Meal plan is going well for me. I have the same smoothie for breakfast each day (spinach, almond milk, banana, protein powder, flax, chia seed, cinnamon). I make bulk recipes Sunday's for lunch and dinner during the week. I write down anything I'm craving each week, and if I still want it by the weekend, I add a healthy version to my meal plan for the week.

I second Clean Eating mag, I've been a subscriber for years! I clip my favourite recipes from each issues, and have them stored in a big binder in those plastic sheet protector things. I flip through it on Fri/Sat if I'm not sure what to make for the upcoming week.

One thing that I am changing/tweaking is what I eat before workouts. I'm up at 5, and on the treadmill at the gym 5:45, weight training 6-7 am three days each week. I find myself getting nauseous, and one day dizzy, so I've been playing around with combinations of almonds, cashews, pear, banana, egg/egg white, toast with peanut butter. If anyone has any suggestions for preworkout snacks, please share! I definitely can't go in the am without eating, then I get really ill and have no energy.

I've also added a snack that I eat on my way home from work, usually just a pear or a banana. This helps me to push off dinner to 6pm, and to not be hungry before bedtime, voiding night time snacking. This week I hope to swap the fruit for a serving of veggies instead.

My job doesn't allow me to snack between meals, so 7 am breakfast, 12:30 lunch, and 6 pm dinner are pretty set in stone. I try to each complex carbs and foods that will take awhile to breakdown, so they give me longer energy. Ie. this week I will be making a bocconcini, cherry tomato, cucumber salad dish. Instead of the whole wheat pasta it calls for, I'll be adding wheatberries.

I agree with rachso, I find the message boards very motivating. So is the progress being made - I ran into an old coworker at the gym today, she hasn't seen me in about 6 months, and said "Wow! You look so happy! It looks like you've lost weight, you look great!". First person to notice besides my hubby, so yay!

I have to admit that my nutrition has been off the last few days. I've had a really busy hard week and this next one coming up is going to be even harder. My husband is out of town for work, so I'll be working full time, acting as a single parent for the week and trying to find time to workout. I'm going to try to plan as many things ahead of time as I can and healthy food is on top of the list. I may not be able to squeeze in a workout more than 2-3 times this week, so my nutrition needs to be right on.

Today I plan on going to the grocery store and making dinner tonight for left overs for the rest of the week. I usually have a kashi whole grain waffle with peanut butter before I go to the gym then do a smoothie for breakfast while I'm driving to work. I'll have a salad for lunch and snacks will be fruits and veggies. I'll also be doubling up on my water.


Everyone is doing great and I really like having a group that helps motivate!

Lindsey, you know how to create a plan for success!!! Sometimes we don't think about cutting back a little if we are not working out. If you have limited time for working out this week, you can try some of the HIIT workouts on YouTube. They are fabulous for burning a lot in a short amount of time. Some are only 20 minutes. You are doing well, and will be loose in your pre-baby clothes in no time. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for the reminder of a HIIT workout! Sometimes I forget that you can get a good workout in a short amount of time! Today I did Turbo Fire HIIT 20 and felt so good I went ahead and did the Turbo Fire HIIT 15 too!