I remember my first meal plan and I choose to work with the experts at Max Muscle in Bellevue, NE. I got to know Matt Showalter through networking opportunities that the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce offered. The reason that I decided to try a meal plan was that I was just coming off of a 10-week session with Farrell’s Extreme Body Shaping. I was curious to see how much body fat I could lose if I were to combine the FXB 10-week program with a “real” meal plan. Let’s just say that I saw huge results from the combination of kicking ass 6 days a week at Farrell’s and eating clean with Matt. Here are 8 tips to get you started with eating clean.
- Contact a Local Expert: Have your measurements taken. (Like anything you do, you must know your starting point).
- Research and Read Up: Learn about healthy food choices like lean meats, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Another option to make it easy on yourself is to hire a certified nutritionist. Someone who will help hold you accountable for what you are eating and educating you on how and what you should be eating.
- Clean out all “Junk Food”: The big Purge your pantry and bar. What is considered junk food? Sodas, alcohol, chips, dips, cookies, meals from a box, surgery snacks, candy, and the list goes on and on but you get the point.
- Buy Plenty of To-Go Containers: Look for containers that are microwaveable and dishwasher safe.
- Make Your Meal Plan: If you are trying to do this without a nutritionist I would suggest you sit down and plan out 3-5 breakfast items, 2-3 snacks choices, and 6-10 meals that you enjoy eating. Make it easy on yourself and just use Pinterest to start. (Don’t get crazy with your meals, you must remember that food is fuel for our bodies and we don’t need 5-star meals. Decide which day you will plan your meals, buy your food, and prep your meals. Yes, you can do this all in one day but that would be overwhelming. I plan and order my groceries online on Thursday for a Friday pick up, and then depending on what the family has going on, I decide if I will prep food on Saturday or Sunday.
- Prep Your Food: Prep all of your food for the work week including breakfast, snacks, and lunches. I like to cook dinner every night at home with the kiddos so I don’t prep out my dinners but you certainly could.
- Track What You Eat and Drink: Track everything each and every day. Even track your “cheats” like sweets, sodas, and alcohol.
Planning, shopping, and prepping is half of the battle. The other half is eating the food that you prepped. I have been food prepping for over 3 years now. To be honest, this is tough but it does get easier. I promise! You will have days that you don’t feel like grocery shopping or food prepping. Just remember if this was easy everyone would do it. Believe in yourself, believe in your goals, and tell yourself everyday that YES, YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!
