Hey there! Welcome to our second installment in A Plan for Success! In this series, I want to show you how everyday people can lose weight and get in shape with personalized strategies and custom meal planning. Using the example of familiar (albeit fictional) faces, you’ll see that with a SMART goal and solid action plan, change is possible for anyone, no matter their circumstances. Whether your goal is to lose the gut and get in shape or improve your health and wellness, you can reach your goal!

Today we’re going to meet Chuck, a husband and father of two who’s had a bit of a reality check. Trying to recapture the glory days at a recent reunion, he made the startling discovery that the ole’ bod ain’t what it used to be. Let’s take a closer look at Chuck’s experience.

Meet our Busy Dad

Rude Awakening

Chuck’s a hardworking family man who woke up one morning and realized he’s pushing forty and has gained as much in pounds since his bachelor days. Working a hectic office job and keeping up with his family hasn’t left much time for hitting the gym and he knows his eating habits are nothing to brag about.

What meal pattern?

Chuck’s never been big on breakfast, relying instead on coffee to get him through the day. And what about lunch? Definitely hit or miss. With looming deadlines, Chuck will often work right through his lunch hour, though he does end up eating out a couple times each week with clients.

Naturally by the time he gets home, Chuck is ravenous and dinner is the main event. He loves a big steak with all the fixings. Never been much for vegetables, though he’ll take a few if only to avoid a scolding from his 4-year-old. Dinner is always followed up with some sort of treat. Perhaps a big bowl of ice cream or a few cookies and a big glass of milk. After a stressful day at work, it’s hard to beat dessert with his favorite people.

Workin’ for the Weekend

Chuck lives for the weekend and weekends are all about family, friends, football, and lots of great food! Ever a sports fan, he loves watching the big game, be it one of his kids’ little league matches or his favorite team on the big screen. And what’s a game without some snacks? Chuck loves a good spread with some good brew. Chips and dip, hot wings, bar mix, sliders–you name it.

Wake-up Call

Chuck used to play a variety of sports in high school and would love to join one of the local clubs, but a recent alumni game at his 20 year reunion proved he is way out of shape and useless on the field. Coming to grips with the trajectory of his weight and fitness level, Chuck’s decided it’s time to make some changes…even if it means eating vegetables.

When it comes down to it, Chuck knows he needs to lose weight and start exercising again. Though he doesn’t feel like he needs to get back down to his ‘fighting weight’ of days gone by, dropping 30 wouldn’t be a bad idea. Ultimately, he’d just like to lose the gut and be able to spend an hour on the field without keeling over.

Ready to Lose the Gut

Chuck has seen the writing on the wall and is ready to make some changes, but he’s definitely got some obstacles ahead of him. How many can you spot? Let’s go through them.

• To begin with, Chuck’s time and energy are stretched to the max. The demands of work and home life leave him with little wiggle room in his schedule. As a result, penciling in exercise will be a real challenge.
• Chuck’s eating habits are erratic, to say the least. He tends to skip meals–sometimes both breakfast AND lunch–only to indulge in huge portions later in the day.
• Chuck eats out at least twice per week, likely a huge source of extra calories.
• Chuck tends to graze all weekend long on high-calorie, high-fat snacks with reckless abandon. It’s something he associates with friends and family and not a habit he’ll be eager to give up.
• Though not a binge drinker, he does put down quite a few beers over the course of a weekend and could definitely cut back.

Fortunately, Chuck doesn’t have to try and change everything overnight. By tackling a few things at a time, he can begin to reshape his habits and that midsection. No doubt, it will take commitment and a willingness to do things differently, but with a solid and realistic action plan, he can lose the gut and reclaim his fitness.

In our next post, we’ll start to formulate Chuck’s battle plan and who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a few helpful strategies to work into your own battle plan!

The post A Plan for Success: Meet Chuck appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

So let’s get something going for our friend, Jane. She’s finally ready and committed to making some changes and just needs a solid action plan that will deliver results.

As you may recall from the last post, Jane has some leftover baby weight that she’d like to lose before an upcoming family vacation. She’d also like to get back in shape. Taking a closer look at the numbers, Jane is hoping to drop about 25 pounds in the next 3 months. Breaking this down further, she would need to lose approximately 2 pounds per week to reach her goal. Though this may not seem like much, creating a calorie deficit of 1000 calories per day will require consistency and commitment. She needs a battle plan.

Knowing that Jane is super busy and doesn’t want to be eating a different menu than the rest of the family, here are a few strategies that will ensure she’s creating that calorie deficit without demanding too much of her time and energy.

• Take time on the weekends to do a little meal planning for the week. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but figuring out your meals ahead of time and shopping accordingly can make all the difference between success and failure.
• Do some advance meal prep and cooking, if possible. Baking chicken for Monday night dinner? Do a double batch and save the extra for another meal. Sandwiches on the lunch menu? Make enough for a couple days to save time later in the week. And of course, washing and prepping veggies all at once gives you a fridge full of ready-to-eat snacks and ingredients. Most kids love helping in the kitchen and this is a great way to get them involved!

• Eat breakfast everyday! Though eating more may seem counterintuitive, eating breakfast can really help keep hunger at bay and prevent overeating later in the day.
• Cut back on (or cut out!) any sugary drinks, like juices, sports drinks, regular soda, sweet tea, coffee drinks, and the like. Assuming Jane was downing a glass of juice each morning and grabbing a grande Frappuccino or latte most afternoons, cutting these out would save her at least 400 calories per day!
• Avoid afternoon grazing. While I heartily encourage a balanced, nutritious snack in the afternoon, mindless noshing can really blow the calorie budget. Just think, a handful of chips, baby’s leftover animal crackers, and half a Costco muffin can quickly add up to over 500 calories!
• Regardless of what’s on the dinner menu, reducing your portion size is an easy way to cut back without any extra effort in the kitchen. Begin with a big serving of veggies and good source of protein, then focus on reducing starches and added fats bit by bit. This can be done with measuring cups or by simply taking fewer scoops with the serving utensil. Using smaller plates is another helpful tactic. Either way, be purposeful. By skipping the bread and butter and taking one less scoop of the mac and cheese at dinner, Jane could easily save 350 calories!
• The benefits of exercise extend far beyond burning calories. Improving strength and cardiovascular fitness will not only give Jane the muscle power and stamina life demands, but also enhance her health and longevity. Scheduling exercise and training as one would an appointment is a great way to make sure it doesn’t slip through the cracks. As a busy wife and mom, Jane will need look at her week and identify the best time to squeeze in a class, hit the gym, pop in a workout DVD, or get outside.

Notice that all of the above action steps, when taken together, would enable Jane to reduce her intake by over 1200 calories without any extra cooking or special menus! She still gets to eat what the rest of the family is eating and enjoy her favorite foods. By cutting back on empty calories, mindless munching, and large portions, she can lose the weight and reach her goals her way. And, if she gets in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days, she’ll also increase her calorie burn and regain her fitness. This is truly a winning plan that’s just right for Jane!

Though having a set of guiding principles is incredibly helpful when you’re trying to lose weight, sometimes you just need a clear “to do” list. Something that’s easy to follow and takes out all the guesswork. In the next post, I’ll be sharing just that! We’ll take a look at a sample meal plan designed just for Jane that will fit with her lifestyle and deliver the results she’s looking for. As always, thanks for reading and don’t give up on your goals!

The post A Plan For Success: Jane’s Battle Plan appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

If New Year resolutions are any evidence, it is easy to set goals but hard to actually make anything of them. So often we know what we’d like to see happen and yet get totally stalled by the how. But not to worry! Though changing habits is hard, a clear action plan will boost your confidence and ensure you are taking the right steps to achieve your goals.

Over the next series of posts, I’ll be walking you through a few all-too-familiar scenarios and demonstrate just how to make weight loss goals a reality. To kick things off, we’ll begin with our fictional friend, Jane.

Jane is in her late 30’s and busy as all get out. Between caring for her bustling family, working part-time, and helping out at the church, her days are full to the brim. After three babies and a little leftover weight from each one, she finds herself 25 pounds heavier than she’d like and feeling frustrated.

Jane knows she’s got to make changes, but there’s little time to spare for extra cooking and she definitely does NOT want to be eating something different from the rest of the family. She also knows she needs to be better about regular meals. Afterall, she’s the one constantly getting after the kids to make “healthy choices”! Low on energy, Jane will frequently reach for caffeinated drinks or random snacks for a quick pick-me-up. Though she used to exercise regularly, that’s flown out the window. Who’s got the time?

Over the last few years, Jane’s made several attempts to lose the weight and get in shape, but quickly loses steam before making any real headway. She just doesn’t have the time or energy for complicated meal plans and restrictive food lists. With a family vacation on the horizon, however, and feeling for the first time ever like she can’t keep up physically with the rest of her crew, Jane is determined to lose the weight and get fit.

Jane’s story definitely hits close to home for many of us, doesn’t it? Days are full and energy is stretched thin. Finding the time to focus on our own wellness can be a challenge to the say the least. Thankfully, everyday is an opportunity for change and a clear action plan is crucial to making that happen.

In the next post, we’ll be looking at strategies that will help Jane cut calories, improve the quality of her diet, regain fitness, and ultimately reach her goals. Thanks for reading!

The post A Plan for Success: Meet Jane appeared first on The Diet Oracle.