Portion control to keep the weight off permanently

Hi all, thought I would share a few tricks to help you lose a massive amount of weight. Its no secret, its an oldie, but a goodie. That's right....portion control. I've read a dozen or so articles on this and have heard this tossed around the general fitness world and I tried to implement this to my schedule and failed so many time. This time around, I was motivated to finally get the body I always wanted since I was 19. So I went over what I was currently eating and cleaned up my diet 100%. I figured that the key to sticking to this was 1) motivation and 2) good planning. So I picked one day of the week (Sunday) to cook all my meals for the week so that I can eat every 3 hours, 6 times a day. I measure and portion everything out and put them into plastic containers and/or ziploc bags.

So far, I've lost 17 pounds. On my frame of 5'7" that is a LOT, so this definitely works for me. I now weigh 135 pounds and have about 19% bodyfat, down from about 30% bodyfat!! Obviously, a great exercise program in combination with this nutrition plan is key. You can work out intensely, but if you don't eat right, all your hard work will go down the drain. Its never 100%, its 110% and 90% is nutrition and 20% is exercise.

My typical meals per day:

Meal 1= 1/2 cup oatmeal with one scoop of vanilla whey protein topped with blueberries. 1/2 grapefruit and a 3 or 4 egg white omelet.

Meal 2= Turkey meatloaf or turkey chili with brown rice and green beans or broccoli with 1 tsp flax seed oil.

Meal 3= 8 almonds, one apple and some cottage cheese

Meal 4= 2 cups of spinach, topped with 4 oz chicken breast (boneless/skinless), 1/2 avocado, tomatoes and topped with lemon juice (no dressing!!) / or a protein shake + banana (on exercise days)

Meal 5=4 or 5 oz chicken breast grilled with lots of steamed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus or green beans usually)

Meal 6= Cottage cheese and ricecakes topped with natural peanut butter

This is just a typical day. Sometimes I switch things out because I get extremely sick of chicken as I don't eat any fish/seafood unfortunately. I know this looks like a lot of work, but if you pick one day to cook everything and bag it up for the week, they will be ready to go each morning before you head off to work or school. Once you get the routine going, I swear you will never look back especially once your see your waistline decreasing.

Again, just to stress this is recommended in conjunction with regular exercise. You will still see a noticeable difference if you just do the portion control and clean up your eating habits. Try to eat as clean as possible, and when I mean clean, I mean as natural and unprocessed as possible, no sauces, dressings, salt, or anything that can add hidden calories. As you can see from my above meal plan, this is a very high protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet. This macronutrient ratio is the key to weight loss success as protein helps with appetite control and to feed the muscles after a long workout. I am not saying to cut out carbs completely, just cut out anything that is processed and refined such as white rice, white pasta, white bread, etc. This is essential in weight loss, I can't stress this point enough. Complex carbohydrates are essential to fuel your workouts and to keep you from crashing in the middle of the day.

Not that you can't have you occasional treat. I really enjoy coffee, so I still drink this black in moderation along with a piece of chocolate every once in a while. I find that my will power is really good now so I can treat myself with a cheat meal once a week, but I no longer want to. I no longer have cravings for the things that used to be my downfall, such as white rice and white pasta and pizza. And the biggest plus is that I am no longer hungry. I always feel satisfied even when its time for the next meal. I eat to live now, not live to eat. Its a huge lifestyle change, but you must always tell yourself that "nothing ever tastes as good as thin feels".

Some good examples of various macronutrients:

Protein:
Lean chicken breast
Cod
Tilapia
Salmon
Turkey breast
Tofu
Beans
Extra lean beef
Cottage Cheese
Egg Whites

Carbohydrates:
Sweet potato
Brown rice
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Barley
Yams
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Asparagus
Green Beans
Courgette/Zucchini
Carrots
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Blueberries

Fats:
Avocados
Almonds
Olive oil
Flaxseed Oil

There's obviously much more you can use to eat clean, so feel free to ask any questions you may have about this plan. I hope this helps you get started on the right track. See you at the gym!!

xx
Ali