Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity 3 - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Plan

kaliswalker

5% Challenge date Saturday, July 20th

It’s time to decide what diet you can follow for 8 weeks. Your diet will determine what you eat, how often, how much and calories. There are many to choose from – Flexitarian, Volumetrics, South Beach, Weight Watchers, American Heart Association, DASH, Diabetes Diet, Keto, Vegan, Mayo Clinic, USDA Diet, Canada Food Guide, Dukan, Paleo, The Full Plate Diet or whatever else you choose. You need a plan that works for you, with food that you like. Browse online for new recipes and have them ready. Regardless of the plan you choose, learn and follow the set of standard guidelines recommended by the plan. But all weight loss diets come down to the same thing a calorie deficit. That's the magic!

Set yourself up for success with a weekly menu plan complete with recipes attached, then it will be easier to make the shopping list to include the foods you need for those meals. It helps when you are shopping for specific things and it improves impulse control in the food store (keeps the junk food out).

Following a weekly menu, the plan gives you control over your eating and calories. You empower yourself to make better choices and have better overall impulse control. Enjoy the foods you eat, as they are making you healthier and helping you attain your goals. Be ready to try new foods or new ways to prepare food.

Now is the time to make friends with MFP tracker. (right click to open new tab) https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary

New - 12 DIY Kitchen Projects to Clean Up Your Eating Habits (right click to open new tab) https://bit.ly/30CUdWS

There are great low calorie meals ideas all over the internet. Enjoy finding them.

Check list

Do you know what diet you will follow?
Have you followed this diet before?
Found some recipes?
Grocery list?
Do you have the food on hand to get started?
Shop?
Did you clean up your kitchen?
Did you post your 5% Challenge Diet Commitment on your blog or here?

Summer Pre-Challenge Activities for your reading or participation

Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity 1 - Welcome!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10918421/countdown-pre-challenge-activity-1-welcome#latest
Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #2 - SET SOME 🥅GOALS🥅!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10918557/countdown-pre-challenge-activity-2-set-some-goals#latest

cormierannie

i will follow the Canada Food Guide. I have followed this diet before. i came across a cookbook given to me by a friend of mine with heart healthy recipes. i will be giving those recipes a try. i do have quite a bit of the food on hand to get started. i made a grocery list to get what i do not have. i will be going later on this afternoon to get the groceries i have not yet gotten and need. i got started on cleaning up my kitchen. i will continue to work on that more this week. i posted the diet commitment here.

bbonet3

Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity 3 - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Plan

I don't follow a diet but try to track what I eat and watch my carb intake.

Evamutt

I do my own diet of mostly healthy foods I enjoy & some treats to balance it out. I have the same lunch every day 90% of the time of a breakfast sandwich made with Egg Beaters, slice of low fat cheese, couple slices of ham on a buttered english muffin. Our main meal has always been chicken/turkey, pork, some beef/fish in that order with side dishes of mostly veggies/potatoes, salads, sometimes rice. My main snack is yogurt/cottage cheese. Treat is mostly chocolate, I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I I might have a piece of cake/cookie at a birthday celebration or potluck. Occasionally I'll have chips or thin pretzel sticks or veggies straws. I'll have seasonal fruit but I'm not a big fruit eater. occationally I'll make a smoothie. My main drink is water, coffee & herbal tea . I do like to try new recipes sometimes too but mostly during the cold weather

Ceriusly1

Bump

macrat12

My food plan is simply tracking macros and every thing I eat and drink.

lavalily

I generally follow a low carb/moderate protein/moderate fat diet. I've been on this kind of diet for years and it's the reason I've stayed around my goal weight for at least 15 years. My 5% Challenge Diet Commitment is the same as always - to stay within 4 pounds of my goal weight.

130StrongerEachYear

Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity 3 - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Plan

I have been successful to this point with Intermittent fasting - eating between noon and 6 PM every day. And then a healthy Keto eating plan:

• Generally a large salad with 6 to 8 cups of greens, 4 ounces of protein - generally 2 to 4 ounces of chicken and a little cheese. Sometimes for something crunchy to replace croutons I sometimes use parmesan crisps that I break up into the salad. I can include a small amount of fruit and nuts sometimes. Then I use a light balsamic dressing.
• Dinner is 6 ounces of protein - shrimp, salmon, grass fed beef, hardboiled eggs, or chicken with at least 2 cups of vegetables of some type.
• I am going to work on getting leaner protein and using less butter and increasing the amount of protein at each meal. I have had a pattern of my fat going a little over target and protein coming in under target

Have a Great and Healthy Day!!!

Marileighea

I follow a moderately low-cal, higher protein diet: this seems to suit me.😎

renae149

MY goal is to get back to clean eating. Cutting out most processed foods. I will start with cutting back to 1500 calories and keep track of those calories. This has worked well for me before.

Patti241

I will follow my own plan of watching my calorie intake and my sodium intake. No specific diet.

gouldsgranite

One thing we (DH and me) started and will continue; we've suspended eating at restaurants. Sometimes our family wants to go out and we go, simply make healthy choices. We have both noticed improvements in nutritional intake and a help in digestion.
We eat a heart healthy diet, most meals, 2 legged or no legged protein. Fill half our plate with veggies, limit sugar and salt intake. Our usual dinner meal is enriched cereal, bran flakes or mini wheats. Helps quell our sweet tooth. Our afternoon meal is our largest. Mornings we normally have a protein smoothie with fruit and veggies added.
Fruit, fresh veggies and popsicles are our snacks.
This is the best we've ever eaten. We have both made it to a maintenence weight. It is currently what works for us.

marg750me

I will follow my own eating plan. I have a recipe box of favorite recipes and a bunch of things I know how to make healthy. I have most food on hand. I also have 98% of my Mediterranean, diabetic and heart healthy menus from eDiets, plus many healthy cookbooks. So I REALLY, REALLY have no excuse for not eating right. OH I finally got a digital kitchen scale

joywilson383

I follow the Mediterranean diet, I also track what I eat and drink. I am also thinking about getting back into Weight Watchers.

SparkSpringtime69

I'll be following a mostly vegan diet, (some cheese may occasionally slip in). I've followed it before, and I always lose weight when I follow 100%. I have plenty of recipes, many are ones that I've tried and liked, and I have a small stack of new ones to try every once in a while.
My kitchen is already cleaned up from the last challenge, and I have food on hand to begin tomorrow.
As far as food goes, my main commitment during this challenge is to cut back on the processed foods.

BodyTalking

I'm not following a set diet but aim to stay well within caloric deficit. I will pay attention to the idea of metabolic plating and getting an appropriate division of macros and fibre.

I have already cut out sweets and chocolate (I don't miss them yet) but allow myself ice cream on hot days.