The Roadmap, Defined

As promised, I've compiled my diet and routine.  There's no point in diminishing my excitement; I feel as though the fog is gone and my goals are clear and attainable.  I am certainly not a professional, nor do I claim to be any form of expert on diet or nutrition.  But for now, here is what I have come up with:

Meal Plan

Meal 1: Protein shake w/egg whites and wheat toast / brown rice cake
Snack: Handful of almonds and brewed coffee w/Nectresse and sugar free creamer
Meal 2: Turkey or chicken, green veggies and brown rice
Snack: Nutra cookie
Meal 3: Chicken or fish, green veggies and occasional green salad w/avocado
Late Snack: Protein shake (if hungry)

Gym Routine

Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Upper
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Upper
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: rest

After each weightlifting routine, I am making it a goal to do at least 12 minutes of cardio.  There will be cheat days in my meal plan of course, but they will be very limited.  Hey, this is a lifestyle so it has to be something I can live with.

Trying not to get sidetracked...

As I'm typing this, I am fighting a massive craving for some Skittles.  M&M's would even suffice.  Or perhaps the peanut M&M's?  It's literally all I can think about.  Probably because I shouldn't have it. 

I can't give in.  One bag leads to another, which leads to another, and then it quickly becomes a habit that's hard to break.  After all, that's one of the big things that has contributed to my current unhappiness with my shape, and my motive to get my rear moving.  I'd rather start improving from where I am now, than what I could be in time without any changes.

Healthy Cheats & Staying on Track

So how do you stay sane while trying to live a healthy lifestyle in a world full of sugar, fats and greasy cheeseburgers made with horse meat?  Or with a kiddo who loves pizza, french fries, cheeseburgers (sans the horse meat), etc?  Or while going to dinner with friends or on a date?  Planning ahead and ordering healthy.

Each weekend, I am going to prepare my meals for the week and freeze them.  And when my mind starts drifting off to thoughts of lining my hips with Skittles and M&M's, I'm going to start chugging water. 

Vi Nutra Cookie

Someone very close to me introduced me to coco covered almonds recently.  They were incredibly delicious and it totally felt like I was doing a bad thing by inhaling them; but I wasn't.  Quaker also makes flavored gluten free brown rice cakes that are simply amazing.  For that fruity craving, the sugar free, low calorie water flavor packets will go a long way.  If you just want to chew mindlessly, Trident makes a sugar free gum with Xylitol that's pretty yummy.  Of course over-indulging in these isn't good but in moderation, they are great for satisfying those bad cravings.

Then there are the amazing Vi Nutra Cookies.  I think my absolute favorite, being a chocolate lover, is the chocolate chip.  It gives you 9g of protein, 19g of carbs (6g of fiber so net carbs are 12g) and is quite the yummy little snack.  But I'm not going to lie, it's gone in under 30 seconds with the way I'd learned to eat on my previous bulking diet.

So that's it.  My complete plan to return to the healthier me, defined.  It won't be easy.  I will probably whine and throw mini temper tantrums inside my head when I pass a Starbucks or bakery.  But I've already started reaching for my goals, so I'm not giving up.  Having the support of those close to me really helps, too.  (Hey, my boss did come to my desk and hold my empty box of Thin Mints upside down and with a shocked face exclaimed, "You're going to have to buy new clothes if you keep this up!"  True story.)

Give me a month to feel great.  Two months to feel like I've reached my goal.  Three months to feel like I could shout it from the rooftops (okay, maybe less).  I'm excited in a completely non-nerdy, perfectly normal kind of way!

=)

Amanda