Eat Frequently

So I said the other day that you should be aiming to eat every 3-4 hours. I learned this from one sources or another, but in reality it is probably something my body has been trying to tell me forever.

The reality of it is even when you are just planning for three meals a day, you probably still are having 5 to 6 meals. If I think back to when I was in school- there was breakfast before class, lunch somewhere in the middle, and then obviously dinner. Then there are those things you eat that you don't even think about because you just grab them as you go along. So I've been eating 5-6 meals for a long as I can remember.

As all through high school, college, and the few years after college I was overweight from all this eating that I wasn't even thinking about- I was just do it. Now the much wiser Jen, for the last year and a half anyways, as been purposely planning 5-6 meals for each day.

At first I used examples I found on health websites or health magazines to guide how to set up an appropriate meal plan for my goal of losing weight. Now I've gained a better idea of what to include so I do most just considering the food in the house or what I'm craving. Yes, I said it I can still incorporate cravings as part of my meals because I don't just eat a salad- actually I rarely eat just a salad.

The weekend is just one day away (Yeah!), and that's a good time to give this a try. Before you do you're grocery shopping this weekend, sit down and think about what you're going to eat. I don't just mean for dinner, think about each meal and snack. I have created a spreadsheet that is basically a blank grid that I complete listing each day of the week (Sunday- Saturday) and each meal. The meals are typically as follows: Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, and post-workout.

Don't be afraid to have repetitive breakfasts, snacks, or lunches- make sure it's food you enjoy and that is healthy for you. Then create a shopping list and hit the store. It actually makes life really easy during the week because you don't need to worry about whether you'll have enough food. If you need an idea of where to begin just let me know and I'd be happy to send you my plan for the week.

Tonight's Dinner

Tilapia with acorn squash. Originally I had planned to eat a sweet potato but I had to switch that to lunch because I need a stove to cook the squash. So next time I need to plan ahead and roast the squash the night before. Either way super yummy!

You might have also noticed when seeing my dinners I haven't been including the typical carb, I probably once thought was unavoidable. Well the reasoning behind that has been Cooler 1, but it also helps me to realize I don't really need a carb to complete the meal. If I am going to eat a carb it will only be on a workout night, when my body is working to repair my muscles.

Have a good night!