The Outback Expat

What I have been Eating – Part 1

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As you may recall I eat food based on a meal plan. Up until recently my Trainer Felicity Neale would set out the meal plan for me which was great as I could give my input about what I liked and she would design the plan for me.

For probably about the last 10 weeks or so I have been having a go at designing my weekly meal plan which has been really interesting for me as well as tricky and also fun!

I thought I would share my meal plans from time to time here just in case anyone who reads the blog is looking for some food inspiration! I won’t share the exact measurements of each component of the meal because they are specific to me and what works for me may not work for everyone else. Also I am trying to maintain my weight with the aim of skin removal surgery rather than specifically loose fat.

For Part 1 I thought I would share my meal plan which ran from 15 to 28 April 2019. I do tend to eat the foods over just 7 days but with the Easter break I stayed on this one for two weeks.

Pre Work Out

Before I work out I always, regardless of the meal plan, have the following:

A teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water

  • Vital Greens mixed with Psylium Husk
  • 100ml Apple Juice
  • Scoop of protein powder mixed in water

Post Work Out / Breakfast

For this plan I was lucky as the foods I could eat formed a good breakfast and dessert!

  • Scrambled eggs with a drop of water cooked with some rocket / kale
  • White Rice and Peaches in Juice which I heated up and sprinkled with some mixed spice (as I don’t like cinnamon)

I also usually have a big glass of water and a cup of coffee with / after my food.

Lunch 1

  • Chicken which I cooked in the slow cooker
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet Potato
  • Olive Oil

Lunch 2

  • Chicken
  • Quinoa
  • Green veggies
  • Olive Oil

Dinner

This dinner probably isn’t everyones cup of tea but I really enjoy eating it (which is essential when you are eating the same thing for 7 days in a row) and I look forward to being able to slot it into my meal plan.

  • Lean Beef Mince
  • Cabbage, red onions and mushrooms cooked with garlic and chilli
  • Sugar free jelly (which is great if you have a sweet tooth).

Quantities

Whilst I don’t want to give the measurements for each component of the meal, the above calories added up to about 1686 a day with 138g protein, 65 grams of fat and 95g carbs. I don’t include the green veggies etc in my calorie count

Meal Prep

I pre-cook as much of the food as possible on the Saturday or Sunday otherwise there is a risk I will be too tired from work and that makes cooking pretty unpleasant. The lunches get measured and boxed so I can grab the boxes and go for work etc. The breakfast and dinner components get stored in bigger boxes and are measured out as I go.

Food Shopping & Meal Prep Essentials

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I meal prep my own meals and then plan and cook meals for the Aussie each week. There are certain things which I buy week in week out.

Recently I have been putting together a proposed meal plan based upon my macros and then Felicity will review them and make suggestions which has been both fun and interesting because sometimes it feels like a real juggling act to get it right. I feel like I am learning so much about food and how all the macros interact to make sure I eat whole healthy foods and don’t get hungry.

Sometimes I hit my protein macros when I am planning but then find that I don’t have enough carbs or fat so then have to go back and adjust. It is not easy especially when you want variety so you don’t get bored of your meals.

  1. Green veggies – I can almost always guarantee that I will include green veggies including broccoli, green beans and peas in one or more of my meals each day because they really help fill me up. Also I generally don’t count them towards my calories. I used to buy everything fresh but as frozen vegetables are pretty good quality because they are snap frozen I now usually just buy the frozen green vegetables pack from Coles, they take a few minutes to cook and taste delicious.
  2. Alternative or as well as green veggies I will have a green salad made up of spinach, kale, lettuce, cucumber, celery and throw in some red onion as well.
  3. Protein (of course) – My protein choices vary between eggs, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, salmon and white fish. We like to mix it around so there is variety because I have the same meals for 7 days at a time. Protein is great because it helps reduce hunger and helps boost your metabolism.
  4. Carbs – For carbs we swap between oats, basmati rice, jasmine rice, quinoa, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. We have found that my body reacts pretty well to carbs and I enjoy eating all of those (especially oats for my breakfast!).
  5. Fats – we do not work on a low fat diet and I understand that this is actually not very helpful when you are trying to loose weight. My fats choices include olive oil, avocado, flaxseed oil, avocado oil. I have tended to lean towards avocado and olive oil but I am trying to mix in other oils.
  6. Others – we also include foods like peanut butter (yum with oats and chocolate protein powder), almond butter, tahini, sauerkraut, herbs and spices which are all delicious additions.

The Unexpected Side of Weight Loss

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I would say that 99% of the time my weight loss is fantastic but I have noticed a few “side effects” of weight loss so I thought I would share a bit about that side of my “journey”.

  1. Being cold – I used to have a whole lot of insulation so now when the temperature drops I feel it! A plus side of that side effect is also that when it is hot I don’t feel the heat quite so badly!
  2. Perception – this goes in hand with number 5 below a bit. I know I am “smaller” and weigh less but I still get a surprise when I see how I look sometimes.
  3. Weight plateaus – these are very frustrating. You are working hard, eating well, exercising had and yet you aren’t loosing weight. I had this for a while before starting to work with Felicity Neale and with her hard work and assistance I got through that one. Now we take everything on a week by week basis and adjust as and when required. We have also discovered that stress, lack or not enough sleep all plays a big impact on my weight losses/gains and so now I work hard to keep them in check.
  4. Loose skin – this is probably the biggest side effect of them all! I have lost a lot of weight and probably have toned up as much as I can / will but there is still obvious loose skin on my arms, legs, stomach and back. I am working on having surgery to remove the excess skin but I am still quite conscious of it and how it looks to me at least and trying to hide it so it isn’t obvious. I have seen some people say that if they knew about the loose skin, they may not have lost weight. I never would say that. The benefits outweigh this “problem” and I can work on fixing the problem with weight loss surgery which is on the agenda.
  5. Shopping – you would think that shopping now would be great and on the most part it is. Before I lost weight I would be able to shop in only a few shops and even if I went to buy clothes I would have to go to a small section of the shop and would have very few options so would buy what was available and not necessarily what I liked. Now when I go shopping I can pretty much shop everywhere and know that as long as the clothes are in my current size they will fit and probably look ok and that is actually a bit overwhelming! I have gone in to shops before and had to walk out quite quickly because of the variety. I am sure I will get over it but it is a very strange feeling!

As I said at the start, I wouldn’t change the fact that I have lost weight but I think that it is good to reflect upon the unexpected side effects.

Fitness Life

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A while back I contacted my old gym in Darwin to ask if they kept the records of my body measurements that were taken when I joined and they did which was great because at that time I didn’t think to do so.

Whilst chatting with them about my “weight loss journey” they asked if I would be happy to answer some questions which they might publish for their members so I thought I would share my answers here. I’m not sure if/when my answers will be published.

What inspired you to start? 

I had started going to aqua fitness with my friend Jenna for a couple of months before but wasn’t really committed to a big long term weight loss. Then Christmas 2016 I flew home to the UK where I am from, for Christmas and went shopping with my mum at a shopping centre. The next day I woke up and my back was so painful I had to cancel a much wanted trip to visit one of my best friends. I knew then I needed to do something so when I came back to Darwin I began working on my food and on 2 February 2017 joined the gym and I have not looked back.

What activities and / or eating plan you were following?

I currently work out with weights 3 days a week followed by 30 minutes of cardio. On Saturdays I try and get to Park Run or will do 60 minutes of cardio. My exercise and diet plans are put together by my Trainer Felicity Neale who I work with remotely as she lives and works in Sydney.

What benefits have you seen?

I have dropped 7 dress sizes so far (and 50kg) which has been fantastic but I have also enjoyed being able to be active every day. I feel so much better and full of energy and willing to just get out there. I love walking/hiking and have been able to find raise for a few charities through sponsored walks the last couple of years. I also participated in the Gold Run which was a 5km run at the commonwealth games and received my own medal!

What challenge/ goals are you working on at the moment? 

I am still working on loosing another 5-10kg in weight and to drop my body fat percentage down. To do this I am working on building strength and gain lean muscle which will help to boost my metabolism and burn fat as well. Long term I am planning on a “tummy tuck” style operation to remove the excess skin which will help get me so much closer to my goal.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about getting started?

It’s a bit of a cliche but small changes really do add up to big differences. I started working on my diet first because that had to be right or at least better than it was and then when I was ready I joined the gym. I’d also really recommend strength training. Starting to work with weights was/can be intimidating but that is really where I have seen the big changes happening. Also keep track of your measurements and take photos regularly when you reach milestones it is great to look back and see how far you’ve come, especially on days when you really don’t want to go to the gym!

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