Meal Prepping Lifestyle Continues...

So we are almost 2 months into meal prepping.

And I've actually been exercising less because my bike spokes broke 3 times in a period of a month - twice after a full truing job by Bushtaka - who overtightening the spokes, causing my rim to bend after the first ride, and another broken spoke 4 rides after that.

And because we aren't made of money, the wheel budget means I ordered a new set of wheels ($40 more than just one wheel because they were 50% off and just made more sense) from England.  I can't wait until we get the new wheels installed (hopefully) this weekend.  I am SO itching to bike.

I really have to get back into the Beachbody workout groove - it's hard to get back into when you've been doing a totally different kind of exercise and are feeling a bit blah.

So despite this slump, I've gone down a pant size AND a solid 19 pounds.

19 pounds.

Just by meal prepping.

How crazy is that??

I'm 4 pounds from what I thought was an unattainable weight goal.  So I will go back with my original weight goal that I had at the beginning of my lifestyle change from October 2014.

I feel we didn't eat crappy before this, but meal prepping means portion sizes, no lazy weeknight take out food when I don't feel like cooking, and feeling full all the time thanks to lots of protein.

I am fitting back into old pants that used to be too tight - and my previous sausage legs are actually drowning in material.  Jeans that were not too tight, but flattering are now blowing in the wind and sagging as my caboose and thighs have shrunk.

Husband even commented that I'm getting my thigh gap back again.

These were tight and NOT loose at all at the beginning of May 2016

It's weird.

I've been working out consistently since October 2014 and have never seen such rapid progress.  I was stuck at one weight for months and months before we started food prepping.

I spend time on Pinterest each week looking at new 21 Day Fix and Beachbody meal plan ideas, and put together 4 meals (2 lunches and 2 dinners).  I use one or two meals that we have enjoyed before, and the remainder are new.

So I do get lost in the Pinterest Vortex a lot more often now that I have in the past. It's hard to escape.

My Hard Core Meal Prep ideas are here if you would like to follow.  I do delete recipes once I go through the links that have a multitude of recipes (and I only add the specific recipes we want to or have tried), or ones that just didn't taste good despite following the recipes.

I treat Pinterest like my email and keep it as organized as possible.

Not getting bored and having variety in menus is VERY important to our success, as I need to keep this interesting for longevity.

Honestly, if I could meal prep forever(or until we win the lottery and have a chef), I would.

By following step by step instructions for the first 3-4 weeks, I gained the confidence to just choose our own recipes based on what meat is on sale, or cravings.

I mean. We can have Shepherds Pie, Jambalaya, Shrimp, Fajitas, and more.  It's generally tasty, extremely filling, and obviously doing something for us.

See what we've been eating!

Breakfast does not vary - now we just have a fruit bowl & homemade oatmeal packs (stinky egg at Husband's work is not happening)

Stir Fry

Thai Chicken and Veggies

Veggies, Chicken, Meat loaf, Shepherds Pie

I usually cover this whole table by the end of prep day - this is half the table.

More veggies and Squash

Pasta broccoli chicken casserole, more Meatloaf, More Veggies

Last week we had stuffed peppers, fish, stir fry, lots of veggies.

So you can eat healthy and delicious foods all week long, spend 2-3 hours of your weekend prepping all the meals for the week, have a lot more spare time during the week, and enjoy life a lot more. Weight loss and energy is just a perk.

Before food prep...

One Month after food prep

Downsize Jeans last week!