Make-ahead Meal Plan, Weigh-In, and Weekly Goals {October 9th, 2017}

Well we made it to October. I hope this month is starting off strong for you. Did you know we only have about 12 more weeks until 2018?! Yep! If you stuck with all your 2017 healthy life style goals then congrats – that’s so awesome! However, if you got off track then it’s possible you’re feeling some pressure as we finish out the year. Don’t stress! I believe you can (and should) start your weight loss journey anytime of the year. So now’s the perfect time.

In fact, did you know that 7 years ago this week is when I started my weight loss journey? Yep, in fact October 10th, 2010 is when I did my very first weigh in. I weighed 177lbs and by December 26th – 12 weeks later – I weight 153 pounds. So I lost 24 pounds in 12 weeks and that happened because I tracked my calories and portions. I didn’t do anything extreme…just paid attention to what I ate.

I hope that inspires and motivates you as we bring 2017 to a close. Now is the perfect time to put healthy habits in place to start 2018 strong. To be honest, looking back on the beginning of my weight loss journey, and seeing what I was capable of, motivates me to keep moving forward and do better.

Currently I weigh 155lbs which is 2 pounds more than I did at the end of 2010. I do feel good that I’ve sustained my healthy habits and haven’t regained all my weight back. However, there have been times I’ve struggle with weight, especially the last year or so. My life has changed quite a bit in the last 7 years. I went through a divorce, my hormones flared up, and I quit my cushy state job and built my blog into a full-time business. Not to mention raising 2 little girls and everything else life throws my way. Sometimes I think it’s amazing I remember to tie my shoes before heading out the door. Basically, what I’m saying is I’m human and life happens. But despite some tough times in the last couple years I will say the habits I formed early on in my weight loss journey were critical in keeping me sane, focused, and happy. Maybe I didn’t get to my weight loss goal of 135lbs but I didn’t gain all my weight back and was able to keep moving forward.

Sorry I typically don’t get that deep on my blog but I felt it was important to share.

With that said, let’s go over my weigh-in numbers.

Starting weight (October 2010): 177lbs

Goal weight: 135lbs

Current weight: 155lbs

Last weeks weigh in: 156lbs

Pounds lost: -1

Like I said earlier, I lost 24lbs in 12 weeks so a part of me thinks I did it before so I should be able to do it again. However, I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself so my goal is 10lbs by the New Year and then continue the progress into 2018.

Here’s how I plan to do it.

Go back to the basics of consistent tracking. Staying intentional with every bite, lick, and sip is how I lost weight in the beginning and it’s what will jump start my weight loss now. Of course, my goal is not to become obsessive but to stay accountable.
Stay hydrated with smoothies and water.
Exercise 4-5 days a week including 45 minutes of cardio and 20 – minutes of strength training.
Eat a mason jar salad everyday and make sure they are prepped on Sundays. Back in the day when I consistently had a smoothie for breakfast and mason jar salad for lunch I felt my absolute best. All the fruits and veggies kept my body hydrated and functioning.
Only water or green tea after 7:00pm.
Get rid of my afternoon coffee. This seriously pains me to write that but it’s gotta go. I would save about 700 calories a week just switching that out with green tea. It’s gonna be a challenge but I can do it.

Okay, let’s talk about food. These next few weeks will present some challenges because we are moving into our new house. Life is going to be in limbo as we try to get rooms painted, furniture moved, and everything in order. My plan is to continue to meal prep so we have healthy food available because the last thing I want is to order pizza every night. However, my goal is to have our home in order quickly so we can get back to normal as soon as possible.

This week I ordered Hello Fresh for a few dinners. I know meal delivery kits aren’t for everyone but I honestly love them. They reduce a lot of my dinner time stress and I enjoy whipping up new meals. However, I will pause my subscription for a few weeks until we are in our new home.

Also, I plan to use the meal delivery service Sun Basket more in the next couple months because I try to stay low-carb and I enjoy the Paleo options they offer. If you want to learn more about Sun Basket you can see my review here.

The last thing I want to mention before I share my meal plan is I’ve become quite the fan of online grocery shopping. My local grocery store Wegmans started offering grocery delivery through Instacart and it honestly has become a game changer. It’s added HOURS onto my schedule. I absolutely love it. Some things are a little more expensive but with a some research I found certain items cheaper on Thrive market. For example, these Simply Organic spices are cheaper than in the store and online with Instacart.

Personally, I think online grocery shopping is the way to go. I need to do a whole post on online grocery shopping because I truly think it can be extremely helpful in adding more time into your schedule. Heck we buy everything else online, why shouldn’t we experience the convenience of having our groceries delivered.

Let get to my meal plan.

Breakfast

Detox Smoothie

Make-ahead tips

I prepared a bunch of freezer smoothie kits last week and still had some left.
I also prepared a few smoothies ahead of time and stored them in the refrigerator.

Lunch

Turkey, Sun-dried tomato, and Chickpea Mason Jar Salad

Make-ahead tips

5 salads were made ahead of time yesterday.

Dinner

Hello Fresh meals

Buffalo Chicken for subs, salads, and/or macaroni and cheese

Make-ahead tips

I prepared all the Hello Fresh meals yesterday and stored them in the refrigerator using glass pyrex containers.
Buffalo chicken was made yesterday and stored in the refrigerator using glass pyrex containers.