FOOD PLAN
(Credit goes to Julie Lanford, Cancer Dietician/Nutritionist Extraordinaire)
Now here is my ideal food plan. It gives me an idea of what I should be eating daily and with each meal.
GOALS:
4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables combined each day.
60-80g of protein each day, spread out, not more than 30g at a time.
Anywhere from 30-60g of carbs per meal is fine, as long as they are complex, nutritious carbs.
Breakfast:
1 cup fruit
1/2 cup veggie
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 pieces of bread or 1/2 cup of cereal/granola)
10-20g protein (from egg, milk, yogurt - get plain and sweeten yourself if needed, nuts, etc.)
Lunch:
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 standard size pieces of bread, or 1 cup rice/pasta)
1 cup veggie
20g protein (bonus points if protein comes from plants like beans, nuts, seeds or soy)
1 piece of fruit (or 1 cup, if cut fruit)
Dinner:
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 standard size pieces of bread, or 1 cup rice/pasta)
1 cup veggie
20g protein (bonus points if protein comes from plants like beans, nuts, seeds or soy)
1 piece of fruit (or 1 cup, if cut fruit)
Now here is my ideal food plan. It gives me an idea of what I should be eating daily and with each meal.
GOALS:
4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables combined each day.
60-80g of protein each day, spread out, not more than 30g at a time.
Anywhere from 30-60g of carbs per meal is fine, as long as they are complex, nutritious carbs.
Breakfast:
1 cup fruit
1/2 cup veggie
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 pieces of bread or 1/2 cup of cereal/granola)
10-20g protein (from egg, milk, yogurt - get plain and sweeten yourself if needed, nuts, etc.)
Lunch:
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 standard size pieces of bread, or 1 cup rice/pasta)
1 cup veggie
20g protein (bonus points if protein comes from plants like beans, nuts, seeds or soy)
1 piece of fruit (or 1 cup, if cut fruit)
Dinner:
1-2 servings starchy food (1-2 standard size pieces of bread, or 1 cup rice/pasta)
1 cup veggie
20g protein (bonus points if protein comes from plants like beans, nuts, seeds or soy)
1 piece of fruit (or 1 cup, if cut fruit)
Dessert: 3 desserts allowed each week, as long as they are within the serving size. These should fit in after dinner...not as snacks.
Snacks - Eat when hungry or if it's going to be more than 4 hours from the end of one meal to the start of another meal. Likely you will need 1-2 snacks a day. Snack should include some carbohydrate, some protein and a fruit or veggie. Fruit can provide carbohydrate.
KEEP A LOG to see how meals are shaping up. Sometimes it's best to just focus on one meal at a time to make adjustments, then when that meal becomes a good habit, move to the next one.
Now I had specific questions as well. Like what about bacon? Whole wheat bread or pasta (how much a day)? Thankfully, Julie had answers- Bacon is a 2x/month food. Whole wheat bread/ whole grain pasta is good when consumed in moderation. At meal times, 2 starch servings is probably adequate. That would be the same as 2 slices of bread, or 1 cup of cooked pasta. Measure 1 cup of cooked pasta.
What I need to work on: I am not great at counting cups, weighing grams, or fitting everything into one meal. Perhaps one day I'll get a food scale. I also sometimes wait to eat all my fruit servings in one sitting. Before I started, I had a hard time eating a lot of fruit. I like apples and clementines, an occasional banana on my granola, cut up melon...but that is about it. My big thing is texture - some fruit texture is just nasty to me and big lumps in my smoothies make me want to gag. However, after about three weeks into this, and I am also eating raw blueberries, strawberries, making delicious smoothies with no added sugar or juice, and now crave fruit.
Some things that came naturally to me: I cook a lot, so finding recipes with each component (one with nutritious/complex carbs, protein, and veggies, for example) is a fun challenge for me. I also noticed I have regular recipes that already accomplish these goals. I also love vegetables and could eat them every meal.
EXERCISE PLAN
I am a member of a local YMCA and love the exercise classes they offer. I would rather have a fit, motivational fitness instructor yell at me for an hour to keep me moving rather than exercise alone and not try as hard.
Below is my ideal weekly workout schedule:
Snacks - Eat when hungry or if it's going to be more than 4 hours from the end of one meal to the start of another meal. Likely you will need 1-2 snacks a day. Snack should include some carbohydrate, some protein and a fruit or veggie. Fruit can provide carbohydrate.
KEEP A LOG to see how meals are shaping up. Sometimes it's best to just focus on one meal at a time to make adjustments, then when that meal becomes a good habit, move to the next one.
Now I had specific questions as well. Like what about bacon? Whole wheat bread or pasta (how much a day)? Thankfully, Julie had answers- Bacon is a 2x/month food. Whole wheat bread/ whole grain pasta is good when consumed in moderation. At meal times, 2 starch servings is probably adequate. That would be the same as 2 slices of bread, or 1 cup of cooked pasta. Measure 1 cup of cooked pasta.
What I need to work on: I am not great at counting cups, weighing grams, or fitting everything into one meal. Perhaps one day I'll get a food scale. I also sometimes wait to eat all my fruit servings in one sitting. Before I started, I had a hard time eating a lot of fruit. I like apples and clementines, an occasional banana on my granola, cut up melon...but that is about it. My big thing is texture - some fruit texture is just nasty to me and big lumps in my smoothies make me want to gag. However, after about three weeks into this, and I am also eating raw blueberries, strawberries, making delicious smoothies with no added sugar or juice, and now crave fruit.
Some things that came naturally to me: I cook a lot, so finding recipes with each component (one with nutritious/complex carbs, protein, and veggies, for example) is a fun challenge for me. I also noticed I have regular recipes that already accomplish these goals. I also love vegetables and could eat them every meal.
EXERCISE PLAN
I am a member of a local YMCA and love the exercise classes they offer. I would rather have a fit, motivational fitness instructor yell at me for an hour to keep me moving rather than exercise alone and not try as hard.
Below is my ideal weekly workout schedule:
- Mondays: 1 hour Body Combat class (a martial arts-inspired cardio class featuring Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira and Kung Fu)
- Tuesdays: Walk in the morning or evening, 45 minutes of Body Flow (combo of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga)
- Wednesdays: 1 hour Power Yoga class (focuses on strength and flexibility)
- Thursdays: 1 hour Body Combat class
- Fridays: Break or 1 hour of Body Pump (weight lifting class)
- Saturdays: 1 hour of Body Pump if I didn't do it the day before, or break, or jogging, or hiking/weekend activity
- Sunday: Either Body Flow, jog/walk, or Body Pump if I didn't do it Friday or Saturday
- *If I miss a workout class, I will do 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight lifting on my own
Why this exercise plan? I love yoga and body combat. I look forward to these classes. I think everyone needs to find a workout they enjoy or they'll never do it. I don't love lifting weights but I know it's vital for getting toned and strong. I could probably fit it more into my schedule but I need to work on going at least once a week.
....aaaaand there she be! My beautiful, ideal plan. Will I eat perfectly everyday and actually workout 5-6 days a week? Not at first and not every week. However having a goal is a positive and motivating thing in my life. The more fit and healthy I feel the more motivation I'll have to make this my healthy lifestyle.
....aaaaand there she be! My beautiful, ideal plan. Will I eat perfectly everyday and actually workout 5-6 days a week? Not at first and not every week. However having a goal is a positive and motivating thing in my life. The more fit and healthy I feel the more motivation I'll have to make this my healthy lifestyle.
sounds like a great plan! I like the moderation =)
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