Week 11 Menu

I hope everyone is staying motivated and working hard! If you are behind on sending me your points, catch up and send them ASAP! Keep going strong, just a few more weeks to go!

This week, we'll be talking about body types/metabolism and losing fat vs. gaining muscle. If anyone has any expertise here, this is DEFINITELY an area where I need it! PLEASE let me know if you have any input!!

Clean Eating

When the "clean eating" craze first started, it always seemed so complicated to me. I read up on it a lot and tried to get as much information and "prepare" as much as I could before attempting to clean up my diet. I think the details can get kind of hazy with what EXACTLY qualifies a food as "clean",  but I also think that the definition of a clean diet is different to different people, the overall concept is actually pretty basic and simple.

Basically, clean eating is eating food closest to its natural form. Eating clean means cutting out processed and artificial foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish, healthy fats and unprocessed whole grains are good foods to stick to when trying to eat clean. Processed food, fast food, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, sugars and high fat foods are foods to avoid.

I was thankful to see that most of the people who had written articles about clean eating mentioned following the 80/20 diet rule. Try to eat clean 80% of the time, but give yourself that 20% to indulge a little, if you feel like you need to.

I know I still have a lot of areas in my diet that need to be cleaned up a lot. You all know I LOVE light ranch dressing. I also have a hard time not using 100% pure maple syrup instead of sugar-free, mostly because the calorie swap is so intense. It's important to remember that just because a food is "low-fat" or "low-calorie" does NOT mean it's clean (or necessarily even healthy!)! On the flip side, just because a food is clean, that also doesn't mean it's nutrient rich or won't cost you big calories!

I've tried to keep the menus I post pretty true to what I consider a clean diet. There are some great resources online to help keep you in check with what kinds of things you should be aware of when choosing your foods. This is a great article with a lot of helpful information!

Confession

So, I have a confession to make, that may not be all that surprising to most of you!

I was talking with a good friend today (one of you actually!) and the realization hit me that I have not been a very good participant in this competition! Like I said, I'm sure most of you have figured that out by this point, but I think I've been in denial about it, using pregnancy as my excuse. I know every one of us has excuses in life to not get started or stay on track with healthy living and I was hoping that this competition would be a way for us to overcome those trials together. I apologize for making my excuse more legitimate than any of yours. Pregnancy is an excuse to gain weight, that is true. But not to have a "splurge day" every other day or eat four dinners! Especially while trying to convince others to do the opposite!

When I weighed myself this morning, I was 3 pounds from my total pregnancy goal weight...and I still have 10 weeks left! The baby alone is going to gain more weight than that before my due date so it's pretty safe to say that that goal is not going to be achieved!

The past few weeks have been pretty rough around here! I feel like since I hit the third trimester, I haven't had ANY motivation or drive. Coupled with contractions, aches and pains, little sleep, sick kids, unexpected work days and just LIFE in general, I feel like I haven't been able to get on top of anything and am playing a lot of catch up! (On a side note, it's interesting to see how our physical health is affected when our emotional health suffers!) I know that because of the excuses I listed above, I've been SO much more likely to sleep in, not be active, go out to eat and just not be accountable in general.

I'm not trying to make this post about my excuses or a place to vent, I want to say I'm sorry, and that I know the things I've been complaining about and giving myself excuses about are things that we ALL struggle with and I'm sorry I've been so hypocritical.

Anyway, upon seeing how much weight I've gained, I really deliberated last night whether or not I'd keep trying to maintain a healthy weight, or just let myself go and have an "enjoyable", low-stress, no worries rest of my pregnancy.

I've decided I'm going to keep trying! I'm making a new goal weight for myself (15 more pounds, that's a little more than a pound a week, which is healthy 3rd trimester weight gain, and would still put me 20 lbs. under what I weighed when Remi was born) and am recommitting to keeping track of what I eat and trying to be more active! I'm going to try to make the menus more "last minute friendly" and stick to them as closely as possible. I'm going to WRITE DOWN my FOCUS and goals every week and refer back to that when I get off track. I hope everyone out there who has reached some type of rut or frustration will join me! We still have almost half the time left and we can still make it worthwhile!

My KEY To Weight Loss Success

One time, before I ever tried to lose any weight, I remember reading an article in a magazine about a popular female celebrity at the time and what she did to maintain her figure (I've been trying to find the article now, but have had no luck).  I was blown away when I read that all she did was keep a food journal, cardio for 20 mins. a day, and then strength training 2-3 times a week. I kept looking through the magazine to see where I was missing her 2 or 3 hour long excruciating workouts, but there was nothing else! Everything I'd ever heard or seen about weight loss and maintaining it made me think there was no way possible that anyone could maintain such a body without some SERIOUS gym time! I ended up tossing the magazine aside with a "yeah right!" and never really thought about it again until MY time came to try to lose and maintain my weight.

If any of you have read my weight loss story on here, you'll find that I'm convinced that a well-balanced, low calorie diet is the KEY to losing weight. 

Both times I set out to lose weight after having my babies, it seemed like having healthy control over my calorie INTAKE was the only thing that got me there! I've tried just using exercise (in small and larger amounts) in the past, but I would always hit a plateau after 5-7 lbs.

A few months ago, my sister-in-law told me about a friend of hers who recently lost a lot of weight and looks great! She said she asked her friend what exactly she's been doing because she's very trim and toned. She figured her friend was going to the gym at least daily. She said she was extremely surprised to hear her friend say that she had simply adopted a healthier diet with smaller portions and that she'd quit running. She said she loved to run but she "ate like a horse" whenever she ran. Instead, she said she'd do small bouts of exercise reps around the house WITH her kids every day, and that was about it as far as exercise was concerned. After hearing that story, reminiscing on my own, and thinking of so many other people I know who've had weight loss success by focusing on diet and NOT exercised, I've solidified my belief that controlling your diet is KEY.

Just to be clear, I'm using the word "diet" as a noun, not a verb! I'm NOT saying, "you have to go on a diet", or "you have to diet". I'm saying you need to adopt a healthy diet. Eat clean, healthy and in reasonable portions 80% of the time!

I've been pretty frustrated lately, because I feel like so much emphasis is put on exercise when the subject of weight loss arises. I've had conversations with many people on different occasions, who say that they're frustrated because despite large amounts of exercise (even if they're watching their diet), they just can't seem to lose weight or get to the weight they want. They insist that if they don't exercise in extreme amounts, they won't lose any weight or will even gain weight. I see so many fitness blogs and pages that make you (or me anyway) feel like you have to put in hours worth of gym time to get the results they've gotten. There are infomercials up to wazoo promising an amazing body if you just buy their WORKOUT program. But what's never included in the videos and what you don't find out until you buy the product, is that they almost all come with a diet program as well. And you HAVE to follow the diet if you want the results they promise.

Like I've said, this mentality has really been frustrating me lately. Not that I'm frustrated by people who like to exercise! I REALLY wish I had the desire, drive and motivation to be an avid exerciser. It's a goal that I'm consonantly working on. It plays its own role as a key in so many other aspects of health (and we'll get to in later weeks). I'm talking about people who make the FOCUS of WEIGHT LOSS exercise, and then leave what we consume as sort of an afterthought.

I read this article recently and it put my mind at ease to see that there are the fair share of people out there who don't think exercise dominates the ways of weight loss. It seemed like everywhere I tried to look for back up on the issue only led to articles about MORE exercise! So this was refreshing for me to read! (You can get an extra point this week if you read it!)

I think the main point I'm trying to get at here is that yes, exercise is VERY important and vital for SO many aspects of health. BUT if you're wanting to LOSE weight, you won't be able to do it (or will at least only be able to get so far) without controlling what you eat! A healthy diet and controlled calorie intake is crucial when trying to lose weight.

After thinking about this for several weeks, I've realized that 7 points a week for exercise may be aiding to the mindset that you need to exercise every single day in order to see results. I don't want to be aiding the mindset I'm so frustrated with. So, from here on out, you can only earn 4 points a week for exercise. If you want to continue to exercise every day, that's completely fine, but you can only track points for 4 days of it.

I hope this doesn't throw everyone for a loop or discourage anyone. I'm still SO proud of how everyone is doing and SO motivated by you all!

On a Side Note:
Because of my strong pull toward focusing on diet, I often get a little off track when trying to figure out how much I SHOULD be exercising. As with many aspects of health, I turned to Mayo Clinic's website for the answer and feel satisfied with their advice:

• Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes a week (that's 30 mins. 5X/wk) of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week (that's 25 mins. 3X/wk) of vigorous aerobic activity. You also can do a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread out this exercise during the course of a week.
  (Keep in mind those words MODERATE and VIGOROUS. Moderate activity would be walking, housework, yardwork, swimming, etc. Vigorous activity would be jogging/running, competitive sports, interval training, etc.)
• Strength training. Do strength training exercises at least twice a week. No specific amount of time for each strength training session is included in the guidelines.

I'm definitely no expert, but in my humble opinion, if you're doing too much more than that, you may be doing too much and you could be inhibiting your weight loss because of it. 

Week 7 Menu

I hope everyone was able to stay motivated and on track this week! Try to keep it up as we head into week 7! If you're feeling discouraged at all, think about where you were 7 weeks ago. Are you doing better than you were then?? I hope you can feel some accomplishment in a few of the areas we've been trying to focus on!

Here's Week 7's Menu.

Here's the link to the website where you can print it if you've been having trouble printing from the blog. I don't know what works best, so let me know!

Motivation and Focus

"One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final". -President Thomas S. Monson

I've heard from several of you, and I myself have felt some frustration in how I've been doing. I want this week to feel like a fresh start! I don't want anyone to feel like they're "behind" or that the challenge has gone too far without them. Since we're now about halfway through the challenge, I want this week to be a week of re-commitment and motivation.

I know I've gotten distracted with trying to be perfect, then failing and getting frustrated and throwing my hands up in the air. When I really looked back on WHY I'm doing the challenge, and started it, a big majority of my motivation came back. I have a goal to only gain 30 lbs. in this pregnancy. That's my goal for the challenge. I DO NOT want to end up having to lose 60 lbs. after I have this baby and feeling miserable and SO behind postpartum. I want to be able to leave the hospital feeling confident that I only have a short way to go and can get back into the swing of a healthy lifestyle almost immediately. I didn't do that with my last two pregnancies and I know it's because of the way I let myself go while I was pregnant. I know I can do it, and I want to prove that I can this time around, and once I remembered to focus on that instead of my little setbacks, I found motivation to start fresh.

So, I'm changing things up a little this week, starting with points. If you've been "behind" on your points, this week, you have a chance to catch up! So here's the changes:

If you earn at least 7 more points this week than you did the first week, your points for this week will be doubled. So, for example, say you earned 15 points the first week. If you earn 20 this week, you'll get 40 points for the week!

Brainstorm back to the reason you decided to join the challenge. Think about what you told me this week that your motivations, successes, failures and frustrations are. Focus on correcting or improving on that this week. This would be a GREAT week to incorporate hanging motivational quotes or your goals in a place where you can see them frequently.

Make this week be your fresh start too! I want everyone to go all in this week! You can do it! Start fresh! Remember why you're doing this, find your motivation and aim higher this week!  Keep your motivation high! Don't let yourself get discouraged because you had a bad day or caved on a craving! Stay upbeat and push yourself to get to where you know you want to be. Push through excuses! This is going to be kind of a rough week for me because I'm working more this week than I have in the past 2 months and night shifts have been KILLING me with my diet lately! But, life will ALWAYS bring setbacks and legitimate reasons to make excuses, so I'm not going to let myself do it! I HAVE to start doing better or I'm going to end up 20 lbs. overweight again!

If you're feeling frustrated or discouraged because of something else, let me know! I want everyone to feel confident and like you're getting somewhere, NOT like you're plateauing or treading water.

I wanted to continue this week with success stories. Those are always SO motivating to me! If you have one, even if it's that you're finally sticking to goals for the first time or something else you've accomplished that you never thought you'd do, either post it on FB or message me about it and I'll make a post about it. You never know what type of insight you have that might be the light turning on in someone else's head to get them on a roll!

Week 6 Menu

If you didn't see on Facebook, I'm finishing up a post (that was supposed to be done much earlier this week!) with a little more info. on "veggie loading".

Seeing as we're almost half-way through the competition, I'd love to get feedback from as many of you as possible to see how you're doing! If you wouldn't mind sending me a message and letting me know things like what you feel your strengths are, what you feel has been your biggest success so far, what's been your biggest frustration and where you feel like you need improvement. Anything else you want to add, I'd love to hear as well!

I'll also be making a new post tomorrow with some information on next week's theme and some ways I'm wanting to change the competition up a bit.

I just realized that it's Saturday night and I never posted the menu for Week 6! So here it is! Again, I hope everyone has time to get to the store without falling too far behind!

Week 5 Menu

Here are the menu and recipes for next week as a Word file. I tried to keep things pretty similar to last week, so you could use the same shopping list, but there were a few recipes I was wanting to try so you may have to go to the store for a few more things if you don't have them on hand! Look for another post about incorporating veggies in the next day or two!

Veggie Loading

I have to just say again how proud and impressed I am with everyone! Everyone's motivation is still holding strong and everyone is continuing to set and achieve awesome goals! I've realized that my points have consistently been some of the lowest in the group. So, I'm going to start posting my points on the blog, along with the top 5 Challengers. It's going to look TERRIBLE, especially compared to the top 5, but I need some accountability!

Anyway, good job everyone! If you've been frustrated with an "off" week, just remember, we will all probably have one over the course of the Challenge. Part of the reason for the Challenge (and why it's been so good for me!) is to help you have a reason to start fresh again the next day/week. A lot of times for me, after an off day/week, it's hard to find the motivation to try to forget about it and start anew the next day. But having a plan already lined out, knowing what I'm focusing on and seeing all of you doing so well despite the setbacks we all have, has really helped me have the desire to stay on track.

Now, on to "Veggie Loading". Like I said when I posted the menu, I jut saw the term "Veggie Loading" one day. Without really being sure what it meant, I decided to use my own interpretation of it. To me, it means adding as many vegetables to every meal as possible.

I've done this in the past, without really having a name for it, and it made SUCH a difference in my weight loss, energy level, appetite and ability to have self control. I think especially if you can make the first few things you eat in the morning include vegetables, you'll be surprised to see how it changes your days.

When I was on a really good track with my "veggie loading", I'd usually start every day with either freshly made juice or a green smoothie. That usually got my day going, and then when I had more time, is actually eat breakfast. More often than not, by the time I was ready to have breakfast, I wasn't craving junk, and instead wanted something that felt nutritious to continue the day. 

Most vegetables (especially the dark, colorful ones) are high in fiber. Fiber is one of those nutrients that is supposed to fill you up and keep you full longer, which is another perk I've noticed when I fill my meals with vegetables.

I understand that for most people (myself included), just the thought of "filling" your meal/plate with vegetables feels forced and makes you want to turn up your nose. So, I'm going to once again leave you with numbered tips of ways you can try to incorporate more veggies in your meals.

1. Try to fill at least half of your plate with vegetables before you add anything else. Make them a variety of vegetables you LIKE so you don't get burnt out trying to gag down the last one by the time your meal is over. I usually try to have 2-3 different kinds of vegetables at each meal. I love salad, so there's always a gimme for me right there.
   
2. Wash, chop and prepare your vegetables as soon as you get home from the store. This is a big one for me! I usually try to chop my lettuce and store it in a big Tupperware (if you put a paper towel in with it, it will soak up the moisture) or Ziploc at the beginning of the week. Then, no matter what I need lettuce for, I always have it ready and handy. Do the same with bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms, tomato, celery, carrots, spinach, and really any vegetable-almost all of them will be okay to store in a baggie or container in the fridge for a week. For example, I chopped all my broccoli earlier in the week and have used it for a snack/side raw and steamed. I've also used it IN my meals and it goes SO quick because all I have to do it dump it in. I've also pre-chopped all my bell peppers, which makes them an easy addition to a sandwich or salad, or to saute for fajitas or omelets. Those are just a few examples. As I said above, you can do this with most vegetables. I also find that whenever I do this, I'm far more likely to know what I have in the fridge and use it and far less likely to have my produce go bad.
   
3. Drink your veggies!
   I LOVE green smoothies! (In fact, I may end up devoting a week to them!) As I said above, you can start your day with one and get in a few servings of vegetables before you even eat breakfast. If you haven't tried adding spinach or kale to your smoothies, be brave! You really don't taste it (it just turns the smoothie an ugly color-but that's how you know it's nutrient dense! ;)). I've even added spinach to a peanut butter, banana and cocoa smoothie without sacrificing the taste. Green smoothies are about the only way I can get my kids to have some nutritious intake sometimes!
   I've also become a big fan of juicing in the past year, although I don't know nearly as much about it as I'd like. I know it gets some flack because the fruits and vegetables lose some nutritional content in the juicing process, but I definitely consume more than I normally would without it, so it's a win for me! It's kind of expensive because it uses a lot of vegetables and juicers aren't cheap (unless you got yours at a yard sale like I did), but it's another great way to get a lot of nutrients down without gagging! My kids are also big fans of juice. (Let me know if you're interested in learning more about green smoothies and juicing, because it might help me determine whether or not to make it one of the weekly themes) 
   
4. "Disguise" your veggies in your other food, or into something fun. In searching for ways to try to get my kids to eat more vegetables, I kept coming across posts like this one. After a while, it occurred to me that I could use the same distraction! One reason I love making spaghetti is that I can shred up A TON of vegetables and add them to the sauce and then eat them without even thinking about it, or having my kids realize and refuse it. After reading posts like the one above, I've realized there are endless ways to "sneak" veggies into most foods.
   I'm not much of a baker, but I know there are vegetables (such as zucchini and carrots) that can be shredded or pureed and then added to baked goods. As a HUGE fan of zucchini bread, this is something I need to look into more! (If you have any good recipes or info. on this, please share!)
   I have a Pinterest Board devoted to fun (and mostly nutritious) kid food. When I get into on of my "Supermom" grooves, I use ideas from it a lot to make healthy snacks/meals for Grant. He LOVES them and always looks forward to meal times and eats so well when I do it (which often makes me wonder why I don't do it all the time! Same reason I don't exercise all the time even though it makes the day so much better, I guess!) and I have to admit, the "fun-ness" of it usually makes me what to eat it too! Grant and I have "tricked" ourselves into eating raw celery, bell pepper, cauliflower and cucumber (to name a few) just because they were presented in a fun way.

   

   This is an old and not very good picture. But you get the idea!

Week 4 Menu

Here's Week 4's Menu! I'm trying a new way of uploading it, so let me know if you have any problems with it.

This week is going to be about portions and veggie "loading". I saw that term on Pinterest and didn't really even bother to look at the pin it came from, I just liked it for what it meant to me right away!

So this week will be a little more centered around making sure you're eating veggies at every meal (fruits are good too, veggies are just going to be the focus).  I'll make a post about it next week but, if you all don't mind, I'd like to add a "Challenge Group Goal" to your weekly goals next week.

Try to eat as many vegetables as possible with EVERY meal.

If you can do this with at least 3 of your daily meals, you can earn an extra point next week.

Cravings

I'm feeling a little intimidated writing this post right now, because at the moment, I am NOT the best person to be preaching about how to ward off cravings like a champ. I probably should've had this week be a week where I had someone else write the post!

Normally, when I'm not pregnant, I can do really well getting on a roll and staying motivated and saying "no" to temptations!

Normally, when I AM pregnant, I throw caution to the wind, gain 60-70 lbs. and rely on strong willpower after the hormones are gone to take the weight off.

This time around, I don't want to have to work so hard after the baby's born so, I decided if I could eat healthy when I'm not pregnant, I should be able to eat healthy while I am pregnant. 

Turns out, it's been A LOT harder than that! I've really been able to relate and have sympathy for people who have told me in the past that they feel like they literally CANNOT fight off a craving!

So, the following are methods that have worked for me in the past, and things I'm going to try to start incorporating to try to help whenever a craving strikes!

1. Drink a whole cup of water before eating anything
2. Eat an apple or other favorite fruit first
3. Get busy doing something else (like going for a walk or cleaning)
4. Look at pictures of healthy food
5. Chew gum
6. Go to bed (if you're one of those late-night snackers like me)!
7. Keep quick, healthy options nearby so you don't get too hungry
8. Find a way to make whatever you're craving and substitute healthy ingredients for unhealthy ones
9. Try to get enough sleep (am I the only one who loses all willpower when they're tired?)
10. Get it out of the house! (out of sight, out of mind)

I feel like a lot of the tips I shared in my post about being healthy at work/on the go, can be helpful with cravings as well. So if you missed that one, try to go back and read it when you have time.

Sometimes, you may just have to indulge a little-if you just CAN'T fight the nag to eat something, have a LITTLE.  I usually try to force myself to eat something more healthy along with it. It's amazing how once you start replacing unhealthy food with healthy food, you begin to realize how much better you feel and want the junk less! Also, keep in mind that, especially as far as this competition is concerned, I really want the focus to be on making healthy changes you can make into a lifestyle. Unless you're never going to eat chocolate again, don't beat yourself up for eating it once in a while! I am aware that most of you are trying to lose weight right now and obviously, MAINTAINING a healthy weight (once you get there) allows a lot more freedom than LOSING weight, BUT, don't deprive yourself! You shouldn't feel like a prisoner! 

On that note, in looking back on some of my food diaries, I've realized that even during some of the times when I was really on a roll with my weight loss, I rarely (if ever) had even one "perfect" day. I saw sugar in my daily diet on a regular basis more than I expected to. But, IN SMALL AMOUNTS! One thing I've learned since I realized this is that you don't need to DEPRIVE yourself, you need to CONTROL yourself! Beating yourself up for having a brownie or eating cake and ice cream on your birthday, in my opinion, only starts a downward spiral of getting out of control. If you can control yourself from the get-go (eat your brownie and then put the pan away!), you can satisfy your craving and then go on with your day. I find if I put it off all day, it just nags me all day until I finally give in, then I get mad at myself and feel like the day is ruined and go WAY off track!

Another thing I think is interesting (that I've found to be true for myself anyway), is that the more I gradually and steadily cut out bad foods, the less I want them!

I'd really like to know what everyone's thoughts are on this.  Do you agree? Do you think I'm just crazy? Do you think I'm telling you to go eat whatever you've been craving all week right now (because I'm not by the way!)? 

What are things you've found to work in the past when you've struggled with cravings?

Week 3 Menu

Here's the menu for Week 3!  The "theme" for this week is going to be focused on cravings and substitutions for unhealthy foods that you can't help but want!  So, to go along with that, I tried to use recipes that had been sent to me and things I've been seeing posted on the Goal Weight Challenge Pinterest Board.  You'll notice that this menu is a little more indulgent (but still healthy!). I was looking for things that I think maybe we've all been missing and craving since starting two weeks ago. Please don't get frustrated with me this week if you're trying to eat more clean and really cut out the bad hard core. We will get there! I just thought it would be fun to have a week to show that you can still have rich, delicious food and continue to feel good, lose weight, and stay within your calorie goal.

Thanks SO much to everyone who's been involved in pinning and who took the time to send me recipes! I was really hoping this challenge would be a group effort, and I think it's proving to be so!

Anyway, enough rambling! Here's the menu:

Here's the link to view as a Word Doc 

(if you've been having trouble printing from the blog, try the Word Doc, I think it's better quality!)

Here's the Word Doc link for the recipes.

I haven't been able to go a week without making some mistakes in the recipes/menu. If you catch one,  please let me know so I can fix it ASAP!

"Healthy" Fast Food

First off, I want to say congratulations to Natalie and Kimberly, who tied for first place this week with 31 points each!  Awesome job!!  I was nervous about how this whole Competition was going to come together, but I'm extremely satisfied with how Week 1 went!  Thank you all so much for working so hard! You're all doing GREAT! I didn't have the best week as far as points and sticking to my weekly goals went, but I've found motivation in all of you, so thanks!  Week 2 is going to be just as great! Keep up the good work!!

If you haven't gotten me your points yet, please still send them so they can go toward the final points at the end!


I've decided I want to do sort of a "theme" for each week of the Competition. This week, I want to be about how to eat healthy (or healthier) while on-the-go.  I know there were a few of you who were concerned starting out last week because you knew you were going to be out of town or in a situation
where you couldn't cook at home.

I hope I let everyone know well enough that you can still get your weekly point for following the menu/healthy eating as long as you're improving and making healthy choices when you're forced to eat food you didn't prepare. Obviously, you don't want to be eating fast food all the time, and it's always more beneficial to try to cook as healthy as possible at home where you know exactly how much of every ingredient is in your food, but we all get into situations from time to time where we can't cook at home, and you don't need to be afraid of it! So, here it is,

How to Eat "Healthy" When Eating Fast Food

Get Informed
Knowing the difference between a healthier option on the fast food menu and an unhealthy option can mean the difference of hundreds, and dare I even say, thousands of calories. I've made a list of some of my favorite fast food places and the healthiest foods on their menus that are under 300 calories.
McDonald's:
Despite the flack McDonald's still seems to get, they've definitely come a long way since their "Super Size Me" days! They even list their calorie amounts on the drive thru menu. I'm sure any real nutritionist/health guru will cringe to hear it, but, I am a fan of McDonald's!
Strawberry Banana Real Fruit Smoothie (Medium)-250 Calories
Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie (Medium)-250 Calories
Vanilla Cone-170 Calories
Apple Slices-15 Calories
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait-150 Calories
Ranch Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap-270 Calories
Side Salad-20 Calories
Any Salads with Lowfat Dressing and Grilled Chicken

Subway
6" Turkey Breast-280 Calories
6" Turkey Breast & Ham-280 Calories
Black Forest Ham Mini Sub-180 Calories
Turkey Breast Mini Sub-180 Calories
(All on 9 Grain Wheat Bread, without sauces or cheese. Most cheeses and light mayo will be an extra 50 cals. each.)
1/2 Veggie Flatizza-205 Calories
All Salads are less than 140 Calories-Again, watch dressings! 2 oz of their ranch is 320 calories!!

Taco Bell
I was COMPLETELY surprised by Taco Bell's nutrition facts! I can't figure out the rhyme or reason to the ridiculous amounts of calories in seemingly innocent favorites! Carbs in the tortillas maybe? Anyway, this is really about all I could find for decent calories at Taco Bell. Look up one of your favorites, it might shock you!
Fresco Tacos: Less than 160 Calories
Chicken Gordita Supreme: 280 Calories
Black Beans & Rice: 180 Calories
Tostada: 270 Calories
All Tacos (Except Double Deckers): Under 300 Calories

Panda Express
I usually feel like I'm sacrificing a whole day's worth of calories to eat there! Actually, I usually am if I get my usual meal! An order of orange chicken is 540 Calories! Pair it with even brown rice and you're over 900! However, when I looked up their nutrition facts, I was pleasantly surprised!  They actually have quite a few options on their menu that are under 300 calories.
Mushroom Chicken-180 Calories
String Bean Chicken-160 Calories
Black Pepper Chicken-200 Calories
Broccoli Beef-120 Calories
Veggie Spring Roll-160 Calories
Hot and Sour Soup-100 Calories
Kung Pao Chicken-240 Calories
Fire Cracker Chicken Breast-240 Calories
Shanghai Angus Steak-220 Calories
Mixed Veggies-70 Calories

Check the Facts
These are just a few of the places that offer healthier options. If you have a favorite place to eat and you haven't already, look up their nutrition facts. You may end up finding out that by substituting a few options, you don't have to feel so guilty eating there if the need or craving strikes.

Use What You Know
If you end up going somewhere unexpected, or seeing something tempting but you have no idea where it falls on the scale of acceptable vs. might kill you, use what you've learned and common sense!

1. Avoid carbs! Most burger place's calories lie in their breads and buns instead of the meat.
2. Be weary of sauces. As I said earlier, in 2 oz. of Subway's ranch, there's almost 300 calories, and that's not even close to the worst of them! Don't work hard to build a healthy meal, and then crash it by getting a calorie and fat packed sauce!
3. Stay away from anything fried!! I think that's pretty self explanatory!
4. Don't order "meals". I outlined some healthier options above, but keep in mind, those are single servings of entrees. Most of them come with sides and a sugary drink. Again, don't sabotage a good effort by ordering unhealthy sides!
5. Cut it in half! If you just have to have one of your favorite meals, use the old trick you've probably heard before. Get a to-go box at the beginning of the meal and put half away as soon as you get your meal. It's obvious, but sometimes overlooked, that that will save you HALF the calories!

Our little town only has about 5 fast food options and I was sad to see that if I want to try to eat healthy, more than half aren't options (Arby's, Dairy Queen and Sonic). But, that's not to say I'm not going to splurge on a Blizzard every once in a while, or veto In-N-Out if I ever travel anywhere where there's one nearby!

Week 2 Menu

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this posted! I meant to get to it several times earlier in the week, but time kept getting away from me!

Here's the menu for Week 2:

Here's the link for the Word Doc you can print.

And the recipes:

Here's the link for the Word Doc you can print.

The Skinny Chicken Broccoli Alfredo and the Whole Wheat Pancakes are recipes I got from other people's sites. You can click on them above to find the recipes.

On a Side Note: I LOVE pancakes, so syrup is a place where I tend to let myself splurge a little. I used to use sugar-free maple syrup because it was very low calorie. Now that I'm pregnant however, I'm more weary of aspartame (the artificial sweetener in many sugar-free foods) so I usually try to get 100% pure maple syrup. However, it's much more expensive and way more calories, just FYI.

How to Use MyFitnessPal

I finally decided to make my own (super lame!) tutorial because I couldn't find one that was specific enough to what I wanted to address about using it for our Challenge.

So here it is! Don't make fun! I hope it makes sense!  Try to play around with it over the next few days and get familiar with it. Let me know if you have questions!

Week 1 Menu

Here's the menu for the first week of the competition! There are several different versions of the same thing, so just use whatever works best for you!

These are images, so you can save them to your phone or just click on them and print:

Here are the recipes for the Chocolate Frosty and the Black Bean Nachos.  They're not mine, so I decided to just post the links to save on copyright complications.

I've also made them viewable online as Word Docs so you can download to your computer and change or print them. The menu is here and the recipes are here. (I don't know why everything didn't line up right...I was really frustrated about that! Sorry!)  

You can also view a spreadsheet with everything here. The spreadsheet is nice because you can view it from a mobile device and copy and paste the shopping list or prep ahead list to your own notepad or shopping list.

Again, you DO NOT have to use this menu plan or these recipes to be part of the challenge! You can still make your own and get points for it, as long as it's healthy!  But, I think this will give everyone an easy way to plan and prepare ahead, and also an easy way to track on MyFitnessPal when we get to that point.

If you have any favorite healthy recipes, please share! It's going to be really hard to find a good variety as the weeks go on!

Points

Here's how the points will be broken down:

• 1 point/day for staying within your calories/eating healthy (7 points total/week)
• 1 point/day for documenting in MyFitnessPal or other food diary (7 points total/week)
• 1 point for each day you exercise at least 20 mins. up to 3 days/week (3 points total/week)
• 1 point for each day you drink 8 or more cups of water (7 points total/week)
• 1 point for each weekly goal you stick to for up to 2 goals (2 points total/week)

So the maximum amount of points you can get in a week is 26. 

Report your points via e-mail or on the Facebook page every Sunday. YOU are in charge of tracking your own points. (The points will also be used in the event of a tie at the end of the competition)

I've decided to print out a monthly calendar to track my goals and my progress.  I'd invite everyone else to do the same thing.  It will help you keep track of your points and keep your goals fresh.
Here's the link for the calendar I used, along with a few others I found online. 
http://projectorganizeit.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/monthblank.pdf
http://www.simplypaperie.com/2014/01/february-2014-printable-calendar/
http://www.blankcalendar2014.com/wp-content/uploads/February_2014_Calendar_Printable_Landscape_08.png

You could also keep track of everything in a notebook or on index cards. Whatever works for you! Just find a way to see your progress and easily track your points every day.

Getting Started...

This is going to be long! I have a REALLY hard time summarizing and keeping things short in the first place, and especially when it comes to how I got started and helping others find a starting point and motivation, it really gets bad! Hang in there, it's long but will hopefully be beneficial!  I'll try to keep future posts shorter, as I realize most people don't have the time to read a 30 min. article every day!

As I said on my "Someday Skinny" page, I feel that for me personally, weight loss is about 97% diet and 3% exercise.  SO, when I'm giving people advice about where to start, especially if you feel like you're really starting from scratch like I did, I usually suggest they start by focusing about 97% on what they're eating.  In my experience, I've seen much faster and more noticeable results by focusing most of my planning and dedication on diet, rather than exercise.

A great way to start changing your eating habits is to count calories. 

Most people are surprised to find out exactly how much they're consuming vs. how much they need. When I first started counting calories, I learned that in order to MAINTAIN my current weight, I should've been eating about 1800 calories a day.  Imagine my surprise when I found out I was actually averaging between 2500 and 3500! 

Free apps like MyFitnessPal are a great way to help you realize exactly how much you're eating and help you decide how much you should be eating.  I started using MyFitnessPal about a year after my first pregnancy and lost about 35 lbs. just by counting and making myself aware of my calories. I DEFINITELY recommend getting a MyFitnessPal account! If you're doing the Goal Weight Competition, it will be a good way for us to keep in touch! When signing up with MyFitnessPal, they will help you calculate how many calories you need to be eating. This is another good site to help you figure out how many calories you need. 

Tangent (skip if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding!): Beware that if you're breastfeeding or pregnant, you need more calories-but you may need to troubleshoot a little to determine how many more you need.  According to most sources, breastfeeding burns an extra 200-500 calories per day.  This means you'll need to add those calories and see what works for you.  Kelly Mom has a great article about trying to lose weight while breastfeeding. I waited 2-3 months with both my kids before I tried to lose weight. I believe that that time is crucial in helping your body determine your milk supply. I breastfed both my kids exclusively until they were a year old, and ate about 1500 calories/day to lose the weight.  I tried eating as many as 1800 but the weight just didn't come off, so in my opinion, you need to experiment and see what's right for you. Either way, if you're hungry (especially to the point of having physical symptoms), you're probably not eating enough (also, see what I say about empty calories below)! 

(Tangent Continued...) Pregnancy is a time when I have struggled the most! It's been hard for me to troubleshoot how many calories I need while dealing with cravings, a raging appetite, food aversions, fatigue, etc.  Too often, I take the easy way out and give myself a break because I'M GROWING A HUMAN for crying out loud! Unfortunately, that excuse hasn't really proved to pay off for me in the long run and I've decided that the only solution is NOT gaining in extreme excess while pregnant!  All the research I've done seems to agree that in the first trimester, you should gain 0-5 lbs. and you don't need any extra calories. In the second trimester, most experts seem to recommend 300 extra calories, but some that I found said you still don't need any extra (I'm in the second trimester right now and I WILL be taking advantage of those 300 extra calories!). Then, by the third trimester, 300-500 extra calories. Like I said, that can be kind of hard to troubleshoot...I'm right there with ya! But, I'm just going to do my best and see how it comes along! Anything's gotta be better than eating whatever you want or most people's definition of "eating for two"! This is a great tool to help visualize how much you should be gaining during each week of pregnancy, I refer back to it a lot!  If you are in the first trimester and in the "eat whatever sounds good because it's all you can keep down" phase, that's okay, try to give yourself a break! Just try to eat healthy whenever you can. I had someone recommend to me that I eat whatever healthy thing I could that sounded good, even if I ate the same thing every day. So that's what I did this time around! The same thing almost every day for the whole first 6 weeks after finding out I was pregnant! But, I found what I could/would eat that was healthy and I only gained 3 lbs. in the first trimester instead of my usually 20! (Yes, I gained 20 lbs. the first trimester with my first baby and 15 with my second!)

Back on track: Although counting calories is the most precise way I know of to lose weight and the best place to start if you're starting from scratch, if it seems too time consuming or tedious, or if you're in a situation where your calorie needs have changed (such as pregnancy or breastfeeding), you can do the same type of troubleshooting just by trying to make every meal as healthy as possible. I'm a very visual person, so I like the suggestion of avoiding shopping the isles at grocery stores. The theory is that if you stick to the outer areas, you'll stick with produce, dairy, meat, etc. and away from processed foods (be careful though, the bakery tends to be in that outer area too!) You'll notice a difference with how you feel if you're making the right changes. Be aware of your portions and try to make the majority of your plate fruits and/or vegetables. Try to substitute unhealthy ingredients in some of your favorite recipes for healthy ones. (There's A LOT to say in this diet section but I feel like a lot of cleaning up diet just takes time, learning and trial and error. So if you feel overwhelmed or discouraged because you're trying to eat healthy by tomorrow, take a step back...we'll get there one step at a time!)  Simply trying to be aware and conscious of what you're eating makes a big difference!

I've been using an app called MyDietitian for a little over a year now and have continued to lose weight despite no longer counting calories (even though I was terrified to quit counting!!). Even if you can't afford an app like MyDietitan, taking pictures of your meals and keeping a food journal makes a big difference in helping you become aware of exactly what you're eating. Also, I have some vouchers for free trials for MyD that will be future prizes for challenges!

Plan. 

I've found that I very rarely have success without a well thought out plan!  You need to know what your goals are and plan how you're going to get there.  Since diet is such a huge part of weight loss, so is making a menu plan. This is SO important to help keep you from falling back on bad habits or seemingly convenient, but unhealthy meals. Make simple meals that are convenient and don't overwhelm you.  Have a back-up plan in case you have one of those days where it's 6:00 and you haven't even started yet!  If you're part of the weight loss challenge, you don't need to worry about this as much because I plan on posting menus, at least for the first several weeks.  But if you have certain food preferences, it's good to at least have a back-up menu for yourself that you can refer to if you don't like something I post. Pinterest is full of meal planning printables and healthy recipes. A few I really like are here (8. Menu and shopping list-this is the one I use regularly) and here. 

Even if you don't want to do a full menu plan every week, just make a list of the things you'd like to make or meals you already have the ingredients for and at least you'll know you have those to choose from when meal times come up. For example, I rarely plan snacks. I just have a list of healthy snacks I have available, that way when I get munchy, I have options for whatever I'm in the mood for.

SNACK! 

Try to eat every 3-4 hours. I've found that the longer I wait to eat, the bigger meal I end up eating when I finally do eat. Also, I'm more likely to snack on whatever I can find or grab fast food because, well, it's quick and I'm HUNGRY! 

I've seen so many people on diets walk around chronically hungry. In my opinion, if you're hungry, you're not eating a healthy diet. Remember, you're trying to create this for the long haul. You can't walk around hungry all the time! If you're hungry, eat something healthy to keep your blood sugar up and your metabolism going, but try to have that snack before you get hungry. On the contrary, I know I'm doing well when I feel satisfied all the time.I've heard from several people once they've gotten started that they feel like their meal plan is too much food and that they don't even want their snack when it's time for it.
Healthy snacks have been the staple of my weight loss.  If you feel like you're eating enough food (and you are consuming enough or more than enough calories), but you're still hungry, look to see if you're eating a lot of empty calories.  I've found that eating a candy bar usually doesn't hold me over to the next meal time, even though it's about 100 more calories than a healthy snack like boiled eggs and fruit, which usually will.

Don't skip breakfast! Eating a healthy breakfast will give you energy throughout the day and start your metabolism off right. If your mornings are crazy like mine tend to be sometimes, try starting the day with a quick snack (Like a smoothie or yogurt), then eat your breakfast once things calm down a bit.

Drink water like crazy!

I feel like diving into all the health benefits of drinking water would take all day, when really the only thing that needs to be said is just do it!  It's KEY to weight loss and overall good health!


Try to have a water bottle with you all the time!  It sounds lame but my water drinking habits changed drastically when I got this cool, cute water bottle I actually felt kind of cool toting around.  If you think that might help, try it! Here's one I've been coveting!

Take baby steps, and then recognize and be proud of yourself for them. 

Don't get discouraged by setbacks, we ALL have them! I remember during one of my attempts at weight-loss (in the midst of my fast food days), I was so proud of myself because I actually went into the produce section of the grocery store and bought grapes and bananas. Well, come to find out from one of my very health conscious friends, grapes and bananas are "the two fruits at the top of the glycemic index". Basically according to her, the most unhealthy fruits I could've bought. Remember everyone is at a different level. You may eventually get to where you're eating a completely clean diet with organic everything but for now, give yourself a chance to make mistakes and learn what works best for you. Some would say that my diet is not "clean" because I still HAVE to have Light Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on every salad, but it's a compromise I've decided I'm willing to make in order to get myself to eat and enjoy salad.

When you start to get discouraged, look back on where you were a week from now. Have you eaten better than you did last week? Have you learned some healthier recipes? Have you eaten homemade meals all week? Were you even consciously making an effort to be healthier this time last month? Be proud of yourself for the healthy decisions and efforts you are making. No matter where you start, it's going to take time to learn what you need to know to get to where you want to be.

Stay Active!

Even though I'm suggesting avoiding strenuous exercise programs, I am fully aware of the HUGE benefits and necessity of an active lifestyle. Try to stay active (most of us with kids are very active without realizing it!). Most people find it easier to eat right when they stay active. Try to go for walks or do a light exercise circuit around the house every other day or so. My 3 year old LOVES taking turns on my yoga mat with me doing push-ups.  Especially if you're starting the way I'm suggesting, you don't have to set aside two hours of kid-free time to work out!  I used to work 12 hour night shifts with a girl who was extremely fit and she would do quick workout routines she'd found on Pinterest during her breaks.  You'd be surprised where a few 10-15 min. exercise sessions will get you!

So, in a nutshell, here's what I suggest:

You can save this to your phone or print it if you need help remembering this week.

Next week, when the competition officially starts, we'll be focusing a lot on diet. So for this week, I'd like to focus on getting some goals established so we each know our focus when the competition actually starts.

So, plan of action for today:

Make a few small goals for the week as to how you're going to get started and share them on the 2014 Goal Weight Competition Facebook page!  They can be suggestions I made above, or something else you know is a weakness for you that you're going to have to work on in order to succeed like kicking a soda or fast food habit.  Include:
1. Your goal
2. How you plan to carry it out
3. What you'll do if you have an "off" day to get back on track
You can make multiple goals, but make them doable for the week. Make it something for you that you know YOU need to help YOU get started off on the right foot!