Food ideas...specifically Protein

I like to make an omelet with veggies and cheese. Endless variety is possible with a little imagination and varied seasonong.

I mix all the ingredients together rather than fold the eggs over the filling – then I can cut it into patties, stack 'em in a bowl in the fridge, and eat when I need a nibble. They make a reasonably neat finger food.

Almonds is a great snack (filling). Also, get a grilled chicken breast sandwich, and remove the bun/mayo and just eat the chicken with a side salad.

If you are wanting to stay full longer and increase your energy, you need to increase your intake of complex carbs instead of increasing protein. Ever since I have increased on complex carbs, I have lost about 20 lbs in 2 months. You can get a list of complex carbs from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/complex-carbohydrates-list.... Also in order to increase your energy, you need to eat every 2 1/2 hours. You will notice a difference soon after you change your diet.

I acquired this information from a weight loss doctor that I was going to and you can also confirm it by looking it up on the internet. If you need anymore help, you can contact me at ____@____.com.

K.

we dont nearly as much protein as most people think, actually most americans get wayyyyyyyyy too much from our high meat consumption.

but if you really want you can try these nutritional powerhouses. fermented soy (great in soups and rice dishes), kidney beans, garbanzo beans,quinoa, almonds,...........you really cant go wrong with a bean or a nut, but you should include in your shopping list 'braggs liquid aminos' and quinoa

Make sure, you differentiate types of "carbs."
There are simple carbs (ie: starches) and complex carbs (ie: veggies, whole grain foods etc.)
Complex carbs, are very important and also affects the metabolism.
Salads are complex carbs.
White rice, white bread, white pasta, potatoes, etc., are "starches" carbs.
These are the one's to stay away from, and can make people gain weight... IF it constitutes the majority of your intake.

And, the brain, also needs carbs to function.
it is all about balance... and what your body needs. Healthily.

ALSO, keep in mind that as your body gains in muscle mass... it can make the scale reflect that you gained weight. But this is muscle weight. NOT "fat" weight.
So, ideally, go by your inches and how your clothing fits. If it is looser, it means you lost weight AND got trimmer, even though the scale may reflect that you increased weight.

good luck,
Susan

Well.... there's the obvious; add meat or seafood or egg or nuts to everything. This ranges from extra meat on sammies, to shish-ka-bob (you can make a bunch of small skewers ahead of time : teriyaki, indian, thai, buffalo, asada, etc., and keep a few in the fridge and the rest in the freezer all cooked and just needing to defrost... land creatures work best for the cook-freeze-defrost... but shrimp skewers are delicious and easy easy to make -hint, use 2 skewers so they stay in place), to eggs for breakfast / hard boiled in salads/ quiche/ etc. BTW... nuts are underutilized in everyday cooking. Roasted pecans (just take some pecans and put them in a dry frying pan and toast until they smell fantastic) are great in salads and in sandwiches, even sprinkled over pasta.

Less obvious would be the legume+grain (beans and rice, hummus & pita, any grain + any legume = a complete protein) and other tricks for getting proteins (nut milks, quinoa, etc.)

Also, there are protein powders. They come in GIANT tubs for weight lifters. (Sigh... although we use them for storing things, I'm not kidding... these things are the size of beach balls). You can add them to fruit smoothies or sprinkle (yuck) over your food.

Personally... I don't eat "snack food" for snacks. I eat left overs & appetizers/ cheese. Left overs are fantastic... they're already there! Appetizers are easy... because you can make a bunch and they're good for a couple days. Just snag from the fridge and heat up.

Garam (carob flour) found at many Indian or Arabic stores used as a substitute for wheat flour, high in protein and sweeter tasting.

Lunch ideas...
A hard boiled egg cut up sprinkled on a salad
Egg salad
Cut up grilled chicken breast and toss over a salad, add to a pasta salad, or make chicken salad.
An omelette, add some cheese for additional protein
Black beans (use canned, rinse and add to a salad)

Snacks....
yogurt
a yogurt based dip for your veggies
low fat cottage cheese
reduced fat peanut butter with some crackers, or on an english muffin
hummus

Proteins. Nuts, egg, Beans etc.

The last 7-10 lbs are the hardest. I agree with your choice. Keep a few things in mind. Your body needs X amount of calories, and if you are increasing your workouts, you have to increase your food intake some. I have a few friends that think eating 1100 calories, and buring off 500 a day should make them skinny. That is not going to happen, cause your body goes into stavation mode, and you keep the lbs on.

I am on weight watchers. Filling foods is the way to go.
Veggies, fruit, milk, fish, are the main filling foods. But also keep some oils in your foods as your body needs them.

Good luck.

I have a great crock pot recipe that is super tasty, filled with protein and very lean!
Chicken & Black Bean Burritos
(I don't even care for black beans by themselves but mixed in with everything else they are good)
Place 3-4 frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts in your crock pot
pour 2 cans (do not drain) of black beans in the pot
pour 1 jar of hot sauce (whichever you like) in the crock pot
Let all of this slow cook on low for 7-8 hours - stir here and there
near the end the chicken will shred apart and absorb most of the liquids (i use a spoon to help break it into small shredded pieces)
Once it is no longer runny, it should be ready. You can also cook on medium for 5-6 hours.
we eat this mixture on corn tortillas as a burrito (I add a little grated cheddar)
We cook up 5 breasts and this meal will last us one full week if we are trying to eat super healthy. It's really yummy! Hope you like it!

Lean protein is chicken or turkey breast baked or grilled-not fried. Grass fed beef and fish, also grilled or baked is very good protein. Eat a protein with every meal along with whole wheat or grains. Keep the serving size of the meat to about the size of a deck of cards for one meal. Try to eliminate white flour products. By all means cut out sugars and processed fats, add fresh vegetables and some fruits with very little sugar. Eat a snak with protein(97% fat free ham, tuna, or turkey breast) and whole grains 2 x every day to keep from getting too hungry. You should see a difference within 2 weeks, if you stick with this. This is Dr Cliff Sheats recommendations. It has worked well for my husband and me.

Switching to whole grans is a good way to cut out some carbs. You can get whole grain white bread that is REALLY good. My picky 3 year old can't even tell the difference. They make whole wheat tortillas, pasta, just about everything these days.
Meat, peanutbutter, and eggs are all good ways to get protein.

Tuna, salmon, chicken, boiled eggs on a salad, avacado, etc. Carbs are in pasta, breads and potatoes. Measure and only have 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 baked potato ot 1 c. pasta. Load up with raw and steamed vegetables and cheese is ok. Hardly any carbs in cheese. Even all beef weiners or a Morning Star veggie burger on whole wheat bread, not a bun. Too many carbs. Good Luck. I have lost 27 1/2 pounds doing the above and gave up sugar totally. No diet drinks, they cause migraines, etc. plus aspertame is poison.
Amanda is also right, protein, milk and suagr are way too high for the majority of people in the US and not enough fiber. She has some great information in her answer.

There are good carbs - those that are low on the glycemic index so look up glycemic index. Simple carbs are those that are quick in and out of the body like fruit and some veggies. Complex carbs are those that take longer to digest and longer to leave like potatoes (white), rice, most dry beans. But red and sweet potatoes are low on the glycemic index and therefore good as is basmati rice (brown, although healthy for some is very very high carb and glycemic index unless basmati) - protein does level out insulin use - pepperoni, deli meat, cheese sticks, string cheese, cold shrimp, yogurt...you are doing a good thing and I know how hard those last pounds can be - good luck!

I have 2 hard boiled eggs with my lunch at work. It's easy to hard boil a week's worth on Sunday and stick them in my lunch in the morning.

I get bags of frozen shrimp at Costco. You can take just enough out, thaw it under running water, put a little garlic and olive oil on it and either broil or grill. Squeeze a little lemon juice on when done. I also get bagged/frozen chicken breasts and Tilapia there.

Hummus is a good protein snack with red pepper strips or other veggies.

Greek Yogurt is delicious and is higher in protein than regular yogurt. Get the nonfat/non sweetened kind (Trader Joes is my fave) and then add a smidge of sugar and vanilla. Then put some low carb fruit like blueberries or strawberries in it. You could even make it into a smoothie and add a little protein powder.

Quinoa is a grain but it is extremely high in protein and SO nutritous. Use it to replace rice.

For some more tips you should check out the Abs Diet by Women's HEalth editors. Not saying to go on it but it is a good source for information as they advocate a high protein diet.

A good "snacky" protein is tofu with peanut dipping sauce. Take a block of tofu and slice into 1 inch slices and press with paper towels to dry. Then cut those slices into triangles. Spray with cooking oil and bake at 350 for about an hour, then broil for about 5 minutes per side. Once they're cool, stick them in tupperware. You can make a ton all at once, and it keeps for about a week. I purchase peanut sauce, but you can poke around online for a homemade one if you'd rather. You can also stick the tofu into salad instead of croutons, which also helps add protein that way. Enjoy!

one of the best things i do is egg white omlettes. the egg whites in the carton, a little bit of fat free cheese, whatever veggies i feel like, and a lot of them, and some turkey if i have it. no bread. if i do "need" some pasta/bread type carbs, its always whole wheat. snacking at night is a big problem for me, i try to do some veggies with hummus or salsa or plain air popped popcorn with salt and some green tea. if i can resist the bad stuff most of the day, these 2 changes have made the most difference for me.