Meal Plan, Confession Time and Getting Back on Track!

Good morning!  It is a chilly, rainy Saturday here in Erie, PA.  Welcome to my blog!  This morning I have been working on a meal plan for the upcoming week.  I do meal plan the majority of the time.  But it had not happened these past two weeks and I am feeling the effects of that!  My jeans are a bit snug!  YIKES!  I think that this is the first time that I have felt that way in the past year of clean eating, daily exercise and being in an accountability group via Facebook.  So, what happened???  Two weeks ago we were on our way to CT at this time.  Spending five days away from home was not awesome for my usual routine.  But it is a part of life!  We were staying with my mother-in-law and I did okay with my nutrition but it did not match my typical approach.  The space there is not conducive to working out with all of us converging upon her home.  We came back from CT and I switched gears to get ready to work at the "For Women Only" expo here at our Bayfront Convention Center.  Then we were right into a crazy new week here.  I have not thought of myself as a big "stress eater" but the past two weeks have had me munching more snacks than usual.  "Clean eating" snacks, but extra none the less!  And the past two weeks have been pretty stressful.  There may be a correlation there??  Since returning from CT, I did get right back to my workouts.  Still, yesterday morning was the first day that I felt fully back on track and strong when it comes to being fully engaged with my workouts and having that good next day soreness.  And that was eight workout days post-trip with just one rest day somewhere in there. The five days of travel were not my favorite thing for staying where I want to be.  The point is that the 80/20 rule above is TRUE!  We have still been eating clean (of course!) the vast majority of the time. But I have been going for extra handfuls of things here and there.  I have taken a little break and was not as self-disciplined as I personally prefer to be!  That's it!  Back on track - NOW. 

Meal planning is done for the upcoming week.  I also list my daily workout at the top of each day.  This is my 4th week of ChaLEAN Extreme. This week is my final week of the "Burn" phase.  ChaLEAN Extreme is a 90 day program and there are three different weight-lifting workout for each phase.  The week of the 27th begins the "Push" phase. "Lean" is the final phase. I am doing these workouts 3 days a week and PiYo and a bit of the Fix on the other days.  So how do all of these programs factor into my meal planning?  Well, it was during the 21 Day Fix (which I began in March 2014) that I really learned SO much about nutrition and how to eat balanced from all of your categories of food.  The Fix was all about portion sizes and figuring out how much protein and veggies to eat compared to your fruits, grains and healthy fats.  I began PiYo in late June and have adopted the PiYo nutrition plan ever since.  Basically, I took my baseline from the Fix and the PiYo equivalent for my calorie target meant incorporating one more veggie and one more protein serving and one less fruit and one less grain.  Now, if I will just get back to STICKING WITH my meal plan, I will continue to progress with becoming more lean and my jeans will no longer be snug!  I made it into these 12's (first time in my life!) while doing the Fix and I am determined to get to 10's by spring.  How is that going to happen during the holiday season and long Erie winter???  Well, I figure if I could lose 54 pounds since beginning in September of 2013, I can manage to drop another size over the next six months.  Of course jean size/weight loss change happens much more slowly at this point and I am coming along with seeing more definition and toning.  I do enjoying experiencing those results!!  Being healthy is the bottom line and our daily choices need to lead us in that direction!  

I also printed out the above "self-accountability" sheet where I can mark off my servings as the days go. BOTH this and the meal plan are going on the fridge. "Success" for me this week is going to be sticking to the plan!  This is the sheet that I made for myself to x off my servings as I go through my day. I also mark if I "add" anything and knowing that I am going to be doing that helps me to stay on track more than I would without this extra step!  

If you are interested in having some help with getting started in the area of your own fitness and nutrition or would like to have some accountability with your current efforts, let's talk!  My next challenge group will begin our prep week on October 27th.  You are invited to join us!