Time for the pledge: “I’ll never eat pizza again!” Yeah right.

The food you eat when life is just taking too long!

Your meal plan is one of the cornerstones of your fitness routine. If you think of your body as a car, compare your food to the gas you buy. You wouldn’t put kerosene in your car’s tank, but in essence that’s what we do with our bodies when we fill them with junk food. Successful meal planning doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little homework and some common sense, figuring out the “what and when” of your meal plan should be fairly easy.

When determining what to include in your meal plan, the first thing that I recommend is making a mental list of the foods that you don’t like. This may sound strange, but consider this: if you hate broccoli but you make it a part of your meal plan because it’s healthy, I can guarantee that you’ll be cheating on your plan within three days. Unless you are a very fussy eater, you should still have a wide array of foods to choose from. Make a list of all the foods that you eat or would like to eat, and from this range of food choices, you can cross off chilidogs, donuts and the like. (These represent the kerosene in the gas tank!) What’s left to choose from? Lean beef and pork, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, butter and just about every fruit, vegetable and grain imaginable! My rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t eat it!

Now that you have all of these great food choices, when should you be taking them on board? Unlike some animals, humans are not designed to gorge themselves with as much food as possible. We function much better by grazing, i.e.: having a small meal every three to four hours. Remember, these meals don’t have to be big sit-down affairs. While you may still have the traditional (but smaller!) breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can easily add in a piece or two of fruit or some nuts as small snacks. Your body stays happy because it’s always getting food in appropriate quantities. You’re happy because you never get very hungry. What about restaurants? With restaurants serving absolutely enormous portions, don’t feel that you need to be a member of the “Clean Plate Club.” Most meals served in a restaurant are more than sufficient to feed two or more people. Utilize the free to-go box and take it home. You’ll thank yourself later!

Time for the pledge: “I’ll never eat pizza again!” Yeah right. You will eat pizza again. And you’ll have some fries, also. Just don’t make these foundation foods. If 80% of your meals are made up of good natural foods, you don’t have to feel bad about the occasional bit of junk. Work yourself up to 80% wholesome. You’ll be amazed at the difference!

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