One thing I've learned is that I can work out as hard as I want, but if I'm not watching what I eat, I will just maintain. Now maintaining is good, but it is super easy to gain if I'm not working out.
I must also say that if you are looking for a diet full of unprocessed foods, I am not perfect in that area either. It is definitely doable, and I give major props to those clean eaters out there! I myself would go insane. Okay, maybe not, but I do what I can. I am a mom and work full time as a teacher, so I have to keep things on hand that I can eat without blowing it! I don't know how many times I've stocked celery in the fridge only to find out it has withered away the next time I take a look at it.
First things first, you NEED to figure out how many calories you should be eating. This has been one of my main problems! I'd eat 1100 calories or less, and lose really well for a couple weeks. Then I'd get so worn out because I wasn't feeding my body enough. My body would freak out, and stop losing because it was going into starvation mode. I told myself that I couldn't lose weight, and that I had a terrible metabolism. Sound familiar? Well, this went on for years for me. I'd do this, lose 10 pounds, give up, and gain back 15. I'd get depressed, commit myself yet again, then blow it in a few weeks as the same cycle happened.
You may be asking yourself, how in the world do you know how many calories to eat? Well, here's a perfect solution. There's an app (it's online too if you don't have a smart phone) called My Fitness Pal. I absolutely love it. When you set it up, it will ask you how much you weigh, how much you want to lose, and how much you want to lose weekly. I have 1.5 lbs calculated. Every time you lose 10 pounds, it will ask you to reset your goals. You can go in online and set up your carbs, protein, and fat percentages. To me, this was actually really helpful. I decreased my carbs to 55% (this is low enough for me to lose, but keeps me sane - plus, if you are working out hard, you need carbs - healthy carbs - to give you energy), my fat to 20%, and my protein to 25%. I heard once that you should aim to eat over 100 grams of protein daily to lose weight. For me, it worked. This is hard to do unless you add some type of protein bar or protein shake to your diet (I'll get to this later). To type in your meals into My Fitness Pal, you can either "search" for what you ate, or if it has a barcode, you can simply scan the barcode. Every day that you "complete" your meals, it will say, "If every day were like today, you'd way ______ lbs. in five weeks." If you eat too few calories, it will give you a warning. Another part I like is that you can view the grams and mg of what you have eaten for the day such as sugar, sodium, fiber, etc. I didn't realize how much sodium I was eating until this. It was an eye opener! I am not as consistent with using MFP now, but I used it super consistent when I was starting out. Now that I'm in a habit, I will use it during times that I need motivation or I want to track to make sure I'm eating the right amount of calories. I strongly recommend using some type of app like this if you want to lose weight. Some people despise counting calories, but it is a necessity in my opinion. You need to have an idea of what you are eating, making sure your fiber is on track, how much protein you're eating, etc.
Now onto my meals....
Breakfast:
Most days I do cereal and a fruit. I know I should also have eggs, which I do on the weekends. I'm usually running out the door because I am not a morning person. Anyway, my two favorite cereals are Quaker Oatmeal Squares (hint of brown sugar) and Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran (you can find this at Associated Food stores and Target).
When I have eggs, I usually put in 1 whole egg and 2 additional egg whites. I buy the eggs that say "grain fed." I have found that if I don't, I get a stomach ache. I usually add a little bit of fat free milk, some veggies if I have any on hand (mushrooms, green peppers, etc.), and add seasoned salt (less sodium), pepper, garlic, and dill weed. I put medium salsa on the eggs. I have made an egg casserole in the past, then heated up the eggs in the morning for a few days.
Oatmeal is good too. You can make your own if you want by just adding 1/3 cup with water to your liking (I usually do just enough to cover the oatmeal) and heat it for 1 min, 30 sec. You can add in cinnamon and truvia/stevia, etc. I also like to keep the "low sugar" oatmeal packets on hand for convenience.
As for the fruit, I have a banana or a fruit cup. At the store, you can get the individual fruit cups for a good price (and even use coupons if you're a couponer - I go through cycles with coupons). I like the peaches with cinnamon and brown sugar. I like buying these because I can keep them in my desk at school, or I can grab one out of the fridge and eat it in the morning before school starts. My fourth graders are used to seeing me with a red Dixie cup of cereal in the morning. Yep, I do what I can. This way, I can throw the cup away and not worry about taking a bowl home to wash. That, or you could be a responsible adult and eat breakfast before you leave for work - either way. ;)
Snack - 2-3 hours later
You need to fuel your body often. This doesn't mean you eat 700 calories at every meal, but instead eat small meals throughout the day. If I didn't work, I would ideally have my protein shake in the morning. I could take a Magic Bullet to work, but since my morning recess is 10 minutes, I'm usually busy that whole time. Here are a few of the options I do (not ALL, just pick one or find one of your own):
- Protein bar - find a lower sugar kind. There are some sugar free kinds sold online or at health food stores called Doctor's CarbRite Diet. I personally like the brownie best, but the mint chocolate and cookie dough are also good. I buy these online at allstarhealth.com. They end up being a little over $1/bar. Beachbody also sells protein bars. You can click on the link to the right to order if you would like. I have heard the P90X bars are good.
- Reduced Fat Wheat Thins (12) and a string cheese OR a laughing cow cheese wedge (I really like the strawberry and the cinnamon cream).
- Protein Shake - I recently started Shakeology and LOVE it. It is yummy! It is a bit expensive, but well worth the price. The first week I did this, I lost 5 lbs. without changing my other exercises (usually losing about 1-2 lbs. a week). Now you can't expect to lose this much weekly, and it's not good for your body to lose that much every week, but Shakeology is so good for you. I put it off for forever because of the price, but I decided to give it a try. I am SO glad I did. I only wish I'd done it earlier! I justified it by saying that it was a Mother's Day gift, and I am glad I did it. If you can find room in your budget, DO IT! Try it for one month, and see how you like it. Click on the Beachbody link on the right if you'd like to give it a try. I MUST GIVE YOU A WARNING: Shakeology is so nutritious, and you will feel great; however, we all know what happens when you load up on a bunch of healthy nutrients... For heavens sake, it says "Like a trip to the salad bar, with 5 plates." So... I will let you figure out what can happen, and I will just say that it doesn't smell great. There, I said it. TAKE A DIGESTIVE ENZYME (found at a health food store) with Shakeology, or you will be trapped at home. :) A little too open? Don't say I didn't warn you. In my shakes, I add 1.5 cups of unsweetend almond milk and either peanut butter, 2 tbsp. of sugar free/fat free Jello Cheesecake powder, frozen cherries from Sam's Club, or canned pumpkin. Try different things in it, and find out what you like!
- Low Fat Yogurt and Fruit (or veggie). If you are really watching your carbs, buy a low carb yogurt. Smith's sells a Kroger brand that is good for low carb. I like adding some low fat granola to my yogurt so that it feels more like a treat.
- 1/2 a toasted sandwich flat (explained in lunch) with a laughing cow cheese wedge spread over the top.
- Peanut Butter (natural) and celery or apple slices- I LOVE the peanut butter machine at Smith's! It is like a soft serve machine for peanut butter.
For lunch I typically eat the same thing! Yes, I am boring. Switch it up if you like! I keep my sandwich stuff in the fridge at work so I don't have to prepack a lunch. I typically have a sandwich, sugar free jello (yes, I am aware some people are completely against sugar free - I do what I can), and an apple or orange.
- For my sandwich, I buy the sandwich flats. These are in the bread section, but are flat buns. It helps with the carb factor! I also change it up sometimes and do a La Banderita LOW CARB wrap. These taste the best to me. You can find them at Smith's or Walmart. I often use these for dinner as well.
- I like Hormel turkey the best. You can get whatever, just watch the sodium!
- You can also do canned chicken or tuna with LIGHT mayo. I add a little bit of mustard to mine.
- I add tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, etc. Yum!
- You can also do a frozen dinner, leftovers, a salad, etc. Be as creative as you like! Me personally - I am good with a sandwich! Subway is great as well. If you do go out, don't do it often. Yes, I eat out at times. I need my sanity. Just be reasonable. Don't starve yourself. If you order a salad, ask for light dressing.
Have another snack here. If you didn't do a protein bar or shake for your morning snack, have one here for sure. Try not to have fruit too late, unless it is close to the time you work out. I have found that if I do have fruit in the evening, I am totally fine and it gives me energy for my workout. Be reasonable with yourself. Don't give strict rules to yourself. Having fruit as an afternoon snack is not going to sabotage your diet - just try to have it earlier if possible. If not, don't stress and eat the dang orange.
Dinner
I try to be reasonable here. I used to think I could only have grilled chicken and veggies every night in order to lose weight, which is another reason my dieting didn't last long. Keep it real. You might have a family to feed. Yes, you need to feed your family healthy, but if you are losing weight, you don't want to "punish" everyone. Being on a diet doesn't mean you are depriving yourself. You are simply finding new options to be part of your lifestyle. Switch your sour cream to reduced fat or use Greek yogurt instead. Have a veggie with your meals. Veggies can be so versatile! I love baking spaghetti squash in the summer and eating it for a few days. I even know people who use spaghetti squash as the "noodles" for spaghetti or pasta. I personally buy wheat noodles, and have few for myself. Your family could just have more. I also like broccoli with parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top. Here are a few of the meals that we eat:
- Chicken Alfredo - buy the Ragu Light Parmesan sauce. Buy wheat noodles (doesn't even have to be fettucine, we like penne or rotini). This may sound odd, but we add green beans to ours. It is really good. Cook the grean beans beforehand, drain them, and dump them in.
- Tacos - we have this quite a bit. Use the La Banderita low carb wraps for the tortilla. Get lean ground beef or turkey burger. I add dried onions to mine. Adding the taco seasoning just adds more sodium, so we don't do that. Add black beans (rinsed or low sodium), salsa or pico, guacamole (I like Wholly Guacamole), lettuce, and red. fat sour cream. My husband adds ranch to his. You can add a little mozzarella if you'd like.
- Any grilled meat (flank steak, chicken, or pork chops) and veggies. A potato is fine, just watch the toppings and don't do it every night. We buy a seasoning that is called Spade L. It is a rub. I know it has sodium, etc. but the flavor is really good. I typically will buy a bunch of meat, put the Spade L on it in the freezer bag, and it marinates while it freezes. When I grill it, it doesn't even have to be thawed all the way before grilling.
- Hamburgers using lean ground beef on sandwich flats. Again, use light mayo. My husband adds cheese, I don't. Add any toppings you want.
- Chicken Fajitas are great. You can use the low carb wraps or get small wheat tortillas.
- Rice Bowls - I love these as a quick go-to meal. I buy the Uncle Ben's small brown rice bags that heat in 90 seconds. Again, convenience. If you want to make the rice, go ahead. :) Again, working mom and sanity. Do 1 cup or LESS (ideally 1/2 cup - depends on how many calories you need). Add 1/4 cup black beans (rinsed or low sodium), 2 tbsp. corn (I keep some in the freezer so I don't waste a can every time we have this), 1 tbsp. guacamole, 1 tbsp. sour cream, pico (optional). Mix and enjoy!
- Pizza on pitas: Make personal pizzas on pitas. Add low sodium tomato sauce, dash of garlic and Italian seasoning, 1/4 cup or less of mozzarella cheese, and any toppings (sliced ham or turkey, pineapple, green peppers, grilled chicken, etc.). Kids would love doing this, and heck - let them have pepperoni. Cook on 350 until cheese is melted and toppings are soft (green peppers, etc.). Usually about 15 minutes.
Watch your calorie intake and adjust as needed. DO NOT GET TOO LOW ON CALORIES. It will not help in the long run. You will be hungry, ornery, and your body will freak out. If you're working out, eat a little bit more. I personally eat about 1500 calories per day.
Last, but not least, give yourself one cheat meal a week. I weigh in on Saturdays, so I usually have my cheat meal for lunch or dinner on Saturday. This doesn't mean you go to the buffet and eat every dessert in sight. Still make healthy choices, but this is a time to reward yourself. It helps your body not plateau. I treat myself with a Cafe Rio salad, and only eat a little bit of the shell. Whatever you like and can look forward to for the weekend!
Your diet will not be perfect. Mine sure isn't. I make mistakes. I am human. I love chocolate. The trick is to not overdo it. Don't get mad at yourself it you have a treat. Just watch it the rest of the day. Don't give up and sabotage yourself. Get back on track. If you have a bad day, start over tomorrow. Don't wait until Monday! Fix it, get over it, and move on. Like I said before, just do your best 90% of the time. I personally eat better when I am working out, so I try to always get that in - even if it's short!
Please let me know if you have any questions! I would love to help! YOU CAN DO THIS!
