This week I want to talk about being prepared and planning meals not only for your family, but for yourself as well.
Being prepared will help keep you on track and prevent bad food choices everyday. Plan your meals ahead of time. To do this, you have to get your shopping list made out and get the things you will need from the grocery store for both yourself and your family for the week ahead. You should have two lists...one for your family, and another for just you. If you have children, especially teenagers, then you know that their stomachs can be bottomless pits! They can seemingly eat whatever they want and a lot of it. YOU can't. Because you don't have the same metabolism you must watch what and how much you eat and drink. Its not fair I know, but its just the way it is...and you must accept it. It's also true that you cannot expect them to eat the way you need to. So...you buy for them what they want, and you buy selectively for yourself. It's going to take a lot of discipline on your part, and your family must also accept and understand that you have a different diet. They should support you fully. It will sometimes take a little more time, preparing a meal for them, and at the same time preparing something different for yourself. You will get used to it and in time it will be the norm.
If you are a working woman, this will require good time management at home. Have the things on hand each week from the grocery store that you will need for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the rest of the week ahead. Pack your lunch for work the next day each night before you go to bed. Buy yourself a nice lunch bag and an ice pack to keep things cold and fresh. Pack your lunch in your bag, put it in the fridge, and in the morning put your frozen ice pack into your bag before your leave the house for work. This will keep you from eating bad fast food or from vending machines while at work. Also, know what you're going to have for breakfast in the morning, and what you're going to prepare for dinner the next night for yourself, and the rest of the family.
Here's an example of something you could pack in your lunch bag for the next day at work:
Mid-Morning Snack - Protein shake (1-2 scoops mixed with water or skim milk)
Lunch- 1 3-4 ounce chicken breast
1/2 - 1 cup brown rice
2 cups green leafy salad with low fat vinegrette dressing
16 oz bottled water
Mid-Afternoon - 1 Apple
16 oz bottled water
There are temptations at work many days when co-workers bring food for everyone to share. STICK TO WHAT YOU BROUGHT! Dont give in to pizza day, or the box of donuts the boss brought in for everyone...let your co-workers eat them, watch their waistlines grow as yours SHRINKS! You CAN do it...just takes some self control which you are very capable of!
Be a planner, a list maker. Be prepared each day.
Our next ADVENTURE Boot Camp in West Chester, OH will begin November 26th. For more information or registration follow this link to www.westchesterabc.com.
