I am no stranger to the portion controlled container system. Actually, I have been using it since March 2015 and I pretty much know my portions like the back of my hand now BUT when I am really focusing and honed in on reaching specific goals, I track...EVERYTHING. This is the first time I have ever stuck to a way of eating, it is amazing what this system truly does. It taught me a lifestyle and changed our eating habits for the better.
The first thing I do is meal plan using a spreadsheet my husband created for me. All I have to do is fill in the amount of containers from each food group I am allowed each day, it can vary based on the program or if I am trying to lose or maintain. Then add my meals and boom, it does the math for me.
This is an an example from over a year ago when I started my journey with 21 Day Fix but I still use this spreadsheet to this day.
Once I have my meal figured out, I make my grocery list and get to work. First I shop, then I prep. Prepping has changed for me over the past year and a half. And it is definitely something that looks different for everyone based on their needs, goals, schedule, etc. When we first started this journey, we prepped EVERYTHING for the entire week. Roasted veggies, meats, etc. And not just lunches but a lot of our dinners too. Now that we have figured out our groove and what works best for us, I only plan and prep for about 3-4 days at a time. I have learned that if I plan for Saturday on Monday, that sometimes what I want on Saturday isn't what I had planned then I would end up going out to eat or splurging...so breaking up my week helps me to stay on track.
I also don't do a bunch of veggies in advance anymore. We typically each have one salad a day in our house that makes up for the bulk of our greens and then we have another veggie with our other main meal.
Also, since I am home, I have been cooking a lot of our dinners fresh versus prepping them. I don't do this every night, it varies depending on our schedule or what I have sitting in the freezer ready to heat and eat.
For example, Aaron traveled this week so I made sure to prep enough that I wouldn't have to do a ton of cooking each night for dinner. Especially since we had something on the calendar every night this week. I knew I would need food ready to go or I would end up feeding the kids (and possibly myself) crap from a drive-thru. Instead, we all had healthy meals each night, even Mason ate what I ate, except his protein usually ended up in a whole grain quesadilla but that it not something you will hear me complain about! Yep...he is like the Gump of Quesadillas, "turkey meatball quesadilla, taco meat quesadilla, turkey chili quesadilla..." But he is eating what I am eating and that my friends is a WIN!
During the week, I also keep track of what I eat each day. There are a lot of ways to do this and I switch between methods but I think my most favorite is the new tally sheet I am using. I print it off, stick it in a sheet protector and mark off my containers as I eat them. Then at night, I wipe it off and start again the next day.
There are Fix apps, even a tally sheet where you can print and keep track of 7 days at a time but I got tired of printing all of that paper so this new method is definitely an ink and paper saver which makes me happy! Not only that, but when I take the time EACH DAY to track what I am eating, I eat WAY better. There is a reason trainers or nutritionists tell people to keep a food journal. It is important to track what we put into our mouths each day, even if it is a bite of the kids food. It makes us more aware of our eating habits, the mindful and not so mindful ones.
If you want a copy of this tally sheet or want help getting set up with a program that can help you learn healthier eating habits, comment below!
