[lovelyivy84]

I use the pre-cut lettuce in the bags too. They make my life just a little bit easier and are just as good as taking half an hour to chop everything up! Just make sure you add in all the little extras like baby carrots or tomatoes, because those make the salad tastier and healthier.

Salad is better than most soups (depending on what kind of salad dressing you're using- I dont use any so I always pick salads) simply because they are so much lower in salt. Not all soups are created equal of course, but in general I would go for the salad. If you drown your salad in ranch dressing or French, you might in fact be better off with a vegetable based soup.

I know a lot of people don't like potatoes, but as long as you're not on Atkins and it's not fried or covered in sour cream I don't really see a problem. Just watch your portion sizes!

2,000 calories is definitely enough, I guess I wasn't getting an accurate idea of your portion sizes from what you posted. Make sure that your serving sizes of rice/bread are kept lower and your servings of lean meats/veggies are higher. Make sure most of your food is NOT PROCESSED!

Believe me, I understand trying to be healthy when you don't have much time is difficult, but it's up to you to make it a priority. If you want to lose the weight, then you'll find ways. Subway is a big help for me, as are those pre-prepared salads and protein shakes (no smoothies- I just don't like them personally) but you have to make sure that you're prepared. Get your menu for the week set out at the start and stick to it! Allow yourself the occasional treat (like the McDonald's yogurt parfait) within reason.


In terms of your workout you sound like you could be doing a bit more. If you have a gym membership, try hitting a weight class. I know it can be intimidating as a beginner, but it is actually beneficial to be in the class setting initially, where the instructor can correct you. Don't be self-conscious, EVERYONE in that class had to start somewhere, and once they were inexperienced too. Just go slow and try doing the exercises with low or no weight the first time out. Get the rhythm and form correct first.

With your cardio workouts, make sure you're pushing yourself. It's good that you love to walk, but how about pushing yourself on it? How about upping the incline, or using interval training to alternate between a walk and a light jog? Your body grows accustomed to your workouts eventually and you have to increase the intensity or you won't see progress.