For me, food is always something that I struggle to balance, although it was when I was pregnant for the second time that I really started to overeat. I am now living with the consequences, finding it harder to stick to a diet, with two children to look after and with the husband working shifts, our mealtimes are never routine so I often find myself snacking to keep to going.
So as you can imagine I was delighted to be chosen as one of the Ambassadors for a new online meal planning site Porridge on Tuesday which gives you a full meal plan and exercise videos for the week ahead based on calories relative to your weight/height and how much you want to lose. Or if you are not particularly overweight and just want help to maintain healthy eating with lots of recipe ideas then that is an option too.
Being vegetarian I am always sceptical of meal plans and whether the meals will be easy to cook but I have to say I’m really pleased with the Porridge on Tuesday meal plans so far as there are some really tasty dishes that are easy to cook. Some of my favourites so far are Mexican rice and beans with avocado salsa, Refried bean quesadilla and a very simple Spaghetti and courgettes. I have made some simple changes to basic foods such as switching pasta and rice to wholemeal varieties and having cooked breakfasts – something that was very rare beforehand! I can only manage this on days I’m at home although scrabbled eggs on toast has become a firm favourite.
What I love about the meal plan is that you can change, swap or delete a meal if you don’t like it, want something different or just don’t fancy it on the day. You can then choose an alternative lunch/meal/snack to put in it’s place. For me this has been a very useful tool and something that encourages me to keep checking my plan and customising it to suit me.
Being two weeks into the plan I have already lost 5lb – yay!! Although I’ve still got a way to go to shift the couple of extra stone I need to. I’m hoping that by writing about my weight loss and following a structured meal plan I will stay motivated enough to get back to my pre pregnancy size or perhaps a bit lower!
I’ll keep you posted about both how well I am doing and what I think about the Porridge on Tuesday website – so far all is good!!
