Month one I've been focusing just on my diet. I've been tracking all my food on myfitnesspal, which is the number one most effective way for me to lose weight. My calorie goal has been between 1600 and 1800 a day.
I try to eat mostly whole foods, with lots of veggies and protein. Cheat meals and days really don't work for me. I try to stick to the plan 24/7, that way when things do come up (pizza day, family visiting, superbowl, date night) I don't worry too much about them. Even when I am choosing unhealthy food, I still try to stick to the calorie goal.
For breakfast I usually eat oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon, sometimes peanut butter. Sometimes I'll have eggs and toast, or eggs and avocado, or a veggie omelet.
I usually have a banana for mid-morning snack when I'm at work.
For lunch, when I'm at work I usually have a spinach salad with garbanzo beans. Sometimes I get the hotline at the cafeteria, but just choose the protein and veggies (london broil and broccoli, salmon & asparagus). When I'm at home, it's usually cottage cheese, or a veggie/egg dish.
In the afternoon I'll have some plain greek yogurt. Or sometimes flavored.
Dinner is usually protein (chicken breast, venison or salmon) plus veggie (broccoli, brussel sprouts, zucchini or spinach salad). Sometimes we mix it up - taco night, soup, rice, etc.
I have one square of 88% dark chocolate some nights, but not all. Yum!
Basically what I'm trying to say is I'm an overanalytic and boring eater.
Week one calorie average: 1650/day
Week two calorie average: 1630/day
Week three calorie average: 1770/day
Week four calorie average: 1700/day
Oh yeah, and I lost about 10 pounds this month! Down from 172ish to 162ish. My clothes are fitting better and I'm feeling better.
My goal for month two is to get exercising again. I've been very lazy, lethargic and sloth-like this winter. I'm thinking about buying a fitbit to encourage me to walk more. I need to get back in the gym, too.
I want to have good habits ready in time for month 3. I'm switching from a day-shift job to a night-shift job and I have a feeling that it is going to be really tough.
Go team!