Since I dropped a significant amount of weight the top question I get asked is "what do you eat?". It's a fair question - to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing when I first started. I just followed my better judgement, or my husbands, and learned as I went along. I'm still learning now and I am quite certain that will never change.
I talk a lot in my blog about the mental part of losing the weight, which I still believe is the majority of the focus, but I rarely talk about the specifics of what is going into my stomach on a daily basis. So I'll do that now for anyone who has wanted to try this lifestyle out and see if it helps on their journey to healthier living.
I cannot stress enough, though - It really sucks in the beginning... but it gets better, I promise!! :-)
If you are sitting there reading this wondering "maybe I could do that" - yes, yes you can. At the very least, try it out for 1 week. Follow the suggested guideline below. It's solely based on what both my husband and myself have done since late April 2015 and continue to do today. It is NOT a steady road and we have made plenty of mistakes. Just remember that like anything, you're not going to be an expert right away. Do the best you can from moment to moment. If you make a mistake, recognize it and continue to move forward.
Do keep in mind that I personally crave structure with my meals, otherwise I tend to make poor choices. Primarily, my breakfast has been 2 eggs for about 4 years now, and it's been mostly salads for lunch for about 8 months. I like knowing what I'm eating for those two meals so that I don't slip into bingeing. If you have issues with binge eating or boredom eating, I recommend trying to keep yourself to a stricter meal plan so that you know what is coming for meal time - and snacks should always be safe things like fruit, veggies or nuts. Hence getting rid of all of the junkier options in your home. It's too easy to justify eating candy or chips when you're in the moment, and for this challenge that might be the hardest part. It was for me.
I talk a lot in my blog about the mental part of losing the weight, which I still believe is the majority of the focus, but I rarely talk about the specifics of what is going into my stomach on a daily basis. So I'll do that now for anyone who has wanted to try this lifestyle out and see if it helps on their journey to healthier living.
I cannot stress enough, though - It really sucks in the beginning... but it gets better, I promise!! :-)
If you are sitting there reading this wondering "maybe I could do that" - yes, yes you can. At the very least, try it out for 1 week. Follow the suggested guideline below. It's solely based on what both my husband and myself have done since late April 2015 and continue to do today. It is NOT a steady road and we have made plenty of mistakes. Just remember that like anything, you're not going to be an expert right away. Do the best you can from moment to moment. If you make a mistake, recognize it and continue to move forward.
Do keep in mind that I personally crave structure with my meals, otherwise I tend to make poor choices. Primarily, my breakfast has been 2 eggs for about 4 years now, and it's been mostly salads for lunch for about 8 months. I like knowing what I'm eating for those two meals so that I don't slip into bingeing. If you have issues with binge eating or boredom eating, I recommend trying to keep yourself to a stricter meal plan so that you know what is coming for meal time - and snacks should always be safe things like fruit, veggies or nuts. Hence getting rid of all of the junkier options in your home. It's too easy to justify eating candy or chips when you're in the moment, and for this challenge that might be the hardest part. It was for me.
Preparation
If you want to try this as hardcore as I did, here's what you need to do in preparation:
1. Go through your kitchen and discard/donate or give items to your friends/family that you consider to be 'junk' food, or contains added sugar/sweetener (Candy, chips, cookies, ice cream, crackers, salad dressings, sauces with added sugar, etc).
2. Get ready to read labels - and familiarize yourself with the many names for sugar. Check out this nifty list!
3. Find a notebook, or a note taking app on your phone to log your experiences throughout the week. Don't worry about what to say - it can be short and simple like: "I am so f'ing crabby right now. I just want a Snickers bar and a big glass of wine." -1/20/16
Not that I said that.... ;-)
4. If you have issues with portion sizes, try to cook only as much food as you'll need to make the meal - it looks super small!! Otherwise, my other method is when I'm done cooking, I serve up our one plate/bowl and pack up the leftovers immediately so as to avoid going in for a second helping.
5. You're going to go to the grocery store more times in a week than you thought possible. Don't worry about it. You're not going out to eat this week, so think of the grocery store as your favorite restaurant supplier - and your restaurant is in your kitchen. Make your own food. Try not to buy pre-packaged ANYTHING. Everything I list below is something you can make out of raw ingredients. It just takes time. Remember that going to a restaurant takes time, too, and you have no idea what's going into your meal. If you cook it yourself, you're the captain. Sail that ship to Delicious Town!
6. Look up recipes online. We have this amazing thing called the internet and it is MY BEST FRIEND. "Okay, Google... how to make baked chicken."
1. Go through your kitchen and discard/donate or give items to your friends/family that you consider to be 'junk' food, or contains added sugar/sweetener (Candy, chips, cookies, ice cream, crackers, salad dressings, sauces with added sugar, etc).
2. Get ready to read labels - and familiarize yourself with the many names for sugar. Check out this nifty list!
3. Find a notebook, or a note taking app on your phone to log your experiences throughout the week. Don't worry about what to say - it can be short and simple like: "I am so f'ing crabby right now. I just want a Snickers bar and a big glass of wine." -1/20/16
Not that I said that.... ;-)
4. If you have issues with portion sizes, try to cook only as much food as you'll need to make the meal - it looks super small!! Otherwise, my other method is when I'm done cooking, I serve up our one plate/bowl and pack up the leftovers immediately so as to avoid going in for a second helping.
5. You're going to go to the grocery store more times in a week than you thought possible. Don't worry about it. You're not going out to eat this week, so think of the grocery store as your favorite restaurant supplier - and your restaurant is in your kitchen. Make your own food. Try not to buy pre-packaged ANYTHING. Everything I list below is something you can make out of raw ingredients. It just takes time. Remember that going to a restaurant takes time, too, and you have no idea what's going into your meal. If you cook it yourself, you're the captain. Sail that ship to Delicious Town!
6. Look up recipes online. We have this amazing thing called the internet and it is MY BEST FRIEND. "Okay, Google... how to make baked chicken."
Challenge
Monday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Orange
Lunch: Salad (with a simple dressing like olive oil, lemon and pepper)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Baked chicken drumsticks/thighs and mashed sweet potato (with butter)
I snack on grapes if I'm still hungry before bed.
Tuesday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Fruit of choice (go with a berry you like or try something new!)
Lunch: Salad (with a simple dressing like olive oil, lemon and pepper)
Afternoon Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter
Dinner: 2 tacos (meat, beans, cheese, avocado & whatever veggies you want to cook up!)
Wednesday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Mango
Lunch: Salad (try without dressing, find out which veggies you really enjoy raw)
Afternoon Snack: Rye crisps and hummus
Dinner: Stir fry (peppers, onions, zucchini, peas, corn, etc) over brown rice. I use soy sauce and sesame oil for cooking.
Thursday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Apples with peanut butter
Lunch: Salad (without dressing - add a hard boiled egg and/or avocado if you haven't already. It helps)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Pasta (find a sauce you can make or buy a jar that does not have added sweetner) with chicken/beef/tofu.
Friday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Ants on a log!
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Egg bake (You'll thank me Saturday) Include your favorite veggies, meat, cheese, etc.
Saturday
Breakfast: Egg bake
Morning Snack: Banana
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Egg bake if you still have leftovers, or try your hand at a new recipe. Finding foods you love that don't require adding sugar is tricky sometimes, but you'll want to start getting into the habit now.
Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal or some other breakfast you enjoy. (Go easy on the maple syrup!)
Morning Snack: Fruit smoothie (ice, frozen fruits and water)
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: If you have time, try making a pizza from scratch. It tastes sooooooo good!! Otherwise, spend more time making something new, or eating leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Orange
Lunch: Salad (with a simple dressing like olive oil, lemon and pepper)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Baked chicken drumsticks/thighs and mashed sweet potato (with butter)
I snack on grapes if I'm still hungry before bed.
Tuesday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Fruit of choice (go with a berry you like or try something new!)
Lunch: Salad (with a simple dressing like olive oil, lemon and pepper)
Afternoon Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter
Dinner: 2 tacos (meat, beans, cheese, avocado & whatever veggies you want to cook up!)
Wednesday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Mango
Lunch: Salad (try without dressing, find out which veggies you really enjoy raw)
Afternoon Snack: Rye crisps and hummus
Dinner: Stir fry (peppers, onions, zucchini, peas, corn, etc) over brown rice. I use soy sauce and sesame oil for cooking.
Thursday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Apples with peanut butter
Lunch: Salad (without dressing - add a hard boiled egg and/or avocado if you haven't already. It helps)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Pasta (find a sauce you can make or buy a jar that does not have added sweetner) with chicken/beef/tofu.
Friday
Breakfast: 2 Eggs (prepared however you like)
Morning Snack: Ants on a log!
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: Egg bake (You'll thank me Saturday) Include your favorite veggies, meat, cheese, etc.
Saturday
Breakfast: Egg bake
Morning Snack: Banana
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Egg bake if you still have leftovers, or try your hand at a new recipe. Finding foods you love that don't require adding sugar is tricky sometimes, but you'll want to start getting into the habit now.
Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal or some other breakfast you enjoy. (Go easy on the maple syrup!)
Morning Snack: Fruit smoothie (ice, frozen fruits and water)
Lunch: Salad (without dressing)
Afternoon Snack: Unsalted mixed nuts/raisins
Dinner: If you have time, try making a pizza from scratch. It tastes sooooooo good!! Otherwise, spend more time making something new, or eating leftovers from the previous night's dinner.