The Plan

It's no secret around here that this mama needs to lose weight. It's also no secret that for the past three years, I've been "ready." Pshh. Nope. I was ready until I had chicken tenders (or donuts, ice cream, cheese puffs, buttered popcorn, fettucini alfredo, Hawaiian pizza, bread and olive oil, buffalo wings, chocolate chip cookies...) in front of me. My sweets these days have included sliced banana with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon or half an apple with some almond butter. And you know what? They totally hit the sweet tooth and I don't feel like a major heifer when I'm done. Win.

So, basically, I'm ready for real. No, not just because I can give Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream the stink eye. And trust me, that is really hard. But because I am done being pregnant, done making excuses, and I'm ready to take control of my life and be a healthy role model for the girls. Did you hear that, boneless wings? You don't have any power over me. Shoop. 

I've been working my little toukas off, making a new bi-weekly meal plan rotation. I thrive off of meal planning. No plan = pizza. No plan = no bueno. How I've worked the rotation in the past was just by making plans for dinners every night for two weeks, then repeat. I've only ever jotted down ideas for breakfast, snacks, and lunch. This time, the whole shebang is down on paper, including Week A and Week B shopping lists. I'm going to get this down to a science and then when the weather changes, we'll change up the rotation for some cozier meals.

Week A -

Monday:

breakfast: banana cinnamon oatmeal

lunch: egg salad lettuce wrap and strawberries/blueberries

snack: 1/2 apple and almond butter

dinner: turkey burger, sweet potato fries, side salad

Tuesday:

breakfast: berries and honey over 1 whole grain waffle w/1 boiled egg

lunch: turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard on whole grain wrap w/banana

snack: cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices

dinner: baked chicken w/ fresh pico de gallo and sauteed green beans w/sliced almonds

Wednesday:

Repeat breakfast, lunch, and snack from Monday

dinner: quinoa and black bean stuffed peppers (or tomatoes)

Thursday: 

Repeat breakfast, lunch, and snack from Tuesday

dinner: pulled chicken tacos with lime pico and side salad

Friday:

Repeat breakfast, lunch, and snack from Monday

dinner: BLT salsa wraps and roasted broccoli

Saturday:

Repeat breakfast, lunch, and snack from Tuesday

dinner: chop salad

Sunday:

Repeat breakfast, lunch, and snack from Monday

dinner: "summer pasta" (whole grain spaghetti, olive oil, diced tomatoes, onion, zucchini, garlic, and pepper)

Week B - 

breakfasts, lunches, and snacks continue to flip-flop through the second week with the same foods as Week A - I'll just mention dinners for Week B.

Monday: pulled chicken, romaine, feta, and balsamic vinegar wrap w/sweet potato fries

Tuesday: ham, swiss, apple quesadilla w/roasted broccoli

Wednesday: turkey sausage and roasted summer veggies w/fruit salad

Thursday: whole grain pasta with pesto, chicken, and broccoli

Friday: turkey, brown rice, and black bean gumbo w/sauteed green beans

Saturday: chicken fajita salad

Sunday: Italian baked chicken w/veggie loaded (whole grain, obv) pasta salad

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Now, all of that is just for me. Hubs likes yogurt for breakfast and sammies for lunch. Girls eat sammies, fruit, and veg for lunch and same breakfast and snack as me, then we all eat the same dinner. Ermagerd. A lot to keep up with, yes? But I have it all written out in several different places, including my refrigerator door, so I have no excuses to slip up. I purposely didn't create a menu plan with complicated orders, because, well, I have a toddler and a preschooler climbing me and calling my name 467 times during the course of trying to prepare each meal. I think we'll all dig this setup. 

As far as goals go, I have a major goal and monthly ones. I don't think I'm going to focus too much on numbers because that can get you down. Though, I do want to concentrate on the main weight loss goal to be down 70 pounds. I was going to give myself a year, but I also want to talk to my physician and a nutritionist before I go getting myself hyped up over something that's not healthy or feasible. I don't think I'll be dropping 10 pounds a week or anything crazy (shooting for the healthy 1-2). That means, though, that if I can average the 1-2 pound loss per week, my goal is definitely a reasonable one. Sounds outrageous to me, but people have done greater things. I need to work on a reward system, too. I am greatly motivated by rewards. What? You're not? Weirdo.

So, there's the meal plan. I'm also doing the 30 day squat challenge - started today. Norah thought I was hilarious and Sadie counted for me. She'll be able to count to 300 by the time I'm done! After squats, it's the crunch challenge and then the plank challenge (my arch nemesis). I'll also be doing cardio and strength outside of my challenges, 6 days a week. If I could just leave you with a request, I'd greatly appreciate your prayers that God will continue to motivate me to transform my lifestyle in such a way that I will become a healthier and happier me, wife, and mama. Thank you so much!

If anyone is interested in my workout plan or pending reward system, leave a comment and I'll be sure to include those in upcoming posts!