To do that, I'm going to go with a vegetarian diet for the month of April. This will also be a fantastic way to find new ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, which will carry over into the following months.
I want to focus on cardio for exercise this month to really jump start the weight loss and get results that will help keep the motivation there. (The first month is always the hardest, seeing results really helps push past that motivation block, right? lol) I'll bring in strength training later so as not to be all skin once the weight is gone. ;) I really want to have fantastic muscle tone and definition! (Without being mannish. Let's not go overboard now. hahaha)
Like I said, my meals are SUPER simple. I don't have time for a lot prep work and cooking. I also figure it keeps cost WAY down. And while I'm re-training my body to eat less and eat healthy, I'm keeping it the same meals for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner for a week at a time. Also a great cost saving measure. The dinners I've chosen will be so easy to just make a bunch of and separate into portion sizes for each meal for the week.
I came across this blog by Alicia Silverstone (yes THAT Alicia), who is a strict vegan. There were some really good looking recipes on there that I've linked to for some dinners.
Here we go!
Week 1
Breakfast: Greek yogurt, string cheese & a fruitSnack: 2oz almonds
Lunch: Spinach salad, hard boiled egg (no yolk), poppy seed dressing (you really don't need a lot of dressing with this one. Trust me. Brianna's is the best brand I've come across)
Snack: Kashi crackers, Laughing Cow cheese wedge
Dinner: Spaghetti squash with marinara sauce
Week 2
Breakfast: Oatmeal (I found this amazing instant oatmeal called Oat Fit. I found it at Harmon's on sale for 50¢ a box, with 5 packets per box.)Snack: Apple
Lunch: Gardenburger on Orrowheat bread
Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Spinach & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Make a bunch, separate into containers for each night's meal.)
Week 3
Breakfast: Protein shake (2 scoops vanilla or chocolate powder, 1 cup water, frozen berries, oatmeal, scoop of peanut butter. You can add some Greek yogurt to give it a creamier, smoothy type texture.)Snack: Grapes, string cheese
Lunch: Baked potato
Snack: Hummus & pita chips (there is a roasted red pepper hummus in the grocery stores that is SOO good!)
Dinner: Bean & cheese enchiladas
Week 4
Breakfast: 2 egg whites/1egg scrambled, low carb tortilla, 1-2 tbsp salsaSnack: Orange
Lunch: Salad
Snack: Cauliflower/broccoli with poppy seed dressing
Dinner: Whole wheat lasagna with Italian "sausage"
For exercise do anything that gets your heart rate up! :) Speed walk, jog, elliptical, dance. . . the sky is the limit on this one! I'll be doing the exercise bike and working out to a dance workout video I have. Do it for at LEAST a half hour everyday. If you need to, start slow and work your way up. Back when I was working with my trainer, he would have me go fast for 3 minutes, medium/slowish for two minutes. Repeat. Another way to not let your body plateau within the workout itself. I found that doing it that way, I was able to go a lot longer as well. Which only helps, right?
I'd love to hear if you have any great vegetarian recipes or resources that you've come across as well. I got a few a while ago on my facebook page. I'm sure there are tons out there! Feel free to substitute here and there. I know I'm crazy, not only because I dislike chocolate, but because I love broccoli and cauliflower as well. hahaha So if things like that aren't for you, definitely do what feels comfortable.
Let me know how you do as we go along the month of April!
