Today is a practical day. I got my plan together and I will give a sample of what this means in real life. Planning is important. When hunger strikes, I need to be ready. I tend to choose poor, quick choices if I'm not ready. Also, I am a listy-type of person anyway. Having a written plan helps me stay on track. These are guidelines only. I actually think it is fun to do this. If you would like help understanding how to put your plan into action privately, I am happy to help you if you send me a message on facebook or e-mail: ablaylock@tntech.edu. You can also play around with a daily menu, etc. on www.mypyramid.gov. Also, I have been noticing that I am extra hungry at supper. I am obviously not proportioning my food well throughout the day. Not eating enough during the day makes me want to overeat in the evening. Not good. Getting my plan worked out helped me to distribute my calories more appropriately. Here is my disclaimer....this plan I developed for ME. Although I think others can follow a similar plan and learn from it, please understand this is developed with my habits, preferences, and pantry in mind. I will not make a plan a law. I will just use it to keep me focused on the practical. If I start getting under pressure that I am not following my plan good enough, I will just quit and refocus. I am not my plan, but I do enjoy checking off lists.
I estimated my daily needs to be 1200-1500 calories, 67g protein, 45g fat, at least 25g fiber, and about 2 ½ liters of water.
I want to make sure I get a balanced diet with all the food groups. I figured this to mean I will have about:
2 cups of milk
4 oz of meat
7 servings of fat (A serving is like 1 teaspoon of olive oil and butter or a tablespoon of dressing.)
4 servings of grains (A serving is like 1 slice of bread, ½ c cooked rice.)
4 servings of fruit. I LOVE and will eat fruit. (A serving is like 1 cup fresh fruit or ½ banana or 1 small apple.)
At least 4 servings of vegetables. (A serving of vegetable is basically 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked)
All this food will give me about 1455 calories, 64 g protein, and 45g fat. Can't get much closer to my estimated needs than that!
I want to strive to get 30 minutes of exercise daily.
I will drink at least 2 ½ liters or 10 cups of water a day.
I want to have beans at least three times a week.
I want to have fish at least three times a week.
I want to limit red meats to no more than three times a week.
I want to make sure each day has plenty of colors in it especially green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables.
So this is what a plan looks like for me during the day. This is an actual day with stuff I really have in my pantry. I actually went and looked up the nutrient content on the label of each ingredient so you could see how real food works in a real plan.
Breakfast: 1 cup fresh strawberries and ¼ cup nuts -----215 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g fiber, 15 grams of mostly monounsaturated fatty acids. YES!
Lunch part 1: Green Smoothie a.k.a. Alligator Juice (for the boys) The way I make it will have----213 calories, 1 g protein, 6.5g fiber
Lunch part 2 : 1 cup skim milk and a ham and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread with a little olive oil mayo. ------360 calories, 28 g protein, 3 g fiber, 10 g of mostly monounsaturated fatty acids, YES!
Supper: 4 oz Tilapia cooked in 3 servings olive oil, 2 cups steamed vegetables, ½ cup Quinoa.----535 calories, 27 g protein, 11 g fiber, 20 g of mostly monounsaturated fatty acids. YES!
For a daily grand total of (insert trumpet sound here) 1320 calories, 59 grams protein, 25.5 grams fiber, and 45 grams fat which is mostly monounsaturated fatty acids. YES! That is super close to my daily estimated needs. I think I can live with this plan. It is cutting back and adding more healthful stuff, but I really like it all, and I know I can do it.
I love it when a plan comes together!!!!
Win for Today:
I have a plan!
Nutritional Nugget:
The most healthful foods will be the ones with the fewest ingredients in the ingredient list. The ingredients are listed in order by weight so the first ingredient listed is what the product contains most of.
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