What We're Eating

Around the end of January when we started exercising again we decided to follow the P90X meal plan and edit it to fit the exercises we are doing burning calories wise.

We figured out how many calories we require and we fell into the Level 1 Meal plan.  P90X has 3 Levels depending on your weight and how many calories you need etc. There is a whole math equation to it.  There are also 3 phases and the first one we are in is the Fat Shredder phase. 

In Level 1 there are 2 types of plans you can do.  You can follow the full meal plan to a tee as they give you what to eat and all the recipes etc.  We’ve tried this with the JM meal plan and it takes up SO MUCH TIME making everything.  If we didn’t have jobs then we could do it but working all day and then cooking all night was not working for us.  We even tried preparing in advance on the weekends but we spent at least one whole day just cooking and didn’t get to fully enjoy the weekend.

So instead of that option we went with our own where they give you a list of foods to choose from each category and the amounts per day.   For the Phase 1 (Fat shredder) we can have the following servings per day: Protein = 5, Fat = 1, Carbs = 1, Dairy = 2, Fruit = 1, Vegetables = 2, Condiments = 1, Snacks = 1.  Below are some examples we get to choose from.

Protein - a serving includes – 3 oz skinless turkey or chicken breast, 6 egg whites, 3 oz fish, 3 oz fat free ham slices, 3 oz pork tenderloin, 3 oz red meat, 1 soy burger, 1 veggie burger, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 veggie dog, and a few tofu things we don’t eat.

Fats - a serving includes – 3 oz avocado, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp, flaxseed oil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 oz olives

Carbohydrates – a serving includes – 1 medium whole wheat bagel, 1 bran muffin, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 cup whole grain cereal, 12 crackers, 2 english muffin halves, whole wheat, 1 cup oatmeal, 3 pancakes, 1 cup pasta or noodls, 1 large whole wheat pita, 1 medium potato or sweet potato, 1 cup brown or wild rice, 1 large whole wheat tortilla, 3 whole wheat waffles, and some other items we don’t eat

Dairy  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 oz feta cheese, 1 oz parmesan cheese, 8 oz skim milk, 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt

Fruit – a serving includes – 1 medium apple, 1 medium banana, 1 medium grapefruit, 1 cup kiwi, 1 cup grapes, 1 large orange, 1 medium peach or pear, 1 cup raspberries/blueberries/blackberries, 2 cups sliced strawberries, 1 cup watermelon

Vegetables  – a serving includes – 1 cup each of asparagus/broccoli/Brussel sprouts/carrots/cauliflower/celery/cucumber/peas/peppers/tomatoes/vegetable soup, 2 cups of lettuce/kale/spinach

Condiments  – a serving includes – 2 tbsp bbq and other low fat sauces and marinades, fat free dressings, mustard, honey, pure fruit jams

Snacks  – a serving includes – 1 oz low fat cheese, 8 oz cottage cheese, 12 mini rice cakes, 1 tbsp of peanut butter with celery sticks, frozen fruit bar, 4 oz fat free frozen yogurt

And we are also allowed half of a protein bar.  We are using the Cliff builder bars which are about equal to the P90X protein bars.  You can get them in the organic section of some Superstores, at MEC and also on amazon.ca

Each week we take turns doing up a meal plan for the coming week.  In another post we will give you an example of a meal plan. So far this plan is working if we keep up the exercising and stick to the servings etc.