Today is all about figuring out what kinds of foods you will eat on a regular basis. Our foundation will be clean eating. Why? Because you can eat clean on any diet plan and with any eating philosophy. For example: There is vegan and vegetarian junk food that is full of chemicals and devoid of nutrients. The same goes for foods that are Paleo, Weight Watchers approved, Low Carb, etc. When we eat clean we are focused on eating real, whole foods at least 80% of the time.
What is Clean Eating? – When you eat clean you will be eating more unprocessed, whole foods that are prepared or cooked in ways that don’t add extra chemicals and toxins. We are talking about fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, lean meats, nuts, beans, whole grains, healthy dairy, lots of water and freshly made juice/smoothies. We will avoid fried food, fast food, junk food, bleached white flour, artificial ingredients, soda, commercial juice and sugary drinks, processed sugar (white sugar, corn syrup), and foods with preservatives, dyes, and trans fat. You will likely be cooking at lot of meals at home, making green smoothies, eating salads, eating healthy snacks, and really realizing just how healthy you’ve really been eating. It’s not about perfection…it’s about making healthy choices 80% of the time.
PS: This would be a great time for you to check out BWLW’s Guide to Clean Eating, “Clean Eating for Weight Loss and Wellness“. Download your copy of the ebook today. It will be a great guide to have over the next 7 days.
Today you will…
1. Create specific goals for your intake of calories, carbs, fats and protein. You may not commit to tracking your meals this way long term, because counting calories and macros is not for everyone. However, guessing doesn’t work. We are going to be specific about our eating goals for the next few days. You can use what you learn as a reference going forward as you decide how you manage meal prep, how you choose recipes, etc.
- Use this calculator to determine the number of calories you will plan for on in your meal plan for Days 9-14. www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
- Use this calculator to break down the amount of carbs, fat and protein you want to eat each day. www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm
Read these articles:
- Why Should You Count More Than Just Calories?
- The Basics: Calorie Intake for Fat Loss vs. Muscle Gain vs. Maintenance
- Macronutrients and Weight Loss: Eat to lose weight.
- Resources: Decide on an Eating Plan
2. Commit to eating more foods that are full of vitamins and nutrients – The building blocks of life. We recognize that our food is our medicine. Pull out your journal/notebook and make a list of the healthy foods that you enjoy. Go online to Fooducate and do some research on processed and packaged foods that you’d like to keep eating. Don’t assume that something is healthy, do your research.
3. Commit to eating more plant foods. Eat at least 2 servings of veggies per day and 1 serving of fruit. You can eat more, but make this you minimum for Days 9-14.
4. Begin seeking out new recipes and meal ideas today. Find 5 new breakfast recipes, 5 new lunch ideas and 5 new snack ideas. Bookmark the links or print out the recipes and put them in your binder. Look for recipes that you can try next week. Pinterest is one of the best places to find a variety of healthy recipes.
5. Commit to cutting out sugary drinks, alcohol, soda and commercial juice. For many people, this is one of the easiest ways to cut calories. Make a list of all of the drinks that you need to cut out or cut back on.
These are simple, straight forward actions that can help you change the way you eat. Do the WORK!
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