About 3 months ago, I hired a trainer to come and help me develop a 30 minute full body workout. While I have been regularly exercising, I still was not losing much weight. About six weeks ago, I looked at a photo of myself and couldn't believe the weight I had gained. I am not usually over critical of myself, but found that really, I needed to do something about it before it spiraled out of control. My pants weren't fitting, I was getting headaches, I was (more) moody than usual and I even more so tired.
After hours of research, I decided I would try to meal plan - again, but this time, for 21 days. I did more restrictive than I usually do, with no dairy, no sugar added, no salt added, and no grains. The first thing I found was that I had to calculate the calories that I could consume, then calculate the amount of calories I could consume while losing weight. I used Calorie Calculator and found that I fell under the 1200-1500 bracket.
Armed with this, I found a notepad and decided to not only plan my snacks and meals, but to write down everything that I've eaten for 21 days straight. The other tips I found were: drinks lots of water and not to worry too much about the calories. My goal is to be able to get a meal plan, eat proportionally without having to write everything out.
*To calculate calories I have used Receipt Calorie Calculator
Sunday
Breakfast: Egg Scramble with Spinach, Tomato and Onion (180 cal)
Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (213 cal)
Snack:1 Cup Cantaloupe (60 Calories)
Snack: 32 grapes - 120
Lunch: Steak with Brocolli, Sweet Potatoes and Cherries -- 429 Calories
Dinner: Shrimp with Tri Color Coleslaw and baked sweet potatoes -- 484
Total Calories: 1561
Monday
Breakfast: Overnight Oats (232 calories)
Snack: 12 baby carrots with 1 tbsp of hummus (75 calories)
Lunch: Grilled Chicken with cantaloupe, spinach, tomatoes and avocado (441 calories)
Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (213 cal)
Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs -- 156 calories
Dinner: Steak with Potatoes (1 cup) and Green beans (1 cup) -- 543 calorioes
Total: 1660 Calories
Tuesday
Breakfast: Two Eggs with 1 cup of potatoes (297 calories)
Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (163 calories)
Lunch: Beef Noodle Soup (Thai Restaraunt) (500 calories) *
Snack: Cantaloupe -- 60 calories
Snack: 1/2 avocado
Dinner: Chicken Wrap with Hummus and Carrots (307 calories)
Total Calories: 1538
*I estimated high to try to be as conservative as possible
Wednesday
Breakfast: Two eggs with hot sauce (176 cal)
Snack: Coffee with 1 tbsp of coconut milk (10 cal)
Snack: Carrots with 1 tsp of hummus (57 calories)
Lunch: Two cups of Mexican Chicken Soup with Avocado (506 calories) *
Snack: Almonds with a 1/2 banana (163)
Dinner: Salmon with Grilled Zucchini and Watermelon (450)
Total: 1412 Calories
*This soup wasn't very good, I won't try it again
Thursday
Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)
Snack: Almonds with a 1/2 banana (163)
Lunch: 1/4 cup steak, 1 cup of potatoes, 1/2 avocado (458 cal)
Snack: Grapes (32) ( 120 calories)
Dinner: Salad in a jar and 1 cup of watermelon - (357 calories)
Total: 1336 calories
Friday
Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)
Snack: (32) grapes (120 Calories)
Lunch: Salad in a jar (352 cal)
Snack: Watermelon, almonds, 1/2 avocado (46,163, 161)
Dinner: Caldo de Res
Total: 1582
Saturday
Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Chipotle Salad (Beef, Lettuce, Grilled Veggies, Black Beans, and Guac) 510 calories
Snack: 2 cups of fruit (164 calories)
Dinner: Steak, Brussell Sprouts and potatoes (377 calories)
Total Calories: 1493
Looking back, I can tell that if I eliminate fruit that I could easily cut some sugar. Planning ahead helped, and two days, I even went to the pool and ate poolside (Tuesday and Thursday). I am no expert, and have just tried to do my best to meal plan, calorie count and maintain a healthy balance.
