I am thin and eat a fair bit - probably more calories than most. I have a naturally fast metabolism but I do eat healthy and am moderately active. I'm 36, so expect it to slow down in 40s as it did for my mom.

A lot of the food I eat is organic.

I eat non instant (but quick oats) oatmeal with frozen berries and a banana almost every morning within 30 minutes of getting up. I have a cup of coffee at work - with full fat half and half and one splenda and one sugar (hate artificial sweeteners but got used to that in my coffee years ago and can't seem to stop).

I usually eat raw almonds for a snack, and dry cereal in the morning before lunch. Lunch is typically left over dinner, or something from home like egg salad sandwich, or hummus and bread, or almond butter and bread, or soup and a bagel with cream cheese from across the street, or a huge (nonmeat) salad from a nearby place with no cheese and full fat dressing (I like healthy fats). My lunches are not that big but I do like to have a few snacks throughout the day.

I do a quick work out usually once during the work week after I've digested lunch. It's usually a 10 minute cardio warm up and 20 minutes of free weights and stretching. Usually 2-3 week I take a quick walk at work, aim for 20-25 minutes. I also work out on the weekends and try to get in a few walks on the weekends.

I have a snack or sometimes two in the afternoon, usually includes a skim chai latte or skim vanilla latte (medium) and something like greek yogurt and a Kind bar (combo of fruits and nuts with no additives etc.), or string cheese, hard boiled eggs, veggie chips, etc.

Dinner: I cook 3x a week for 6 meals and sometimes leftover lunch depending. I make all kinds of things in 20 minutes or so (sometimes cook time takes longer), mainly vegetarian but sometimes chicken or ground turkey, I use the crock pot about once a week. I like soups, chili, lasagna, quiche, enchiladas, quesadillas, beans and rice, some quinoa-based dishes, I make my own salad dressings for salads and I like to eat toasted nuts in my salad and add an apple or dried cranberries.

I have a big sweet tooth and sometimes at night have a glass of milk and usually dessert every night, just in moderation - a couple of cookies, a cupcake, some peanut M&Ms, etc.

We don't eat a lot but I do like going out for Mexican or ordering pizza. I have a glass of wine or two a week.

I am on a non soy non dairy non nut diet for breastfeeding. I am also trying to lose 10 lbs, but so far, on about 1500 calories a day, I have not lost an ounce--maybe once I wean it will happen but in the meantime I basically have the same breakfast and often the same lunch daily--and mix it up at dinner.


Breakfast: 5 grain hot cereal (oatmeal plus other grains), with cinnamon, a splash of coconut based milk (So Delicious brand), and a handful of raisins. coffee with so delicious coconut creamer in it.

mid am snack: banana or apple

lunch: whole wheat tortilla or open face sandwich of either turkey, hummus chicken or smoked salmon with avocado, tomato, lettuce . occasionally instead I'll do a large salad with protein or soup/sandwich if I am going to Cosi or something.

afternoon snack--used to be a cheese stick, but now I skip it or have another piece of fruit and maybe a TB of hummus on rice cracker.

dinner: varies, but typical is sautéed chicken breasts with mushrooms and spinach over couscous or rice and salad with olive oil dressing. maybe stir fry or a home made curry or take out sushi. Glass of wine, usually. If I get hungry while making dinner I try to munch on carrot sticks instead of what I used to do (brie and bread).

'treat'--4 ginger snap cookies or a couple squares of dark chocolate.

I got bored with my breakfast smoothies so am testing out Herbalife for a few months to shake things up but on a usual day I do:

Breakfast smoothie or hard boiled egg, whole grain toast, fruit or oatmeal w/ extra fruit

Snack of apple, string cheese or pecans

Lunch is now a shake with protein bar but was bowl of turkey chili and a side salad or salad bar from the cafeteria

Snack in the afternoon would either be the pecans or apple depending on what I did not eat earlier

Dinner is usually something grilled (hubby loves to grill no matter the season), couscous or pilaf and half the plate filled with veggies of some kind

Also trying to stick to under 2000 calories which is working pretty well

I also do oatmeal in the morning (not sure what "homemade" oatmeal is, but I'm guessing it's not instant, which is what I use). So - oatmeal packet with dried cranberries mixed in, and a small (12 oz) decaf mocha.

Lunch = a turkey & american or ham & american sandwich on those thin slice, 100 calorie "rolls" that Pepperidge Farm and others make. A 100 calorie pack of pretzels, a 90 calorie Coke (one of those mini cans), and a piece of fruit.

I eat breakfast late - after I get to work - so I don't eat a morning snack.

If I buy lunch at work, I go to Potbelly's and get a TKY sandwich (lower cal) or a chicken salad salad. Or I might go to subway and get a steak & cheese on flatbread.

Afternoon snack = a 50 calorie cheese stick and 1 or 2 Hershey's miniatures

Dinner = whatever I make for the kids - quesadillas with cheese, chicken & corn; cheese tortellini; meatballs, etc. Usually we do peas or green beans as the vegetable.

I'm trying to stick to a 1500 calorie/day plan right now. On days when I work out, and "earn" back some additional calories, I might do a bagel & lite cream cheese for breakfast instead of the oatmeal.

I don't get nearly enough fruits & vegetables and I have issues with constipation, so right now I'm doing Benefiber 3x/day.

11:21- OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. That's definitely better than what I have going on currently.

Well, I don't know if I qualify as healthy, but this is what I've been doing to lose weight:

I pack an insulated bag with food to eat throughout the work day. I don't allow myself to buy anything extra (hard, because there's a cafeteria right in the building, vending machines, and awesome restaurants just a block away).

I have oatmeal (homemade not packaged) and a fruit in the morning. I might switch up and have an egg and cheese sandwich on whole wheat English muffin, no butter. But I always make sure I get a fruit or veggie at each meal and snack.

I usually don't want a morning snack, but I bring yogurt for lunch and can have that early if needed.

Lunch is a lean protein (leftovers from dinner or a sandwich on whole grain bread), a fruit (I like the individual bags of sliced apples), and a chobani yogurt.

Afternoon snack is another fruit (usually a banana because I'm too lazy to actually prep something), or baby carrots and hummus or Sunbutter, and one of the following: a cheese stick/baby bell round cheese/handful of almonds or other nuts/hard boiled egg. (So one protein/fat and one fruit or veggie).

Dinner is two different vegetables and a lean protein. No breads/starches, or at least very rarely. We have red meat once a week.

This has been working well for me and has cut my sweet tooth cravings.

I really like Ellie Krieger's recipes and Cook Yourself Thin. Whole grains for bread, pasta, healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Lean meats, beans, fish for protein. That said, I still enjoy steak, beer, and dark chocolate from time to time.

Hi!
I would love to hear what others healthy diets consist of... what do you eat day to day? If working FT, when do you eat in the a.m. (and what), and what do you pack for lunch/snacks?

Just looking to get a better idea of what healthy people eat!