Typically food day:
2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon at breakfasts
1st snack
String cheese and a WASA cracker (thanks to whoever mentioned those)
Lunch
One piece of Arnolds rye flat bread with three pieces of ham and cheddar cheese (melted in the oven delicious) and a bowl of spring mix salad with broccoli and cauliflower and olive oil and vinegar dressing sprinkled with sunflower seeds
2nd snack
handful of almonds and blueberries
Supper
grilled fish with steamed veggies and a salad with bleu cheese dressing
And yes, I need to lose weight. I am 5 feet 4 inches and weigh 207
Based on what you stated above, I estimate your day as follows:
Breakfast: 362 Calories, 1g Carb
Snack: 115 Calories, 8.4g Carb
Lunch: 414 Calories, 14g Carb
Snack: 200 Calories, 8g Carb
Supper: 450 Calories, 6g Carb
Total: 1,541 Calories, 37.4g Carb
Based on other statistics you've given to us (Female, age 36, 5'4" and 207lbs) I'm going to estimate your
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) at about 1,678 calories - meaning at bedrest you'd need that many calories to maintain weight.
Eating fewer calories on a daily basis than your BMR calls for will often put the body into starvation mode. It's best to keep the caloric intake ABOVE the BMR level in order to maintain muscle mass and burn fat.
The average activity level for someone your age with kids will add about 600-700 calories into that mix, meaning to maintain weight you'd need around 2,300 calories daily to maintain your weight.
(If you are doing daily exercise, such as walking/cycling or whatever, add that amount in also...)
The key to losing weight for you is likely to
eat a little more than you currently are, and increase your activity level depending on what you currently do. If you add in activity that takes your total caloric expenditure (BMR + Activity) to about 2,500 calories, then take in approximately 2,000 calories daily - you'll likely find that you both
feel better (more energy, etc.)
and lose more weight.
Of course, we're all different and many things can factor into it. But this should give you a good starting reference point.
Keep the carbs low - you're doing GREAT there. It takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for the body to adapt - but once it does things get better.
**Note, if you start exercising like crazy (like I did, sometimes riding by bike hard for 4-5 hours in a day) you'll need to add more carbs in to fuel that exercise. Those carbs should be ingested both before (45-60 minutes prior to avoid spiking) and after (with protein) the exercise.
