I'm Not Losing Weight, I'm Getting Rid of It ... My Master Plan!

I have been struggling with those last 10lbs of baby weight, also known as the vanity weight.  I have done really well so far, I just cant shed those last pounds.  When I lose a few of them, I always seem to find them again.  Well NO MORE!!!

Today is day one of my new diet plan, and sticking to it every single day!!  The beauty of this meal plan is you can eat whatever you want, it's just all about moderation.  If I want to eat cake, I can eat cake, I just need to either work out, or cut back in other areas.  The best solution to my love for cake, cookies and chips, is to work out.

Here is my plan

My personal goal is to be within the 1200-1500 calorie range everyday.   If you eat the right foods, this is very very manageable.  Since I am trying to lose weight I will try to stay closer to 1200 calories per day.  By having a range up to 1500 calories, if I go over, I wont necessarily lose weight, but I also wont find any either!  Obviously if I burn 500 calories running, I can eat/drink an additional 500 calories that day.

You need to set a calorie range that is appropriate for your current weight, lifestyle, body type and weight loss goal.  Eating too few calories will send your body into starvation mode and you will begin storing fat rather than getting rid of it!!!!

1200-1500 Calories broken up into 3 meals and 2 snacks, how does that look for each meal?

Breakfast - 300-350 calories

2 snacks - 100-150 calories each

Lunch-  - 350-400 calories

Dinner - 350-500 calories

I am a visual person. I like organization and I like charts.  I created the following chart so I can see how many calories I can consume, and select foods from each column to meet my caloric goal for that meal.  Breakfast and dinner are set up nicely.  You can select one thing from each column for every meal.  I didn't organize lunch that well, but you get the point.

Breakfast	100 Calories	80 Calories	70 Calories	50/60 Calories
300-350 Calories	Toast (2 slices)* Banana (medium) Grapefruit	Egg (1 whole) Peanut butter (1tblsp) Pineapple (1 cup)	Orange (medium) Honeydew (1 cup)	Cantaloupe (1 cup) Skim Milk (1/2/ cup) Strawberries (1 cup)
Snack	100 Calories
100-150 Calories	Broccoli + Hummus 100 Calorie Snack packs	Turkey Peperoni (2 sticks)	1 cup of fruit	Apple Orange banana
Lunch	250 Calories	200 Calories	150 Calories
350-400 Calories	Sandwich** Sweet Pepper and Tomato Soup (campbells)	Butternut Squash Soup  (Baxters)	Sweet Potato   Cauliflower Soup (homemade)
Snack	100 Calories
100-150 Calories	Broccoli + Hummus 100 Calorie Snack Packs	Turkey Pepperoni (2 sticks)	1 cup of Fruit	Apple Orange Banana
Dinner	120 Calories	120 Calories	40 Calories	60 Calories
350-500 Calories	Chicken  (4oz) Ground Turkey (1/2 cup) Salmon (4oz) Haddock  (1.5 pieces) Shrimp (4.5 oz)	Pasta (1/2 cup) Rice (1/2 cup) Quinoa (1/2 cup) Sweet Potato (medium)	Broccoli –raw (1 cup) Baby Carrots  (3 oz) Cauliflower (1.5 cups) Tomato (1 medium) Bell Peppers (1 cup) Brussel Sprouts (1 cup) Cucumber (2.5 cups)	Hummus (2 tblsp) Black beans (1/4 cup) Pinto Beans (1/4 cup) Pasta Sauce (1/4-1/2cup)
TOTAL CALORIES 1200- 1,550 * I use Dempters calorie wise bread or weight watchers bread. 2 slices = 100 calories **  my sandwich is typically low calorie bread, turkey/ham, hummus, mustard, cucumber, banana peppers, spinach/lettuce and tomato How do I keep track of the calories I consume and burn?  myfitnesspal.  I have the app on my iPhone, but you can also access it online.  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/  It is a handy little app.  You can sign up with your friends and it gives you updates on if they worked out, if they logged all their meals.  Just a little extra push and motivation!!  If you need a buddy, leave me your email address and I will send you a friend request via myfitness pal! Good luck to anyone who decides to join me on this adventure!! JoJo!!