Galahad's

     I honestly thought that I could make this a simple little pamphlet, but it is turning out to be more like a short book. I want to leave out as much room for error and really point out those areas that I feel were necessary for my success so that you can get there, too.

 

     Everything that is within this plan will work if followed. However, even for success, you do not have to stick to everything all of the time. As much as a precise following will create quicker results, most things are like a “rule of thumb.” They’re guidelines towards goals you should try to hit. If you can’t get there all of the time, don’t get discouraged or hard on yourself. Just try to have more days where you do hit the marks, or at least most of them, than those where you don’t and your weight will still go down in a healthy fashion. The only exceptions to this are water consumption and your daily gender specific multivitamin. Always hit those marks.

 

     I have a few more tips that may help to make this plan even easier to follow. You do not have to do these, but you may find them helpful.

 

     If you find that you do not have a lot of time to cook and make your meals, prepare for them ahead of time. Take them to as close to complete as you can a day ahead of time. Make a meal plan for the entire week and take some time on Sunday, or when you have the time, to get everything packaged together for them. Divide your vegetables into 7 days. Pre-cut your fruit. Individually package your meats into meal portions. Get several Tupperware containers to put these pre-prepped meals into so they will keep and remain organized. When it comes time for lunch or dinner, pull out a container and you’re ready to season and cook. An example of a dinner could be steak, 2-3 servings of mixed vegetables and a starch or carb option, all seasoned and sauced healthily and to your liking.

 

     Go through your entire kitchen. Scour your fridge, freezers, cupboards and pantries. Throw out or donate all of the junk. Get rid of all of those garbage foods and drinks that may tempt you and replace them with healthy alternatives. Be sure to have replacements and keep them replenished as you go along. You don’t want to be looking for something to cook or snack on and find yourself thinking that there is nothing. This will often lead to poorer choices. Get rid of the temptation all together.

 

     If you must keep some of the rubbish foods around for guests or other family members either make them less accessible and visual by pushing them towards the back or keep them completely separate from your own nutritious foods. If this is not possible, still, segregate yours from theirs as much as you can. You get one half of the fridge and they get the other. Same with the freezer, cupboards and pantries.

 

     Not that you should eat them all of the time, but two great ways to get a low calorie and nutritious meal are to make stir-fry or shepherds pie type meals. They are very quick to make and very tasty. Just watch your sauces for high calories and sodium. You can use rice, quinoa, potatoes or noodles (whole wheat or flax). You’ll get your protein from the meat you use. Generously throw in various veggies and you are set.

 

     Vary your meats and meals to reduce palette boredom and cravings for something different. Yes, you need your protein, but it all doesn’t have to be chicken and red meat. A lot of people stop eating red meat and stick to chicken. You need to get some iron and that is best obtained from red meats. Choose leaner cuts and don’t over-indulge. Eat chicken, steak, lean pork, turkey, lean ground beef, kangaroo, bison, etc... You can even go for some tofu.

 

     Protein is not everything. Be sure to mix up your fruits, veggies, fibres and starches, too. Basically, you can have similar ingredients, but never eat the exact same dinner more than twice a week. You want to mix things up, not only for your body’s sake, from a nutritional standpoint, but for your ability to sway cravings.

 

     Breakfast and lunches are a bit more of a matter of convenience and needn’t vary as much as dinner should, but try if you can. Remember being a child, opening your lunchbox and thinking, “PB&J again?!” You didn’t like it then, so don’t do that to yourself now.

 

     Breakfast is so important and is the meal most skipped by people. In today’s world, they have made breakfast easy with so many grab and go options out there. If that is what you need to do so that you always eat breakfast, then go for it, but read the labels and be aware of what you are putting into your body. Those healthy sounding names and looking packages are often misleading. If you can though, eat a real breakfast. The right cereal in a bowl with some skim milk is often far better for you than a cereal bar.

 

     Fruit, like apples and berries, are great to have with breakfast to add sweetness and help wake you up and get you going on those early mornings.

 

     A very easy way to get in more vegetables, and quite a potent one at that, is to serve your dinners on a bed of spinach. Take about two servings of raw spinach and put them on your plate before your food. Add your main course over top of it and eat everything as you go. This is great and simple for every dinner.

 

     They are often disputed, but whole eggs are a great way to add protein and omegas to the already stellar breakfast you have prepared for yourself. That’s right, cook them up and eat them yolks and all. Well, not the shells. You can do this because you are eating fewer calories across the board and limiting your cholesterol with a proper diet, so the more calorie dense yolks do not need to be disposed of. Eat them and take in their nutritional value as well, but you do not have to. Egg whites are still great, with fewer calories, but you’ll have to crack open a few more eggs per meal and you will lose out on some nutrients that eggs provide by skipping the yolks.

 

     Be careful with your bread choices. Watch the ingredients for processed, refined, enriched and bleached flour, or whatever term they may use. You want to see whole grains. Rye and pumpernickel are actually best as they have a lower grade on the Glycemic Index. Also be aware of the calories. Two slices of bread can sometimes pack over 200 calories. To beat the higher calories, sub in some whole grain tortilla wraps. The higher calorie breads are okay if what you are eating with it balances to the calories you have estimated and budgeted for the meal and your day.

 

     Don’t forget dairy. Although they are often high in fats and quite calorie dense, there are so many different products and variations that you can find that will work for your diet. Skim milk, plain Greek yogurt and low fat cheeses are a few viable options. Your skim milk should be fortified. Add your own fruit to your Greek yogurt for flavor. Watch the sodium content on your low fat cheeses as they often add salt when they remove the fat content.

 

     You don’t need a gym membership and all sorts of fancy, expensive equipment to get your workouts in. I suggest putting together a few things though. All you really need is a yoga mat, resistance bands/tubes (preferably with interchangeable handles and door attachment), a jump rope and some dumbbells with varying weights. For the dumbbells, there are two options. You can either get those with interchangeable plates or the ones that come as one specific weight. There are pros and cons for both options. With plates, you will have to take the time to change the weight to what you need for each exercise. You will only need two bars, but several plates. With the ones that come as a specific weight, it’ll be easier to just grab the weight that you need for each exercise, but you will be paying more money per set and they take up more room. Either works and they are strictly a matter of preference.

 

     To make using your gym membership easier, choose a gym that is located as conveniently as possible and keep a bag with gym clothes ready to go in the trunk of your car.

 

     Music during a workout is really a must. It helps you get into what you are doing, tune out distractions, keep with it because you are enjoying the tunes and to kind of time how long you’ve been at it. I propose your own mix of music rather than a radio station of any kind. Keep to what you enjoy and what motivates you.

 

     Fitness apps and websites are great for tracking many things and allow you to follow your progress. You can use them to track calories in and out, your weight, your BMI, your body fat percentage and many other useful things like planning meals and workouts. Using one, and being able to see the results on your body and the same on your phone or computer screen, is a great feeling and motivator.

 

     Do more research. You do not have to take my word as gospel. Again, this is simply what I found works for me. I know it will work for you, too, but you do not have to abide just by what I say. There are many great sites out there with loads of advice. One recommendation would be Adrian Bryant’s nowloss.com

 

     I have one amazing recipe that I would like to share with you. It is great for a breakfast, beverage or treat. It is packed full of many vitamins and nutrients, packing protein and antioxidants with minimal calories. I do not use exact measurements and feel free to make substitutions. Let’s call it Shawn’s Super Smoothie, or 3S.

 

     You can either blend this in a large blender or one for single servings as the recipe is in ratios and not exact measurements. The ingredients that do have exact measurements are per 500ml serving.

 

• Mostly blueberries

• Whole strawberries at about 2/3 the amount of blueberries. You can cut these for easier blending, but the ratio is determined by whole or halved strawberries.

• Raspberries at about 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of strawberries

• 3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt

• 1 serving of whey protein isolate

• 10 almonds

• Just enough skim milk to get everything to blend together

 

     When I have them in the cupboard, I will also add about a teaspoon of hemp hearts and some matcha green tea powder.

 

     Blend until smooth and serve up to 500ml per serving. Chill the balance of what is not immediately consumed in the fridge. It’s best served in a beverage shaker to mix occasionally for consistency of ingredients due to settling while it sits. You can also pour it into popsicle trays for a very healthy, frozen treat.

 

     You can substitute the skim milk for soy or almond milk. The skim milk is basically used as a thicker mixing agent just to allow everything to blend together. If you don’t add some liquid in there, it won’t process properly in the blender and water is far too thin.

 

     I was once asked how many calories are in this beverage. First off, this thing is packed with super goodness. It is full of amazing flavor and loads of health promoting nutrients. As for calories, the key factor is really what kind of whey protein isolate you are using as they contain different quantities. With everything together, with those ratios blended into a 500ml serving, you’re looking at between 150-350 calories and it is loaded with tonnes of what your body needs and factors you are trying to ingest. I love having it for breakfast. Not only is it tasty and healthy as hell, it is thick and filling and helps to keep you full.

 

     It really is a Super Smoothie.