I've been really looking into the pyramid recommendations given on http://www.mypyramid.gov/ while trying to establish a healthy eating pattern that I can follow; not as a "diet" but as a way of completely overhauling my eating approach. I KNOW from lots and lots of research what is good for me, but if I don't have some sort of PLAN or guide, I make bad decisions. One of the biggest problems I face in sorting out menu guide ideas is I have many foods that are very popular (tomatoes, cottage cheese, bleu cheese, sausage, pork, fish) that I cannot STAND so I always find myself "rearranging" suggested menus which is tiresome & tedious. I put myself to the task of taking the recommended foods from the pyramid list and REMOVING all the things I don't eat either because they are not readily had or I don't prefer them, which left me with a nice concise list of acceptable foods. I took this list and sorted it into four categories (the pyramid has five healthy & a "disgressionary" category) because the three biggies (protein ((meat)), veggies, & carbs) comprise the majority of my nutritional intake I lumped the two smaller (but still important!) categories together so that it's easier to figure out (and works out more evenly). Within each cetegory there are subcategories (whole wheat/refined, fruits/milk, colors of veg, amount of protein (high, mid, low)) that I sample from on different meals/days so that I make sure and cover all my nutrient needs (following recommendations from the food guide, but upping my protein intake cuz I work out/lift weights & ample protein is VERY important).
The result is a wonderfully hybrid way of eating designed SPECIFICALLY for my needs/tastes.
I plan on launching into this new food plan TOMORROW (gonna hit the grocery store tonight & grab a few things I am out of) & following it STRICTLY with NO TREATS until Thanksgiving. I have been eating WAY too much shit lately which has no nutritional value & makes me happy short-term but feeling bloated unsatisfied & fat later on....soo....I'm trying the "cold turkey" *no pun intended* approach for three weeks so I can indulge on Thanksgiving. Depending on the results I see, I'll adjust my plan afterwords.
Whew! Another lengthly explanation of things no one else probably gives a crap about BUT I put alot of thought & work into this so that it would work for me, & now I plan on reaping the rewards. I would REALLY like to see the mid to low seventies by Thanksgiving. . . . here's hoping!
As part of my three week "No treats til Turkey Day" campaign, I plan on updating my blog as much as possible to track my progress. So until next time,
xoxoxo
Sasha
This is my food list, from which I can plan my meals each day. (5 small meals comprising of 1 serving from each of the four categories)
| Milk/Fruit(5 serv daily) | Veggies(3 Cups daily) | Grains (8 serv daily) | Protein (100 g daily) |
| Dairy (3/day) | Dark Green (3/wk) | Whole (4/day) | High (2/day) |
| 3/4 Cup Milk | Broccoli | Oatmeal | Protein Shake* (32) |
| 1/3 Cup Shredded Cheese | Romaine Lettuce | 3 Cups Popcorn | 4 oz Chx Breast (28) |
| Yogurt | Spinach | Brown Rice | Mid (1/day) |
| Fruit (2/day) | Orange (2/wk) | Cereal | **Eggs (18) |
| Apple | Carrots | Bread | 6 Sl. Deli Meat (14) |
| Orange | Pumpkin | Crackers | 1/2 Can Tuna (16) |
| Sliced Peaches | Sweet Potatoes | Pasta | Low (2/day) |
| Banana | Starchy (6/wk) | Buns | Nuts (4) |
| Grapes | Corn | Tortilla | 1/2 Cup Beans (7) |
| Strawberries | Potatoes | Sunchips | 2 tbsp. pnt btr (7) |
| Blueberries | Peas | REFINED (4/day) | |
| Raspberries | Lima Beans (baby) | Cereal | |
| Mango | Dry Beans (3/wk) | White Rice | *made w/1 serv milk |
| Pineapple | black beans | Pretzles | **three egg whites, 1 whole egg |
| Pears | black eyed peas | Bread | |
| 100% Juice | garbanzo beans | Pasta | |
| kidney beans | Crackers | ||
| split peas | Rolls | ||
| navy beans | |||
| Others (7/wk) | |||
| asparagus | |||
| bean sprouts | |||
| cauliflower | |||
| celery | |||
| cucumbers | |||
| tomatoes | |||
| green beans | |||
| green or red peppers | |||
| iceberg (head) lettuce | |||
| mushrooms | |||
| onions | |||
| wax beans | |||
| zucchini |
Which makes a given day look something like this
| Monday | |
| Wake-up | milk |
| whole | |
| high | |
| AM Meal | fruit |
| starchy | |
| refined | |
| low | |
| Lunch | fruit |
| other | |
| whole | |
| mid | |
| Snack | cheese |
| dk green | |
| refined | |
| low | |
| Dinner | milk |
| dry beans | |
| whole | |
| high |
It doesn't matter in which meal I get which protein etc, so long as I get the right amount of each during the day.
My workout plan is much simpler, 30 weights/30 cardio MWF, 40-60 cardio TTHSAT rest on sunday.
Pretty cool, huh?
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