Food plans - quick survey

[hotchocolate]

Yay thank you Craig for making this a sticky - it is really useful to know what everyone does and hopefully we can add to it as we find things that are working!

Thank you everyone for contributing :-)

[GillianM]

In terms of cheat meals what are people doing?

Do you have 1/2 per week? or set a time limit? or have a cheat day (like CYWT)?

Just interested to see what works for different people.

Thanks

Gillian

[wsarwani]

Originally Posted by GillianM

In terms of cheat meals what are people doing?

Do you have 1/2 per week? or set a time limit? or have a cheat day (like CYWT)?

Just interested to see what works for different people.

Thanks

Gillian

I choose one meal per week, usually on the weekend as my cheat/treat meal which generally means I have a desert and something starchy like rice or pasta. Sometimes, I need to adjust it if there's a social event or occasion coming up. That way, I know in my mind that I am only a "few days" away from eating whatever I want.

But another approach that works for me is to have a varied, interesting diet throughout the week. Healthy food doesn't mean it has to taste bad or not be enjoyable. So experimentation and trying new (and healthy, of course!) dishes makes sure that I don't get bored with food. The weekly cheat meal then just becomes about indulging in some dessert.

[jenniferlynne76]

I don't, personally, believe in "cheat meals." When I made a decision to change my life, I made a decision to eat wholesome, tasty foods not just for a few days a week, but for the rest of my life. At some point, when I reach goal, I'll likely broaden my definition of what's regularly acceptable a bit, but as for regular "cheats," the only one I'd be cheating, I feel, is myself.

[getfit2009]

My plan is to do ESE 2 days a week - it has worked for me in the past, so it will work for me again.

I'm also thinking about trying out XFLD if I can wrap my head around all the math.

Besides that it's no sugar, very low on starchy carbs, no dairy - and plenty of veggies

[weetamclan]

I try to eat well during the week, then allow two treat meals at the weekend.

While I want to change my lifestyle and not be on a diet, it's still nice to go out, have a take away etc. I'm kidding myself if I say 'I don't enjoy pizza anymore'.

So by keeping these treats in check, I can still indulge, but as part of a overall healthy diet. A little bit of what you fancy, as ma granny used to say...

I'm also a firm believer that our bodies haven't evolved as fast as our culture. It's natural for us to want high calorie foods, because they give us energy and help us survive.
The problem is, these foods are now widely available in industrial countries, whereas historically, they were much more rare. We are basically out of date with our surroundings, and have to make an effort to eat calorific foods in moderation.

So I say (and my granny), go back to your roots and eat as 'naturally' as possible; because like wild animals, we're not meant to be overweight.

[DebbieD]

After going the calorie restriction route and not really getting good results I've decided to do what I'd always done years ago. Eat healthy, eat often. So, this means lots of vegetables, fruit, lean proteins, whole grains only, good fats and no sugar. Basically, clean eating. 5-6 meals per day. No cheat day/cheat meals but if I do loosen the reighns a somewhat on the weekends. Mostlyjust on Sunday. Still, if it's not a healthy food I probably won't be eating it. Funny thing is since I changed back to this I lost 2 pounds and that was without any workouts for 2 weeks.

Typical day:
Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2
1/3 scoop Jay Robb Whey (pre-workout)

Post Workout- Shake with 1 scoop Whey, 1/2-1 banana, berries, spinach, almond milk

Breakfast: 4 egg whites or 1 whole and 3 whites or
1/2 c. (measured dry) oatmeal
peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes etc.
almonds if no egg yolks
green tea

Lunch: Big salad with grilled chicken
2 tsp. EV Olive Oil and some vinegar
Sometimes chickpeas or chopped apple/pear

Snack: Greek Yogurt
Walnuts
Truvia

Dinner: Some lean protein, big salad, vegetable

Snack: if hungry- cottage cheese

[missrobyn007]

Originally Posted by DebbieD

After going the calorie restriction route and not really getting good results I've decided to do what I'd always done years ago. Eat healthy, eat often. So, this means lots of vegetables, fruit, lean proteins, whole grains only, good fats and no sugar. Basically, clean eating. 5-6 meals per day. No cheat day/cheat meals but if I do loosen the reighns a somewhat on the weekends. Mostlyjust on Sunday. Still, if it's not a healthy food I probably won't be eating it. Funny thing is since I changed back to this I lost 2 pounds and that was without any workouts for 2 weeks.

Typical day:
Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2
1/3 scoop Jay Robb Whey (pre-workout)

Post Workout- Shake with 1 scoop Whey, 1/2-1 banana, berries, spinach, almond milk

Breakfast: 4 egg whites or 1 whole and 3 whites or
1/2 c. (measured dry) oatmeal
peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes etc.
almonds if no egg yolks
green tea

Lunch: Big salad with grilled chicken
2 tsp. EV Olive Oil and some vinegar
Sometimes chickpeas or chopped apple/pear

Snack: Greek Yogurt
Walnuts
Truvia

Dinner: Some lean protein, big salad, vegetable

Snack: if hungry- cottage cheese

WOW,,, love it. Sounds like my kinda eating

[ma]

Originally Posted by missrobyn007

WOW,,, love it. Sounds like my kinda eating

Hi Robyn, I was thinking you are joining us this time... Then I remembered you just recently had surgery....Hope you are recovering well and do think of you, hope you are enjoying the house.

Cheers
Ma

[juliux]

I eat everything!

My main goal is to gain some lean mass so I stick to vegetables and lots of fruits. Mostly spinach, peppers, lettuce, papaya, cantaloupe and pineapple.

For Grains I eat oatmeal and 7 grain cereal, sometimes I buy Post Shredded Wheat.

I eat lots of peanut butter and lots of almond (22 daily).

For protein powder I use Garden of life is a little expensive but I think it's worth it, right now I'm experimenting with this vegetable protein powder by MLO it's a lot cheaper and the protein per serving is great.

I don't eat dairy, sometime I'll buy soy milk.

My weekends are totally cheating, I eat chesseburgers, pizza, tacos, whatever I want but always being conscious of not overeating.


Also I try to limit the read meats.

I keep as simple as possible, don't like to measure or count anything.

So a normal day would look like this

1st meal Blender drink with fruit, peanut butter and spinach, sometimes I use soy milk
2nd meal 1 bowl of fruit, almonds and flaxseed. Sometimes I have oatmeal with almonds
3rd meal Chicken leftovers from home, preparation always varies depending of what my family ate
4th meal A 2nd round of leftovers but with more vegetables, normally chicken or beef, this depends also
5th meal Clif bar
Pre workout Meathead shake with waxy maize and protein
Post workout Meathead shake with maxy maize and protein plus creatin

Sometimes I'll eat a bowl of fruit with my post workout shake