Accidentally on Purpose (part 2)
In my last post I shared with you what our living situation looked like for 10 weeks at the beginning of the pandemic: we were nine family members living on an island off the Gulf Coast of Florida that was accessible only by boat. We were shopping for groceries on the mainland only once a week, and eating almost all our meals and snacks at home. And we discovered firsthand how making a food plan (and being forced to stick with it!) would ultimately help my husband lose 20 pounds.
Today I want to share Brian’s story: what he ate each day, what he was doing for exercise, and how we created a family dynamic that helped support him.
Let’s start by looking at a typical day for Brian:
•Morning walk 3 miles
•Breakfast:
1 Ezekiel brand cinnamon raisin muffin with 2T peanut butter and a cup of blueberries (435 calories)
•Snack:
Apple slices+1oz cheese; plain Greek yogurt with 1/2c blue berries; or sometimes he skipped this snack if he was overly busy with work. (150-200 calories)
•Lunch:
1c (prepared) quinoa or couscous with 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup cucumbers, 5-6oz chicken, and 1/4c crumbled feta cheese (550 calories)
•Snack:
Varied, usually around 150-200 calories. Pretzels and peanut butter; a handful of almonds and berries; or a serving of Old Florida tortilla chips and pico de gallo. (A serving is 10 chips. He would count them, and legit has more willpower than me.)
•Dinner:
Varied but usually involved baked fish or fowl and lots of vegetables—some fresh, others steamed or sautéed in butter. (5-700 calories)
•Evening walk 1-2 miles
Some notes on dinner: We did have red meat at least once a week and we made pizza from scratch a few times. Burgers or meatballs were often made with ground turkey, a substitution that no one in our family seemed to mind. Bread was rare. We looked for complex, high fiber carbs in the form of sprouted grain muffins, potatoes, corn, or—once a week—pasta. I made my own ‘fries’ but they were baked. He had a few light beers or glasses of wine, maybe 3-4 servings total over the course of the week.
At 212 pounds to start, Brian was now eating around 2000-2200 calories a day, about 500 less than his resting metabolic rate. Paired with an average of 500 calories burned through exercise, he was at a caloric deficit of 1000 calories a day. Brian made fairly large cuts, but never felt hungry.
Of course there were some (delicious!) deviations from that routine. Sunday breakfast for our family was palachinki (a thin, Slovakian pancake similar to a crepe). I taught my nephew how to make my sugar cookies. My son turned 14 and we celebrated with cake. Heck, our German shepherd turned 3 and we celebrated with cake!
Celebrations happen. The key for us was making choices. Choose to take a longer walk after a particularly filling or off-plan meal. Try to enjoy them when you know you can eat more cleanly before and after.
We roll a slice of bacon or add berries in our palachinki.
Yes, it’s amazing.
What else was going on behind the scenes?
We were keeping hydrated. Aim for 8-12 glasses a day, more if you are exercising. I started my day with coffee and often ended it with wine, but only water in between. Brian, again with more will power, only drinks water. He occasionally had a light beer or a glass of wine with me but not every day. We also do not buy juice or soda. I love sparkling waters like Spindrift, Bubly, and Lacroix.
We were fasting 12 hours. We are early risers so generally eat 7am-7pm and typically only have water after 7.
We cut down on unimportant choices, and saved the decisions for when it counted. Brian’s meals and snacks were pretty routine in the early part of the day. He had a plan for what he was going to eat, and he stuck with it. That laid a solid foundation for the day, and helped keep him out of decision-fatigue territory.
We chose substitutions that allowed wiggle room for when he did want to enjoy a treat. Ground turkey, at half the calories of beef but identical protein, made for a lighter dinner- and a more flexible back drop for dessert.
The rest of the household was on board with Brian’s meal plan. No one was undermining him.
Having a daily routine helped reinforce Brian’s food and exercise regimen.
In the coming posts, I’ll go into more detail on the social and emotional aspects of setting up a food plan, as well as take a look at some ways to plan out and manage your caloric budget. What do I suggest you do now? Take a big breath. You’ve just read a lot of words. Have a drink of water and consider taking these next actions.
Step 1: Remove the temptations from your home.
It’s pretty simple. If it does not exist, you cannot eat it. With co-inhabitants I know this can be a massive hurdle. Perhaps create a ‘no go zone’ that is not at your eye level.
Step 2: Fill your fridge with healthy snack options. Triple double bonus points if you prep them in advance.
Brian’s favorite go to snack is blueberries. They are tasty, full of fiber, have a low glycemic index, and aside from a quick rinse they are ready to go. Having healthy options you enjoy at your disposal makes the choice so much easier when you are feeling impulsive.
Step 3: Identify your triggers.
Over eating or drinking can be a psychological response to stress. Unfortunately, some foods (sugar, white flour, salt, processed meats and alcohol, among others) can actually cause more stress by increasing inflammation and the production of stress hormones. When in a relaxed state, create a plan with healthy alternatives when those triggers present themselves. The key is to create a new pathway for your brain to deal with stress. We will talk more about this later because this topic truly merits it owns post.
Step 4: Make time for movement.
Brian saw weight loss success with just 4 to 5 miles of walking each day. Don’t worry about jumping into an intense workout plan right off the bat. Instead, choose a moderate exercise/activity that suits you and your circumstances, and make a commitment to do it regularly.
Step 5: Trust the Process.
It can be tempting to dive in and want to immediately make All. The. Changes. The goal, however, is to build a sustainable lifestyle. This is not a quick fix diet. Making sudden and drastic changes, denying ourselves, and pushing too hard at the gym can have a negative affect on not only our bodies, but also our minds. It can also set us up for failure. Remember, slow and steady.
I will follow up with more details for Steps 3 and 5, as well as looking at your diet as a budget, in the next few posts. For now, keep thinking about those goals and what sustainable choices you can make to accomplish them.
You CAN do this. You are worth it!