Whether you are just starting out on your weight loss journey, or even if you have been on our plans for a while now – it can sometimes be worth taking a step back.
Remember what the Lose Baby Weight philosophy is – eating healthy food, moving more, and seeing real results.
So in terms of the healthy food, have you ever wondered what an ideal day of eating might look like?
Today we have put together some examples of what a typical day could include on our healthy eating plans using our 28 Day Plan and Healthy Mummy Smoothies – just always remember to work out your BMR & daily energy needs so you can adjust your calorie needs for your body needs – you can use our calculator here.
See if your typical day looks something like this – and you could be well on your way to kicking some goals in terms of weight loss after baby.
First thing
It’s so important to stay hydrated, so start your day off with a big glass of water OR a hot water with lemon OR a herbal tea.
Breakfast
When you are trying to lose weight, you absolutely do need to eat breakfast. And the earlier the better, so don’t wait until you are absolutely starving to start preparing it.
If you are going to enjoy a tea or coffee too, be sure to drink it while you are eating (not before) so that it doesn’t cause a tummy upset.
It’s great to enjoy some protein at breakfast (think eggs, yoghurt), some healthy wholegrains (wholemeal toast, oats), some healthy fats (like avocado, nuts or nut butters) and some fruit.
Some great options:
- Healthy Mummy Smoothie
- Scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast with avocado
- Porridge with berries and yoghurt
- Quinoa Breakfast Muffins
Morning Tea
We actively encourage you to eat morning and afternoon tea on our plans.
It keeps your metabolism firing which in turn helps you to burn off your food more efficiently.
Some great options would be:
- A banana and 10 almonds
- Low fat yoghurt with berries
- 100% natural peanut butter on a Ryvita cracker
If you felt like baking, why not try one of our healthy options from the website such as our Apple and Blueberry Loaf, or Berry and Bran Muffins.
Lunch
Once again it’s important not to wait until you are absolutely famished to think about lunch.
When we are very hungry, our emotions can take over our rational side and we can end up making a poor food choice.
Prepare yourself in advance by always having healthy options available whether you are at home or at work.
It’s also important at lunchtime to ensure that you have a good mix of proteins, healthy carbohydrates and plenty of veggies and leafy greens to bulk out your meal.
A cheese sandwich is not going to cut it as it won’t keep you full for very long.
Instead, you could try making a chicken, cheese and salad sandwich on wholegrain bread.
Some other healthy lunch options would be:
- Salmon and salad sandwich
- Leftovers from last night’s healthy dinner
- Tuna and veggie frittata
- Soup with some wholegrain pasta in it
- Chicken rice paper rolls
- Thai Chicken Salad
It’s great if you can make something that will last you for several days, such as a soup, lasagne, tart or frittata.
Afternoon Tea
Depending on what time you ate lunch, you will often find that you feel hungry again around 2.30pm – 3pm.
This is typical danger zone time, when the sweet cravings can strike.
To overcome these, try to make it a habit to have a herbal tea after lunch. A peppermint or ginger tea can satisfy the craving and fill you up enough to last until afternoon tea time.
Some great choices for afternoon tea are:
- 3 wholegrain crackers with some low fat cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes on top
- Sliced chunks of apple and pear with some home made hummus
- Chopped melon with Greek yoghurt
Dinner
We have so many healthy meal ideas in our 28 Day Plan, Calorie Bible, Spring and Summer Recipe Book and also on our website. There is no excuse for getting stuck in a food rut!
Keep things interesting by trying new recipes out or tweaking old favourites.
As with lunch, it’s important to get the balance right between quality proteins (chicken, tuna, beef, legumes, tofu, salmon), good fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds), healthy wholegrain carbs (brown rice, wholegrain bread, wholemeal pasta) and healthy vegetables.
By focusing on the ideal combination on your plate of ¼ protein, ¼ carbs and ½ a plate of veggies you will be on the right track.
Some examples of an ideal dinner would be:
- Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
- Beef Pho Soup
- Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
- Healthy Veggie Burger
- Lasagne with a big side salad
- Mexican Stir Fry with brown rice
- Lamb and Coconut Curry
- Chicken Pad Thai
After Dinner
For many people this is another danger zone time of day, as the sugar cravings strike once more.
Some tips for this are to brush your teeth after your meal, so that you are less inclined to want to keep eating. Brushing your teeth is a signal to your brain that the meal is over.
You can also try to ensure that your dinner is bulked up with healthy veggies, as this will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Try not to keep sweets in the house if they are your weakness. A better idea is to keep the ingredients on hand for some healthy options for a special treat (not every night). For instance our Avocado, Coconut, Date and Chocolate Pudding; Coffee and Date Slice; or our Rhubarb and Apple Crumble.
And if you are really hungry still check out our snacking section here – lots of healthy snacks to choose from
And we have now launched our Bi Monthly 28 Day Online Challenges – The Winter Weight Loss Challenge starts on July 1 and you can take part here
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