By Lisa Spodak (ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com)
Provided by WorldNow
Week 47 Weigh In:
Change this week: -6.5 lbs
Change overall: -63 lbs
Phew! As convinced as I was that the 7 pounds I gained last week were more holiday bloat than "real" weight, and as much as I know the 6.5 pounds I lost this week were just the normalization after that bloat, I'm still incredibly relieved to be back on track and to be focused again after the holidays.
It's important to me to stress, though, that a 6.5 pound loss in a week is not "normal" and is not really a healthy goal for most people on any kind of diet. Some people may see similar losses at the very beginning of a new program or, like me, after a big gain - but experts say that 1-2 pounds per week is what we should really be striving for.
It's also important for me to emphasize that I didn't get back on track by starving myself or going to any kind of extremes. So, to that end, I'm going to do something that I haven't actually done before in this space which could be helpful - I'm going to reproduce my food diary for the week.
I'm not any kind of expert and I certainly can't promise that anyone who was to follow my meal plan would necessarily lose weight, but I thought it might be interesting to see and might also give you some ideas regarding your own plans.
Lisa's Food Diary (1/6 - 1/13)
Tuesday
(activity: 45 minutes on treadmill)
Breakfast: ½ Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Snack: 2 clementines
Lunch: Subway turkey breast sandwich on honey oat bread
Snacks: 6 Hershey's Kisses, 2 clementines
Dinner: Subway turkey breast sandwich on honey oat bread (other half from buying a foot-long at lunch!)
Snack: 3 crackers with artichoke dip, 3 small pieces of cheese
Wednesday
(activity: 45 minutes with personal trainer)
Breakfast: Microwaved egg whites with 1 slice Canadian bacon and one slice reduced fat cheese on Arnold Sandwich Thins
Snacks: 2 clementines, 4 Hershey's Kisses, 3 peppermint candies
Lunch: Toasted Subway roast beef sandwich with provolone
Snacks: 2 clementines, 5 Hershey's Kisses, 3 peppermint candies, ½ peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Pre-gym dinner: Other half of sub from lunch
Post-gym dinner: Moo Shoo chicken (no pancakes), 1 avocado
Snacks: 1 Weight Watchers lemon cake with lemon icing
Thursday
(activity: 60 minutes on treadmill)
Breakfast: Chocolate smoothie at the gym
Snacks: 6 Hershey's Kisses, 3 peppermint candies, 1 clementine
Lunch: Toasted Subway roast beef sandwich with provolone
Snacks: 2 clementines, ½ Arnold Sandwich Thin with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese and 1 slice Canadian bacon
Dinner: Sandwich Thin "Pizzas" (1 half with diced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, the other with avocado/tomato puree, steamed shrimp and mozzarella cheese)
Snack: 6 Hershey's Kisses, 6 peppermint candies
Friday
(activity: 60 minutes on treadmill)
Breakfast: ½ peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Snacks: ½ Arnold Sandwich Thin with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese and 1 slice Canadian bacon, 1 clementine, 5 Hershey's Kisses
Lunch: Turkey and Jarlsberg Lite cheese on Whole Wheat bread
Snacks: 1 clementine, Wellington whole wheat crackers, ½ Arnold Sandwich Thin with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese and 1 slice Canadian bacon
Dinner: Salad with tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms and ½ cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
Snacks: 9 Hershey's kisses, low-fat yogurt with a banana and Fiber One cereal
Saturday
Breakfast: Microwaved egg whites with 1 slice Canadian bacon and one slice reduced fat cheese on Arnold Sandwich Thins
Snacks: 2 Hershey's kisses, 3 peppermint candies
Lunch: Turkey breast and Jarlsberg Lite cheese with low-fat mayonnaise on whole wheat bread
Snacks: 3 peppermint candies
Dinner: Chicken fajita salad (at a restaurant), 1 chocolate-covered strawberry
Snacks: Frozen broccoli with butter sauce
Sunday
(activity: 90 minutes slow walking on treadmill, 30 minutes with personal trainer)
Breakfast: Mix of Cheerios and Fiber One cereals with strawberries, blackberries and fat free milk
Lunch: Turkey breast and Jarlsberg Lite cheese with low-fat mayonnaise on whole wheat bread
Snack: fudge top cookie, 3 peppermint candies
Dinner: 2.5 pieces of spanakopita, baba ghanoush, ¼ pita, 10 olives, tomato and cucumber salad, cooked beets, cooked broccoli, 2 Tim Tams
Snacks: Sun chips with hummus
Monday
Breakfast: Arnold Sandwich Thin with low-fat cottage cheese and Jarlsberg Lite cheese, 1 cup of fat free milk
Snacks: 3 Hershey's kisses, ½ Arnold Sandwich Thin with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese and 1 slice Canadian bacon
Lunch: Toasted Subway roast beef sandwich with provolone
Snacks: 6 peppermint candies, Hershey's 100 calorie Pretzel Bar, ½ Arnold Sandwich Thin with Jarlsberg Lite cheese
Dinner: 1 slice veggie pizza (at a pizzeria), side salad with low-fat Italian dressing
Snacks: 6 Hershey's kisses
Looking back over my diary reminds me why it's so important to keep one in the first place - I didn't realize until I looked at a bunch of days like this quite how many sweets I was eating! Luckily I lost weight this week, but, I'll definitely be making some changes in the week to come. I know snacking is an issue for me and my week might have gone even better if I'd stocked up on grape tomatoes and sliced peppers instead of Hershey's kisses and peppermint candies!
© iStockphoto/Graca Victoria
