Update. What to eat for lunch? Why cant i post pics anymore?

Hello everyone :) I just wanted to stop by and give an update and I also have few questions. In 2 days I will be 8 months out. My starting weight was 370. Surgery weight was 368 and today I weighed in at 260. I am happy with what I have lost so far but I still have a long ways to go. I swim for an hour 3-4 days a week and the last two weeks I have began jogging with a group of friends. Yesterday I did 3 miles ( not all jogging but at least a mile of jogging :) the rest was walking) We have been doing it a few days a week. Last week I did 8 miles total. I am a little nervous because I have noticed the weight loss has definately slowed and I still want to lose another 100 pounds. I feel like I am on track completely with the working out but I feel like my eating is way way off. I feel like Im not eating enough some days, and other days I feel like I am allowing some crappy things back in. A chip here a chip there a half a cookie. A typical day for of eating for me is like this - ( I know its pretty bad but I like to come here and write it out. It makes me feel accountable. This is how I finally got on track with my vitamin routine. I start back school and work next week. I had the summer off from both so it has made my schedule all kinds of crazy. I go to sleep super late and wake up super late. That all changes Monday ahhh.

Breakfast - I usually wake up around 11 and am off the the gym by 11:30 I have a banana and a bottle of water

Lunch - this week I have pretty much had the same thing everyday a lunchable. I through away the drink and any of the candy or cookies it may come with ALWAYS. Whats left is 6 crakers, 6 pieces of cheese, and 6 pieces of ham.  I usually eat 3 with crackers. and give the rest of the meat, cheese and crackers to my dogs.

Dinner - Tonight I had a small piece of pork tenderloin and some green beans. Alot of days I will get a salad out for dinner or a chili from wendys Im out and about a lot and getting things out is easiest for me

Snacks - usually a cheese stick sometimes grapes.

Startng next week I am going to make dinners for myself for the week every sunday because with school and work I wont have time to cook everyday. I planning on just doing some kind of baked meat and a veggie and putting them in containters. I still have no clue what to do for lunches any ideas? I have so much more to lose and I feel like I just need some direction. Also how do I post pics? I use to be able to do it by just copying and pasting the pics but now it wont. Thanks for any feedback :)

are you using a website to log your food? Because just from glancing at it, it doesnt look like your getting enough protein. Before your workout you need protein, and right now your not getting any. How long after your workout before you eat any protein? You should be eating something in high protein with in 30-45 mins. Also for your lunch I would eat the meat and cheese first then have a cracker or two if your still not full. But your giving half of the protein to the dogs.

For me, if i dont have a shake in the morning, I will eat a cheese stick and 1 hard boiled egg. Its easy and I can eat it on my way to work.  As far as lunches, it would be cheaper to buy string cheese, and sliced ham and make your own little lunchable. Add in some fruit if you want something else with it. I do this alot for a at work lunch or even a evening snack.

This week I have been doing ground beef, spaghetti sauce and ricotta cheese. I heat up the meat and sauce then mix in the cheese at the end. So good and reheats well. I cooked down 4 pounds of ground beef on sunday night for meals this week. I have also done ground beef with refried beans and cheese. I cook chili and take that for lunch every now and again. Chili is always a favorite to reheat.

I'm only 2 months out, but I would say based on what you wrote that you're way short on protein and your calories don't appear to be nearly enough...Are you carefully measuring your food portions out according to your surgeon's guidelines? I think getting back to basics when it comes to food (it sounds like you're doing really well upping the exercise), would help you jumpstart your weightloss again, particularly upping your protein and water. If you had to have a lunchable I would leave the crackers and just focus on the meat and cheese.

Breakfast I would've made sure you had some sort of a protein; if you need to even a shake in a thermos or a protein bar, on your way to the gym. The protein will jumpstart your metabolism and really feed your body what it needs for a workout also. Also if you haven't been, use the health tracker right here on OH. Input EVERYTHING you eat (you can add your own foods with your own packaging info as well if you don't find what you eat in searching here), this will help you to really see what you're getting in. Track your water, your exercise, everything. That, plus coming to the message boards, will REALLY help you to be accountable.

I'm similar to the previous poster, if I don't have time to make an omelet or even sit and eat a yogurt in the morning, I grab two light cheese sticks (totaling about 16g protein) while headed out the door, or a low carb/low sugar protein bar (I'm more on the cheese stick kick right now though!). Lunch I have been just having a shake lately because I like getting in ~31g of protein to make it easier to eat small meal portions at my other two meals. Dinner I have a Jones spicy black bean veggie pattie (11g protein) and 1/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese (10g protein) for 21g protein. A Simply Protein Chip snack (15g protein) around 7p as well. I just started taking Yoga classes regularly a few weeks ago and upped my time on the treadmill and walking in general everyday; I notice I am much more sluggish before having something with protein before doing an activity...

Hey Amber,

im a couple of weeks ahead of you and just coming out of a HUGE stall ( in that time I've had another surgery and some more minor complications-I'm assuming they are part of the stall) you've done so well with what you've lost so far but your protein looks SO low!

are you tracking on one of the websites/apps like mfp? Are you having any protein shakes or bars? I know a lot of people are able to hit good protein numbers without them- I'm not one of those people unfortunately, since I've been unwell again I've had to add at lest one but sometimes up to three protein shakes/bars a day, you need more than a banana when you're going to the gym as was mentioned above you should be having some form of protein after a work out.

id drop the crackers and just eat the ham and cheese personally.

I use My Fitness Pal and track EVERYTHING that goes in my mouth. Single almond...in it goes!

I make sure I am getting my protein in over the course of the day, not all at one point and that I have about 75% of my protein by my afternoon snack so I am not being slammed in the evening with protein I might not really be terribly hungry for and 'miss'. I had nearly a week of not quite hitting the mark on protein and realized that it was because I was delaying my intake. Your schedule is WAY different than mine...by 11 I have already worked 6 hours most days, lol. But my assumption is that you are eating 3 meals and 2 snacks at timed intervals. If not, perhaps consider that.

One way I have increased my running distance is to run for 1 minute and then walk for 1 minute, then run for 1 minute and walk for one minute. Even if I feel I can run longer, I stop and walk. Then when I can do 4 miles without any issues that way, I went to 75 seconds running, 75 seconds walking. I carry a little kitchen timer I can just keep hitting the button on OR my husband with his stopwatch is with me.

You might want to set 5 days a week to run. A few is maintenance. 4+ is loss. At least that is what I have been told.