Avoiding too much lower body work in order to shrink legs?

[jengollf]

Girls, thank you all so much for your feedback! First off, you have all really helped me pump up the motivation to a whole new level! I'm STOKED!!

WOOHOO!!

I will definitely give the weights some more tries before giving up on them!

I do have one question though - a recurring theme in this thread is that nutrition needs to be good in order to see really amazing results. What do you ladies do in order to keep your nutrition in check? I grew up in a family that ate (and still eats) the SAD. I have tried to wein myself off of junk food/processed food but I find it tough. I don't really eat fast food, but Cherry coke is a weakness of mine, and so are frozen foods (frozen ravioli, frozen lunches b/c they are easy...frozen pizza rolls & burritos for dinner because they taste good and are easy)...

I have also noticed that the crappier I eat (IE: last week I ate a big breakfast burrito in the AM - sugar'ed up coffee - pizza for lunch, energry drink w/ HFCS in the afternoon...and then tried to work out at night when I got home. HA! joke was on me.

So any tips on staying on top of nutrition? Or more like, changing your mindset about nutrition? I actually read a ton of nutrition books and am really interested in it...it just is hard for me to adhere to the right principles.

There are a million rules you can follow and you will read them here in the replies, I am sure. You have to remember, if you are looking for weight/fat loss--80% of it happens in the kitchen. You can easily eat back every calorie you work off and more. The #1 thing you can start with and that people initially get huge results with--stop drinking your calories! I'll admit, I follow a lot of rules, but that is my #1 rule. Other than a protein shake after a strength workout (made with almond milk that is 30 calories a cup), I drink nothing that has calories. People here will curse diet soda and maybe you will one day too, but you do need to start with baby steps--giving your diet a huge immediate overhaul leads to failure. So swap your soda for diet soda. Sugar in coffee for Truvia. Do that for a few weeks, then change something else about your diet. There are other easy meals for dinner, btw. I bake chicken for the whole week then have chicken salad for dinners--lots of veggies, chicken breast and I measure out my dressing rather than drowning my salad in it. Prepping things on the weekend is another way to save time during the week so that you can eat healthy but it doesn't take long.

Anyway--you'll get lots of answers to this question! So good luck!

 

[cokonkel]

Gradual changes are definitely key...I'm not even all the way there yet after 3 years of this journey! She says as she sits here with Coffee Mate in her coffee.... Hehe It is tough, but I figure the turtle wins the race in this regard. The changes I have made nutrition wise as well as being consistent with exercise (not to mention the fitness level I've gotten to) were all really slow baby step changes. I didn't get to where I am in 90 days (like all those infomercials on tv like to claim with their programs ). To make it a permanent change I adopted one little habit at a time and increased my workout intensity slowly as well.

For me, I still eat carbs, I just have shifted the ratio of carbs to protein in my diet compared to where I started. When I do eat them, I try to make sure they are whole grain, and if not at least limit the portion. Since I don't have a major sweet tooth, it wasn't difficult to cut out sweets (except that dang coffee mate...although I only use a tablespoon and that is it).

When I bake for my family, I will have one serving and that is it (sometimes none depending on how delectable it is!). Then I will bring the cookies or whatever to work to give away if the family isn't eating it fast enough.

Soda is huge for weight loss in my opinion. I don't touch the stuff...ever. Diet or regular, it doesn't matter. I don't drink a lot of juice either. I'm pretty much a water drinker for the most part.

We never eat fast food, and I try to limit convenience foods the best I can. It can be tough when you work and have a family though with busy schedules. I'm not perfect but I do try!

So for me, it has been portion control (eating slowly helps you realize you don't need as much food as you think when you eat fast), increasing protein (and drinking protein recovery shakes), no soda, no or very little sweets and in my case cutting out dairy (developed lactose intolerance and was forced to give up my biggest weakness...cheese! ).

My biggest weaknesses to this day are salty snacks (love me some nacho chips ), the coffee mate (every morning I consider drinking the coffee black and then think "nah") and I like to have a glass of wine or beer sometimes. There is always room to tighten up the diet more, but I'm fairly content where I am at the moment!

 

[Ronne]

I don't really have anything to add but just wanted to say this is one of the best threads I've ever read on the forum. Really positive, useful information.

One thing that worked for me a few years ago was I started weighing some food, (not everything, I'm not completely mad!), but things like rice, pasta and breakfast cereal. It's really easy to eat too much of those things and when I go to people's houses for dinner or eat out, I'm amazed at the portion sizes now. For rice I eat about 70g, pasta about the same, and cereal about 40g (and it looks a tiny amount in the bowl, you realise just how much you've been eating!) but you do get used to it.

 

[poachedsalmon]

I agree. This is a motivating thread.

Here my general rules for daily eating that have worked well for me.

1) Drinks: green or black tea and water only; alcohol on occasion (weekends or work functions)
2) 100% whole grains only (e.g. brown rice, 100% whole grain pasta, bread, tortillas)
3) Veggies + Fruit: minimum 6 servings a day including 1 salad daily. During the week I go to a buffet at lunch where I can make my own salad and therefore control the ingredients and portion size.
4) Protein: Protein and healthy carbs with every meal
5) Dairy: greek yogurt daily. Love it.
6) Portion control: half a cup a pasta is a lot smaller than you think; 1 oz of nuts is smaller than you think
7) Treats: I and my husband both have a real sweet tooth. It is a serious weakness so we simply don't keep sweets in the house other than ginger snaps for our twins since they love them. If I want something sweet I have to go buy it and I can only buy one portion. We eat sweets, but not every day.
8) Heavily processed and frozen meals: Out. Way too much sodium, way too many fake ingredients, way too much unhealthy fat.
9) Healthy fats are good for you: avocados, nuts, ground flaxseed, salmon, eggs find their way into my tummy throughout the week.
10) Enjoy your food and cooking. Who knew making pasta sauce and soups were so easy? It really is easy and you can control the ingredients.

Also, since you said you like to read nutrition books, have you read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan or "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle? These are great books that really emphasize the importance of eating real food and really helped to transform my eating habits.

Michael Pollan made a comment in his book that really stuck with me. He said that when you pick up a food item in the grocery, ask yourself if your grandmother would recognize the ingredients. That alone has knocked out almost all processed food from my diet.

The suggestion to make enough food over the weekend to last you through the week is great. We do that all the time, including food for our twins' lunches and dinners. Also, if there is a farmers market near you, try going there on the weekends to get your veggies. We get most of our veggies and meat for my husband and kids there weekly from May to November (I only eat seafood). I swear I can't leave that market and go eat junk. It just inspires me to eat fresh, REAL food.

 

[nckfitheart2009]

Nutrition

There are a million rules you can follow and you will read them here in the replies, I am sure. You have to remember, if you are looking for weight/fat loss--80% of it happens in the kitchen. You can easily eat back every calorie you work off and more. The #1 thing you can start with and that people initially get huge results with--stop drinking your calories! I'll admit, I follow a lot of rules, but that is my #1 rule. Other than a protein shake after a strength workout (made with almond milk that is 30 calories a cup), I drink nothing that has calories. People here will curse diet soda and maybe you will one day too, but you do need to start with baby steps--giving your diet a huge immediate overhaul leads to failure. So swap your soda for diet soda. Sugar in coffee for Truvia. Do that for a few weeks, then change something else about your diet. There are other easy meals for

dinner, btw. I bake chicken for the whole week then have chicken salad for dinners--lots of veggies, chicken breast and I measure out my dressing rather than drowning my salad in it. Prepping things on the weekend is another way to save time during the week so that you can eat healthy but it doesn't take long.

Anyway--you'll get lots of answers to this question! So good luck!

To Jengolf,

I love your response about drink. It reminded me of my heaviest time when I was drinking a minimal liter of fruit juice per day! That is just the beverage lol I could write a book on the food I was eating!!!

to everyone,
As to the change, It has been a pleasant journey. Now it is pleasant but was not more than six years ago.

Soda, I simply do not buy coke. When I decided to change my nutrition as part of a lifestyle, I was drinking diet coke when I was out. Gradually I started disliking the taste of sweetners especially aspartame! Now I can confidently state I can not stand so called low fat fruit flavoured yoghurt. I like my yoghurt plain and I add almond butter for example. A junk food I hate the most is Pizza. It makes me feel bloated.

Gaining knowledge about nutrition reading magasines and books has naturally lead me into being selective in my food choice. To sum up I aim to eat clean with no sauce. Personnally I cook sauce occasionally because it is my way of saving on calories as they do add up!

Sponge cake biscuits....I have cut them out completely. When I do my grocery shopping I simply do not buy them. When I am out i do occasionally have cake, pancake etc...

To conclude, the change has to be a pleasant journey gaining knowledge about nutrition. Rule: Do not deprive yourself, there are a lot of healthy food to enjoy. Rule: portions are to be kept small without getting obsessed!
Rule: Carbs for me I do keep them to a minimal level and they have to be whole grain. I have type2 diabetes history in my familly and know I can not let myself gaining a stored saddle yuk! Rulelan food for whole week to avoid eating crap! Rule:Train smart to balance ration between the fuel consumed and the one your body is demanding from the workout. Any extreme long workout request more fuel and we have to make sure we are not reaching the set point! Any extreme calory deficit can sabotage a weight loss campaign and mess up the metabolism. This take hell long time to get the system back to normal. I relate to this, I learnt the hard way !

Sorry for being too long ladies.
All the best,

 

[nckfitheart2009]

To Jengolf,

I love your response about drink. It reminded me of my heaviest time when I was drinking a minimal liter of fruit juice per day! That is just the beverage lol I could write a book on the food I was eating!!!

to everyone,
As to the change, It has been a pleasant journey. Now it is pleasant but was not more than six years ago.

Soda, I simply do not buy coke. When I decided to change my nutrition as part of a lifestyle, I was drinking diet coke when I was out. Gradually I started disliking the taste of sweetners especially aspartame! Now I can confidently state I can not stand so called low fat fruit flavoured yoghurt. I like my yoghurt plain and I add almond butter for example. A junk food I hate the most is Pizza. It makes me feel bloated.

Gaining knowledge about nutrition reading magasines and books has naturally lead me into being selective in my food choice. To sum up I aim to eat clean with no sauce. Personnally I cook sauce occasionally because it is my way of saving on calories as they do add up!

Sponge cake biscuits....I have cut them out completely. When I do my grocery shopping I simply do not buy them. When I am out i do occasionally have cake, pancake etc...

To conclude, the change has to be a pleasant journey gaining knowledge about nutrition. Rule: Do not deprive yourself, there are a lot of healthy food to enjoy. Rule: portions are to be kept small without getting obsessed!
Rule: Carbs for me I do keep them to a minimal level and they have to be whole grain. I have type2 diabetes history in my familly and know I can not let myself gaining a stored saddle yuk! Rule: plan food for whole week to avoid eating crap! Rule:Train smart to balance ration between the fuel consumed and the one your body is demanding from the workout. Any extreme long workout request more fuel and we have to make sure we are not reaching the set point! Any extreme calory deficit can sabotage a weight loss campaign and mess up the metabolism. This take hell long time to get the system back to normal. I relate to this, I learnt the hard way !

Sorry for being too long ladies.
All the best,

 

[fitness buff]

Poachedsalmoin,
I googled Tonique and it looks interesting, which exercise would you recommend.

 

[jengollf]

Also, since you said you like to read nutrition books, have you read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan or "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle? These are great books that really emphasize the importance of eating real food and really helped to transform my eating habits.

Michael Pollan made a comment in his book that really stuck with me. He said that when you pick up a food item in the grocery, ask yourself if your grandmother would recognize the ingredients. That alone has knocked out almost all processed food from my diet.

I wanted to add to this because I've read several Michael Pollan books and think they are excellent--but my favorite, which sums it all up in one little easy to read book is Food Rules: An Eaters Manual. Anyone who doesn't want to wade through his doorstops but still wants to understand his principles should read this. An excellent little book--and one in fact you could use to slowly work your way into cleaning up your diet. Adpot a new rule a week!

 

[poachedsalmon]

There might be some other Tonique experts on the board who can better answer that question, but I would recommend starting with Tonique Premier. It's about an hour long and has standing work and floor work. That was her first DVD. There are some editing glitches but I just ignore it. I think it's a good intro to her style and it's chaptered: Cardio drills, Squats, Lunges, Mat work. It has great cardio and toning benefits. Keep in mind that is has a voiceover doing the cueing and talking and it isn't her actual voice. Sometimes the cueing is off and is lacking in spots. I thought that would bother me in the beginning, but it really doesn't. In Tonique 2 and Born to Move, it's her voice.

I don't have all of her DVDs which is why someone else might want to chime in. I have 3: Premier, Tonique 2, and Born to Move. I plan to get Energy Mat soon. Energy Mat is one of her newest workouts (along with Born to Move).

 

[jengollf]

I love your response about drink. It reminded me of my heaviest time when I was drinking a minimal liter of fruit juice per day! That is just the beverage lol I could write a book on the food I was eating!!!

This is so true! Some people think fruit juice is "good" for you when it is primarily drinking sugar water. My kids (when they were young) never understood why they were the only kids at school who got oranges and apples instead of juice boxes. You EAT fruit--you don't drink it! And my kids are now 20 and 18 and they still do not drink fruit juice! They eat fruit instead! So they learned--even tho they didn't like it when they were little.

PS--they now joke about how no one ever wanted to swap lunches with them. the other kids brought chips and twinkies and other crap like that and my kids had sandwiches on whole wheat bread with carrot sticks and fruit. They had to buy milk at school to go with their lunches. They did not like it much then, but they are both slim, healthy eaters and daily exercisers now. BTW--I didn't completely deprive them. They did get treats--but that's what they were--treats, not daily junk food indulgences.

 

[Nanbo]

Weigh/measure everything.
Log everything you eat....EVERYTHING (use a nutrition software like Cathe's).
Do something physical everyday.
SMILE and be happy that you're alive!

 

[Candiceena]

Girls, you are all such inspiration to me! I don't think I've ever found a forum that is so motivating, encouraging, and willing to share information. Seriously.

You all made some really great points. I've also done some introspection the last few days...I am definitely a person who likes to:

a) read - I like to read about nutrition and exercise in books and I also like to read forums/blogs/posts like these ones for motivation and tips.
b) can only focus on one thing at a time. I think in the past, I have struggled with trying to change everything at once, and also making drastic changes.

So I think my goal is going to be to continue to be really active on this forum, and keeping up with my workouts and what not. Is there a section on the Cathe forums for keeping a journal? That would be really great, I think. Or if anyone has any suggestions on an EASY way to keep a fitness journal, that'd be great. Preferably something that I can type... maybe a blog?

I am going to continue on w/ my beginners rotation but make changes as needed. For example, last night I did the 40 minute lower body premix of LIS Total Body Trisets. MY LEGS HURT TODAY!! Body Fusion is on the calendar but I think I might swap it out for Yoga Relax instead...I feel like I need to do some stretching and whatnot to help my muscles.

I am also going to work on changing a new habit/working on a new goal every 2 weeks...and making them small. The best place for me to start, I think, Is going to be by just tracking everything I eat. I know some people say that isn't necessary/it's obsessive...but in my head, I feel like I "don't eat too bad" - but obviously, I must be slacking in a few places and I think if I just track everything (while continuing to eat how I do now) it will help me narrow in on exactly what changes I Need to make.

A couple of other "2-week" goals I was thinking of on the way home were to add a 30-min walk every night after dinner, regardless of whether or not I worked out that night or not. Also cutting out caloric drinks. Also cutting out refined sugar/sweets (a habit I Have picked up recently as I used to not be a big sweet eater at all...it was all about the salty/cheesy/savory foods). I'd also like to work up to the longer Cathe workouts but that in time will come after I finish my rotation.

I do have one question for you gals though ... how do you feel about grains/carbs/processed food? I mean, I know that too high of calories in any of that is bad, but for right now, I feel like I can't tackle it all at once. I would love to go super-clean eating tomorrow but I know myself...I'll stick to it until about 10 am when I decide I want a coffee w/ some flavored milk/creamer in it! I checked out a book from the library today called "400 Calorie Fix" and I am smart enough to know not to take any one source of information as gospel, but the book is basically encouraging 3-4 approx 400 calorie meals a day, and it breaks down some ideas for meals which is where I struggle, and that's why I checked it out - so I could get some ideas for lower-cal meals that were realistic for me...(because I don't like to/know how to cook, so I want easy easy easy - ie: Ceral, milk, berries... or bacon, scrambled egg, shredded cheese...things that don't require much thought, although this is probably something I should look at changing anyway lol). However, I have also been reading up on primal/paleo...I'm not gluten or lactose intolerant, and I think I Might have brainwashed myself a little bit to be really afraid of grains. :\ Even though I handle them just fine and honestly, think I need them when pushing thru some of these longer/tougher (for me) Cathe DVDs.

PS - Sorry to have typed/rambled so much! I'm just totally digging this thread. It's so motivating and full of great info!!

 

[emigliori]

See a link below where Cathe answers a question from another Cathlete regarding getting leaner legs. Her response included not doing more than one Plyo workout per week (Sorry Natasha ). I guess that's why the LIS series has helped so many lean out.

http://cathe.com/forum/f95/sts-legs-but-want-leaner-not-bigger-legs-273659/

Elizabeth

 

[emigliori]

Candiceena,
I wanted to also add that your best bet as far as eating goes is to focus more on eating high quality food and avoiding processed food altogether. You can eat much more unprocessed food than you can processed for the same amount of calories which will help alleviate any feelings of hunger. I would start there and not worry as much about counting calories.

Take a look at the following link it's a great visual aid and you will get an idea of how much more you can eat if you focus on fresh veggies, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains etc.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

 

[jengollf]

Girls, you are all such inspiration to me! I don't think I've ever found a forum that is so motivating, encouraging, and willing to share information. Seriously.

You all made some really great points. I've also done some introspection the last few days...I am definitely a person who likes to:

a) read - I like to read about nutrition and exercise in books and I also like to read forums/blogs/posts like these ones for motivation and tips.
b) can only focus on one thing at a time. I think in the past, I have struggled with trying to change everything at once, and also making drastic changes.

So I think my goal is going to be to continue to be really active on this forum, and keeping up with my workouts and what not. Is there a section on the Cathe forums for keeping a journal? That would be really great, I think. Or if anyone has any suggestions on an EASY way to keep a fitness journal, that'd be great. Preferably something that I can type... maybe a blog?

I am going to continue on w/ my beginners rotation but make changes as needed. For example, last night I did the 40 minute lower body premix of LIS Total Body Trisets. MY LEGS HURT TODAY!! Body Fusion is on the calendar but I think I might swap it out for Yoga Relax instead...I feel like I need to do some stretching and whatnot to help my muscles.

I am also going to work on changing a new habit/working on a new goal every 2 weeks...and making them small. The best place for me to start, I think, Is going to be by just tracking everything I eat. I know some people say that isn't necessary/it's obsessive...but in my head, I feel like I "don't eat too bad" - but obviously, I must be slacking in a few places and I think if I just track everything (while continuing to eat how I do now) it will help me narrow in on exactly what changes I Need to make.

A couple of other "2-week" goals I was thinking of on the way home were to add a 30-min walk every night after dinner, regardless of whether or not I worked out that night or not. Also cutting out caloric drinks. Also cutting out refined sugar/sweets (a habit I Have picked up recently as I used to not be a big sweet eater at all...it was all about the salty/cheesy/savory foods). I'd also like to work up to the longer Cathe workouts but that in time will come after I finish my rotation.

I do have one question for you gals though ... how do you feel about grains/carbs/processed food? I mean, I know that too high of calories in any of that is bad, but for right now, I feel like I can't tackle it all at once. I would love to go super-clean eating tomorrow but I know myself...I'll stick to it until about 10 am when I decide I want a coffee w/ some flavored milk/creamer in it! I checked out a book from the library today called "400 Calorie Fix" and I am smart enough to know not to take any one source of information as gospel, but the book is basically encouraging 3-4 approx 400 calorie meals a day, and it breaks down some ideas for meals which is where I struggle, and that's why I checked it out - so I could get some ideas for lower-cal meals that were realistic for me...(because I don't like to/know how to cook, so I want easy easy easy - ie: Ceral, milk, berries... or bacon, scrambled egg, shredded cheese...things that don't require much thought, although this is probably something I should look at changing anyway lol). However, I have also been reading up on primal/paleo...I'm not gluten or lactose intolerant, and I think I Might have brainwashed myself a little bit to be really afraid of grains. :\ Even though I handle them just fine and honestly, think I need them when pushing thru some of these longer/tougher (for me) Cathe DVDs.

PS - Sorry to have typed/rambled so much! I'm just totally digging this thread. It's so motivating and full of great info!!

Sounds like you have a great plan Candice! A little at a time is the way to make life-long changes. That's how I did it. There are a lot of free blogs out there (I like Wordpress) in which you can blog your progress. Also, journaling your food intake has been proven to help people lose more weight and keep it off that people who don't. I lost approx 40 pounds 10+ years ago and have kept it off for more than a decade. In addition to working out daily, I journal everything that goes in my mouth STILL (and I still have every journal--maybe I am the obsessive one?). Even when I am at a party or eating out and don't have the nutritional info. I keep myself honest by recording it anyway.

Also, I've read studies that say a walk after you eat revs up your metabolism and makes you burn more calories, even after the walk is over. That is actually something I used to do and need to get back into now that the weather is warming up. My dogs surely need it! They are getting chubby!

Anyway--looks to me like you have a great plan that will work for you!

 

[TRSTACIE]

So I think my goal is going to be to continue to be really active on this forum, and keeping up with my workouts and what not. Is there a section on the Cathe forums for keeping a journal? That would be really great, I think. Or if anyone has any suggestions on an EASY way to keep a fitness journal, that'd be great. Preferably something that I can type... maybe a blog?

I would recommend using the workout manager and tracking your workouts there. It is a pretty nice (and free!) tool. I tend to be a bit competitive so it helped that I could compare how much I was working out compared to others. I loved inching forward in the ranks of how many workouts I had done and etc. It was a big source of my motivation until working out just became a habit.

I am also going to work on changing a new habit/working on a new goal every 2 weeks...and making them small. The best place for me to start, I think, Is going to be by just tracking everything I eat. I know some people say that isn't necessary/it's obsessive...but in my head, I feel like I "don't eat too bad" - but obviously, I must be slacking in a few places and I think if I just track everything (while continuing to eat how I do now) it will help me narrow in on exactly what changes I Need to make.

I have recently started using MyFitnessPal (also free) to track my eating habits. I made a goal at the start of year to get some good ab definition by the end of the year. I can feel my abs but I want to see them! I know in order to do that I need to lose some weight. I started using it on Monday and so far I really like it! You can customize it in so many ways and it has a free mobile app which I love! It might be something you may want to look into.

I do have one question for you gals though ... how do you feel about grains/carbs/processed food?

I try not to eat prepackaged foods. I usually cook our meals and even our snacks. I don't even buy protein bars -- I make them myself! One thing that I find extremely useful in our household is the George Foreman grill. I cook almost all of the meat we eat on it. We tend to eat a lot of chicken and fish and it is so easy (and fast!) to cook it on the grill. I usually just sprinkle Rosemary garlic seasoning on the chicken (available for a pretty cheap price at Sam's club) and Lemon Pepper seasoning on the fish (also at Sam's club).

I also love the bulk section of stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts. They have quinoa, beans, brown rice, couscous, and other good stuff there. I love that I can just buy a small quantity of something in case I am trying it for the first time!

I feel like I can't tackle it all at once. I would love to go super-clean eating tomorrow but I know myself...I'll stick to it until about 10 am when I decide I want a coffee w/ some flavored milk/creamer in it! I checked out a book from the library today called "400 Calorie Fix" and I am smart enough to know not to take any one source of information as gospel, but the book is basically encouraging 3-4 approx 400 calorie meals a day, and it breaks down some ideas for meals which is where I struggle, and that's why I checked it out - so I could get some ideas for lower-cal meals that were realistic for me...(because I don't like to/know how to cook, so I want easy easy easy - ie: Ceral, milk, berries... or bacon, scrambled egg, shredded cheese...things that don't require much thought, although this is probably something I should look at changing anyway lol). However, I have also been reading up on primal/paleo...I'm not gluten or lactose intolerant, and I think I Might have brainwashed myself a little bit to be really afraid of grains. :\ Even though I handle them just fine and honestly, think I need them when pushing thru some of these longer/tougher (for me) Cathe DVDs.

My final advice is to be creative! Don't think that you need to eat the same thing over and over to meet your weight loss goals. You can start with a "base recipe" and then change it up to become something totally new and delicious! For instance, a simple spring mix salad with grilled chicken can have the taste of it totally change depending on what other items you put in it. Here are some ideas...

Base Salad:
Spring Mix
Grilled Chicken

Option 1:
Add mandarin oranges
Add a few sliced almonds
Small quantity of Asian dressing

Option 2:
Add apples
Add a few walnuts
Small quantity of raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette

Option 3:
Add green & red bell peppers slices
Add a hard boiled egg
Add peas and/or chick peas
Small quantity of ranch or blue cheese dressing

Option 4:
Add sliced strawberries
Add a small amount of gorgonzola cheese
Add sliced almonds
Small quantity of raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette

Option 5:
Add olives
Add red onions
Add a small amount of feta cheese
Add a small amount of balsamic vinaigrette

Option 6:
Add whole kernel corn
Add drained black beans
Add some salsa

Six different salads options that are very easy to make and each one will give you a good meal that is low in calories (provided that you don't over do it with the cheese, nuts, and dressing) but has healthy fats and protein. You can even play around with using plain greek yogurt to make your own salad dressings.

Hope this helps!

 

[Candiceena]

Wow, thank you so much! I really love those salad ideas. I realy struggle with creativity when it comes to meal planning, and have found myself wanting to eat salad lately (weird for me...I have never craved greens) but I hate buying them pre-packages because they go to waste. Those salad Ideas will be super helpful!! And I have a small George Forman but never use it... I will def have to start though!

 

[Stacy]

There are also alot of great recipes on this site as well...

Skinnytaste

 

[Candiceena]

So, one thing I have noticed - and I think I might be fairly unique in this - is that journaling online w/ an app just does not work for me. I have tried it in the past, and I just can't stick w/ it. For me, it seems time consuming. So this week I have taken to journaling just in a small 5x7 journal I bought. I have been writing down everything I eat (not counting the calories right now, just trying to get in the habit of writing everything down) and also writing down how I feel, or any random notes I think are important to remember.

Jen - do you journal by hand?

Do any of you other girls journal by hand?

Also, thanks Stacy for the link! I am going to check it out now!

 

[jengollf]

Yes--I tried the journal apps on my iPhone but I also prefer doing it by hand. I keep small notebooks. I found perfect ones at Staples--plastic cover, 200 pages, Staples brand, 5.5. X 4.25, wide spiral comb thing. I love it so I bought a bunch. And I have 8 years of food journals. I have a hard time parting with them for some reason. Even tho I create workout rotation calendars, I also record what workout I do every day in my food journal. This is useful for when I did/do programs; I can go back and look at how I ate. Keeps me honest when I see how I was eating when I got results!