Deborah, those are great suggestions! My niece had her 5th baby last year and when I saw her last week at a family picnic, she looked incredible! She had lost 45 pounds. My daughters and sisters-in-law were asking her how she had done it, as I walked by. I heard her answering, so I had to stop and listen to see if she had done it in a healthy way. It sounded like she had!
You said, "Try to have a snack mid-afternoon if you can. Try high-protein nuts (very portable--portion one-ounce in a snack-sized ziplock.) String cheese or peanut butter or some lunchmeat will also give you a protein boost. Add some Rye Krisp crackers or an apple for some fiber and that should take you to dinner." She said that basically she "grazes" through meals by having small portions that she can "snack" on, like you mentioned above, but she only eats during the mealtimes. She does have a "snack" during mid-morning and mid-afternoon, so that doesn't let herself get hungry or let her metabolism slow down or stop.
For instance, she said for breakfast, she cored an apple and had cubed cheese in a baggie that she would munch on while she dropped her kids off at the sitter. Then for lunch, if she went to a fast food place, she would have a sandwich, but take off the bread (or bun) and eat it like a lettuce wrap, meat and cheese. She would have nuts or fruit, etc for a snack both mid morn and mid afternoon, and a regular dinner (she said whatever her husband fixed, without the bread or carbs (no potatoes, rice, etc). I liked the part about her husband!
Anyway, someone asked her if that was the Atkins diet and she said "no" because she has all the fruits and vegetables she wants and she did not do an "induction". She said it was her version of the "South Beach" diet. The point of "grazing" was to keep your metabolism always burning. Hey, it seemed to work pretty good for her. I have been eating my fast food sandwiches and tossing the bun and it's not bad, just a little messy.
Trish
