tweak my diet

Question
Laurie
can you help me evaluate my diet. i do eat this way 5 days a wee..weekends not so strict ,but still careful. i do my best to workout 40min 5xwk.
breakfast:
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1/2 banana, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, sprinkle of chopped walnut, almonds and flax seed and 1/2 cup golean crunch cereal
OR
smoothie... 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 tsp pnt btter, 1 scoop whey protein, flax seed, 1/2 banana, 1 cup kale(arugula, spinach, kale mix)sprinkle of wlanuts, almonds, and the above berries.
LUNCH:
usually a salad of mixed greens (kale,spinach,arugula) tom red onions, black beans, roasted chicken, 1/2 avocado, radish, cucumbers with lemon and olive oil
OR 1/2 cup bulgar salad, with sprinkle feta chz walnuts, black beans
OR 1/2 can tuna in water with 1/2 avocado
DINNER:
is whatever i make the family eaten out of a "cake plate"
i am 50 yrs old 5'2" and about 140lbs. i can NOT drop the 5-8lbs.. i am goin out of my mind. i AM active 5 days. WHY am i NOT losing this weight....PLEASE advise..
thank you

Answer
Hi Darlene,

I feel for you--I am quite close to your own height, weight, and age, and know how difficult it is to even get a couple of pounds off.

The key is you must keep a diet diary and write down everything you eat and drink. Because when we think we are doing well, we often "allow" ourselves a treat 'here and there'. As you call it "weekends, not so strict but still careful".

This is a great diet plan you have (and exercise) for maintenance. But for us 'height challenged' women 'of a certain age', our metabolism is not very high at all. So 1600 calories would be a great maintenance diet, but to lose it will have to be lower. I'm not saying yours is too high, but the dinner is up in the air, as are any snacks or beverages and weekends... so I really can't say you have a weight-loss calorie intake.

So, keep up the good work, keep a diary of EVERYTHING you eat (snacks, bites, tasting) and drink, and see if you can bump up the exercise in any way--a quick walk in the am, or after dinner--it doesn't have to be a run, or a zumba class everyday, but just keep moving whenever you can.
You can write what you eat on a piece of paper, online (FitDay.com or SparkPeople.com have logging tools) or in an app like FitBit or many others---they often help you track your calorie intake.

Let me know how you're doing in a week or two :)

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