Make-ahead Meal Plan, Exercise Schedule, and Weigh In (December 7th, 2015}

The first week of December is behind us and 2016 is only a few short weeks away. I plan to take some serious time in the next couple weeks to plan out my goals for next year. There have been a lot of changes in my life in the last 12 months and I need to regroup and see what’s next for me moving forward. Of course, I plan to spend a lot of time thinking about Organize Yourself Skinny. I feel it’s time to take this blog to the next level. In a way, I know what that looks like but I’m still trying to figure some things out too. But I plan to have a 12-month plan put together in the next couple weeks.

Also, for those aspiring bloggers out there I plan to dip my toe into the blogging-consulting arena. Consulting might be too strong of a word. It sounds so serious. Let’s say blogging education. I get a lot of questions about starting a blog and making it your full-time job. As you know OYS is my full-time job and I learned a ton over the last 4 years about turning an idea into a full-time business. I want to share my perspective and experience with those that want it. I’m not 100% sure what that will look like yet but if you are interested stay tuned.

I’m kind of going off on a tangent because that’s what happens when my brain is on overload with all that I have to do and everything I want to do. Hopefully, in the next couple weeks I can carve out a couple days and have a mini “blog and life planning” retreat.

Okay let’s get to the post you came to read.

Here is my weigh in.

SW: 177

GW: 130

LWW: 145

CW:146

PL: + 1

Something I’m really going to think about in the next 3 weeks is this… can I be happy with weighing between 143 – 147lbs? Why? Because my weight hasn’t been under 140lbs since late 2013. Just being real. Obviously, I can get to 135 lbs because I did back in the summer of 2013, but it’s been a struggle ever since. I plan. I watch what I eat. I exercise. I do everything I talk about here on OYS. The issue is I’m not consistent and that has been the root to my 2-year weight loss plateau. I eat what I plan but I also pick or maybe eat too much. I track my food but I’m not nearly as strict as I was when I first started on my journey. I exercise every week but some weeks it’s 2 days and other weeks it’s 5. I am inconsistent.

Basically, I’m consistent enough where I haven’t gained all my weight back. That’s a good thing. I don’t want to take away from the healthy habits I’ve established. My lifestyle has changed for the better…but is it where I want to be?

If I’m happy at this weight then I really just need to keep doing what I’m doing. But am I truly happy weighing between 143 – 147 lbs? When all I knew was 177 lbs then yes, 147 lbs made me happy. But now that I know what 135lbs feels and looks like I’m not so sure. Anyway, this is something I am going to think a lot about moving forward into next year. Anyone else in the same boat?

Wow I’m getting deep on you guys today. Although I suspect many of you are thinking the same things I am with New Years around the corner.

Here is my exercise schedule.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday

3 miles on my treadmill. I try to run ½ and powerwalk the other half.

2 (30 second) planks

75 – 100 crunches using my exercise ball

2 (8 reps each) sets bicep curls using resistant bands

2 (8 reps each) sets tricep extensions using 5 lbs weights

25 modified pushups

50 squats. I am going to try to include some arm exercises as I do my squats.

My meal plan

Before I get to my meal plan I want to share with you my second online grocery order from Thrive Market. I am in love with online grocery shopping. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at it yet, and I’m sure there’s more to learn, but I have very high hopes for the benefits online grocery shopping can bring to my busy life.

Now I’m going to preface this by saying I am neither a coupon person nor a true deal seeker. I don’t price comparison or anything like that. My reason. I just don’t have the patience or time. I like a good deal like anyone else but I’m not going to drive to 3 different stores and spend hours going through ads. With that said I think Thrive Market is comparable to my grocery store on natural and organic products. I did a little comparison (I will share more in a later post) and found most things were the same price or cheaper. The taco shells were $2 cheaper which I thought was great. Overall, I spent $111.20 and this is what I got.

What I found to be more valuable than prices is that all the groceries were delivered to my door. That was amazing. To experience the real benefits of online grocery shopping I think there needs to be organization and strategy. I’m going to talk about that in a later post. Stay tuned.

Here’s my meal plan.

Breakfast

Tropical Green Smoothie

Make-ahead tips

• I plan to make a few batch tomorrow to keep in the refrigerator and freezer.

Mid-morning snack

Yogurt with nuts/or granola

Make-ahead tips

• I plan to portion out the granola tomorrow.

Lunch

Make-ahead Santé Fe Chicken Salad Bar – new recipe

Turkey wrap with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes – new recipe

Make-ahead tips

• I will prep the salad ingredients tomorrow.
• Wraps will be made the day I eat them.

Dinner

Italian Sausage and Peppers Meatloaf – new recipe

Slow Cooker Philly Steak Sandwiches – new recipe

Homemade Pizza

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Mexican Black Bean and Rice Casserole – new recipe

Make-ahead tips

• Meatloaf will be made tomorrow. Leftovers will be portioned out and frozen for future dinners.
• Beef will be made tomorrow for the steak sandwiches. It will be stored in the refrigerator. Cooked peppers and onions will be stored in a separate container.
• Macaroni and cheese, along with the casserole will be on Wednesday or Thursday. I will portion out and freeze most of the recipes for future dinners.