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7 DAY SLIM DOWN MEAL PLAN

7 Day Slim Down Meal Plan customize your menu and shopping list, lose weight without going hungry. Easy to follow diet with Paleo and Plant-based options.

PLAN AHEAD FOR SUCCESS

1. Clear your schedule for 7 days before starting.
2. Start ahead of time by cleaning out pantry & fridge. Toss or donate unhealthy and/or high calorie foods and processed foods.
3. Plan your menu, create your shopping list, and stock up ahead of time.
4. On a slow night or day off, prepare soup, stew, chili ahead. Chop fresh veggies and make veggie dips for snacks. Prepare salads in mason jars and use a small jam jar for homemade salad dressing. Fill mason jars 3/4th way full with smoothies and freeze, take out of the freezer upon waking, drink on the way to work. Or make refrigerator oatmeal in mason jars and store in refrigerator as a quick to-go breakfast. Paleo plan, make mini quiche or frittatas in muffin tins as a quick to-go breakfast. Omit cheese and use 45 calorie almond or coconut milk in place of dairy.
5. If you’re not on a Paleo plan, cook a big batch of quinoa or brown rice to reheat throughout the week.
6. If you’re not on a Paleo plane, cook a batch of hot, whole grain cereal, store in 2 cup mason jars and top with fruit and a splash of 45 calorie per cup almond or coconut milk. Take as a to go breakfasts to reheat at work.
7. Chop fresh veggies for snacks and make 100% veggie dips.
8. Keep fresh fruit on hand and/or make desserts with fresh or frozen fruit ahead of time.

IMPORTANT—STAY HYDRATED

Drink plenty of water. Halve your weight and drink that many ounces per day, up to 128 oz.
Sparkling water, herbal teas, and green tea are all great ways to hydrate.
A sudden increase in fiber from raw fruits and vegetables can cause constipation. Keep all natural CALM, magnesium capsules, or all natural Docusate Sodium on hand.

BREAKFAST

Your best option, fresh pressed juice containing mostly vegetables + a little fruit. Not a juicer? Smoothie & whole grain cereal recipes included. Paleo? See eggs below.

 BREAKFAST—choose one of the following options

1. Fresh Pressed Juice is your best option for weight loss—find lots of recipes on this blog
2. Fruit and Veggie Smoothie—find lots of recipes on this blog
3. Hot or Cold Whole-grain Cereal—find recipes on this blog
4. Eggs + fresh berries or other fruit—poached, soft boiled, hard boiled, over easy, scrambled, vegetable frittata w/o cheese, find recipes on this blog.

MORE BREAKFAST OPTIONS, INCLUDING EGGS FOR PALEO-PRIMAL DIET

If you prefer eggs, stick to recipes like poached eggs over spinach on sliced tomatoes or individual vegetable frittatas [use a muffin tin] w/o cheese. Avoid breakfast recipes that call for gravy, cheese, bacon, ham, or pork sausage. Lean beef or Homemade Turkey Sausage  are better options.  Avoid recipes containing refined or empty carbohydrates [pancakes, waffles, muffins, biscuits], or high calories [granola, power bars].  Recipes with lots of fresh vegetables are the best option for weight loss, like a vegetable frittata topped with and salsa instead of cheese. Substitute 45 calorie per cup coconut or almond milk in omelet, quiche, and frittata recipes that call for dairy milk, half-and-half, or cream.

LUNCH

Your best option, a big, leafy green salad topped with lots of low-calorie vegetables, + 4 oz. of lean protein or 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of plant-based protein + sprouts with homemade, lower calorie dressing. Or a collard green wrap or lettuce wraps.  You’ll find recipes on this blog.

LUNCH—you can switch lunch and dinner options

Leafy Green Salad with a Light Protein is your best option for weight loss. If you’re short on time look for pre-washed, packaged salad green mixes.

• Meat Protein options, 4 ounces, grilled, broiled, poached, steamed, lean cuts of: meat, poultry, or seafood. Visualize…it fits in the palm of your hand or is the size of a deck of cards.  Best options: fish, shellfish, other seafood, white meat of chicken or other poultry without skin, or lean cuts of beef like sirloin or NY strip steak.
• Plant-based protein options, 1/2C to 2/3C total: sprouted quinoa, cooked and cooled quinoa, cooked and cooled brown, red, or black rice, cooked and cooled white beans, black beans, or pinto beans. A serving of plant-based protein is 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup TOTAL of one or a combination of  the following: legumes, whole grains, pseudo-grains. Or 2 tablespoons tree nuts or seeds. A complete protein contains all of the 9 essential amino acids sufficient to meet the dietary needs of humans. Eat a combination of legumes and whole grains, within 24-48 hours, so your body can build a complete protein. Lentils have more protein than beans. Quinoa is a protein by itself. A great option is Sprouted Quinoa.
•  Plus Healthy Additions—fresh sprouts, any kind, 2T raw nuts or raw seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, or hemp hearts. Add 1T raw cacao nibs and reduce nuts or seeds to 1T, fresh or frozen berries, gogi berries.
• Use a lower-calorie homemade salad dressing: 1T olive oil + 2T Balsamic or other vinegar + 1t fresh squeezed lemon juice + 1t Dijon mustard + salt & pepper to taste. Make a bottle of dressing ahead of time:  1/4C olive oil + 1/2C Balsamic or other vinegar + 1T and 1t lemon juice + 1T and 1t Dijon mustard + salt & pepper to taste. If dressing is too sour add a few drops of 100% liquid Stevia or 1t raw honey or 1t pure maple syrup to single serving or 1T and 1t raw honey or 1T and 1t pure maple syrup to bottle of dressing.

DON’T WANT A LEAFY GREEN SALAD?

No problem, try chicken salad, tuna salad, crab salad, egg salad, etc. mixed with lots of minced veggies and no-mayo mayonnaise, wraps made with collard greens or Boston lettuce leaves instead of bread,  or lower calorie soup recipes. Find lower calorie recipes on this blog.

DINNER

Your best option, a big, leafy green salad topped with lots of low-calorie vegetables, + 4 oz. of lean protein or 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of plant-based protein + sprouts with homemade, lower calorie dressing. Or a collard green wrap or lettuce wraps.  You’ll find recipes on this blog.

DINNER—you can switch dinner and lunch options

1. Leafy Green Salad + a Light Protein is your best option for weight loss. If you’re short on time, try pre-washed, packaged salad mixes
2. Soups—lower calories soups that are not cream based and do not contain cheese or fatty meats.
3. Stews—lower calorie stews with lean cuts of meat or plant-based stews without a lot of starchy vegetables.
4. Chili—lower calorie chili recipes with lean cuts of meat and no beans or plant-based

NOTE: crackers are not the best idea when it comes to weight loss but try Mary’s Gone Crackers or raw crackers, if you must.

DESSERTS

Fresh fruit is your best option for weight loss. Or desserts made with 100% fruit. You can make low-calorie, frozen  fruit bars or sorbet with fresh or frozen blended fruit plus 100% liquid Stevia, if you need to sweeten.  For creamsicles, mix in 45 calorie per cup almond or coconut milk then freeze in popsicle molds.

For a chocolate fix, add raw cacao powder to 45 calorie per cup coconut or almond milk, add liquid Stevia to sweeten. You can drink this as chocolate milk or freeze it as a fudgesicle or freeze half of it in ice cube trays then blend it with remaining liquid to make chocolate ‘ice cream’.

One tablespoon of 100% Nut Butter like Almond, Cashew, Walnut, or Pecan along with a sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon makes a great dessert or snack, too.

VITAMINS & MINERALS, SUPPLEMENT

Many soils are over farmed and depleted of minerals. Food picked under ripe then shipped, looses vitamins quickly. Is this why we over eat? Is it our bodies attempt to get enough nutrients? Taking a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement may help you eat less. Eating less calories of quality food verses larger quantities of junk food, better fuels your body and gives you energy verses making you sluggish.  Your body has to work harder to digest a heavy meal leaving you less energy for living your life.

SNACKS

Don’t go hungry, just eat smarter! Eat the right snacks. Eat as many low-calorie snacks that you need to stay full. Don’t ever let yourself go hungry, especially on a diet. See below…

SNACK, SNACK, SNACK!

Make sure to have healthy, low-calorie snacks on hand. Don’t go hungry!

You’ll have better weight loss success if you plan ahead. Losing weight is all about consuming less calories than you expend. But don’t fall into the trap of letting yourself starve to the point where you end up binging later. Instead, fill yourself up with the right kind of snacks.

Cut-up a wide variety of fresh, raw vegetables and keep them handy to snack on throughout the day. Eat a variety of colorful vegetables for the best range of antioxidants. Raw vegetables also contain live enzymes which will give your energy level a boost. Plus, they contain tons of fiber to keep you full. All this, while being low in calories. What a deal!  You can also find pre-cut fresh vegetable snacks in the produce section of your favorite grocery store.

Get creative. Try 100% vegetable dips for your fresh cut veggies. Dips like all natural store-bought or homemade picante sauce, salsa, or roasted vegetable dips add lots of flavor while keeping calories low. Lightly steamed and sautéed veggies work, too. Or try 100% vegetable + broth soups like Gazpacho, Butternut Squash, Roasted Tomato, and Carrot-Ginger, to name a few. Kombucha and Coconut Water Kefir, without added sugar, provide lots of probiotics, while curbing your appetite. Plus, they’re only 10 to 35 calories per serving! You’ll find lots of low calorie recipes on this blog.

A cup of herbal tea, hot or iced makes a nice snack too.  Try Mighty Leaf, Chocolate Mint Truffle tea with a dash of raw cacao powder, 45 calorie coconut or almond milk, and a few drops of 100% liquid Stevia. Or try Yogi teas like Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut.

Protein keeps you full longer than any other kind of food. Try a hardboiled egg, a small handful of raw nuts, all natural turkey jerky, or a protein shake made 45 calorie per cup coconut or almond milk, frozen berries, and 1T to 2T hemp hearts or hemp seeds.

Stay away from pre-packaged ‘protein bars’ they are usually offer the equivalent of a glorified candy bar. Stick to all-natural, healthy whole foods.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Your body will get more of the nutrition it needs by eating a lower amount of calories consisting of healthy food choices verses meals high in calories and low in nutrition. These fast food meals stuff you full without giving your body the nutrition it needs. You may feel like you’re starving or depriving yourself by switching to a diet based on healthy vegetables and fruits. But it’s not true. One all-natural apple contains more nutrition and fiber than any fast food super size meal containing a cheeseburger, fries, and soda. Or a small pizza or fast food fried chicken or drive through tacos. Stuffing your body full of meals containing empty calories, empty carbs, and unhealthy fats may make you feel full but remember, the point of eating is to fuel your body. Make the switch to quality, nutrient-dense foods verses a quantity of nutrient-void fast foods.  Besides losing weight, you’ll be amazed at how much more energy it gives you!

EAT MORE VEGGIES!

 

VEGGIES, VEGGIES, VEGGIES!

List of some lower calorie veggies to enjoy raw, lightly steamed, roasted, or sautéed. For snacking or on top of leafy, green salads.

1. Artichokes
2. Arugula
3. Asparagus
4. Bamboo Shoots
5. Beets
6. Bell Peppers
7. Bok Choy
8. Broccoli
9. Brussels Sprouts
10. Cabbage
11. Carrots
12. Cauliflower
13. Celery
14. Collard Greens
15. Cucumber
16. Dandelion Greens
17. Eggplant
18. Fennel Bulb
19. Hot Peppers
20. Jicama
21. Kale
22. Kohlrabi
23. Leeks
24. Lettuce, all
25. Mushrooms
26. Okra
27. Onions
28. Patty Pan Squash
29. Pumpkin
30. Radish
31. Rutabagas
32. Scallions
33. Sea Vegetables, all
34. Spinach
35. Sprouts, all
36. Summer Squash
37. Tomatillos
38. Tomatoes, technically a fruit
39. Turnips
40. Water Chestnuts
41. Watercress
42. Zucchini

VEGGIE DIPS—use all natural picante sauce, salsa fresca, or pico de gallo as a dip for your veggies. Or try roasted red pepper dip. Ranch lovers, try mixing 0% Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt with minced onions and fresh herbs or seasonings like Mrs. Dash.

 

Metatags: 7 Day Slim Down Meal Plan customize your menu and shopping list, lose weight without going hungry. Easy to follow diet with Paleo and Plant-based options.