Plan for Healthy Eating

I am really focusing on eating in a sustainably healthy way this year.  I am all about reaching for the easiest snacks and usually that means sugar and carbs.  I am committed to changing my habits enough that I can eat relatively well without having to plan every meal - I don't want to have to keep track of what I eat for the rest of my life!

To help me with keeping track of what I am eating now I started using an app on my phone called fatsecret.  It sounds weird but it is one of the few apps that could be used on Apple, Windows and Android phones.  The app program is pretty basic but keeps track of food, exercise and weight - and you can log-on using a computer to have access to groups and recipes, plus a bunch of other community type stuff.  The two things I like about this program is that you can create a group and see what your friends are doing (which helps with keeping you on track), and I like that it breaks down not just the Calories - but the Fats, Carbs and Protein as well. 

The only thing missing is the ability to track how many servings you have had so you can keep on track.  I made a quick daily checklist I keep in my Kindle cover so I can keep it on hand.  So far (Halfway through the first day lol), it seems like this is a system I can use to get into the habit of eating all those different food groups! :)

The other thing I have worked on to help me get on track is to create a pretty structured meal plan for work.  My co-workers and I all agreed to follow the same plan for breakfast, snacks and lunch.  This will help since we all hold each other accountable.

Here's a breakdown of our plan:

Breakfast:  Fruit Smoothies - 3 servings of Fruit, 1/2 serving of Dairy
                  1/2 Whole Grain English Muffin - 1 serving of Whole Grain
                  1/2 Tbsp Cream Cheese - 1/4 serving of Dairy

Snack 1:  1/2 Whole Grain English Muffin - 1 serving of Whole Grain
                1/2 Tbsp Cream Cheese - 1/4 serving of Dairy

Lunch:  Salad - 1 1/2 servings of Vegetables, 1/2 serving of Fat
             One of the following options: Baked Potato w/ Bacon, Turkey Wrap or Grilled Cheese

Snack 2:  2 Celery Stalks with Peanut Butter - 1 serving of Vegetables, 1 serving of Protein

So as a whole we will be doing pretty good on all of our food groups by the time dinner rolls around (mmm...dinner rolls).  I am planning to stick to at least half my Grains being Whole Grains, but I'm not super great at that - at least I know I will have 2 out of 6 every day from breakfast and one snack.  I also will only be around 1000 calories by the time I make it home, so I will be able to have a decent sized dinner every night as well.

My next challenge is to figure out a plan for the weekend - that's a little trickier lol...

Have any suggestions?  I would love to hear them!

Have a great day!
Beth