I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks and three days since I started this special 24-day challenge! Time sure does fly, even when you’re sober(ish)!

During week two, I stuck to my meal plan most days and worked out a total of 5 out of 7 days. While I haven’t seen a major loss in pounds (maybe 3-4), my clothes are a little less snug and I feel stronger overall.

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For this weeks post, I wanted to share the meal plan (one-week sample below) that I follow PLUS give a couple of tips on ways to stay full/ not hungry during this challenge.

I am a picky eater and definitely have a hard time following a strict diet. However, on this challenge, we did not limit ourselves to anything aside from trying to stay away from alcohol. The main goal is to make healthier food choices. Instead of reaching for a bag of chips as an afternoon snack, replace it with a boiled egg and handful of almonds. Really simple stuff when you think about it, but actually following it every day, even during midday cravings, is the real challenge.

I eat 4 to 5 times a day to keep my metabolism going. Each meal ranges from 200 to 400 cal depending on what workouts I did earlier in the day.

We measured our BMR which told us how many calories per day we needed to consume. Watching the number of calories I eat every day has helped me understand what foods to stay away from. Some foods that are high in protein and low in fat tend to be lower in calories. I can have six slices of turkey at lunch for only 80 calories.

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Also, egg whites and protein at breakfast are a great option as they keep me full until lunch and are low in calories. I really enjoy making egg whites and chicken apple sausage as my breakfast.

Lunch is the meal that I need to work on. Since I do my workouts in the morning most the time, I get really hungry really fast early on in the day. Normally, I have a really light lunch planned. However, I need to get better at prepping my lunches to have more complex carbs and more protein during this time. This is one area I’d really like to improve during week three.

Dinners consist of – you guessed it – protein and vegetables. If I was doing this over again, I would be more adamant in getting my carbs in at breakfast and lunch and leave carbs out at dinner. I have been eating lighter lunches which make me hungrier/starving in the evenings. For dinner options, I love baking tilapia or putting chicken breast on the skillet.

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I substitute french fries for sweet potato fries. I normally throw in a light salad or vegetable like squash or zucchini. I’m really picky about vegetables, so again, choosing healthier sides is a struggle for me.

I also have to limit my dessert intake. The strange thing is that I used to not have a sweet tooth. But over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten really bad about needing something sweet every single day. It’s almost a stress relief thing. During this challenge, I’ve been trying to limit the amount of sweets I indulge in.

When someone brings something deliciously sweet to the office, instead of getting a serving, I stay away. Halo Top ice cream has been a lifesaver. I also like dark chocolate and normally a small piece per day does the trick for me. I’d say it’s about 50 calories. Then some days I do dream of pizza….

&& I remind myself that this is a challenge for 24 days. Not forever. I can say no to pizza for 24 days. I’ll live.

After about a week and a half of using the MyFitnessPal app where I was counting calories, I kind of have an idea in my head how much I’m eating per meal. Therefore, I have not been logging my food over the past five or six days. I’d like to get back into this habit as a reminder to myself each day where my limit is.

I also use my Apple Watch to calculate the number of calories I burn during my workouts. This is perfect because I can track my heartbeat and calories during group fitness classes at my gym. The minimum calories I like to burn is 300 during a good work out, but I can burn 500 to 600 cal. This allows me to eat more, therefore I like to work out often. 🙂

Week 2 Recap:

On Tuesday I went to Happiest Hour, one of my favorite spots in Dallas, to celebrate the life of a dear friend who passed two years ago in a tragic car accident. I didn’t drink anything but lemon water. I still had a fun time and enjoyed seeing friends from college!

On Wednesday I drove to Fort Worth to watch my Little, Athena, perform in a play. This was not just any play. She was the lead role – Annie – in Annie! I was so proud! I packed a dinner the night before and ate it in my car on the way to see her perform. No need to stop for something fast or unhealthy. I was prepared!

On Friday, we had an office Easter egg hunt. Luckily, I won a gift card and NO chocolate…(I may have been given a small piece of chocolate from my sweet co-workers). Naturally, I had to stage our winnings for an Instagram post that never made it up…

Friday night, we went to the Shops at Park Lane and my boyfriend was sweet enough to buy me a new workout outfit from the Carrie Underwood collection “CALIA” at Dick’s Sporting Goods. He is the sweetest! I don’t think anything else motivates me more than a new workout outfit! I wore it ALL day Saturday!

On Saturday, we shopped for a good four hours and I burned about 250 calories walking around several different stores. Shopping is seriously exhausting. After that we ran the Katy Trail for about 30 minutes in the heat. I burned a total of 600 calories on this day. I ran over to North Park and met John at our FAVORITE restaurant here – Green House Market. The food is healthy, fresh and just absolutely delicious. Not to mention, Instagram-worthy!

 

We ended up at my mom’s house for Easter’s eve and I drank red wine and a little sip of tequila that we brought back from Mexico. I also went over my calorie limit at dinner…UGH the lemon cake, I could NOT resist.

On Sunday, we did get a Vinyasa yoga class in where we burned about 400 calories in one very hot and sweaty hour. Easter lunch was a big one and without formally calculating the calories, I am certain I went over. Especially after the wine and champagne. The good news is that at dinner last night, I stuck to the plan. I had turkey meatloaf and sweet potatoes from Eatzi’s and saved the second half for my lunch today.

 

Holidays and weekends are what really get me, but during this challenge I have been better (at least for half of the weekend) in my choices. Prior to this challenge, I would overindulge Friday night, Saturday, AND Sunday with minimum work outs. I hope that making the small changes through more conscious choices will result in a better outcome.

Next week I will post a blog recapping week three and sharing the different workouts that I have done during the past 24 days. Two weeks from today I will post before-and-after photos once the challenge is officially complete. I hope to see a little bit of a difference and I hope I have good news to share!

If you have any questions about the meal plans that I follow or the challenge that I am doing, feel free to email me or comment below! I do love hearing from you!

PS – Easter weekend had tons of sales going on, so for any shopaholics like me, hopefully you scored some good deals! Below is just one outfit I got from Banana Republic at 60% off! All in, I bought $350 worth of clothes for $150. So… super excited!