Hi All,

I am struggling to find balance now I am in maintenance. I either eat on plan which is too few calories for maintenance, or I seem to go a bit wild and eat in a way I know will cause me to gain weight if I continue. I talked to my nutritionist and she was zero help. All she repeated was to eat protein first, etc... and stay at 1200 calories. I am fortunate enough to lose at 1200 due to height but she simply won't adjust.

So - does anyone have any ideas for good maintenance meals? I am trying to limit processed carbs as they are a slippery slope for me, but I don't want to be totally carb free. I also need around 1500-1700 calories a day and prefer to stick to 3 meals and 1 snack.

Thanks in advance!

Lori

I just count calories now (same range as you were given (1500-1700)), although I'm still mindful of protein requirements. Other than that, I allow myself anything as long as it fits within my range.

What if you took the healthy path and then said “what can I add to this meal to make it more satisfying?” Then you’d be less likely to want to binge or go wild

What about adding in some "whole grains" like brown/wild rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc? Or fruits and vegetables, once you've eaten enough protein. I haven't had surgery yet, so I'm eating about 1400 calories a day. I usually have a protein shake or steel cut oats with protein powder for break fast, and for lunch I might have tuna fish with light miracle whip and whole grain rice cakes with a red bell pepper or dinner leftovers. For dinner I might have meatballs in red curry, or turkey chili with beans topped with shredded cheese and fat free greek yogurt, or chicken curry, or deli turkey and cheese in a low-carb wrap sauteed in non-stick spray. If I really want dessert I'll have a ten gram square of chocolate or a half cup of light ice cream. For a snack I might have a cheese stick or a banana or pistachios. I also roast a lot of vegetables to eat with my meals and as snacks.

Thanks. I meal prepped last week with healthy meals, ate until I was full, and lost some weight. Still within my maintenance weight range so good, but need to add to what I did. I already have healthy grains like Quinoa and even some english muffins in what I did last week. I have enough of what I prepped last week to last this week as well.

Turkey Taco Soup
Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes on English Muffin
Vegetable gratin with turkey dinner sausage
Pumpkin and ground chicken chili (from the freezer)
Quinoa and ground turkey stuffed bell pepper
Chicken breast with pineapple, red onion and cilantro relish, and yellow squash with onions

For breakfast I did coffee with a little half and half and either eggs or greek yogurt and for snacks I did popcorn and SF popsicles.

This weekend I've eaten off plan so will probably be a little up tomorrow (I won't weight again until Saturday). I think maybe I'll add a little potato to some of the above to try to bump up just a bit. Open to other suggestions. I AM SO grateful for this tool, and know I am still in my honeymoon period so I'm appreciative, I just want to get this right before it gets harder to lose and easier to gain.

Thanks!

Lori