Part II of "So, What Does SHE Do?": Diet

First, let me start with the fact that I hate the word "diet." It has the connotation that it's a temporary crash diet for a quick weight loss fix. For me, it's likely permanent, but guess what?

I like it. It works for me, my lifestyle, my routine, my appetite, and my food likes.

What the heck am I gonna do when I reach my goal weight and don't need a calorie defecit? Meh, I'll deal with it when I get there.

Anyhow, so I pretty much eat the same way every day, regardless of whether it's a weekend or a weekday.

Breakfast: I eat two eggs, a half cup of fruit and a serving size of meat and/or maybe a high-fiber wrap, 2 slices of bread for a sandwich, or Kodiak waffles. It's usually around 500 calories.

Lunch: I hate lunch. I don't have an appetite for it, don't have time for it, don't care for it. I bring a protein shake to work. It's under 200 calories.

Dinner: 4oz of lean meat, either 2 servings of veggies, or a veggie and a small side salad, or a side of veggies and a healthy carb, like a baked potato, or rice or something similar. Dinner is usually under 500 calories. Sometimes close to 500 if it goes over.

Snack? Usually no. If I don't have a protein shake, I'm likely to have a serving of nuts, a tablespoon of peanut butter straight from the jar, a square of dark chocolate, one piece of cheese that is considered a serving size, fruit if I forgot to eat some earlier. Not really much else.

Dessert? Not really lately, but when I felt like I needed something sweet after dinner, it was exactly 33 chocolate chips of mixed flavors equalling 80 calories.

Calorie goal: 1200. Sometimes it's a few less, sometimes a little more. If that sounds low, remember I'm trying to lose, and I'm a really short woman. I don't need much to feel good.

How does it work for me? GREAT. It's cheap, easy to pre-prep, many options, and I'm NEVER HUNGRY OUTSIDE OF MEALTIME. I could seriously eat like this forever.

How do I accomplish this? Planning ahead, preparing my food in healthy and in deliciously-seasoned ways, measuring things ahead of time, ingredient substitutions that solve all of my craving issues, which honestly aren't bad anymore since my hormones are rebalanced.

Do I slip? Yeah. Maybe for one meal a week. It's not serious, it doesn't make the scale go up anymore. All good.

Am I losing weight? Yup. Slowly, but exactly the way my body is supposed to. And I'm okay with that.

Are there ways I could improve? I'd like to play with my macronutrients to have higher protein and less fat on more days of the week. That's it. Everything else is exactly where I want it.

I call this healthy lifestyle. Not the diet of the moment.