Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. It is always my intention to post my meal plan on Sunday nights. However, between shopping, prepping meals, taking pictures, and life I am always completely exhausted by the end of the night. I am sure you understand. I do post my meal planning process every week on Instagram so, if you wanted, you can always follow me over there.
Anyway, lets start with my weigh in.
Here are my official numbers.
SW: 177
GW: 135
LWW: 144.5
CW: 143.5
PL: -1lb
I lost 1 pound this week!! I am at a point, in my weight loss journey, where I won’t see major weight loss numbers each week. In fact, many weeks I might even stay the same. So a 1-2 pound weight loss is good for me and shows progression. It shows that tracking my food and prioritizing exercise is working. I need to lose 8 ½ more pounds to reach my goal. I weighed 135 lbs last summer but had a difficult time staying there. So once I achieve my goal weight (again) I need to focus on sustainability. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I always keep my eye on the prize but still take it one day at a time.
Exercise makes a huge difference. In the beginning of my journey it was all about the food. Now that I have less that 10 pounds to go it is all about the exercise. I am already eating the way I should (minus some chocolate and cheez its every now and then) so keeping exercise a focus is a must in meeting my goals.
Last week I did great with exercise and as a result felt great! This week I plan to keep the pace going. I am going to try and be a little more ambitious this week because I know I can do it. It is all about making it a priority.
Here is my schedule:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Treadmill for 45 -60 minutes – my goal is to run/powerwalk 3-5 miles. I am running in the Turkey trot on Thanksgiving. This is 5 miles so I want to start preparing for that.
- 30- 50 squats
- 50 – 100 crunches
- 30 second Russian twists and planks. By the way, planks are killer! You wouldn’t think they would be but trust me when you do a 30 second or longer plank you will feel it. Well at least I do.
- 18 -24 modified push ups
- 18-24 bicep curls and tricep extensions. I use either my resistance bands or 5 pound weights for these exercises.
Now onto my weekly meal plan.
Breakfast
Make ahead tips
- Smoothies will be made the morning of but I did freeze the kale ahead of time. I always freeze my kale so it does not spoil if I don’t eat it all in time. You can see my freezing kale tips here.
- I made a double batch of steel cut outs and stored in the fridge.
Snacks
Greek yogurt
Cheese and crackers
Make Ahead Tips
- I will cut up the cheese today and store in the fridge.
Lunch
Make ahead tips
- Mason jar salads were made yesterday for the week. Instructions for “how to make mason jar salads” can be found here.
- Roll ups will be made the day I eat them.
Snack
Veggies and hummus
Make ahead tips
- I made the snack packs yesterday. I will add hummus the day we eat. I use store bought hummus but you can certainly make your own too.
Dinner
Honey Chicken with cashews
Sweet and Spicy Shredded Pork Tacos
Chicken and Broccoli Skillet
Slow Cooker Spicy Sausage Ragu
Make ahead tips
- Pork was prepped for the slow cooker sunday night to be started in the morning.
- Sausage ragu will be prepped tonight.
- Chicken will be cut up today or tomorrow for honey chicken and skillet dinner.
- eggplant and mushrooms will be roasted ahead of time.
There is my week. What about you? What is on your meal plan this week? What about exercise?
Mayuri Patel says
Hi Tammy,
I tumbled onto your blog through pinterest. For many years I knew I had to lose weight but couldn’t really keep up. I don’t like exercise but this July I made up my mind that if I want a healthier life, I need to lose weight. So I began a food journal and logging in physical activities on lose it. Since now I am aware of the calories that I am suppose to consume, I have made changes in my diet which now is not too difficult to follow. As you said it is a lifestyle change rather than a diet fad. Its small changes that make a huge difference. I am now trying to exercise at least 4 times a week if not more, cross trainer, walking or yoga. However, for the past 4 weeks I have not lost even a pound! This is quite discouraging. Did you face the same? An initial lost of 2 lbs and than none! My calorie intake is pretty much in control though exercise routines quite erratic. The other huge hurdle I can’t seem to get over is the late night feasting habit. But am trying to control after reading on your blog that after a set time of the evening no eating. Its not easy but trying.
Mayuri
Dottie Taylor says
Hi Tammy,
I’m so glad I found your blog through a friend on Facebook. I’m beginning a new weight-loss journey today. I downloaded your meal plans last week and put together the Greek chicken salad mason jars yesterday. I just ate the first one for lunch today. It was so good!! I can’t wait until lunch tomorrow! I’m going to be putting the egg, sausage, and cheese burritos together this afternoon and we are having your chicken fried rice tonight. (I accidentally printed off the second week, don’t know how I missed the first!). Thanks so much for all your hardwork and for sharing!
Gemma says
Hi! I love your ideas. I have been following some of your posts and drooling iver how dedicated and organized you are. I suffer from depression and find it very hard to motivate myself. I had a lap band and lost 100 pounds, but because of the depression I had to go on meds and gained back 30. I just had surgery a month ago and am finally healed enough that I can restart my exercise routine. But the trainer was too expensive now that I have a college kid to pay tuition for, so I am attempting to do it on my own. My big problem is cooking for my family. Hubby hates veggies and will eat them only if they have cooked so long that they disappear into the food. My daughter will eat them if I push her. I like my veggies fresh cut, so the idea of a salad in a jar that will wilt in 2-3 days does not sound appealing unless there is a trick to keeping it fresh. Organizing my time is the biggest hurdle. I just can’t get motivated. What’s your secret?
Stephanie says
Hi Gemma – I make these salads on a regular basis and they easily last 5-6 days in the fridge without wilting. Follow the recipe order for putting ingredients in the jar and you will be fine. I usually make mine on a Sunday to eat for lunch during the work week. Hope this helps!
April Williams says
I have made the salads and some have sat for 7-8 days and still as fresh as the first day. I love them.