Day 4.3: The Benefits of Planning Ahead

I have done something completely out of character...I made a 10 day meal plan: breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.  I shopped once, and hopefully I don't have to go to the grocery store for at least 5 days.  We'll see...

The benefits I see coming from this strange action on my part are: not scrambling to think of something to make at 4:30 pm and having no meat defrosted; branching out and adding variety to our menu; having vegetables on hand to eat as side dishes; having healthy and planned snacks when the kids get home; having a dessert planned for Sunday to look forward to and be ready for; save money (although I'm skeptical).

Planning ahead helps us live our lives to a fuller extent, being able to focus beyond the now and the immediate.  It helps us be proactive instead of reactionary.  Reacting is the enemy of many things, including healthy dieting.

It seems as though every time I try to meal plan I end up spending twice as much as random-shopping.  But random shopping gets so aggravating and I end up at the grocery store at least 3 times a week.  Which has to end.  Smith's is my Cheers...very sad.

I made this spreadsheet so that each ingredient gets used more than once so nothing goes to waste.  Before you start thinking how awesome I am, remember: I am the world's greatest imitator.  I found the idea on a blog.  I couldn't tell you what blog because I found it in a blog-fog.  You know, where you click and click and click through hundreds of blogs, lost in the organizational prowess and beauty and skill of strangers' lives?  Just google "meal planning spreadsheet", there are a million out there.  Anyway...I'm trying it.  I think this will go hand in hand with eating three square meal a day.  Don't ask me why it's taken me 17 married years to try this in earnest.

Yesterday I did great!  I ate my meals, I avoided easy-to-grab snacks like peanut butter and bread, crackers, or leftover cheesy eggs.  I had an apple when my sweet tooth hit, and I jumped at Get Air for an hour.  I was in heaven.  It was so nice to get a good workout doing something fun with my kids.  And it was hard.  My upper back is sore today; not legs, but back.  Obviously this is an area I need to work more often.

How was your day?  Did you stick to your plan?  Did you beat your weakness into submission?  Did you strengthen your body in some way?  Did you clear your mind and live happy?

I did, and boy does my house look like it.

2.1: Our Next 10 Days Start Monday December 2

Whew.  Am I glad that's over.  I had a really fabulous holiday with my family, cooking, playing, skiing, and going to a movie.  But me and my delicious Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake had to part ways.  Had to.  It was it or me, and knowing how my family feels about pumpkin in general, it was the cheesecake that got dumped.  Lucky for me.

We got to see "Frozen" Saturday...loved it!  Oh my, you really need to see it.  I'm not going to spoil it, but I am going to buy it.  Definitely.  It made me proud to be a strong woman, and to have strong girls.  Girls rule!

So the fridge got blitzed last night, all delicious holiday food covered in cream and cheese, masquerading as vegetables are gone and we are starting fresh.  I'm keeping all my lean turkey meat, and I've boiled the turkey carcass for some delicious turkey vegetable soup.  I feel so much better already!  I am going to weigh myself this morning, and most likely weep a little over the pound or two loss I erased with the help of my cheesecake, but I am looking forward to feeling a little better, tighter, and stronger over the next 10 days.  I relish the return to my predictable & scheduled life.

This 10-day cycle we are 

ditching the jiggle to maximize the jingle in our December!

Goals for our next 10 days:

• Eat 1400 calories per day.
• Drink 64 oz of water per day.
• No added sugar.
• Prioritize your workout.  Make it a scheduled time each day, and do not allow interruptions, even if you are at home.  
• Exercise at least 30 minutes every day but Sunday.  Do not skip.
• Super foods: Olive Oil & Greek Yogurt.  Greek yogurt (buy no-sugar-added) is packed with protein, a great recovery food, and vanilla flavor with added fruit is a great ice cream substitute.  Olive Oil has a multitude of healing properties and its monounsaturated fats could help you burn and store fat more efficiently. Sub it in for butter and drizzle it on your salads or cooked veggies, saute your meats and veggies in it.

Hints & Tips:

• We are entering party season.  Look forward to family Christmas Parties by making them your cheat meal.  Enjoy them most by eating clean and working hard so they aren't tainted by negative feelings.
• Drink water at parties.  Nothing racks up the empty calories like punch and soda.  Drink two cups of water before your meal, and even eat a cup of veggies at home before you go.
• Don't buy Christmas candy.  Don't do it.  Leave it at the store or tightly packaged.  You can't cheat with something that isn't around.
• Working out releases endorphins which regulate our moods and stress.  Holidays are stressful as much as they are enjoyable.  Skipping your workout is detrimental.  View it as a blocked time of day. This is increasingly important during the Christmas season.  Do it in the morning, when it's too cold to do much else.
• Workout just before one of your meals or snacks.  An empty-ish tummy is a happier tummy when you are running or jumping around, and you can feed your muscles by eating post-workout.

Tasks:

• Weigh & measure yourself.  Write it down.
• Prepare your specific meal plan based on the guidelines below.

The 10 Day Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving complex carb

1 serving protein

1 fruit

Morning Snack: 200 calories

Lunch: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving veggies

1 serving protein

1 grain (1 slice bread - whole wheat only!)

Snack: 200 calories

Dinner: 400 calories

16 oz water

1-2 servings veggies

1 serving protein

1 complex carb (brown rice, beans, quinoa, yams, wild rice)

Have things on hand like raw nuts, V8 juice, raw fruit like apples, and cut up veggies.  Having a snack plan of attack will keep you from mindless eating.

If you want to do a meal substitute with a protein shake, add spinach, kale, whole kiwi, pears, or apples, along with greek yogurt to add fiber, a veggie serving, and muscle-building dairy to your protein shake.

I will be posting some healthy food ideas, carbs to avoid, new exercises, and other motivation to keep us moving toward healthier happier selves.  

Let's get to it!

Your First 10 Days Begins Monday November 18

THE FIRST 10 DAYS GOALS:

• Eat 1400 calories per day.  Eat all 1400 calories.
• Drink 16 oz of water at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• NO sugar. Period.
• Exercise every day but Sunday.
• New Super Food: yams, the orange ones. Packed with vitamins, try them for dinner or snack. No-no to butter.  See this link for ways to cook it healthy.  http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/healthy-meals-monday-10-healthy-ways-to.html

HINTS and TIPS:

• Meal repetition is the simplest way to start eating better.  It takes out the guess work and uncertainty.
• Prepare your meal and eat only when it's all done and you are sitting at the table.
• Try eating before you cook for your kids.
• Plan to workout before one of your meals or snacks.  This will help you satisfy your ravenous post-workout hunger without cheating.
• Follow the plan at will.  But if you follow it you WILL see improvements!

COMMUNITY:

• Check the bottom of the blog for links, apps, and recipes that will be helpful and motivational.
• Leave comments with your progress, and strong or weak moments.

THE 10 DAY MEAL PLAN:
Feel free to substitute but stay in the calorie limit.  
Remember Protein is King for weight loss.

BREAKFAST: 300 calories

• Choose ONE carb: 1 piece whole wheat toast, one serving cream of wheat, quinoa, plain oatmeal, or nine grain hot cereal.

• 1 protein: 1-2 eggs cooked any way you like, use only cooking spray, no butter.

• 1 complex carb: 1/2 cup fruit or 1/2 piece of fruit.

• 16 oz water

MORNING SNACK: 200 calories or less

See posted snacks lists


LUNCH: 300 calories

• One serving (approx 1.5 cups) of soup of the day. OR

• Choose ONE Protein: two servings of sandwich meat or tuna, 1-2 eggs (if you didn't eat any with breakfast), chicken, other lean meat

• 1 carb: 1 slice wheat bread.

• 1-2 vegetable servings: salad, steamed veg, sweet potatoes steamed or baked, or other vegetable you like.

• 16 oz water

• **the best thing to do for lunch is to make a lean stock and vegetable based soup with lean protein in it, and eat it all week. 

AFTERNOON SNACK: 200 calories

See posted snacks lists

DINNER: 400 calories

• Eat what your family eats, but don't snitch while you cook!  Try to lighten it up fat-wise for everyone's benefit.

• Eat a half sized portion (particularly of noodles, rice, or bread). 

• Add a salad or other vegetables to round it out.  Remember protein and veggies are free game!  

• Don't forget those 16 oz of water!

LUNCH RECIPE FOR THIS SEGMENT:

Cold Day Chicken Soup
Adapted from this Shape Magazine article:
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/10-satisfying-soups-weight-loss/cold-day-chicken-soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut/olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, grated
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups diced chicken breast (boiling in the chicken stock is easiest)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 dash pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut/skim milk
• 1 dash salt

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add onion, carrot, and celery, cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and curry powder and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, apple, pepper, thyme, and lemon zest. Stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and salt, if desired. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Nutrition Facts - serves 8

Amount per serving:Total Calories: 185; 11g Carbs; 6.5g Fat; 22g Protein

WHAT TO HAVE ON HAND:

1 loaf whole wheat bread or whole wheat english muffins

1 dozen eggs

10 snacks of your choice - see posted list

5 pieces of fruit (1/2 each day)

5 vegetables - 1/2 cup each day - frozen are wonderful and cheap. Get a couple fresh to nibble on.

Salad greens

Yam

Kroger brand V8 or V8Spicy - no brainer veggies in a glass.

Ingredients for Chicken Soup, recipe above.