Best Diet: YOUR DAILY MEAL MAP FOR WEEK ONE

Best Diet: YOUR DAILY MEAL MAP FOR WEEK ONE

When my clients come into my office we create meal maps for the week so they know exactly what to eat at any given moment. This planning ahead makes the program a no-brainer and so easy to follow. I’ve created a meal map below for you. All the meals have already been filled out. You can switch meals within phases, or use some of these meals but not others. As long as you are sticking to the phase-specific foods and categories for each meal and snack, and your portions are correct, you can always adapt this to your own needs. (See “Personalizing and Building Your Own Meal Maps,” for step-by-step instruction on crafting your own meal map.)

Notice that each phase is highlighted. I’ve written the meal components above, and in a line below, the foods or recipes that can work for that meal. Foods with recipes in the back of the book are written in bold and have been labeled according to their phase.

Remember, this will involve some cooking, but don’t be afraid! Whenever you make a recipe, pack up additional servings, label them with the appropriate phase, and put them in the freezer. I’ve designed these meal maps so that many of the recipes from this first week pop up again in the “ideal” meal map I give you for week three. So when they do, you’ll already have all the cooking finished! Take advantage of your excitement and momentum this week to get all your cooking done now, in case the novelty wears off in another week or two.

Also a reminder: This is a meal map for someone whose weight loss goal is 20 pounds or less. For every additional 20 pounds you need to lose, increase your portions by one-half serving. (For example, if you need to lose 20 pounds, a serving of chili is 2 cups. If you need to lose 40 pounds, a serving of chili is 3 cups.