Monday, February 04, 2013

Currently Eating...


I have been on our 2013 healthy eating plan for 3 successful weeks now and am excited to share what is working. I haven't weighed myself yet, so I cant update that part. But I can say I feel good about what I am putting in my body, my energy during the work day is up, and I am feeling better about myself because I know I am actively working toward my health goals. Hoping to lose 30lbs in 2013 and make my choices life habits.

Breakfast: 

  • Hemp/almond milk/banana/peanut butter protein shake
  • The Zone chocolate and peanut butter protein bar and a banana
  • Eggs and veggie sausage
  • Multivitamin with B12 (oh man the energy!)
All worth getting up the 15 minutes earlier for! I am about to try a new protein shake that's also supposed to help with digestive issues, hunger control, and give you vitamins. We'll see how that goes.

Lunch:
The variety of soups have kept lunch fresh for 2 weeks, switching this week to some salads with quinoa and other vegetables just to change it up. Leftovers from dinner are also nice treats.


Snacks: 
  • In season fruit! Currently loving peaches and pears, I just buy 5 and take them to work on Mondays so I have one for each day.
  • Nut packets from Trader Joe's, or a handful of almonds
  • Tuna. If I didn't have it with lunch, usually I am ready for it by about 3:00pm and my body loves the dose of protein to ward off the afternoon slump. 



Dinner:
  • emeals low carb dinners!
    • Seriously, this has been my best investment yet. There was a groupon to pay for this meal planning service and I am so thankful. Every Wednesday I get my week of dinner recipes that all take 30min or less to make, and a grocery list. We both work and don't get home until late but still wanted to save money and be healthy. This has RESCUED us.
    • They have a variety of meal plans to choose from if you aren't doing low carb. Mine ends up being kind of paleo since I don't do dairy automatically either, we are enjoying it thus far.
    • Some nights I opt out of the emeal because I want to cook something I enjoy to make and eat that's still healthy. Especially on the weekends.

Secrets...
  • A cookie a day keeps the doctor away...
    • We had these leftover cookies from a dinner party a few weeks ago. These big delicious oatmeal raisin ones I just salivated over. I decided one night to just let myself have one. Then the next day after eating healthy all day, I had another. Then I noticed they were each under 200 calories. Now it's just become my thing! There are literally oodles of snacks and treats in the office right now and I have bypassed them all because I am so excited about my after-work cookie tonight. I only have ONE (or whatever the serving size is if they are small) and always after eating healthy ALL day. I count it in my calories for the day too. Amazing what a little sweet incentive will do.
    • Tonight I don't get a cookie because mom's making us home made mashed potatoes. Sometimes I switch up my treats but try and keep them in moderation. 
  • Weekends are for eating...
    • Ok thats not true, but I do find myself having a hard time sticking perfectly to my almost zero carb plan during the weekends. So the weekends are for relaxing. I have my drinks, pizza, toast with breakfast, french fries at the bar, and only on the weekends. However, I find myself watching my portions, sharing the french fries, moderately drinking, making healthy pizza with goat cheese and whole wheat crust at home instead of ordering in, etc. So even though I am adding the carbs on the weekends, they are still healthy choices overall.
I haven't been perfect. Some nights we got fish tacos. One night we didn't get home until 8:00pm so Taco Bell was the only option we had energy for. But I am still watching my portions and choices in every situation I can. 

Movement
  • Signing up for a coupon worth of exercise classes or a 5K dramatically increases your will to move your ass. We signed up for a run with all our friends in April and have started training for it today! I am following a plan I found on self.com, but you can always use Couch to 5K to get moving. I also bought a pack of yoga classes I'll be incorporating into my training schedule too.
  • Walking during lunch breaks is a nice addition to a work schedule if you are too rushed during the morning and evening. I am lucky and get to walk to the train for work a few days a week, plus will take strolls during the work day so I don't want to kill myself. Every bit helps.
What's working for you? 

xoxo

HL

No comments: