What I Eat- Healthy Meal Ideas

My Weight Loss Story

Soooo…grab a latte and a blueberry scone, or maybe a black coffee and avocado toast ;-), and get ready for a read. A long one. Because I must first start with the longest preface in the history of blog prefaces…

First things first, what I really wanted to title this blog post was “What I Know I Should and Need to Eat to Lose Weight So I Am Using This Blog Post to Get Re-Motivated- Meal Ideas”. But there’s this thing called Google and SEO and Google thought that was a terrible title and too long so I changed it.

Next, I am not a nutritionist, a dietician, a weight loss professional or even anyone incredibly tiny. I am just a girl who lost 100 lbs about six or seven years ago and wrote a blog post about it and a whole lot of you saw it and keep e-mailing me for meal ideas.

And finally, I am not a food blogger. Nor a chef. Nor a food photographer. I actually do not like to cook. At all. So I am sharing THE easiest meal ideas EVER!!!

So now that I have covered the fact that I am NOT a professional, I would like to share my unprofessional thoughts and advice. I really truly think and would quite possibly swear that 90%+ of losing weight is what and how you eat. Yes, this is coming from a girl who does not love to work out and who has never and most likely will never run a marathon. However, it’s also coming from a girl who lost a lot of weight without mega working out. I DO however believe that it’s super important and that being tone and building muscle will help assist in weight loss. But I promise you, watch what you eat and watch the pounds fall off.

Next in my unprofessional advice series, I personally do not believe in taking supplements, weight loss pills or anything like that to successfully lose weight AND keep it off. This is all coming from someone who tried it ALL. I think you can lose weight that way but when it’s lost super quickly and in that manner, I think that your metabolism becomes shot from losing weight so fast. And most importantly, you don’t actually learn how to eat which is why you gained it all in the first place.

As I said before, about six years ago I went from 220 lbs (yes, I just wrote that for the world to see) to 120 lbs. I did not crash diet, I did not take pills, I did not seek professional help and I did not… not eat. I simply got rid of every single thing in our refrigerator and pantry, read an awesome book that truly taught me how to eat and became 110% determined to lose weight. I think each of these three things are SO important. So let’s chat about those…

I would venture to say that if you’re reading this, you may need to lose a pound or two or twenty or maybe even a hundred. And I would also venture to say that your will power is nill to none. Well, if not you, that is most definitely me! Well let me tell you, so long as you leave snacks in your pantry, you will not lose the weight. Period. As I said before, this is ALL from personal experience. Get rid of it ALLLLLLL. And yes, I promise your kiddos will learn to eat healthier too! My kids are GREAT eaters and they eat the EXACT things that we eat every single night. Next on my top three list is learning how to eat. Whether it’s the book I read or any other method of learning nutrition, it is CRUCIAL to learn what is healthy and what is not. I was honestly shocked at how bad some of the things were that I was eating and had thought were at least somewhat healthy. As I said in my last post, one thing I learned most is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. I rarely buy anything in the middle aisles. And if I do, it’s mostly for my kiddos! And last but not least, get motivated. Whether it’s for confidence, for health reasons or just that you want to see a lower number on the scale, whatever the case may be… YOU have to be the one to decide that YOU want to lose weight, that YOU are going to eat better and that YOU are going to keep yourself motivated.

It’s now been close to seven years and I have, for the most part, kept off all of the weight that I lost. I fluctuate between 120 and 130 lbs but today I am 134 so I am in mega “get motivated mode” once again. I have found that once you have lost the weight, it is MUCH easier to keep off and being overly obsessive about what you eat is not AS crucial. I still try and eat really clean during the week and then splurge a little on the weekends. If we got out to eat one weeknight, I will drink a shake that day for lunch. It isn’t super easy but it’s possible. It’s all about getting into a routine. A routine that is easy and doable for you!

Routine… we stay super duper busy. And that is honestly what has caused me to gain beyond my weight range. I give myself that range to allow room for vacations and Holidays and everything in between. The reason that I personally obsess over a number is that I know how hard it was to get to that point. To get to 120lbs. And I know that for me it is easier to lose 5-10 than to get back up and lose 50+ lbs again. Like I said, this is all MY story, MY experience and MY decisions. So back to my routine… I do not like to cook. I do not like to grocery shop and I do not have time to mega meal plan. I figured out six years ago that I do well with finding something healthy that I love, buying a ton of it, and then eating it for breakfast and lunch (two different meals) every single day. Until I get tired of it. It makes everything easier for me that way. I do the same with snacks and almost the same with dinners except I do maybe 3-4 dinners for every 2-3 weeks.

Here’s a look at my last grocery shopping trip as well as this first 2-3 weeks worth of meal and snack ideas! Check back again in in a couple of weeks for Round 2!

BREAKFAST

I am obsessed with avocados! I eat at least one entire avocado every single day and this is my favorite breakfast! It is super quick and easy and I usually pop it onto a paper plate and take it with me as I rush out the door.

Avocado Toast

7 Sprouted Grains Bread

1/2 Avocado

A Splash of Lemon or Lime Juice

A Dash of Salt & Pepper

Simply toast a piece of bread, scoop out half of an avocado and spread it onto the bread and finish it off with a splash of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper!

LUNCH

I know I overuse the word “obsessed” but I am OBSESSED with these salads. So much so that I typically have to pop by two grocery stores over the course of the week to find enough bags of it!

Superfood Salad

One Bag Kale Chopped Salad (I omit the croutons)

One Avocado

10 Cherry Tomatoes

Meat of Your Choice (I use a leftover from the night before)

Mix it all together and then top it off with the meat of your choice! I save half of the salad before adding the meat for a dinner side that evening.

 SNACK IDEAS

Small Handful of Pistachios

Slice of Fresh Mozzarella

Banana w/ 1-2 Tbsp Peanut Butter or Almond Butter

Mini Peppers w/ Hummus

Carrot Chips w/ Hummus

Small Piece of Fruit

CHEAT OPTION

I always buy myself one, under 100 calorie, cheat option for random nights when the kiddos want to go to Brusters or I am feeling blah or I feel like ravaging the pantry on a hunt for anything containing sugar.

DINNER

This is one of my faves! My kiddos absolutely love it too… minus the lettuce wrap part for Winnie 😉

Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

3-4 Chicken Breasts

15-20 Grape Tomatoes

1/2-1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

One Small Onion

One Package Lettuce

A Small Handful of Seeds (not pictured)- I love adding Pepitas!

Cook the chicken until tender. I love cooking it in the crockpot on low for 2-3 hours because it shreds so easily! Once it has cooled, shred or dice the chicken. Slice a small onion and a package of grape tomatoes. Add 1/2-1 cup plain greek yogurt and mix well. Add sliced onions, tomatoes, seeds and any other healthy ingredients you love!

Taco Bowl

One Package Ground Turkey or Chicken

One Small Onion

Salsa

One Avocado

Simply brown the ground turkey or chicken and top it off with a diced onion, sliced avocado and a spoon full of salsa!

Thank you so much again for all of the love for my Weight Loss Post! I will be answering more of your questions about my tummy tuck as well as sharing new meal ideas in the coming weeks!

DEAL OF THE DAY!

Jack Rogers Sandals ONLY $29!!!

XOXO, Brittany Hayes