PLAN PLAN PLAN. Always plan your meals ahead of time. I plan out my food for the whole day, especially if we won't be home. Pack food, in proper portions, and pack a few extra snacks. This will keep you from going for the Fast Food! By doing this, you will also start to eat less than you used to, because you know that your next meal is right around the corner. I was always guilty of eating each meal as if it were my last. ;)
Portion control is HUGE. Start looking at the food you're eating, and what the actual servings are. Follow these servings! I would literally get out a measuring cup or spoon, but now I have a pretty good idea of the serving sizes of the food I eat, and I am sure to always keep this in mind. Also, start looking at the ingredients of the food you're eating. If there is a big long paragraph of ingredients, you know there are a bunch of preservatives in it. The idea is to eat food that doesn't have any ingredients except what you are eating!
The MOST important thing is to each as much whole, natural foods as you can, and EAT FREQUENTLY! I eat AT LEAST 6 times a day, if not more! Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, complex carbs, dairy, and good fats.
Carbohydrates - SO important! This is what helps give you energy throughout the day. We start our mornings by eating a bowl of (Old Fashioned - but steel cut is best!) oats, barely cooked, with peanut butter and honey in it. Tastes awesome and gets your system moving! Later in the day, I will eat one Wasa crisp bread-cracker, either with PB on it, or with chicken salad. (more on this later!) And finally, I eat one (small) sweet potato a day. (Baked, plain) Shane's famous tip for carbs - get them in early! It will give you energy, but also give you time to burn it throughout the day.
Fruits - Very important, but you can have too much (because of the natural sugar) and there are fruits that are more conducive to weight loss. I like to have a banana in the morning, in my oatmeal. And then I usually combine 2 fruits as my snack before dinner. (Some strawberries and blueberries, for example) Shane's tip for eating fruit - Eat them by themselves, not with meals.
Veggies - This is coming from a person who hardly ate ANY vegetables... ever. Now, I can't get enough. And that is the point - You can have as many green leafy veggies as you want! I typically eat a spinach salad for lunch. This will include - seeds, nuts, sliced red yellow or orange peppers, sliced carrot, some sort of protein (hard boiled eggs or chicken), and balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The dressing was hard for me to let go of, I used to not touch veggies without Ranch. But I hate it now! I started the weaning process with some yummy creamy cesaer dressing, (measured, of course) and finally moved on to vinegar and oil. SO good for you, and very tasty!
Meats - I get most of my protein from peanut butter, eggs, and chicken. We occasionally eat other meats as well, but generally we eat baked, boneless skinless chicken for dinner, with veggies. (Salad, or sauteed, seasoned veggies) I LOVE seafood, but it is hard to find good seafood around here, so we don't eat it near as often as we would like. Salmon, by the way, is a superfood!
Dairy - I am actually lactose intolerant, so I have to limit my dairy intake. (as should you, if you want to lose some weight!) However it is EXTREMELY important for women to get their calcium and vitamin D. I use almond milk in my coffee (NO sugar) and sometimes with a protein shake if I am working out hard that day. I also add shredded cheese to my salad, and my eggs. Yogurt is a great source as well, but in it's purest form. I drink Kefir smoothies, which isn't 100% pure, but it is live cultured, and doesn't have a bunch of added sugars and flavors like most yogurts.
Fats - I get my good fats from my dairy, peanut butter and other nuts. I add nuts and/or seeds in my salads, and usually get the rest of my "good fats" from olive oil.
Again, make sure that you are eating often (especially if you're working out!) This will keep your metabolism up, and curb your appetite. NOT eating will cause your body to store fat, not burn it!!!
Here is my daily mantra - If it is not going to nourish my body in some way, why would I eat it?? I don't indulge, I don't cheat, and I don't have the urge to. I made the decision to live a healthier life, and have no desire to ever go back.
