For Starters…

In a perfect world, I’d have strawberry ice cream for breakfast everyday. Sadly, I’d probably become spherical and die at thirty if I actually tried that out, and I’d most likely tire of it within a few months… or maybe years (I really, really love strawberry ice cream. Almost as much as I love brownies and potato chips). In any case, I thought I’d go into a little more detail of what my daily food routine is — if only to map it out for myself.

I limit my calorie intake to 1200 calories per day (the lowest amount that’s still healthy), because I need about 1700 to maintain my weight. Thus, -500 calories per day x 7 days per week = -3500 calories per week = 1 pound. Of course, this gets altered with exercise, but since I never (and I mean never — I should really work on that) exercise beyond taking leisurely walks, I don’t factor that in.

Because 1200 calories can be limiting, I always look for filling low-calorie recipes with excellent nutritional value. Also, rather than having 3 larger meals a day, I tend to eat 300-350 calorie meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while reserving the rest for healthy in-between-meal snacks. It may not sounds like a lot, but if you choose the right foods, it’s actually not bad at all. (That being said, I do not recommend jumping down directly from a normal 2000 calorie diet to 1200 calories per day. Dwindle down so you aren’t left feeling hunger pains!)

And I don’t always (read: hardly ever) turn down my cravings. This is the key to a successful and healthy diet plan, I think. Rather than deny myself the pleasure of enjoying ice cream, brownies, or chips (my three biggest weaknesses!), I let myself have them in moderation. Oftentimes, I also choose healthier — but still delicious — options, such as frozen yogurt (I love Yogurtland) or tortilla chips, or homemade low-calorie versions of my preferred sweets.

So there you have it: my routine. It may be a little extreme, and it’s certainly not foolproof, but it works for me.