When you are planning to eat healthier to lose weight, just exactly how do you do that if you don’t know where to start? The first step is to make a commitment. The second step is to set up a plan.  The third step is to take action and follow through.  It’s all or nothing from here on out.

First think about calories, once you have a goal number you get to decide how you prefer to reach that number. If you were instructed to eat 800 calories a day, you can have two 400 calories meal from the plan.  Alternatively, you can have one meal daily by eating two meals at once. If you were given a 1000 calories diet, you can have 2 meals plus something else that is 200 calories, and so on with 1,200 calories diet or 1,500 calories diet.

You will find that after 5-6 days of being on a low-calorie, low-carb diet that you will have significantly reduced carbohydrate or sweets cravings.  The most difficult step is getting started and making through those first few days. This is why we will present you with a sample 9 day meal plan, 2 meals a day, consisting of 400 calories per meal.  The daily carb intake is less than 30 grams of total carb (or 15-20 grams of net carbs, if you choose to count net carbs).  Why a 9 day meal plan? Mostly because it will take you roughly 9 days to plan out the rest of your 30 days commitment, or 6 months commitment.  Also, it fits nicely on this PDF here.

 

Day	1st  Meal	2nd Meal
1	·         6 oz cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast (276 cal) ·         6 oz broccoli (60 cal, 12 g carb) ·         4 oz carrots (25 cal, 6 g carb) ·         1 tsp canola or olive oil (40 cal) ·         32 oz of water	·         6 oz cooked and drained 90% lean ground beef (346 cal) ·         ½  head of lettuce (26 cal, 5 g carb) ·         1 tbsp sour cream (31 cal) ·         32 oz of water
2	·         4 large eggs (312 cal) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         ¼ avocado (80 cal, 5 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         6 oz cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts (276 cal) ·         1 large tomato (35 cal, 7 g carb) ·         ¼ avocado (80 cal, 5 g carb) ·         1 tbsp sour cream (31 cal) ·         32 oz of water
3	·        6 oz skinless salmon or 4.5 oz salmon with skin on (241 cal) ·       ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·       6 oz boiled kale (48 cal, 10 g carb) ·       3 oz blackberries (35 cal, 8 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         4 large eggs (312 cal), scrambled ·         1 large tomato (35 cal, 7 g carb) ·         ½ tsp canola oil (20 cal) ·         8 strawberries (31 cal, 7 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
4	·         8 oz sirloin tip Steak ( 320 cal) ·         8 oz asparagus (42 cal, 8 g carb) ·         8 strawberries (31 cal, 7 g carb) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         8 oz tilapia (292 cal) ·         8 oz asparagus (42 cal, 8 g carb) ·         4 oz carrots (25 cal, 6 g carb) ·         4 oz blackberries (32 cal, 7 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
5	·         6 oz ground turkey for burger (253 cal) ·         1 large tomato (35 cal, 7 g carb) ·         ½ head of lettuce (26 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ¼ avocado (80 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         8oz beef eye of round, lean, trimmed to 1/8″ fat (281 cal) ·         ½ head of lettuce (26 cal, 5 g ·         32 oz of water ·         8 oz spinach (53 cal, 8 g carb) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         8 strawberries (31 cal, 7 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
6	·         6 oz cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts (276 cal) ·         4 oz edamame soy beans (138 cal, 11 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         4 large eggs (312 cal), scrambled ·         1 large tomato (35 cal, 7 g carb) ·         4 oz spinach (26 cal, 4 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
7	·         3 baked skinless chicken thigh (323 cal) ·         8 oz mushrooms (50 cal, 8 g carb) ·         4 stalks celery (24 cal, 5 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         8 Oz Pork Chops, Top Loin, Boneless (327 cal) ·         1 medium onion (22 cal, 5 g carb) ·         6 oz turnip greens (54 cal, 12 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
8	·         6 oz ground turkey, crumbled, for salad (253 cal) ·         ½ tomato (18 calories, 3 g carb) ·         ½ head of lettuce (26 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ¼ avocado (80 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         3 large eggs, hard-boiled for deviled eggs (234 cal) ·         3 tsp real mayo (94 calories) ·         ½ head of lettuce for a side salad (26 cal, 5 g carb) ·         1 tbsp sour cream (31 cal) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         32 oz of water
9	·         8 Oz Pork Chops, Top Loin, Boneless (327 cal) ·         2 cups zucchini (38 cal, 7 g carb) ·         ½ head of lettuce (26 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ¼ avocado (80 cal, 5 g carb) ·         ½ lime or ½ lemon (5 cal, 1 g carb) ·         32 oz of water	·         3 baked skinless chicken thigh (323 cal) ·         8 oz mushrooms (50 cal, 8 g carb) ·         4 stalks celery (24 cal, 5 g carb) ·         32 oz of water

Begin each day by drinking 32-0z of water.  Drink 32-oz water with each of your 2 meals. Then, drink another 32-oz in the afternoon to early evening to get your daily water intake of 1 gallon a day. Water helps reduce the dry-mouth side effect associated with the use of an appetite suppressant (such as phentermine) or complying to a low-calorie, low-carb diet plan. Most individuals are chronically dehydrated, and water will help you feel your best while you’re working hard to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

If you have a chance to stop by our clinic, we have the tools you need for proper hydration, such as double-insulated water bottles to make your visit more convenient. These comes in a range of 24-oz to 64-oz sweat free bottles that will withhold years of abuse.

Now that we’ve briefly covered water intake, we will discuss how to prep meals when you have an extremely busy schedule.  Most individuals can find roughly 4 hours of free time a week. During this time, you may want to go out to get groceries, prepare meals, and package them for the week.

Meal planning tip: Prepare large portions of vegetables (such as steamed kale) for the week.

Sample weekly grocery items for 2-3 person

• 5-6 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts for grilling all at once or baking
• 1 Brazilian steakhouse seasoning (great for chicken, beef, or fish)
• 2 lbs of 90% lean ground beef
• 1 lb of ground turkey
• 1 lb of salmon or other fish
• 2 dozen eggs
• 1 lb of broccoli
• 1 lb of kale
• 2 lbs of zucchinni
• 1 lb of asparagus
• 1 package of mushrooms
• 1 bundle of celery
• 1 small bundle of carrots
• 2 head of lettuce
• 8 oz sour cream
• 4 limes or lemon
• 1 avocado
• 1 package of strawberries
• 1 package of blackberries

What to do with the 6 lbs of chicken breasts you brought home? Rub some seasoning on and grill them to have meals ready for the week.

We used McCormick Brazilian Steakhouse Seasoning to rub in the chicken breasts.  You can grill it right away.

No oil needed. Grill on medium high heat and close to lid for 10-12 minutes depending on your grill.  Flip the chicken over .

Now you can package your meals into containers to take to work and to eat during the week.

We hope this post gives you a bit of guidance on how to begin your weight loss journey. Once you get started, you may find that the whole process will become more intuitive and that you can stick with it as long as you choose to.