Welcome to the forum....you will find lots of good information and encouragement....Most of us are on some kind of plan like Weight Watchers or some such so unless you are on the same plan it might not help you much but I am happy to give you a typical type menu...I like Weight Watchers because you can eat anything you like on the plan, nothing is excluded...as long as you can fit it in your points for the day, you can eat it...I try to make really good choices so I am eating as healthy as well as losing weight...I never eat white...well I try never to eat white...meaning no real sugar, white flour/bread etc Brown is better for me....yesterday my meals looked like this....

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal and non fat milk ....(I often eat oatmeal because I love oatmeal and another favorite is a scrambled egg sandwich on WW bread (Natures own bread ...2 slices -80 cal's)

snack...apple..(I don't always have a snack, most of the time my breakfast holds me until lunch and I will have the fruit as part of my lunch)

Lunch ..A prepared ahead of time serving of a black bean casserole over a small serving of brown rice....(Lunch is different every day...I like a plate of cottage cheese, fruit, maybe some hummus, a little protein of some kind, maybe tuna ...salad is always good...nothing to heavy...)

Afternoon snack...WW cracker with cheese...Don't very often have a snack but I had a big workout and I was hungry...

Dinner...salmon, salad, greenbeans...(Not a big meat eater here so just a few ounces of protein of most any kind ...even red meat and veggies. I have a garden so fresh veggies are in the plenty....nearly always have a small salad because I like them ...

dessert...SF-FF chocolate pudding...I make this with fat free milk and I like it a lot so it takes care of my dessert needs...I also eat a lot of SF-FF jello...I'm lucky..I actually like it...

I had 1 hour of cardio exercise yesterday....I did the Gazelle Freestyle, the bike and the tredmill...I have also adoped the rule of nothing in my mouth after 7:30...no snacking...It is probably hard for some but that was my worst snacking/munching time so it is a must for me to do it...

Check out Sparkpeople.com if you need some help...its all free and they have fabulous information...be sure and sign up for the daily emails because they are full of good advice.

I just found this forum, even though, I've been using Gardenweb for a few years. A typical menu for me is lowfat, low calorie, and, for me,low in sugar and salt (I have salt-sensitive hypertension and a family history of diabetes.) For breakfast I usually eat microwavable oatmeal . My favorite variety is apples and cinnamon, or any flavor that is low fat and low calorie, as well as low in sugar. I eat a six ounce cup of active culture yogurt along with this. Depending on what fruit is in season, I also have watermelon, canteloupe, grapefruit, orange, figs, mangno,, papaya, honeydew melon, or, if I have fresh tomatoes from our garden, I eat them. I usually limit myself to one of the foregoing. Also, I have eaten southern field peas and brown rice (wholegrain), or some other leftover from the day before, scrambled egg on wholegrain bread, and usually drink ice water, a cup of gatorade or powerade, diluted l:l, green tea, or green and white tea blend. I really like the latter drink best, but sometimes settle for the former drinks. For snacks, I eat fresh tomatoes, blueberries, or other berries, cherries, papaya, mango, watermelon, or other melons, or bananas, or the yogurt and try to drink mainly ice water or a l:l dilution of powerade or gatorade. For lunch, I usually have stringbeans, or whatever fresh vegetable is in season, along with wholegrain brown rice, or a main green salad, such as McDonald's Asian Salad. I rarely drink soft drinks, as they do not agree with me. I drink decaf or caf sweet regular tea a little more than I drink soft drinks, but only unsweetened, or l:l dilution of unsweetened and sweetened. Also, if I drink regular tea, I always try to drink a glass of ice water for every glass of iced tea I drink, as the regular tea is a diuretic. I am usually in town in the afternoon, and for a snack, I try to drink iced water with lemon, mainly, or the l:l dilution of powerade or gatorade, along with either low calorie, low fat, low sugar snacks from the grocery store, such as fruit in season, or rice or other wholegrain cakes, or McDonalds yogurt parfait, or baked apple pie. For dinner or supper, as I called it when I was growing up, I usually have fruit or fresh vegetables in season, or a bought side salad, along with a McDonald's grilled chicken patty, bought on the side alone. I usually eat the grilled chicken at home on wholegrain bread. If I am not in town, I use wholegrain pasta, bought chunky mushroom pasta sauce, a combination of turkey and 4% fat lean ground round to make spaghetti, or some other pasta dish. I usually go to bed by at least 9:00 p.m. as I try to get up at least by 5:00 a.m., so I only eat a tomato, if in season and fresh from our garden, low fat, low calorie yogurt, a Mcdonald's yogurt parfait, or in-season fruit, or a banana if I had an early dinner or supper, am hungry, and only if I can eat it one or two hours before bedtime. I try to stay hydrated, as I work outside in our family garden, along with my 96 year-old mother, for one to five hours every morning I am able. What I try to do is eat most of my calories and complex carbohydrates for breakfast, eat a moderate lunch, and a small dinner or supper, with two small snacks. I am a great believer in reading nutrition labels in the grocery store, primarily the calorie count. I also try to eat no more or less than than the serving portion listed on the labels. I lose approximately two to four pounds a week on this regimen. Hope that this helps.

FYI,
Fruit should always be eaten alone, not mixed with other food. I think it's at least one hour before and two hours after you eat other food. Fruit does not digest well unless eaten alone.
Donna

Therahort it sounds like you have devised what sounds like a very balanced food plan for yourself without deprivition that is suited to your likes and needs.

I love to see people using common sense and balance in their diets. Personally I would need to add more red meat since I seem to need it more than some to feel well. I could certainly dine with you. :-)

Organic there is no real scientific evidence to support your statement. Most people eat fruit with lots of other foods without digestive difficulties. Digestion begins in the mouth and all foods are digested in the same basic 3 stages. There are fruits that some folks are sensitive to, like fresh pineapple, due to individual sensitivities but the stomach doesn't really care what order food goes in. Food combining is another diet myth that helps the the authors pay for their cruises and European vacations. But whatever works for you. I will continue to have my avocados and my tomatoes on my sandwich and put bananas in my pudding.

wildchild,
Where is your research on digesting fruits coming from?
Donna

Where did yours?

Wildchild,
I have been studying nutrition and natural health for several years. I have read so many articles on the benefits of eating fruit alone, but it would take a long time to look up and refference all of them. Here are just a few.
1.Healing with Whole Foods author Paul Pitchford p.263 "because of their relatively simple carbohydrate structure, fruits pose a special problem when combined with other foods, they digest first and tend to monopolize all the digestive funtions; the other foods wait, and ferment".
2. A guide to Understanding Your Body's pH, author Deborah Page Johnson. she directs you to a website www.feelgoodfood.com
This website should explain about digestion and fruits. Also look up proper food combining on the web,and you will find lot of good info.
Whether someone chooses to follow this way of eating fruit is up to each person. I was offering the information so people could do their own research and make their own choice. I try to not eat fruit with other foods, but that is not always practical. At least I am aware of the way that fruit is digested and I make the effort to eat it alone. If you have information that proves otherwise I would be interested to hear about it.
Donna