This past few weeks I am slowly having moments of clarity. Motivation from friends that have survived so much, gave me more inner strength. I have no lack of nutrition education. I have no reason to be the size I am.....except I love food, I love to cook for family and friends, I eat food because I am tired, I eat because I am in pain, I eat because I am having fun....you get the point. Having chronic pain, too many surgeries, too many. hospital stays. Ya'll get my point. Figure out why you eat and it won't solve anything but it will help you as you move forward.
Few important things PLAN your meals. One day a week plan, shop prepare!!!
- Plan:
Put on paper for the fridge and maybe in your smart phone - plan every single meal and snack (you eat every 2-3 hours). Talk to everyone in your family and get their input and involvement. Get rid of the junk, sugar, salty, processed foods. Have a lot? Donate them to a local food bank. Stock up on naturally low fat proteins - chicken breasts, ground turkey, egg whites, almonds for example. Bring down aside the starch during weight loss. Nothing 'white' quinoa(actually a nut not grain) is GREAT, brown rice, yams, wild rice.
- Shop:
If you have Farmer's Markets - GO!!!! If you can afford/access organic get it. Prepare do notice in my house. No more processed foods. A good way of looking at this is shop the perimeter of the store. Fat free, sugar free, etc are sign for more chemicals - fat free often has more sugar than an entire recommended daily amount. Some bigger cities take away the temptation of shopping by offering internet shopping and delivery. Some pointers try Unsweetened Almond and Unsweetened Coconut Milk - major way to cut calories. 0% Fat Greek Yogurt provides an awesome source of protein in smoothies. I will offer other ideas down the road. One other personal tip - if you are a peanut butter fan it can be diet hell. High it calories, fat and often sugar which can deceptively ruin that hard work. PB2 is an amazing alternative! I have found amazing ways to use it!
- Prepare
First thing - buy a food prep scale. I think mine was $13 at Walmart and worth every penny. Our culture has totally ruined our idea of a real serving size. Some vegetables like lettuce, spinach, kale, celery give you the biggest bang (remember corn, potatoes are grains not veggies, green peas are also pretty high in starch). Each meal should provide a serving size of lean protein, vegetable and whole grain. Snacks should contain a fruit/vegetable and lean protein.
I suggest cook ahead at least some of your meals or combine them together in a bag so it can be fast and easy.
I have so much more to share. Recipes, more info here, I need time. Please, if I left a hole or questions please ask. I am still facing health challenges of my own. I am facing them nutritionally a different way for now at the recommendation of a homeopathic consultant.
More to come
