Days 19-22: My Pre-Wedding Nutrition Plan
PIN IT!
You want to be smiling on your wedding day, not worrying about whether you look “fat” in your dress!
As I promised earlier, this post will contain my pre-wedding diet plan, which will help me lose those last few pounds in a few short months before the wedding. However, this post also contains my new nutritional guidelines, which I plan to fully implement April 1st. The nutritional plan isn’t a drastic change from how I already eat [I pride myself on how well I eat already], but is a definite improvement. With this plan I will easily be able to shed those 15 pounds I want to and will work better with my body and my schedule. I’m positive that this way of eating will just make me feel better, lighter, stronger and more energetic [without the need for much caffeine!] I worked on it for 3 days [squeezed in between the bachelorette party craziness and long work hours] and feel really good about the end result. Not only will it work, it also fits into my lifestyle and will be easy to keep well past my big day. My pre-wedding diet is a much stricter version of my overall nutritional plan but will contain the same foods and meal ideas. How strict that plan is depends on what weight I find myself 8 weeks before my wedding.
If I want to lose 10 pounds [in 8 weeks], I will need to eat no more than 1,700 calories a day and should expect to lose about a pound and a half a week. To lose 15 pounds, I will eat 1,600 calories and lose up to one pound and 3/4. and to lose 20 pounds [I hope I don’t need to by then] I need to eat no more than 1,500 calories a day and should lose up to 2 and 1/4 pounds a week.
Now, before I share it all with you, I must first share my “rough draft” of my overall plan, which I scanned and is posted below. It’s really funny because, as you will see on page 2, my nutrition plan was written on an old recipe for green bean casserole! [Not quite the healthiest dish out there]. I also believe it shows my dedication and a little dash of my insane style of organization! Click the links to see the images!
Since very few people can read my handwriting, my actual nutrition guidelines are below. I am listing just a few examples for each meal. Keep in mind they are really flexible and are adapted to my lifestyle and my food preferences, so if you would like to emulate this plan, swap out your favorite foods or your favorite recipes where they are appropriate. A nutritional plan is supposed to be attainable and realistic, so feel free to adjust to fit your own lifestyle! However, a few simple rules to keep in mind. If you want to switch out certain foods for another [i.e. you don’t like broccoli] make sure to eat a food that is from the same family to ensure you are still getting the right amount of nutrients and minerals, and make sure to account for the extra calories the other food may have. [try not to switch veggies for carbs, or carbs for protein]. This plan includes 3 big meals, 2 snacks and a dessert, totaling around 1700 calories.
Another very good guideline to adhere to is the percentage of fat-to carb-to protein that your daily diet makes up. For the best results, follow these percentage ranges:
45% to 65% of calories eaten should come from carbohydrates. 20% to 35% of calories eaten should come from fat. 10% to 35% of calories eaten should come from protein*.
Nutritional Plan
Breakfast [all under 500 calories]
A well rounded breakfast is the key to any successful nutrition and weight loss plan.
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 1 cup frozen or fresh berries, I banana
- I cup of shredded wheat [or any high fiber, low sugar, wheat cereal: Kashi, Raisin Bran] with 3/4 cup light soy milk and 1/2 banana
- Spinach Mushroom Tomato Omlette [using egg whites, cherry tomatoes, reduced fat cheddar or mozzarella, and a dash of EVOO]. Served with two pieces of whole grain toast with 1 tsp. light margarine.
- Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes: Made with whole wheat flour, egg whites, applesauce, fat free milk and canola oil w/ 1 tsp. margarine and 1 tbsp. light syrup [or jam].
Snacks [for before and after lunch!]
Nuts like almonds and pistachios are a great snack because they are full of protein and fiber!
- Healthy trail mix: 4 cups of fat free popcorn, 2 tbsp. almonds, peanuts or pistachios, 1 tbsp. dried fruit, 1/2 tbsp. chocolate chips = 200 calories
- 1 large apple with string cheese or 1 tbsp. chunky peanut butter = 200 calories
- Any fiber one or Larabar of any flavor = less than 200 calories
- 100 calorie pack of popcorn
- Fruit [for grapes or cherries, stay within 30] =100 calories
- 7 whole wheat crackers with 1 small cheese bell [like laughing cow or babybell]
Snacks are so versatile and flexible that you can mix and match any combination and still stay under 200 calories. To get an idea on calorie counts for food favorites, check out the list below.
| Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta | Calories |
| ½ cup plain cooked instant oatmeal | 80 |
| 1 oz. Cheerios cereal | 110 |
| 1-cup cooked tender macaroni noodles | 115 |
| 1 twisted Dutch pretzel | 65 |
| 1 slice French bread | 100 |
| 1oz. shredded wheat cereal | 100 |
| Fruits | |
| 1 cup fresh blueberries | 80 |
| ½ cantaloupe melon | 95 |
| 1 cup unsweetened applesauce | 105 |
| 1 medium size banana or pear | 105 |
| Vegetables | |
| 1 cup mixed vegetables cooked | 105 |
| 1 ear corn on the cob (plain) | 85 |
| 1 cup squash (baked acorn or butternut) | 100 |
| 1 sweet potato baked/boiled and peeled | 115 |
| ½ cup frozen broccoli with cheese sauce | 116 |
| Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, and Nuts | |
| 1 fried egg | 90 |
| ¼ cup frozen egg substitute | 30 |
| 1 roasted chicken drumstick (1.5 oz.) | 75 |
| 1 Tablespoon peanut butter | 95 |
| 5 oz. Turkey breast (roasted, no skin) | 115 |
| 12-15 almonds | 110 |
| 2 Tablespoons pistachios (25) | 92 |
| Dairy, Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese | |
| 1 cup skim milk | 90 |
| 1 oz. Bleu cheese | 100 |
| 1 oz. Cheddar or Swiss cheese | 115 |
| 3 fl oz. fat-free vanilla ice cream | 100 |
| Sweet Treats | |
| 1 3.5 oz. brownie (from a box mix) | 160 |
| 1 cup hot cocoa (from a powdered mix) | 100 |
| 1 oz. hard candy or jelly beans | 100 |
| Fats, Oils and Sugars | |
| 1 Tablespoon Olive or Canola oil | 120 |
| 1 Tablespoon whipped butter | 80 |
| 1 Tablespoon regular mayonnaise | 99 |
| 1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise | 44 |
| 10 french-fries | 110 |
Lunch (all under 500 calories!)
A salad is a perfect option for a low fat, low calorie lunch!
- Tuna sandwich pita: Made with 1 tbsp light mayo, 1 tsp. spicy mustard, alfalfa sprouts and lettuce, I slice of cheese and banana peppers on a whole wheat pita
- Soup salad and bread: I cup of low sodium, low-fat soup [think Campbell’s Healthy Harvest Chicken Noodle] with 1 sourdough bread roll. Pair with a small side salad made up of mixed spinach, cherry tomatos, cheddar cheese and 1tsp. balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Frozen healthy choice meal [Healthy Choice steamer or Amy’s kitchen classic] with 12 veggie chips
- Roast turkey sandwich with roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese & mayo: Toast two pieces of bread [it’s best with sour dough or Asiago cheese] then assemble sandwich to your preference. I like to put a little dill on it as well for extra taste.
- Healthy Elvis: 2 tbsp crunch peanut butter, 1 sliced up banana, 1 tsp. honey + 1 large apple
Dinner [all under 600 calories!]
Load your dinner plate up with tons of vegetables and protein to keep hunger at bay all night!
- Home-made Chicken Noodle Soup with sourdough roll
- Spicy chicken pizza on whole wheat crust: Made with frozen whole wheat pizza dough, part-skim mozzarella cheese, low sodium soy sauce, grilled chicken breasts, chili pepper, grilled red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Bake the crust, add marinara sauce, add cheese on entire crust and add toppings to preference. I add a dash of buffalo sauce and chili pepper. Chicken stir fry with brown rice: Sautee grilled chicken with frozen stir vegetables in low sodium teriyaki sauce. Serve over brown rice.
- Stuffed turkey burgers on whole wheat buns with sweet potato fries: Ball ground turkey as you would a normal burger. Layer roasted red peppars and mozzarella cheese on top of one patty then cover with a second patty. Seal the edges so fillings don’t spill out. For the fries, cut up whole sweet potatoes, cover with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes until soft.
- Roast chicken with baby red potatoes and asparagus: Remember! Be sure to liberally “juice” chicken while it’s roasting to avoid dryness. A secret I like to do is to rub butter on the chicken before I roast it. It adds a good flavor!
- Whole wheat pasta with home-made marinara and turkey meatballs: To make marinara, follow the instructions below. For the meatballs, roll tiny balls out of ground turkey, roll in egg and then in breadcrumbs. Bake or fry to your taste.
- 5 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sm. bell pepper, diced
- 12 mushrooms, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 sm. zucchini, sliced
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. red cooking wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. basil
- 1/2 tbsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. sage
- Add all the ingredients together (except for the dry herbs) into a large pot on the stove.
- Simmer for about 2 hours. Add the dry herbs and simmer for another 1 to 2 hours.
- Use sauce on spaghetti, in lasagna, or with any other Italian dishes.
These are a just a few samples of meals that will compose my new 1700 calorie nutrition plan. Note, I have not included the calorie information for each dish [just ran out of time and space!] but if you are interested, please contact me and I will be happy to provide it for you 🙂
For more healthy recipes, visit www.eatingwell.com
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