30 minute walk after dinner tonight because we wanted to be able to have a snack before bed but after my walk I didn't feel hungry at all so I think I will be fine with just the 3 meals today. The one thing that has already amazed me with this diet are the choices I have to make- Do I want 1T more of cheese or 1/2 cup of chicken and veggies? (same calorie count). I also found the most important thing is to be prepared: have a meal plan and pre-portion snacks and lunches ahead of time. My brother is not doing the diet since he doesn't need to loose weight, which does make it more difficult, but tonight for instance I asked him to put the chips on his plate instead of bringing the bag to the table as it would tempt the rest of us. Little things like that make a huge difference! Hopefully we will be able to see results soon. Below is my meal plan. I will try and add all the recipes soon too. One thing I'm doing that the diet book doesn't is trying to eat mostly organic foods, honestly they have less calories in them than prepackaged, processed foods do so I feel calorie wise you get "more bang for your buck", plus the food is overall healthier too. As soon as my brother leaves for school next week and my parents get back from South Carolina in two weeks I'm going to start keeping track of how much it costs for all organic groceries for 4 grown adults. I'd like to try and do it for around $125-$150 a week. Well  Charles is on his way home from work (he works til 7pm) so I'd better have his dinner heated up and his tortilla chips counted out so he doesn't raid the pantry!