Mid morning snack at work... handful of peanuts and a cup of coffee... although that mini snickers bar perched atop the bowl of Halloween candy sure is tempting!

Atkins is OK for a week or two to get yourself out of the junk food habit, and help encourage you with rapid results but I don't recommend it any longer than that…

Your body really does need carbs and not all are bad for you.

You might want to check out the Body for Life website, http://www.bodyforlife.com/nutrition/mealplan.asp, this will help explain the importance of balancing fat, carbs and protein. I wasn’t doing the weight training that you guys are, but it really helped me understand how to balance a meal, what appropriate portion sizes are, and that small meals frequently are best.



Good Luck!

Fruits, veggies and fat free yogurt and cottage cheese are great healthy snacks when you are busy. Pretzels and popcorn (light on the salt and minus the butter) are also good. Try mixing your own trail mix with Cheerios or similar cereal, mini pretzels, raisons (or other dried fruit), etc.



Most Cereals are good meals any time of day, just stay away from the ones high in sugar. Scrambled eggs (or just egg whites which are healthier) can be mixed with diced ham and veggies, and cooked in a skillet for an easy meal.



For dinner start experimenting with your own recipes by mixing a few things together… Pasta or rice, veggie and meat.

Browse the grocery isles and read the back of packages; the canned veggies, pasta boxes and rice packages often have simple recipe ideas on the back. Check the meat counter, they will often have recipe cards with additional suggestions.



Try to limit dairy, cheeses and meat with lots of fat; select those that are fat free or lower fat; meats will often give a %.



Here are a couple websites that I visit once in a while to get easy new ideas:

http://www.calorie-count.com (this site is great for getting an idea about how healthy different foods are, they give a grade A, B, C etc. based on nutritional values.)

http://www.bodyforlife.com/nutrition/week1meals.as p (helps explain the importance of balancing fat, carbs and protein)

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/recipes/index.htm l



Good Luck! The more you experiment the easier it will get.

Once you are caffeine free... just remember even drinking decaf beverages (coffee, tea etc) if you are not consistant can give you headaches.



I am a new mom... quit cold turkey and was off caffeine for a year... after my baby was born, and I went back to work, I started drinking 1-2 cups of decaf coffee or tea a day... I still get headaches on the weekend if I don't drink the same at home.



Good Luck to you... hope your headache is gone!

I am also on the oatmeal bandwagon... (1/2 cup oatmeal; 1 cup skim milk; 1tsp brown sugar = 255 calories)... HOWEVER



If I have a little extra time in the morning... I cook some egg whites and eat them on an english muffin. The egg whites in a carton are easiest to use, and don't taste any different to me.

Stick an English Muffin in the toaster, and while it is toasting, I take a small microwavable bowl, coat the inside with fat free cooking spray, pour in about a 1/2 cup of the egg whites, and cook for about 30 secs (stir) + 30 secs. May take longer depending on microwave.



The egg will slide right out, and is the perfect size to fit on the muffin. (I use a pretty small bowl) Add a slice of low fat turkey breast to the sandwich nuke for another 15 secs or so if you need a little extra flavor... you could also add mustard if it is too dry for you.



3 Egg whites= 50 cal; 1 whole wheat english muffin = 63 cal; 1 slice turkey breast = 30 cal; 1 tsp spicy mustard = 15 cal



Add a piece of fruit (apple, banana or orange) and you have a balanced little meal.

A foos diary would be nice!

The USDA calorie guide is great, but it took me 15 mins and an Excel spreadsheet to calculate my lunch: a salad with chicken, tomato, zucchini and raisins.