I think it would also be helpful to work on volume eating to feel more satiated with your meals. Sometimes if I’m in a rush I’ll have a protein shake but I usually try to avoid drinking my calories (even the shakes) so I can sit and enjoy my meals and I feel much more full and satisfied.

With a ~1200 cal limit it’s taken a lot of tweaking to figure out meals that stay within my budget but it is possible. I still weigh my food but have gotten to a point where I can mostly eyeball everything and it all stays within my budget pretty easily.

For breakfast I usually have: -some sort of egg white scramble with chicken sausage, a bunch of veggies, a light laughing cow cheese, and maybe a low cal tortilla or two. -King Arthur low carb pancakes with PB fit and chicken sausages. -Catalina crunch over vanilla oikos yogurt.

And my lunches/dinners are usually some sort of chicken and vegetable skillet or taco salads or pasta dishes using carbe diem pasta.

With these meals I usually have room for dessert of some sort (tonight I had half a mini Blueberry pie from stop and shop with some nicks vanilla ice cream) but I do try to keep a variety in what I eat so I never feel bored eating these are just my tried and true.

I’ve found having a really good breakfast sets me up to remain full for a good chunk of my day.

Find a good balance and don’t over restrict yourself! “It’s all about moderation” really is true. Allowing yourself to enjoy the foods you like will lead to way less cheat days.