Meal Plan (9/17-9/23)

This week's meal plan has some big changes. Now that the marathon is over, our mileage is going to drop. We still plan on running 3 times a week but for much shorter distances. Now we are going to focus on building muscle. We are going to be carb cycling -- alternating higher protein/lower calorie days with higher carb/higher calorie days. 

As always, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but the research shows this can be a great way to maximize both muscle gain and fat loss. We plan to run on our higher carb/calorie days and lift on our higher protein days. We have carb cycled before, but if you are new to this way of eating, be aware -- some people get grumpy and sluggish on the lower carb days. It takes us about 2 weeks before our bodies adjust. We take a B complex along with our daily multivitamin to help with energy levels. Ideally breakfast will be eaten within the hour of waking, and a meal or snack within an hour of working out. This can be tough if you exercise at night, like we occasionally do. In general, we try not to eat within 2 hours of going to bed but a night workout would change that. Be ready to make exceptions and modify based on your lifestyle and energy levels. If you do cardio daily, and you know who you are Karen, you may need some extra carbs within the hour of your run on lower carb days.

We also opt for a free day - yay!! We don't go crazy but we eat what we want and enjoy dessert. We have found this helps us stick with the plan for more than a week or 2.

I also will not include a grocery list for the next couple of weeks. It may be easier to decide what meals you plan on using, taking stock of your fridge and pantry, and then filling in the gaps. 


Monday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: quinoa spinach cake (see Sep 12 post), turkey lunch meat, sunflower seeds
Snack: celery with peanut butter
Dinner: green salad with chicken, soy nuts, apple, low cal dressing

Tuesday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey, tomato, cheese, roasted red pepper sandwich, Greek yogurt with fruit
Snack: wheat crackers with hummus
Dinner: pork tenderloin, sweet potato, green beans

Wednesday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: hummus, baby carrots, cottage cheese with pineapple
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: chicken, quinoa spinach cakes, broccoli

Thursday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey and veggie sandwich, apple with peanut butter
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: not-fried rice with pork, veggies

Friday:

Breakfast: egg beaters/veggies
Lunch: quinoa spinach cake, turkey lunch meat, baby carrots
Snack: Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds
Dinner: fish tacos, chipotle slaw

Saturday:

Breakfast: oatmeal/milk
Lunch: turkey and veggie sandwich, apple with peanut butter
Snack: low fat popcorn and raisins/peanuts
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with roasted tomatoes, peppers, chicken sausage

Sunday:

free day