6 weeks to a healthier you - The Biggest Loser Book

I’ve been reading The Biggest Loser 6 weeks to a healthier you book and am about finished, as well as shopped for the first 2 weeks of food from the meal plans. I am nervous about the challenge this will be and impressed with the details that are given in the book.

Each week is broken down into a specific area of health concern that is related to obesity; cancer, heart disease, blood pressure, and mental health are some of the areas of concern. I was interested in reading the meal plan for the week focusing on high blood pressure, since this is something I struggle with. Most of this chapter was information I have known and written about before and nothing really new to me. The exercise for this week was a high difficulty then the week prior, using a resistance band in each exercise, and this made me eager for week 4!

Each day of food is completely laid out for you, consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and then dinner. There are no days were you exceed 1,600 calories at all, and more days are just over 1,400 to 1,500 calories. This will be a struggle for me at first, just to see the diminished amounts, but with much more whole grain along with more fruits and vegetables I feel confident that this will not be a huge factor for me.

Overall I am excited to begin something more structured in this journey. I don’t feel like this is a gimmick that I am taking on, but a tool in the many I already possess. I have made some substitutions in the meal plans when necessary. These substitutions come from not wanting to purchase expensive ingredients, not found of a particular food, or unable to find particular ingredients. I also made adjustments for days that I want to feed more then just Jon, Julia and I, and enjoy the company of my friends. This will most likely increase the calorie intakes of the day, but with extra work at the gym I shouldn’t see much from that. Another book I want to try in The Biggest Loser series is the Family Cookbook. This book is focused on bargain AND healthy meals for the family. Once I am done with these 6 weeks of meals I am going out to get it and make my own meal plans!

Here is a sample of week 1 meals -

Monday 1,470 Calories

Breakfast:
Southern Start (recipe with oatmeal & peaches)
½ grapefruit sub. w/ orange
2 oz Canadian bacon sub w/ turkey bacon
1 cup fat-free milk
Tea or coffee

Snack:
½ turkey sandwich: 1 oz lean turkey, 2 tomato slices, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard on 1 slice of whole grain bread.

Lunch:
1 serving Broke Bean Strew (recipe w/ beans, spinach, tomatoes, and spicy spices)
2 cups mixed green salad with 1 tbsp low-fat Caesar dressing sub. w/ ranch dressing
1 large apple or ¾ cup cherries
Iced Tea

Snack:
1 serving Sunrise Shake (recipe w/ Biggest Loser protein powder)

Dinner:
6 oz lean flank steak, grilled
1 cup steamed broccoli with 1 tsp minced garlic and 1 tbsp toasted almond slivers
Sliced tomato salad with ¼ cup sliced green bell pepper and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Green tea or coffee
Ice water