Eating plan

The following is based on the Blogilates lean out mini meal plan, and I will switch between options every 3 days. Each day equates to around 1250 calories. My goal is to avoid refined carbs and up my protein intake. I also tried to think of fall foods!

I tend to work out after breakfast, and have the morning snack afterwards.


Option 1

Breakfast: Apple pie smoothie. Recipe located here. I'm modifying it to include a scoop of vegan protein powder (Sunwarrior Vanilla) and switching coconut milk for almond milk. And of course I'm adding spinach!

Morning snack: 1/3 cup egg whites (I sprinkle on salt, pepper and paprika and microwave them). Banana.

Lunch: Chicken soup. Made with canned chicken, canned tomatoes, stock, celery, carrots & onion.

Afternoon snack: Homemade sweet potato fries & edamame.

Dinner: 4oz Pork loin w/ onions, green beans & broccoli.

Evening snack: Pistachios.

Option 2

Breakfast: Pumpkin pie smoothie, containing spinach, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 frozen banana, Sunwarrior protein powder and 2 tbsps pumpkin butter. I made the pumpkin butter from this recipe.
Morning snack: 1/3 cup egg whites.

Lunch: 1 can tuna in water, mixed with 1 tbsp light mayo w/ romaine lettuce, red onion & cucumber. Drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Afternoon snack: 4 celery stalks w/ 2 tbsps peanut butter.

Dinner: 4oz Honey-glazed chicken w/ baked sweet potato.

Evening snack: Almonds & raisins.


Option 3

Breakfast: Peach & ginger smoothie. Recipe: spinach, 1/2 cup coconut water, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 3/4 cup frozen peaches, 1 tbsp fresh ginger.

Morning snack: 1 banana, 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup almond milk cooked in microwave.

Lunch: Sweet potato & turkey sausage skillet.

Afternoon snack: Lemon tofu dessert (recipe here) with Honey Graham crackers.

Dinner: 6oz Shrimp w/ asparagus & cauliflower mash.

What are your thoughts on the meal plan?

Workout plan coming soon. :)

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

Current: March 19, 2014

• Weight: 69 kg (- 1 kg)
• Waist: 30.5" (-2")
• Hips: 42" (-1.5")
• Thighs: 23.75 (+0.25")

Me too, Jodie, slightly late. For me it's bad news, and not so bad news. I'm doing okay with my measurements although I seem to have gained 1 kg. However, that could be because of our fantastic meal at Ajax and the pain au chocolat (or chocolate bread, if you're that waitress who didn't understand me the first time when I spoke French). Not that it gained me 1 kg, but it would have affected my weight the next day with all the sodium and water retention.

I'm still making up for the overindulgent Spring Break, and have made the decision to cut out Diet Coke which I now severely regret seeing as I need it during my hard slog through my final portfolio, but oh well. I am definitely addicted to the fizzy stuff so I I feel like it could undo all my hard work, and everyone who successfully manoeuvres through a diet always said they cut out the soda.

In order to really convince myself, I'm going to do a little research on the effects of soda when I have a spare moment or want a break from my Masters work. I'll post the results of my research here so keep a look out!

I still want to do Ripped in 30 but until I get a handle on my work I don't want to half-heartedly start it because I'll be able to make up all kinds of excuses not to do it. But I will still go to Zumba so I'll see you on Friday girls!

Jodie's Weekly Check In

March 3
Weight: 122 lbs
Body Fat: 23.1%
Measurements: Waist 25; Hips 36.5; Thigh 20.5.

I feared this week's weekly check in! As you can see, I am 1.2 lbs up in weight, although my measurements remain the same. My small weight gain can be attributed to a few things: I'm retaining water (and I look physically bloated) due to my time of the month, I didn't stay as hydrated as normal over the weekend, and I had a few too many treats over the week.

My calories this week were higher than normal. Looking back, I realize that I made a few mistakes with my food choices. I decided to batch cook a number of meals, and to make flapjacks. Good... but what ended up happening was that I got bored with my meals and ended up reaching for the tasty tasty flapjacks rather than being completely disciplined. I could tell that I was eating too much sugar as I felt groggy when I woke up and my mouth felt sore.

We went for Rice & Spice on Thursday and I felt okay about having a curry and not eating all of my rice. That was a great treat that would have balanced out, calorie-wise, if I hadn't gone to a conference on Saturday and taken advantage of the free food! I'm not good with a limitless amount of food in front of me, especially when I'm nervous and want something to do with my hands. I ended up eating a lot of the mini baked goods, which unsettled my stomach the next day due to the sugar and dairy. So, in future I still need to work on how I handle events. I'm finding myself a bit hungrier than I was before; after a splurge it always takes some effort to re-train myself to crave the healthy things.

I completed Week 1 of Ripped in 30, doing 5 days a week. I also went to 3 Zumba classes at the gym, and on one day I did a small amount of Blogilates. I'm finding it really great to do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, what Jillian Michaels does) in the morning and extra cardio in the evening when my energy has recovered. I didn't think I would like Zumba but it's starting to get into my blood and I would love to do it every day! Unfortunately, since I will not have access to a gym after May, I'm trying to give some thought to how I will keep up the cardio at a later stage. I guess I will be able to go running. I'm not sure I want to do too many at-home DVDs, I'd rather be outside or at a class. I'll have to give this more thought.

As for the weekly challenge, I have to admit that I created the reflection chart with Eleana and Rachael in mind. I wasn't sure how much I would get out of it as I felt like I already knew where I tended to go wrong. But I actually found it extremely beneficial! Keeping a chart made me aware of the fact that I needed to make the effort to get to bed, and that my meal plan couldn't be nutritionally sound as I was suffering from a lot of headaches. I'm not sure I could be bothered to keep one every week but I would definitely recreate it for times that I'm struggling, to make sure that I am being positive and focused.

Although I had good days and bad and remained very active, I feel like this was my toughest week so far. I've lost the weight I gained from Christmas and now I feel back to normal, so there isn't as much of a push for me as there was starting out. My body is noticeably different with more definition in my stomach, and slightly slimmer legs. I love working out and I rarely feel the desire to skip it, but it's been harder for me to tell myself no when it comes to food. I definitely need to refocus on maintaining a healthy diet and meeting my next goal. I'm not far away from my goal weight, but my next mini-goal is to get to 118 lbs, which as of today would be 4 lbs down.

It's going to be tough keeping on top of things over the next couple of weeks as I'll be away in South Carolina. I won't be able to weigh myself next week but I will still do a weekly check in with measurements. I am going to make sure that I keep tracking my meals, get daily exercise, and prepare most of my meals at home. I'm hopefully going to go and work at the local library rather than staying at home all day, which will help with not reaching for snacks constantly. I am a little anxious about staying on track as this tends to be where I veer widely off (from lack of routine) but this is the time to really put some effort in!

Hope you have both had a good week and are looking forward to the next. :)

Baby Steps In Changing Your Habits

I thought I'd write a post having had time to reflect on Rachael's post and our chat about being overwhelmed.

If you haven't seen her post, you can see it here: Feeling overwhelmed and how I'll make a change

This isn't my first go around for trying to diet and exercise with friends. In fact Jodie, Rachael and I tried to get fit and in shape last year together, although this just meant circuit training one evening a week and then having a home cooked meal together after. We even tried to do Couch to 5K, and I can't speak for the other girls, but I failed miserably at that by going running once and then never doing it again. Hopeless!

I don't know why my motivation is different now, seeing as I had my friends for support all the other times too, although none of them were quite as regulatory as Jodie is as my personal trainer (^_^). I think once you have made the decision to really commit to it, really really commit, it becomes a little easier.

Anyway, once you have made that commitment, you can absolutely throw yourself into it. You can eat healthy salads for all your meals, cut out your sugar and your dairy, exercise everyday, or twice a day. You can go nuts to see results. But for the average person, especially one who has not really dieted or exercised seriously before, and who also has their regular everyday busy life to contend with, this can be exceptionally hard and it may not be conducive to the needs of your important routines. Or maybe the very idea of beginning a diet or exercise regime scares the heck out of you because of all it will entail in changing your life?

Baby Steps cannot be underestimated as a legitimate dieting plan. If you cannot manage it all, if you cannot completely change your life to focus on your new exercise and calorie counting regimes, then baby steps are still going to make a huge difference in the end.

Goals

When we first came up with the idea of the pact, along with writing down our measurements and finding out our healthy weight through a BMI calculator, Jodie had us write down our goals. That's right, GOALS, plural. We could have more than one, and this could cover different areas. I had multiple weight goals I wanted to reach. There was my ultimate goal of 59kg which meant I had to lose 10kg/22lbs total. There was my middling goal of 63kg, which has been my normal weight for as long as I can remember. There was also an easier reachable goal of 66/67kg which would put me back into the "normal weight" section of the BMI calculator. That way, even if I was only able to make small changes to my life, I would have the opportunity of reaching at least one of my goals and feeling accomplished.

I also made other small goals such as being able to walk up the stairs to my office without wanting to sit down and wanting to huff and puff at the top, and learning to like at least 3 more vegetables. Simple, small goals that eventually can go a big way towards building your confidence and seeing results.

Changing Your Diet

So you're a picky eater (like me), or too busy with life things to really make time to cook and research healthy meals. Making big changes to your diet will then feel incredibly daunting as well as time consuming. But take baby steps! Look at what you're doing now, write down what you eat during the week, and see where you can make a few changes.

If you eat out a lot or get take out to indulge in big unhealthy portions of food, cut down on how often you do this, or what you choose off the menu. Many menus have Under 500 Calorie options now like Olive Garden, and Applebee's has a Weight Watchers symbol next to healthier food options. Look up the meals on your Fitness app!

If you eat a lot of sugary treats and are finding it hard to give them up (sugar is so addictive so cutting it out completely absolutely leads to withdrawal-like symptoms), cut down on what you do eat without cutting them out altogether. I still eat Cookies and Cream Hersheys Kisses now and again during the week, but I don't sit down and eat the whole bag as I used to, and I managed to cut out dessert by satisfying my sweet tooth after a meal with 3 or 4 Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Changing Your Exercise

I used to be incredibly lazy and take the elevator up 2 floors in my office building. I now always take the stairs. It's not much, but it'll make a small difference! I go to a couple fitness classes a week, but if you can't do that, do a DVD from home, or check out our exercise links on our website for free exercise videos. DVD sessions tend to be about 30 minutes long, but even if that is hard to make time for, online videos can last as long as 5 minutes!

Image Courtesy of Cassey Ho. Click here to check out the video

So you can't work out everyday, or for hours. Small exercise sessions are going to help your endurance and fitness levels and may help you at least stop gaining weight, even if you cannot do them often enough to lose some quickly!

Thinking Long Term

Baby steps may not seem like much, but they start getting you used to thinking about fitness until it'll become natural to you, and natural to step it up a notch. Once you get used to drink 2 cups of water a day for a few weeks, it's going to be so much easier to up it to 3 or 4. Once you do some 5 minute exercises a few times a week, you'll start building up your endurance and fitness levels to be able to eventually do 10, 15, 20, 30 minute sessions and more often. If you cut down on your sugar and fatty foods intake, but not cut it out completely, when you find the time to dedicate to eating healthily it won't be so hard to give things up because you'll be halfway there!

You may not have the time, the energy, or the motivation now to completely change your life around, but start working now in small ways to change and then when time becomes available, it's going to be so much easier for you. Don't delay! Start today.

Portion Control and Intuitive Eating

I've just finished my Ripped in 30 workout of the day, and as I'm letting my body cool down I figured I would write a post. We've talked a couple of times about portion control. Knowing when to say "no" to more food is something that a lot of people struggle with, yet it is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle.

Growing up, I was always told to finish what was on my plate - otherwise no dessert! I think this is the same for a lot of kids, and it means that we have it ingrained in us to finish everything, no matter the serving size. I've already said that my family favored large portions, so the total effect was that I never learned what was the right amount of food for me. Looking back, I think I ate 3 or 4 times the amount of pasta that I would these days.

There are many people who fundamentally disagree with the idea that we should watch calories in order to lose weight. Some of the arguments against calorie-counting include the fact that it can lead to an obsession with food/weight, it doesn't necessarily encourage people to choose whole, plant-based foods instead of chemically-altered "low fat" products, and it doesn't teach us to learn how to pay attention to your hunger signals ("intuitive eating").

Personally, I think it is useful to keep calories in mind when you're losing weight, so long as you keep the drawbacks in mind. So I don't obsess about the actual number of calories, I just try to eat 1200-1500 most days, and ideally I have a lighter and a heavier day for a treat. My body is fine with this, because so much of my diet is plant-based and I get regular exercise. I implore you to spend much more time thinking about the quality of your food than the quantity.

With that said, it leaves us with the last point: how do we learn to eat intuitively? It seems like some people are born with the ability, content to say no to a slice a cake if they're just not feeling it right then. I was never like that, but I have learned to attack the desire from all angles: It's not in my calorie plan today, I don't want to undo my workout, and if I'm being honest, I'm not actually close-to-starving hungry, so no thanks. Of course, I don't live a life devoid of treats, and it's easy to incorporate them into a healthy diet. I like to splurge once a week on anything I want rather than trying to factor in something small each day, but that's jut my preference. Remember that there are no "good" or "bad" foods, but it's better for us to have everything in moderation.

Eating intuitively is a skill that we can all develop. It means rather than always answering "Yes please!" to a treat or extra portion, to take a moment to think, "But do I really want this?" You will be surprised to find that, over time, just asking yourself the question will allow you to say no. Here are some more tips:

• Ask yourself, "On a scale of 1-10, how hungry am I?"
• If you have already eaten, give yourself 15-30 minutes to digest it first. Sip some water. Often the impulse will pass.
• Ask yourself, "Am I truly hungry, or am I feeling something else?" If you feel stressed, tired or upset, find something else to do other than eat - take a nap, shower, go for a walk, read a book, call a friend.
• If you are craving a food that doesn't fit with your calorie requirements that day, promise yourself you'll have it as a treat another time when you can. I keep a mental checklist of good food that I want to try out once a week. Never tell yourself, "I'm on a diet, I can't have it!" You can have it, you just don't want to right now.
• Ask yourself, "How will I feel after I've eaten this?" Sometimes, I know that I will not regret it at all, and if that's the case I go right ahead. :)

When it comes to food, I try to eat fairly intuitively and be mindful of portions. I don't think too much about plant-based food because it's pretty difficult to overeat on vegetables, and I usually only have 2 pieces of fruit a day. But if I'm going to eat meat, grains, and sometimes legumes/fats, I will measure them out. Some tips:

Portion Control at Home

• Measure/weigh your food. I have both cups and a cheapo scale from Walmart. I know that I'm happy with a 1/4 cup of brown rice (1 cup when cooked - 170 calories), 1.5-2oz of wholegrain pasta (150-200 calories), 1/4 cup quinoa (1 cup cooked - 220 calories). When I get something new or unusual - I don't regularly cook with couscous - I'll be sure to check it and measure it out. Eye-balling it is not the best idea!
• Calculate your calories ahead of time. I said this already for meal-planning, but it really does help. If you get home from work, tired and hungry, and decide to cook a big Spaghetti Bolognese, the chances are you will eyeball a large pile of pasta and only afterwards be left to guess how much you had. It will likely be much more than you thought!
• Only put as much on your plate as you are going to eat. I am pretty systematic with my cooking and always know the portions ahead of time, so there's no seconds for me - it's already being put into tupperware.
• Alternatively, make it a rule to always leave a little on the plate. I don't follow this because my portions are already small, but I know it works for some people.
• If you are really hungry and the portion of meat/grains isn't going to cut it, add more vegetables or a side salad or even soup.
• Try to plan meals that you know will be healthy and filling. I remember two of my friends who lived together at uni would bicker about eating together because they had such different dietary needs. On one occasion, one girl wanted to buy a quiche and a bit of lettuce to have on the side. The other girl, who was trying to lose weight, didn't want to have a tiny sliver of quiche to try to stay in her calories, she wanted something that was filling. Hearty and vegetable-filled is the way to go.

The more you cook and make food for yourself, the more healthy meals you will have in your arsenal. You will get to know your portions and won't think twice about measuring (or eye-balling, if you ever feel okay about this - I've always stuck with measuring). Try also to stick to healthy habits such as eating at the table, slowly and deliberately, with no distractions such as TV or the computer.

So that's all well and good, but what about eating out? Oh, we all know the trials of the American restaurant! I've never excelled when it comes to healthy restaurant dining but I am slowly getting better.

Portion Control at a Restaurant

• If you can, pick a restaurant that will have healthy options. I sigh when I can only order salad out, which is why I like Asian restaurants more. Who's up for some Rice & Spice, amirite?
• You don't have to pick the very healthiest thing on the menu if you don't really want it, but don't splurge every time. If the choice is between a salad, sandwich or a pizza, I'm not saying you must get a salad, but maybe don't scarf down a whole pizza if there's a decent sandwich or combo option.
• Share your meal! I know this one is difficult when it comes to compromising on what to have. And sometimes your male companion doesn't want to share. My brother won't share food with me because he says, "Girls say they just want a little, but then they hog the whole thing." And Chip got annoyed when I made him split a sandwich with me because he wanted his own. But maybe girlfriends would be better? We could have a sharing day!
• Box it up. God bless the USA! Ask for a to-go box to have with your food, and put half away immediately. If this isn't an option, divide up the plate at the beginning of the meal. If possible, tell your date that you'll only be eating half. It's probably weird if it's a work colleague or new friend, but if it's sometime you've asked to support you in your efforts it will help to stick to that portion.
• Gift the box to a friend or boyfriend, if appropriate. You don't need to have it again the next day, and it'll be a nice treat for them.
• Leave food on the plate when you leave. I know this is hard. I'm always thinking, "I paid for that, I'm going to eat it!" But really, what will make you happier the next day - the fact that you got your money's worth, or the fact that you exhibited willpower when it was really hard?

General Tips

• Before eating more, have a glass of water. Staying hydrated throughout the day will help immensely with your hunger signals.
• Keep mints or chewing gum on hand for when you've finished, or brush your teeth immediately after a meal.
• Practice practice practice!

Meals this week

In case anyone wants some inspiration, I'm going to post my meals for the upcoming week. I'm transitioning into a vegetarian diet for a meat-free March, which I may keep up if I enjoy it. I've been interested in vegetarianism/veganism for a long time, both because of my interest in health and my fiance's interest in environmental sustainability. I'm starting to feel more and more that whilst I do enjoy meat, I don't need to have it all the time. Food/environmental gurus Michael Pollan and Graham Hill suggest that reducing our intake of meat, even just a few days a week, would have dramatic results for the food and agriculture industries. So I'm seeing what I can do.

But I can't even begin to give up eggs. The goat milk stays too. So consider me an ovo-semi-lacto vegetarian for March, and maybe just a flexetarian after.

Anyway, this week's meals are:

Breakfast/Pre-workout: Smoothie (1/2 cup frozen cherries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1-2 handfuls spinach, scoop vegan protein powder, 1 cup coconut milk, mint leaves)
Morning snack/Post-workout: Homemade banana flapjack w/ strawberries or Almond butter on Ezekiel bread
Lunch: Root vegetable lunch pot (Organic cous cous, carrots, sweet potato, swede, onion & chopped tomatoes seasoned with cinnamon & curry powder)
Afternoon snack: Chickpeas & cucumber tossed with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil & mint leaves
Dinner: Finishing off my Turkey hummus meatloaves w/ paprika sweet potato fries; Wholemeal spaghetti w/ olives, feta cheese, red onion & sundried tomatoes (mmm, fat); Broccoli, leek & potato soup

Since I didn't eat too well over the weekend and today I went over my calories due to an extreeeme sugar craving (the peanut brittle in my car is well and truly GONE), I'm going to weigh myself Friday and decide then if I deserve a treat. If so, I'll probably visit Shipley's at some point over the weekend! Yay, forbidden donuts! I know I will be feeling crazy ill after so I will be sure to pair it with lots of water, perhaps a green tea and walking.

Breakfast for Busy Brits

Today before Zumba I was giving Eleana a hard time about skipping breakfast (sorry!), so I decided to start making a list of easy foods to have in the morning. Since she explained that her biggest challenge is finding time in the morning, I've tried to stick to things that are quick to make, or can be prepared the night before. During the week, I nearly always make my food the night before because I find I'm going waaay tooo slooowly to be on time otherwise.

To start off, think about your favorite breakfast foods. If you were in a restaurant, what would you most want to order? Then think about a way that you can make it - whether first thing or the night before - and how to add/hold ingredients to make it as healthy as possible. My favorite breakfast foods are smoothies, pancakes and eggs, so my breakfast is usually one of those.

Savory
Eggs any way - they can be heated up the next day
Toast
Sandwich
Breakfast burrito with eggs, beans, sausage, etc
Lean meat and vegetable skillet, i.e. bacon, turkey sausage with peppers and onion
Tofu and mushroom scramble

Sweet
Pancakes - batch cook for a couple of days
Smoothie
Overnight oats
Oatmeal
Parfait w/ Greek yogurt
Cereal
Homemade granola
Quinoa with fruit
Chia seed bowl
Fruit salad w/ dressing such as nut butter or tahini
Homemade muffins or loaf
Homemade flapjack or health bar

Pssst! Try to incorporate fruit and vegetables, and always start the day with water. :)

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

My weekly check-in results, compared to last week's.

• Weight: 68.5kg (lost 1.5kg)
• Body Fat: (tbd)
• Waist: 32" (lost 0.5")
• Hips: 42.5" (lost 1")
• Thighs: 25"(gained 1.5")

I am very happy at the results I have already seen. My thigh results could be explained two ways I suppose. Either I have gained serious muscle from that one Jillian Michael's workout, or I have not measured in the same place as before. I think the latter is more likely, but maybe it's a slight combination of the two! Jodie, if you could shed some light in a comment or give any advice on how to measure your leg in the same place?

The rest I am more sure on of being pretty accurate because I can see the widest and smallest parts of my body in the mirror and I'm using the same scales as before. I have read a lot of information about losing weight in the fist few weeks because a lot of people can be discouraged by a lack of results early on. Health experts also advocate the concerns of losing weight too fast in the first few weeks. I am not so worried about my own quick results, however.

Firstly, my eating habits were seriously very bad before I started the Pact. I was having dessert after lunch and dinner; chocolate as snacks in between meals because my boyfriend loves to spoil me and bought me so much; I was eating very calorific meals and enjoying the southern cuisine which packs in the fat, the sugar and the sodium; I ate very few vegetables and in fact I often went a week or so without eating any; I would also go for days without drinking any water and instead drink diet coke or sprite. You get the picture, I'm sure. Added to this, I drove everywhere and did no exercise.

Since starting the pact, I make sure to include at least one vegetable in one meal a day (baby steps); I count my calories to consume around 1300 a day as my fitness app recommends; I no longer eat dessert, although I still have a little chocolate if it doesn't take me over my calories for the day; I have cut down on fizzy drinks; I'm drinking a lot more water; I have cut down on the amount of salt I add to my foods; and I exercise more (though still not much, need to work on that).

Altering my extremely bad habits and introducing some good ones, which are normal to most people, but which I just wasn't doing, was always going to make a difference to my body and affect my first few weeks results. I expect that once I settle into my routine and good habits I may not be so lucky with my check-in results. For the moment though, the happiness is real :) :) :) :) :)

Creating a Meal Plan

I've been using Livestrong's MyPlate meal tracker for about 2 years, and I've found it to be one of the best tools for weight loss. I know that Eleana is finding MyFitnessPal to be great motivation for resisting the impulse to have an unhealthy snack, and I would suggest taking it a step further: plan out your meals and snacks before the day has begun. This could mean sitting down first thing in the morning to plan out what you're going to eat that day, doing it the night before as you pack your lunch/snacks for the day, or doing it once a week before going food shopping. I'm a fan of the latter because it sets me up for the week, ensures a healthy grocery list and helps me to make sure I won't waste food. I tend to tweak it throughout the week depending on my schedule.

People have different views about how many times a day we should eat. The most common ideas are three big meals versus five smaller meals. I was brought up to have three meals a day, no more and no less. But I would be ravenous when I got home from school and snack a lot before dinner, and even after (dessert is still part of dinner, right?). When I was 18 and got a full-time office job, I needed a snack in the morning and again in the afternoon to keep my energy levels up. As a student, I would eat three meals, skip the morning snack and have something chocolatey in the afternoon. I was sort of on the right track. Now, I aim for 3 meals and a substantial afternoon snack, but since I exercise 5x a week I tend to split my breakfast calories into two meals, allowing me to eat before and after my workout. So I guess I am somewhere in between 3 and 5 meals! Anyway, I think it's important to figure out what works best for you and your lifestyle.

Experts recommend eating breakfast within an hour of waking up. Eating breakfast is so so important! Those who eat breakfast every day are five times less likely to be obese. We tend to think of dinner as being the biggest meal, but you're much better off having more calories early in the day. It's recommended that you eat every 2-3 hours. I have low blood pressure, so I have to take this seriously or else I risk dizziness and fainting, but I think it's a good idea regardless; it helps regulate your appetite so that you're not starving by the time you reach the next meal. It's also important not to eat dinner too late/too close to bed time. Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser show says you should feel a bit hungry by the time you're laying down to sleep. As for eating and exercise, it's good to eat before and after, without drastically adding on extra calories. It's simplest to line up your workout with a meal. So you could exercise right before breakfast, lunch or dinner, and have a snack about an hour before, or exercise about an hour after a meal and follow it with a snack. For a morning workout, plenty of people like to run without any food in them, but this makes me feel like death (I've almost fainted in a gym twice!) so I tend to have a smoothie, giving myself time for it to digest to avoid nausea.

To finish this post, I'll give you an example of the kind of meal plan I stick to each week. There are variations as I don't tend to have 4 slices of bread in a day or 4 eggs or whatever.

Breakfast/Pre-workout: Smoothie (current ones in rotation are Spinach Berry - 2 handfuls of spinach, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup coconut water, 2 cups water, 1 cup frozen mixed berries; Kale Orange - 1/2 frozen orange, 2 kale leaves, 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk).
Morning Snack/Post-workout: Peanut butter & strawberry jam on Ezekiel bread; 1/2 wholemeal bagel & boiled egg; vegan overnight oats w/ coconut milk, chia seeds, banana, strawberries and almond butter; Porridge w/ banana & almond milk
Lunch: Salad, soup or sandwich using Ezekiel bread, sometimes a combination. Currently a salad of Romaine lettuce (4 leaves), 1/2 Roma tomato, chopped red onion, sliced cucumber, 3 slices of chicken breast (from the Kroger deli counter, 1/2 lb lasts me for 4-5 salads), 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing
Afternoon Snack: Raw almonds & raisins (15/30); Lara bar; Apple w/ peanut butter & raisins; Carrots & hummus, deli meat
Dinner: Turkey meatloaf w/ sweet potato fries (Iowa Girl Eats), Thai red curry w/ tofu & brown rice (trying to help my Rice & Spice cravings and healthify a favorite dish)

On weekends I usually make pancakes! :)

Once upon a time I ate Shreddies & cow's milk for breakfast, snacked on coffee drinks and snack size chocolate bars, had a sandwich for lunch and a pasta dish for dinner. I feel much happier to be free of dairy and processed wheat, concentrating on lots of veggies and protein. I still have a ravenous sweet tooth which I am attempting to work on, but I am doing so much better than I used to.

Keeping Track & Staying Motivated

It can be difficult to get started with a new exercise or eating plan, or to get back on track after too many treats. Here are some tips for making the experience a little easier.

Keeping Track

It's important not to get obsessive about weight loss, but there are some things you can do to keep yourself accountable and help yourself resist unhealthy choices.

• Once a week, record your stats: weight, body fat percentage, body measurements. Stick to the same day each week (i.e. Monday) to check your progress. Do not skip it because you've had a bad week. If you've gained weight you can take a moment to look back on what went wrong, forgive yourself and move on, but ignoring it completely will not do you any favors.
• Keep a food journal, either by hand, by app or online (such as MyPlate or My Fitness Pal). Be accurate! Rather than always updating your food journal after the fact, it's often helpful to plan what food you will have ahead of time to minimize the chance of you going astray.
• Keep a record of your exercise. This can be something that you plan out ahead of time and tick off as you complete it - the empty box will likely get to you and make you want to complete a workout - or you can record it with your food journal, on a regular calendar, etc.

Motivation

After a few weeks of eating well and getting regular exercise, it will start feel natural and part of your daily routine. You'll actually want to make healthy choices so as not to undo all the progress you've made. But at the beginning it can be all too easy to say "I'll start properly tomorrow" or "A few treats won't hurt." Here are some ideas to remind you why you want to do this.

• Keep a list of why you want to get healthier. It can be to fit your clothes better, to improve your skin, to feel more confident, etc. Carry the list around with you or stick it up at home. Read it daily.
• Make a visual moodboard by hand or on Pinterest. This could be pictures of your favorite healthy foods, motivational sayings, celebrities, clothes you like - whatever helps you to keep going.
• Make a list of goals with accompanying rewards. For example, for each 5 lbs that you lose, you could give yourself a treat. The treat must not be food. Rewards can be things like getting a manicure, buying new fitness clothes, a new DVD. You could also set non-weight related goals, like exercising regularly for a month, or drinking enough water for a month.

Rachael's Monday Night Dinner

Image courtsey of Kalyn's Kitchen and Recipe found on Yummly.com

This ground turkey  and black bean relish in a wholewheat soft taco was my Monday night dinner last night. It was really easy to do and I didn't quite have everything so I just tweaked it a little to add corn to the relish and a little hot sauce and lemon to give it the kick that I wouldn't have by leaving the chiles out. I found it on Yummly.com which I am using a lot for different recipe ideas. It doesn't have all of the healthiest foods but I think you can pick and chose what looks good and isn't too heavy on calories.

Anyway, the full link is below so you can follow the recipe. I'd say it took me about twenty minutes to do, so quick but really tasty!

Click here for the full recipe!