Ten days in and I’m going strong. My calories were good again today.
Today’s Eats:
Goal = 1255 calories
Actual = 1260 (+5)
Ratio = 40% protein/43% carbs/17% fat
Today’s workout: A1
The workouts, I LOVE. The eating for me is the hardest part. I have found that if I am going to succeed at an eating plan, I HAVE TO PLAN. I did “Body for Life” for one solid year by the book. One full year. I did it by planning. (I did BFL for much longer, but can’t say that I never cheated.)
Here are a few tips to achieving success in your eating plan:
1. Write out a plan for what you will eat the next day. Even better – write out a list for a week. I am not organized enough to make a plan for a week, so every night before I go to bed I list out what I will eat the next day and make sure it falls within my caloric and macronutrient goals. If I don’t do this, there’s a very good chance my goals will not be reached for the day. Hint: You can make a list for two weeks and rotate those lists. I eat a lot of the same breakfasts, midmeals, and lunches… the meal I vary the most is supper.
2. Keep a journal of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. You will be glad you did. I go back to my old journals a lot. When I was at my lowest weight and body fat percent, I was eating between 1800-2000 calories a day (usually around 1900). I have written down exactly what I was eating when I was still losing, even at a very low body weight, and eating a lot, even during the holidays!
3. Drink a lot of water. Aim for half your body weight in ounces. Even better is your body weight in ounces, but most people can’t do that.
4. Check yourself before you eat. If you “think” you’re hungry between eating times… try drinking a glass of water. You may just need hydration. If, after a meal that is portioned well and balanced in nutrients, you still think you’re hungry… tell yourself to wait 20 minutes. Then (after 20 minutes) if you’re still hungry, go ahead and eat something (healthy). Usually, you’ll be satisfied after your food has had that time to settle and you won’t need to eat that extra something.
Here’s an example of how I eat. This is today’s menu (1260 calories):
B – EFL Golden Pancakes (I LOVE these. Most people think pancakes are not very good for you, but the ingredients in these babies are … Old fashioned oats, Cottage Cheese (you’d never guess that), egg whites or egg beaters, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and Splenda.) with sugar free syrup, and a low sodium V8.
MM – Apple and two 2% string cheese
L – Chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli
S – Grilled turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich (on sugar free whole wheat bread) with salad and milk with protein powder
Evening snack – WW Fudge bar
