SHEs Organized

Join us as we work on getting healthier by eating healthier.

Whether you just want to drop weight, gain weight or just eat healthy post what you have for the day. Also post what you didn't eat - that extra piece of pizza or extra cookie.

No one eating plan works for everyone so this is a good place to try different ones. If you want to do exchanges, WW, South Beach, Atkins, an in home meals are all ready prepared, whatever do it here.

Some great healthy menu ideas came out of last months posts and great choices instead of the same old same old.

Mention any tricks or tips for eating that work for you and don't work for you.

Hae fun.

I'm still working on menu plan for September. I have 23 meals planned so far but want to finish getting everything set up.

I downloaded the free monthly menu planner w/grocery list template and started with it. It has evolved as I've working with it this past week and I have modified it to fit the way my brain thinks.

I'm very pleased with how it is coming together but it a BEAR to get everything inputted. (monthly Menu, ingredients for each meal multipled by # of people eating, etc). Once this is set up, it should take minimum time to develop menu plan and shopping list. This is something I've thought about doing for years but just never got round 'to it. Because of last month learning experience and the decision to take the time to eat healthier, it has moved up the priority of this project and I'm MAKING time for it.

OKay I have done menu planning for years and I keep each month so now it is quicker for do. I know if I pull Septembers menu the early part is still summer and then during the month it transitions into more winter menus. You will menu plan faster and faster as time goes by.

My menu plans are simple. I have a column for Date. The master begins on Sunday and I drop down to begin on the proper day. I mark the actual date on Sunday's only. Then the columns are entree, vegetable/salad, starch, and extra. Under extra I put tartar sauce for the fish if I'm having fish or parmesan with a spaghetti entree.

I think you are really going to like menu planning.

My eating is strange at best this last week. I'm going to go back to posting but in a simpler form. Harriet reminded me so well to average the days. So maybe the good days will offset the bad ones.

Wednesday

milk
blueberries

peach shortcake

V8
cheese and crackers

milk

Summary (goal) actual
calories (2000) 855
starch (8) 3.5
protein (7) 1
fat (4)
dairy (3) 2
fruit (5) 3
veg (5) 4

HELP! i'M FAILING!

Not entirely but I'm definitely not doing as well as I was in August. I am not able to do a good job of counting starches in my head. I'm getting the food mixed up on the days I ate it. And i'm SURE I'm not remembering everything I ate since I quit writing it down and just trying to do it in my head.

It is BACK TO THE BASIC'S for me. Starting tomorrow I will return to
** not eating after 6pm
** posting what I eat each day and focusing on keeping the starch counts at 6

I will continue to develop menu plan. I've almost got all the main meals planned for the month.

Indiana - your encouragement is giving me hope on menu planning becoming easier as I get experienced in doing it. It was fun tonight buying food - I knew EXACTLY what food I needed to purchase and how much of each item. I have a long long long way to go before I become good at menu planning but it is exciting to experience how easy grocery shopping is even at my beginner stage.

Wed
es;vinegar;a&m`juice
pawpaw
cereal=millet+seeds,cashews+oil+milk
pad`thai`chicken(needed`sleep`afterwards
salad+`pancakes/flatbread`w`egg`in`mix

Thursday
es,vinegar,juice
cereal=BW,seeds,fig,oil,
pear
salad.sheepcheese,pancake(yay...I`took`food`out`with`me)
manderin
cashews
1/2grapefruit`w`brewers`yeast
banana`gmilk
del`apple,2`rice`thins/PB
cocoa`w`dash`gmilk.

OKayI`find`writing`it`down`helps`even`if`I`don't`post`it.
My`book`has`moved`to`K`counter`for`progressive`entries.`That`helps`my`nights/
trying`to`remember...to`write`it`down.

Friday - Sept 3rd -

What I plan to eat
Coffee, Black (2 cup) 6am
Tea, mixture Green/black unsweetened (2 quarts) 9am-5pm
Fiber Bar 6am
yogurt Light Yoplait fruit 9am
Beans, Ranch Style ( 1/2 cup) noon
Pear 3pm
Chicken, Rotisserie (6 oz) 5pm
Peppers, Bell green (4 oz) 5pm
Green Beans (1 cup) 5pm
Potato, instant prepared (1/2 cup) 5pm
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie 6pm
Grape Juice (1/2 cup) 9pm

Counts (goal) actual
Calories (1500) 1195.0
Fat (55g) 33.5
Sodium (2000mg) 1943.0
Carbs (125g) 157.0
Fiber (25) 27.1
Sugars (60) 75.3
Protein (55) 62.8
Free Foods (3) 0.0
Meat (6) 4.6
Fat (4) 1.2
Veg (4) 2.0
Milk (3) 1.1
Fruit (3) 3.1
Starches (6) 5.3

Thursday

Cereal with strawberries and milk 2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 dairy

Grapes 1 fruit

Soup 2 starch, 1 fat
Milk

Ham, cheese, mustard, crackers 4 protein, 2 starch
Hot V8 4 vegetable
Apple 2 fruit

Strawberries & balsamic vinegar 1 fruit
4 salerno cookies 2 starch
Milk 1 dairy

Summary (goal) actual
calories (2000) 1665
starch (8) 8
protein (7) 4
fat (4) 1
dairy (3) 3
fruit (5) 5
veg (5) 4

Not a bad day. I drank my vegetables but that is fine.

OKay you are not failing. You are doing a fabulous job. You just hit a speed bump.

It does help to write it down. When I am tracking, only for me I have a check off sheet. It is 2 columns so all the days of the week will fit on one sheet. The template has the day of the week. Under the day the food groups are listed horizontally. Down the left are the meals and snacks. I set it up with boxes so it is easy to check off what I had. I just check off if I had a starch. I use and “X” so if I only had ½ a starch then I only mark “/”.

I’m keeping track in more detail now for here. But I can just as easily revert to my check off and only report totals for the meal and the day.

Not only will menu planning get easier but also when the menus for the month is done all staples can be purchased at one time leaving only the perishables or odds and ends to pick up.

Lynlee are you taking the vinegar straight or are you mixing it with something?

Harriet that is interesting about the yogurt and the papaya. I stopped getting yogurt for a while.