Point well taken about the cereal Kara, my goodness! I've been eating cereal with my daughter (she actually gets it more than me since Cheerios are quite easy for her to eat) about 1-2 times a week. I'm not a big cereal nut, but I do definitely eat it. And when I do, I eat like 2-3 bowls of it at one time because it is a nasty habit from when I was a kid.
I was under the impression that it was a decent choice (well, at least as opposed to something like Frosted Flakes for example LOL) for both my daughter and me, but in my quest to sensibly weed out as much processed foods from our diet as possible, I didn't really give cereal a seconds thought, as if it was given a free pass because it was "whole grain". And to analyze it further, if I indulge in 2-3 bowls, I'm eating roughly 1/3 to 1/2 my daily calories in one sitting. WOW! That is something to think about. Huh...even when you think you know what you're doing, you always find something you're doing wrong
To the original poster, I wanted to add a little something too, maybe more of a macro analysis than micro. You seem to be dieting the way I had been thinking was the right way for a while: I would limit my calories from the get-go in the morning and then be ravenous by evening, thereby eating a larger meal (or maybe just eating more in the evening in general) at night. However, I've found that if I don't try to "bank" my calories for night time usage, my dieting works better. Sensible, low calorie snacks like raw veggies and fruit are fantastic sources of healthy, natural, low calorie choices.
I agree with Kara about the dressings. Luckily for me, I don't like salad dressing so that is not a cause of concern for me, but I know most people do like dressings. Since that is obviously the case for you, you might want to consider how to approach the dressing situation so that you can still have it, but no get burned by eating too much of it. I'm not big on salads either, but here's an idea: how about a smaller sized salad to offset needing lots of dressing? This way you can add a better serving of protein and more satiating carbs to your dinner. I'm usually full right after a large salad, but hungry shortly after, so for me, I know I must eat a serving of protein (chicken) and a more complex carb choice. For me, eating a small salad is way less intimidating than eating a HUGE one, plus I can more easily spread out my veggie/salad servings over lunch and dinner, not just dinner.
For breakfast, why not a slice of toast (maybe some peanut butter) with some fruit or some oatmeal and yogurt? I eat eggs 2-3 times a week and I cut down from 2 slices to 1 slice as my dieting compromise since I LOVE eggs and cheese. This keeps me so full all morning, not to mention, very energized. Lunch is some sort of protein and carb mix, like I make a bean salad or tuna sandwich with a lot of lettuce. Dinner is usually half my plate veggies (fiber-rich ones like broccoli, cauliflower, etc), quarter protein and quarter carb. I also like to drink a glass of milk about an hour before bed. I've heard speculations about the type of protein in milk (casein) being slow to digest therefore being a great fuel source while sleeping, but I do this more because I'm hungry at some point before bed and that helps keep me from ransacking our pantry for worse options. So, either milk or yogurt.
Restaurant eating is really hard to do when you're trying to diet, so just be mindful of the places that offer healthier selections and stick to that. But, be mindful too of the portion sizes that come with those, or the add-ons. A last minute (hunger-induced) decision to switch out those steamed veggies for fries, a soft drink to go with that dinner, or maybe a cocktail with dinner will derail your efforts. Also, a lot of restaurants offer steamed veggies, but they're doused with butter, oil and spices to make them more flavorful. I find restaurant eating very difficult to do efficiently and thank goodness for me those options are few so I don't go often.
If the dieting at 1300 calories is too limiting for your eating preferences, the only other solution is to incorporate some exercise to help offset those additional calories. I don't see if mentioned your age, height or workout plan (if any), so I don't know how to help you with that. But, I know for me, I want to be able to enjoy certain foods now and then with friends or when I'm entertaining, so I know that 3-5 days of exercise is a must for me to lose weight. And I make those indulgences only here and there- not often.
Good luck!! As mentioned above, it is all a learning process and chances are you're losing weight even with simple mistakes. This is all preparing you for a healthier maintenance lifestyle once you've reached your 125 goal!
L
