I think we can all agree that the first few weeks of a diet change are the worst. Even with proper planning it can be a struggle. I found that during the day, I was most hungry right before or right after lunch, and I had an immense craving for sweets. Fighting the urge to dive into the leftover halloween candy is a big deal for me. I am notorious for ditching a diet so I can indulge in a Kit Kat bar (or two).
In order for me to survive the first few weeks of this lifestyle change, I needed:
- A very strict plan. By this I mean, I needed each meal chosen for me, with a list of ingredients that I could prepare the night before, and a step-by-step guide explaining how to prepare the meal. This way I could not deviate from the plans and if a meal was already waiting for me, I would be less likely to run to a pantry to binge eat salt & vinegar chips.
- To allow myself to eat sweets if necessary. Listen, you do not have to deprive yourself from what you love. If you love chocolate, grab an organic chocolate bar and eat. The difference is, instead of eating two bars, how about an ounce (or less). At the start of this change, I craved chocolate A LOT. As I began to wean myself off and limit the amount of chocolate I ate, I could satisfy my cravings in new, less fatty, ways. I am proud to say that there has not been a chocolate bar in the house for three (yeah you read that right… three) whole days. This is a huge deal for me.
- A partner in crime: my mom. If you can, get someone to join in on the change with you. Trust me, it is a lot easier to overcome obstacles with someone by your side to encourage you and hold you accountable. My mom and I guilt trip each other when we notice that one of us is eyeballing the chocolate bar or jar of almond butter.
- Less junk food in the house. My final suggestion for the first two to three weeks of a diet change is to eliminate all opportunity to cheat. This can be especially hard when you have other members of your household who choose not to partake in the change. Lucky for me, it is two against one. My mom and I do the grocery shopping so my dad has to live with what we buy. Instead of a bag of UTZ chips, we buy something from the organic market that is the equivalent (minus all the crap). He seems to be accepting of that. Soon enough, I think he will join in on this change with us. Also, when you go out to places with friends, bring organic snacks with you. I know this is tough for men who do not carry bags around all day, but even an organic granola bar in your pocket or keep something in your glove compartment of your car to snack on when you feel tempted to cheat, helps.
Now, on to the fun part… the actual recipes I have been eating during this two week jumpstart. Like I said above, I needed a strict plan. I found so many diet plans online, but none of them really appealed to me as much as the one I am going to link below. I wanted to find a plan that encouraged clean eating, eliminated red meat (just for the first two weeks), and did not include much gluten or any for that matter. Given that this was a jumpstart, I wanted it to be a detox in some ways. So, I Googled “two week clean eating detox plan” and boom there it appeared. BuzzFeed, as if they couldn’t get any greater, had a two week clean eating detox that is SO detailed and amazing… it really was/is the perfect plan for me.
CLICK HERE FOR THE TWO WEEK DETOX CHALLENGE FROM BUZZFEED!
I will warn you, some of these recipes aren’t amazing. My mom and I had to tailor it to fit our preferences a bit, but for the most part, it is spectacular. Also, this plan does not specify that you have to eat organic. I changed it a little to be ALL organic food items. If it calls for a pear, I get it from the organic section. If it calls for tamari… obviously I get it from the organic market. If you do not want to go organic, that is fine. Use this as a stepping stone towards change.
Now, I want to give you an idea of my eating schedule, so you understand when I eat and how it matches up with the plan.
5:00 a.m. - I wake up and have a cup of coffee. (The plan calls for you to ditch coffee… but that isn’t going to happen so I ignored that. However, I did choose organic coffee to make me feel better about it.) After my coffee I go to the gym and run/lift/stretch/sauna.
7:00 a.m. - I eat whatever breakfast is for the day. If it is a breakfast that lacks protein, I choose one that is higher in protein because I need more food after an intense workout. I lift pretty heavy weights and my end goal is to be a lot toner than I am. I need all the eggs I can get ;)
7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. - This is when I am working. If it is the weekend, who knows what I am doing. The weekends throw my eating schedule off, but not by much.
10:30 a.m. - I eat whatever lunch is on the day’s menu. I know you’re probably thinking… what? Lunch at 10:30? Keep in mind I have been awake since 5:00 a.m. For me, 10:30 a.m. lunch is perfect.
10:50 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Back to work or whatever it is I am doing that day. During the time I am not eating, I am usually drinking water or a Kombucha drink. I prefer GT’s drinks.
2:00 p.m. - Snack time! Typically a snack is a vegetable with hummus, a smoothie, berries, or a fruit with almond butter. I change this up a lot depending on my cravings.
2:10 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. - Same as usual… I continue the workday or do something productive to keep my mind off eating, haha.
5:00 p.m. - I begin preparing the dinner for the day. Some take longer than others so always be sure to look at the process beforehand. If you know you will not be home until late, consider making the meal in advance.
7:00 p.m. - I eat my final snack for the day. Usually this snack is the lightest. I have found this is a good time for me to satisfy my sweet tooth with an ounce of chocolate or a nice cup of hot chocolate to sooth me before I go to bed.
8:30 p.m. - I am usually in bed by this time and asleep by 9. This way I have at least 8 hours of sleep before waking up at 5 for the gym. On the weekends, I do not go to the gym, so I allow myself to go to bed and wake up as I please unless plans are made in advance.
So that is my eating schedule. Obviously, you do not have to follow my plan. I just wanted to give you an idea of how the BuzzFeed diet can be used. Below are some pictures of the meals I have created thanks to the BuzzFeed plan. Obviously, the plate presentation is not nearly as appealing as the photos on BF, but come on… who has time for plate presentation when there is scrumptious food sitting in front of you? Not this girl. Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know your thoughts on this two week jumpstart. Happy Eating!