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Revitalize your Diet!

By Mandi Mellen

Posted on August 14, 2013

It’s working! You’ve stuck to your guns and followed the right course. You’ve worked out all summer. You’ve been eating right. You’ve even lost most of the weight that you wanted, but now you hit a plateau. You’re so close to your goal! So what do you do? You’ve got to shake it up people! I’ve written about shaking up your workouts, but now it’s time to revitalize your diet too!

The best way to reach your health goals is to clean up and strengthen your diet. Woo food! There are a lot of temptations out there, especially if you work at home, the pantry, or in an office, the snack room. Don’t you just wish that person would stop bringing all their leftover pastries into work? Come on now, so what are you going to do? Bring your own food with you! Pack your own snack, sized for you and by you. And don’t forget meals. Whether its lunch or dinner, it’s so easy to bring a nice balanced meal that’ll keep you going all day and all night!

First get yourself a good lunch bag. A cooler bag is ideal and brown paper bags are wasteful! Also invest in a nice Tupperware set. You can get ones that hold salad, soup, and sandwiches. They even come with forks, knives, spoons, and tiny containers to hold dressing or sauces. Everything is compartmentalized and stays fresh. Now you’re shaking up your lunch experience too!
Once you’ve got the essential tools it’s time to execute. Make sure you hit up the grocery store on Saturday or Sunday before the workweek begins. This way you’re fridge is stocked and you can now enjoy an array of meals! If you’re into sandwiches then make a tasty sandwich in the morning or the night before. A turkey or veggie sandwich is always my go to. Skip the mayo and invest in a delish mustard. Make sure that if you’re having turkey, or any other meat, to add those veggies: lettuce, tomato, pickles, sprouts, and jalapenos are some of my favs. Skip the cheese or go for a light, low fat cheese. Remember, cheese can add close to 100 calories or more to your lunch, so always stick to one slice!

If you’re not much of a sandwich person, don’t worry. You can make an awesome salad! You have infinite possibilities now that you have the right tools! Spinach salads are my favorite. You can get organic spinach everywhere now. Add carrots, olives, tomatoes, beets, really anything you’d like! Top it with a can of tuna, leftover chicken from dinner, or my personal favorite a hardboiled egg. The yolk is great protein, but if you want to cut calories even more then skip it. Be careful not to add too much dressing. Measure out two tablespoons, which is the recommended serving. That way you don’t add too many extra calories. A salad should be healthy and most dressings are not!

Be smart and bring snacks too! Celery and carrot sticks are an awesome snack and go well with sandwiches or salad, dipped in hummus or straight up raw. Apples and bananas and oranges pack really well and are great handheld snacks. Individual size yogurts can be great for work, just be careful what kind you buy. A lot of yogurts have extra sugars added which means extra calories. One of my favorite snacks to pack is popcorn! I just got a homemade popcorn maker and it’s by far the best way to make the healthiest popcorn. Pop up your own bags worth and bring it along. Season how you like it, skipping the butter. Maybe a little garlic powder, chili powder and a spritz of olive oil. You won’t miss the butter!

Whether kicking your health goal’s booty, or just getting started on your journey to a better you, be mindful of what you’re eating! Portion control is the key to losing weight and keeping it off in the long run. Trust me! We control our diet and revitalizing it is the best way to feel great and get a body you love! You won’t miss having to buy lunch at work. Better food, better you and saving some legit money. Woo! Go you!