Meal Plan Update

I thought I would give you an update on the meal plan Dave and I started five weeks ago.  We completely stuck to the plan for Week 1, with the exception of a piece of cake at the baptism we attended, for me, and a glass of wine for Dave.  Week 2, although we followed along fairly closely, I had a lunch with a friend at Pizzeria Libretto of actual pizza (although with spelt crust) and a biscotti (but no wine!).  Week 3, Dave and I were both sick, so we actually didn't eat much of anything for a few days.  I had a carton of chocolate milk and plain chips one day in an attempt to settle my stomach (which I think did help), and then was back onto the recommended meals and snacks after that.  Week 4 started with Mother's Day where I enjoyed a lovely homemade breakfast of eggs Benedict and a cookie.  And in the afternoon we had a couple of beers and snacks at Bandit Brewery.  I also ended Week 4 with a couple of meals out, and some wine.  I kept active with my Hiit and Barre classes, yoga, and running.  Dave did some running and biking.  Being sick did take a lot out of us though and we were not as active as we would have liked.

Here are some comments:
- I did lose weight.  The most weight came off in the first week, probably just from not drinking alcohol and not snacking at night.
- It is possible to attend social events without deviating from the plan.
- I feel like I have a lot more energy than I used to (except for the days I was sick).
- Eating at restaurants is difficult because everything has so many calories.  The times I did go out, I would usually order chicken or fish tacos, as they seemed to be the best options.
- When you're not following your usual habits, you can really see what you would be eating (i.e. four slices of pizza at a work lunch, a beer at lunch, sweet treats with your coffee, etc.).
- Spending time in the evenings prepping food is time consuming, but really worth it the next day when you are hungry and everything is ready for you.
- I was never really hungry, except if I stayed up too late.
- When I would get out my homemade snacks or meals around other people, they were always curious about what I was eating and how it was going.  I think there is a real shift towards healthy eating and lifestyle.

A surprisingly good snack of hummus, cucumber and boiled egg.

This is a rough outline of our days:

Breakfast - Eggs and vegetables (grilled or in an omelet), shake made with vegetables, or oatbran cereal with flaxseed

10:00 AM Snack - Vegetables and hummus, greek yoghurt and berries, sugar free muffin and almond butter

Lunch - Small portion of a vegetable and lean protein based dish - salad, soup, sandwich made with spelt bread, leftovers from the night before

3:00 PM Snack - a different version of the 10:00 snack

Supper - Fish, shrimp, chicken, or chick peas, and lots of vegetables.

Super Food Salad

You can check out some of the recipes here.  If you are local, I would really encourage you to come and work out with us.  The classes are amazing and the instructors are very supportive and provide great encouragement and inspiration.  It is not just about your body, but also your mind and well being.

I think we will continue to roughly follow the plan but perhaps with some more leeway in the meals we eat and the treats we enjoy.  Now that I know what we can accomplish, I can make some better choices than I used to.