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My approach to meal planning for weight loss
Years ago, I tried calorie counting, and I was miserable. My method was loosely based on the Deal-A-Meal program promoted by Richard Simmons. The problem when I started was that I used up all my calories by 2 PM. Those days, I would swing from feeling overstuffed to ravenously hungry. That was before I understood that craving is in the mind and true hunger is in the body.
On my journey to reverse diabetes, I’ve been fixated mostly on carbohydrates. Now that I have reversed the disease (based on my most recent lab results), I want to consider a more balanced approach. I am also about 30 pounds (13.6 kg) above my goal weight. According to my dietician, I should focus on being in a calorie deficit — taking in fewer calories than I burn daily. This isn’t the “calories in, calories out” model, per se, because the type of calories matters. I am considering calorie intake and the proportion of calories coming from carbs, fat, protein, and fiber.
She helped me figure out my daily targets:
- Total calories: 2000
- Total carbohydrates: 85g
- Total fat: 110g
- Total protein: 160g
- Total fiber: 30–40g
I would have had to do a lot of research on my own to figure this out. Sometimes, it pays to get assistance from a professional. You should check with your insurance because you might have a benefit that covers visits to a dietician with no out-of-pocket cost.
Another mistake I made in the past was designing meal plans from scratch. That never seems to last for me. This time I’m sticking with the core meals I’m comfortable preparing.
My first meal is Bulletproof Coffee around 8 AM. I decided to swap out Brain Octane oil, which is pure fat, with Bulletproof Collagen Protein powder. This drink keeps me full until lunchtime. My second meal is the famous breakfast sandwich plate that includes three eggs, crispy bacon, 1/2 Dave’s Killer English muffin toasted and drizzled with olive oil, two slices of Colby Jack cheese, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, and some baby carrots. I have demonstrated that I will prepare these meals daily and enjoy them.
After crunching the numbers, I realized that after the first two meals, I still have…
