Today is August 11th. I almost let it slip by and then I remembered that today is the day my best friend is going to start her diet plan. What's exciting about that is that she wanted little old me to come up with her meal plan... like I'm her very own personal Jenny Craig! Now truth be told we've tried this arrangement before and it hasn't worked... but this time I do believe she's ready. And I'm very excited because I would love for her to have the same success that I have... and I believe anyone can when they are ready to stop sabotaging themselves and really, really, take accountability for their choices.
Curious what I've laid out for her? Well here is some important background info... she has Celiac disease (no gluten) which of course has been a huge stumbling block for her in the past, she works full time with a significant commute into the city, she doesn't like to "handle" meat, due to her health issues she tends to eat separate meals from her boyfriend... which is nice in this circumstance since she really can have an individualized meal plan.
I'm a big believer in eating small meals through out the day. She typically pushes back food (since she's busy) until she is ravenous and then that spills over into all night eating. Sound familiar? I find, for myself, if I get too hungry I become like a bottomless pit and I never feel like I can get full enough. So I favor eating 6 times day with one of those being a straight up treat. I'm pretty consistent with my meal times (kids will do that to you) and I always have an afternoon snack between 4-5 pm so that I don't pick the whole time I'm making dinner (or get so hungry I freak out and tell Mr F to bring home pizza). One thing that held her back from succeeding in the past was her old job position, her hours were crazy and random and it really was impossible for her to be consistent. She has a much more consistent schedule and she's ready to commit to a food plan but she doesn't want to calorie count and meal plan.
So here is where I come in. I want her to succeed. I understand her particular hang ups. While I think food journaling and calorie counting are surefire methods for consistent weight loss... they'll only work if you'll do them. So since she can't dial up Nutrisystem or something else I've made a fairly inflexible plan. Inflexible on purpose. When she gets bored we'll change it up... but the hard weight loss portion is what it is and I don't know that having tons of choices makes it any easier. I actually think the more you run on autopilot food-wise the better. This isn't permanent but for now she's going to be eating the same types of food everyday. Think about your own diet... don't we all sort of do that anyway?
Breakfast: 1 brown rice cake w/ 1 T peanut butter
1 flavored yogurt
300
Snack: 1 piece of fruit
Tea w/skim
90
Lunch: frozen Amy's meal in the 300-400 calories range
400
Snack: Nectar bar
Tea w/ skim
190
Dinner: huge salad w/ unlimited veggies (except corn)
3 oz meat or 3 oz tuna or 2 hard boiled eggs or 1/2 c beans
1/2 c shredded cheese (or 1/4 avocado)
2 T lite dressing
300
1 piece of wheat free toast 100
400 total
Dessert: 1 Sherbetter popsicle or pudding cup 120
120
Total for day: 1500 calories
Now we worked this plan out of food she already likes and eats often. Obviously due to her Celiac disease she can't have many prepared or conventional foods. While she's eating basically the same thing everyday she can vary the flavors of her yogurt, snack bar and dessert as well as choose different frozen meals and completely change the taste and texture of her salad every night. I'm excited and she is too. This is a doable plan for her which doesn't require a lot of cooking (any really). We're going to let this plan work its magic over the next few weeks and add in exercise when she feels she has gotten this part down.
After working all that out for her I was so excited that I got recommitted to streamlining my own diet and getting back on a daily schedule. I really find that sticking with a routine helps keep me within in my calorie range.
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31 comments:
I find that I do better when I get regimented and eat the same sort of things every day. Of course, you have to like what it is you're eating, which I do. It just becomes the new normal, rather than the mindless eating of cheddar bunnies or bites of my kids' food.
Good luck for your friend. I know she will do great, especially with a friend like you supporting her.
I hope she has great success!
All right, Mrs. F .. freakin sign me up. Dammit. Although that plan looks horribly yucky, lol, that is my problem. I don't like anything that isn't a bagel or chocolate. Truly I could live on Dunkin Donuts bagels and iced coffee. Perhaps I could do that diet and become famous like Jarred and Subway .. hmmmmmmmm. That is why my "diet" always always always fails. I don't like the food I am forcing myself to eat. So it lasts for like 10 days and then I have to have something I like .. which leads to complete failure. Got any answers for that one? Truly .. anyone?
Jennifer,
the thing is these are the foods she normally eats & likes.
Could you take the things you like and break them up into these calorie allotments?
I have my waffles & iced coffee EVERY morning and that is 300 calories.
This post finally me me "delurk." I've been reading your blog for months and I love it! I'm dealing with the same issues as your friend - trying to lose weight while living with celiac disease, and trying not to break the bank doing it! Gluten free bread costs almost $8.00 per loaf. I like the meals you've proposed, and I'm going to give them a try. Any other advice you have would be welcome!
Amy,
thanks for the comment!
When I was searching calorie counts of the things she eats I discovered that Amy's has there own diet plan... and they have a gluten free plan.
My friend is eating Brown Cow yogurts and Annie's Lowfat Dressings. I'm sure you've found those yourself. We found out she can have Big Red gum... and I highly recommend having gum around when trying to adjust to eating less.
She's had Celiac (well diagnosed) for about 12 years. I can remember in the beginning before there were any pre-packaged foods it was hard for her to maintain her weight. Now there are many more products out there but the problem is that many are high in fat and or calories.
Oh I should say she'll be using the Applegate farms deli style turkey, etc. I actually use those myself... they are antibiotic & hormone free (and gluten free).
Looks like a great plan. Having certain foods in heavy rotation is definitly a good way to begin losing weight -- it takes a lot of the annoyance of constantly looking up calories for lots of different foods out the equation, which ends up being so frustrating it becomes an obstacle. As you get accustomed to the plan you can then slowly widen your circle and bring new stuff in.
Good luck Furious BFF!!! A whole blog community has your back!!!
Now if you can just find a good recipe for protein shakes (ie, one that tastes good and has a good amount of protein in it), I'll love you forever!!
Thanks for the lead - I didn't know that Amy's had a gluten free diet plan. It looks pretty good, although I know some of those options are loaded with fat. The Amy's Mac & Cheese has 16 grams of fat. Tastes good, but not worth it. Your plan looks to be better nutrionally balanced.
Michelline - check out "Any Whey" protein powder. It's completely flavorless so you can put it into just about any recipe (including regular smoothies) for a protein boost - I love it!
Mrs. F - I made a dessert last night that I realized was gluten-free and low cal, so I thought I'd share. And it's super easy! I got the recipe from here, but I used 1 tbsp of this syrup to replace the cocoa and agave (though I got it at my local natural foods store for $9 per huge jar). So basically - three ingredients, just stir it together, and it makes two servings (yes, I totally ate two) for about 150 cals. I loved it!
This plan looks great, what woud your recommendation be if Im breast feeding how many calories should I add and what in paticular friuts veggies protein? Im curious as I know the reason I didnt lose all the weught from baby girl because I felt like I was Starving while nursing so I severly over ate, and little guy has an apperance date of the 25th or anytime soon would be great Im over being pregnant and ready for a baby.
How nice of you to help your friend. I know it will work for her. That's really all those Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig programs are...specific meals to eat that add up to the right amount of calories. And you are absolutely right that most people eat the same things all the time. I know I do.
Good luck to her and keep us posted!
Andrea - sorry to butt in, but I did Weight Watchers while nursing my little girl. They have a nursing program, and it was easy to follow and I wasn't starving. It helped me lose all my pregnancy weight while nursing. While nursing my first son, I didn't realize I needed to watch my calories, and actually gained weight while nursing. So I know that WW helped me lose (I am not one of those people who just loses weight from breastfeeding.)
Oh, I did it online, so I didn't have to go to meetings, and it was only $15 a month.
Sorry, Mrs. F for the Weight Watchers commercial on your blog. :)
thanks for the info. Robin I will check into that,yeah I didnt lose weight either just nursing but then again I was eating everything in sight especially in the evenings.
Andrea,
Unfortunately there is not a magical breastfeeding number. Everyone's body is different and how they store fat is different. It is absolutely okay to diet while breastfeeding as long as you do not lose more than 2 pounds a week. That is because toxins are stored in your fat and they are released into your milk if you lose too quickly. After Kid I could eat 2700 calories and lose 1-2 pounds a week... after Baby I had to go down to 1650 to lose 1-2 pounds a week (yeah I was shocked by that one). Losing weight will NOT affect your milk production. Some women naturally lose while breastfeeding... and some do not. It is okay for you to do something about it.
This is what I did:
After having Baby I kept a food journal but I didn't restrict my calories until I was doing losing the weight that naturally comes off. For me that was 20 pounds in about 2 weeks. I let it go another 2 weeks to be sure I had plateaued and then went back and added up how many calories I had been eating on average. Knowing this number (from the previous week) had not resulted in any weight loss I subtracted 500 calories and started from there. That turned out to be 1650 this time around. Then I carefully kept in my range and kept a food diary. If my weight loss went up to more than 2 pounds a week then I added calories back in to keep the weight loss down. 1650 worked for me and then when I started really exercising at about 6 months post partum I was able to increase to 1850... then to 2000 and still lose. Just monitor it. Most site would have had me eating about 2000 calories while b'feeding... and I wouldn't have lost anything if I'd stuck with that.
Gonna put my 2 cents in about the breastfeeding and losing weight. While it's not recommended for you to TRY losing the baby weight while still breastfeeding...who are they(bfeeding experts) kidding?
We all want to lose some weight while still being healthy and having enough milk supply for our baby. :)
I recently had a client who was breastfeeding (I didn't track my calories WAY back when I breastfed :P) and you really shouldn't go below 1800 calories. 1800-2000 was the range we used and she did lose...slowly but in a healthy way.
Just wanted to share and I know everyone is different and has different needs. You may need to go lower than 1800, but I would suggest starting with 2000 cals and give it a week or two...if no movement on the scale try 1900 for the next week and down to 1800 and so on. If the scale is moving down and your milk supply is still good. I would stick with that calorie range until it no longer works for you. :)
Again, everyone is different but I think doing it in stages might be a good way to gauge what your body needs to survive, feed baby and drop weight in a healthy way. :)
Again...just my opinion.
Sorry for the LONG ramble. :)
Great answer to the breastfeeding, Mrs. F. My jackass pediatrician told me I was not eating enough (when I told him what I typically eat.) I was eating about 1850 calories and losing less than two pounds a week. He wanted me to eat 2500!! He's a big reason I gained weight after my first pregnancy. He's an idiot. You are smart. :)
That looks like a great plan. When I first started to lose weight, I ate the same things every day for 3 months. It worked for me. It was easy and I lost weight. Once the weight starts coming off, I didn't care that I was eating the same thing cuz I was so happy to be wearing a smaller size!
Thanks for all the info. Mrs.F and Staci. Ive got me a pretty new notebook that will be designated for calorie counting and writing down every last bite of food that goes into my mouth.Thanks again!
Oh I'm not saying to start at 1650... like I said I could eat 2700 after Kid... my point is to track what you are eating and lower your intake only until you reach a 1-2 pound loss. As i said I said it is important not to exceed that.
It's also important to understand (and I say this as someone who has nursed continuously the past 5+ years) that your pediatrician and you OB know very little about b'fing. Very little is actually understood or known about breastfeeding. And very little is taught about it.
Some women's bodies will naturally lose... it seems ridiculous to me for there to be a notion that if you are genetically blessed to lose it all without trying that that is safe for your baby and your milk... but... if you aren't so fortunate and you don't lose it without "dieting" that it is bad for your baby. Think about it ;) Weight loss is weight loss.
Again I urge you all to do it slowly and carefully (and of course to eat all you can while still losing... why cut out more than you have to).
Oh and just because b'fing is one of my little issues... I do want to be clear that the calorie burn is *estimated* to be between 400-600 calories/day. Assuming that you would lose weight on a 1500 calorie diet w/o b'fing most calculators will add on about 500 for the b'fing and get you around 2000 calories a day to "diet" while b'fing and still lose 1 pound a week.
These are all estimates there have not been substantial studies done on b'fing women.
Now if you normally can lose while eating over 1500 then it is safe to say you'll probably lose while b'fing at the high end of the calorie range. If you are one of those women who need to go below 1500 then you might also need to go under 2000 while b'fing. Again track your eating and always stay within the maximum range that allows you to lose! And this is only for women who are not exercising. If you are exercising you should be able to eat even more. It just takes work to find your range.
Kellymom.com is a great breastfeeding resource.
not that I'm obsessed with breastfeeding and weight loss or anything ;)
In all seriousness one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't know any of this the first time around and I felt horrible about my "fat mom" self!
You should really do a full post on this -- I don't have any kids, but I'm still fascinated (storing this info away in my brain for use in a few years...hopefully)!
In all seriousness one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't know any of this the first time around and I felt horrible about my "fat mom" self!
You and me both!
I second Haley's request!
Laura -
Thank you so much for the Any Whey tip. I'm definitely ordering it! I'm having the hardest time getting my proteins in and this should definitely help. You're a life saver (or at least hopefully a hair saver :> )
Mrs.F, I want to be on the same diet as Jennifer...bagels are my weakness!!! After all, I am a New Yorker, we pride ourselves on our carb consumption!!!
Also, its 12:49 a.m and I am still up and now I'm hungry...what do I eat, or do I just go to bed hungry??
Also, I have a serious chocolate addiction..how do you satiate that???
This is a great post and I think I could follow some of the recommendations, just need some modifications because there is some problem with the availability of specialty foods here!!
Okay, Kiki, you are adorable. Just adorable:)
Kiki,
I have not given up chocolate. The beauty of calorie counting is that you really can eat whatever you want as long as it is in your limit.
I think the key is making a plan and including the realistic amount of treats you need to stick to it.
I eat about 4 chocolate cookies a day. 2 with my afternoon coffee & 2 after dinner. I've actually made the conscious choice to eat a smaller dinner because I need enough calories to eat my treat.... and like you I stay up and need to eat "late" night snack before bed. You must plan your day with less in the day to make up for those snacks.... because those are the ones that will put you over if you aren't careful. I've been eating a piece of whole wheat toast w/ jam before bed and have been doing fine on that.
You are right, of course, I think the sabotage begins because I have no meal plan for the week, but I think if I can get serious about that...then half the battle is won. I need to stick to some basic, "go to" meals and snacks, much like you laid out for your friend...at least until I become more responsible for what I am putting in my mouth. I am off this Friday and I think that is when I am going to plan every meal for the following week, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks...that way I have it all accounted for.
Here's hoping I can get this in line and then its on to exercise...
Hey Julie, thanks for the shout out, I'm just keeping it real with my carb loving self!!!
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