Need a Food Plan Recommendation

[ivorygorgon]

Hopefully this doesn't get too long, but I want to give some background first.

I have maintained an 85 pound weight loss for about 6 years now. I lost the weight following Weightwatchers. I do still need to lose fat, probably about 20 pounds or so. I am not too concerned with increasing muscle weight (I am very muscular), but I want to maintain what I have.

I work out as follows: Spin 3-4 days a week (I just got certified to instruct, so this may increase in the future); weights 2 days a week; yoga - as needed for recovery; cycle outside 2 days a week - but I would really like to increase this. I just love being on my bike, and I would really like to be able to do a century. The furthest I have cycled so far is about 55 miles with 2400 feet of gain, and I was perfectly fine. I have a ride coming up which is 50ish miles with 3800 feet of gain.

What I want in a nutrition plan:

1. I need to fuel my body efficiently. I am fairly active so I need the proper fuel to feed my workouts.

2. I want to decrease the calories I am eating per day by an amount that will get me a slow weightloss - .5 to 1 lb per week.

3. It can't be a severely limited food plan - I just won't stick to it. I need a lot of variety. I am not willing to completely eliminate foods from my diet.

4. No supplements other than maybe a daily vitamin. I don't want to eat "foodlike" substances such as powders.

5. I need help with menu planning. At this point, I really need a lot of suggestions about what to eat every day. Maybe having a menu spelled out for me would be good for me at this point, but I have resisted that in the past.

Thanks for your patience with this post

Any suggestions???

 

[bitmover]

Check out the "newish" Mayo Clinic Diet Book, or whatever it's called. It's just very sensible, starting with eating lots of veggies and fruit, and then moving on from there. Good luck!

 

[nancy324]

I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist. I saw someone as a birthday gift to myself about 6 years ago. She had me keep a diary of everything I ate for a week before we met. She was very good about keeping foods I loved (and coffee!!) in as part of my eating plan. She gave me a written eating plan I could stick with for LIFE. No "diets". Just a good, sound eating plan that was simple to follow, tailored to my needs and my tastes. I still say it was the best $150 I ever spent.