First I was told to STOP the Soda if you have one 32oz soda it equals a meal 320 calories the same as lunch..
- I was drinking 2-4 (2liters) or more of soda per day in the summer is was closer to the 4 then to 2.. This was very hard since I was so addicted to soda and water tasted like crap...So I would ice it like crazy just like I did the soda but I found a tea that was (on the go type that used honey) and used some of that to flavor to add to the water OH it saved me..Now I am a tea water junkie but I drink it like crazy and I have a to go bottle w/ me everywhere I go. I allow myself soda only when I eat out and sometimes I just have tea water..
2nd During this time I started watching what I ate more this has been the hard part.. My little birdie told me if I ate better I would feel better plus loose weight I thought sure??? I didn't believe this could happen so I tried it.
- This meant more WHOLE GRAINS (steel cut oatmeal/ flax seed and whole grain tortillas and brown rice)
- Cutting out boxes or processed stuff (out when my fave boxes of cereal I am a cereal hoarder) AND FRESH IS BEST!!!
- Cutting out processed lunch meats as well
- Increasing more veggie daily(not just onion and peppers)
- Less dairy (cheese/sour cream) well if you get fat free and use tiny hand fulls (less the 1/8 of cup) of shredded cheese instead of a cup
- Steel cut oatmeal for Breakfast VS CEREAL whipped it up in my crockpot in large batches to freeze (fast and quicker this way) w/ brown sugar/flax seed/ dehydrated apples diced into with full (half and half milk) it was awesome due to all the fat in the moo so I recently just last week changed to fat free...I thought I am not going to like it I will notice the fat the YUMMIE part missing and it will taste like crap nope I was very wrong....
- Brown Rice VS White Rice.....First I was not a big rice fan but white to me tasted better but really it was the white was cooked right and the brown I had previously tried in resturants was not..I found a quick way to make brown rice in the oven and it turned out I prefer brown rice (cooked right) over white. Double score as it's better for me...I bulk cook this as well and have it on hand in the freezer when need rice.
- Drop the Sauces/Condiments or limit them.. Condiment topping junkie as well. Ranch/Sour Cream/Salsa/ and cheese and the more is better is/was my routine or more like would you like an enchilada w/ your cup of shredded cheese/sour cream and extra sauce? Not any more I now use lots of veggie/ fat free sour cream some cheese/ some shredded chicken and whole wheat tortilla and less sauce.. Guess what I like the taste even better.
3rd I also started making On the Go Smoothies- I started off really bad for 2 months at first issue I hated yogurt just the thought of it made me gag but when you had a carnation instant breakfast (lots of sugar in those) plus fruit like (strawberries and / or peaches) and that yummie full fat half and half the smoothie turned out great served over lots of ICE...
- First change to this plan to get this smoothie healthier w/ lots of encouragement from my little birdie (what the heck are you doing your dumbie that smoothie is just as bad as a bowl of processed cereal) was to find a meal replacement that had WHEY this bulked it up to help me feel fuller longer ( I use 2 tbsp per 16 oz) I didn't think whey would help trust me don't use more then your told to use it's fills up up...
- Switched from super sugary junk added yogurt (Read the labels) to greek yogurt w/ lots more fruit (over a cup)
- I even learned how to make yogurt I will be getting back into this as well as I can make 4 quarts of plain yummie yogurt for less then the price of one quart...
- Just last week was able to switch to fat free half and half...
4th Menu planning and meal prep it number one key.. I can't do ridged menus so we (DD and I) plan 7 meals and then WE can pick which to have when we do try to have variety
- Meals planned I am less likely to eat out or grab junk or nibble..
- Pre-Diced or Prepped my food (green onions/ bell peppers pre- diced I know it not healthiest (better to dice as needed) but for me if I do this I skip them so I dice peppers & green onions and store in mason jars in the fridge grab/use as needed...vs skipping them..
- Chicken ONLY about 3 months ago from both chicken and turkey (NO Beef/Pork have not in over 12 years) Chicken breast seem to come in packages of say 2-6 breast so when I shop WE pick packages that will give us more Bang for our Buck or in my case multi-meals (6 chicken breasts) can yield me if I just used them as chicken breast (3 meals ) however if I use two for breasts meal and then crockpot the rest into shredded chicken and now that extra meat will go back in to freezer or into the next 2-4 meals and lunches this is smarter shopping/use of chicken...
- Healthy on the go foods for work (I don't always have access or time to nuke meals) issue Hot Summers in Phoenix where then temps hit in the 118*F this is where my LITTLE BIRDIE REALLY SHOWED SKILLS...He created a summer lunches for me menu plan trust when I first looked at I laughed and thought boy you have lots of time on your hands to really think this out but after I really read it again I was like WOW!!! this is perfect for me yippie!! w/ a few changes as I don't eat some of the foods suggested but it was an awesome idea concept so I had to print it out and I got busy changed it to my needs/likes a master plan was created...I have been using this for almost a month and it really has helped me...
- Example of the idea/concept
- Meal 1: Asian
chicken lettuce wraps; snack bag 2; fruit cup 4
Snack bag 2: raw baby carrots, celery sticks, sugar snap peas
Fruit cup 4: fresh citrus fruits
More later.....
