4 Week Summer Body Meal Plan – Week 3

When your days and weeks are so busy, it’s super important to be as organised as you can in the meal department so your diet doesn’t blow out with convenience foods and you don’t give in to that niggling voice in your head telling you “you deserve [insert craving]”. With only a week to go until I’m off to Fiji, time is of the essence and I have a few tips for anyone who, like me, needs to be prepared when they feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

4 Week Summer Body Meal Plan: Week 2

Even with a meal plan, sticking to a healthy eating regime can be challenging. There are temptations you won’t always be able to resist, and spontaneous occasions that demand flexibility. The key is not to beat yourself up about it. Get back on your bike (literally), and pick up right where you left off. I had a few slip ups in week 2 of my summer body meal plan…

4-Week Summer Body Meal Plan: Week 1

In four weeks, I’ll be in Fiji. That means I have 28 days to cleanse, tone and detox my way from a pretty healthy winter body to a seriously summer ready Fiji body. I am also on the hunt for a new bikini, which is always a good motivator. Seriously though, four weeks is all it takes to establish new routines and generate some incredible results. And I’m going to prove it to you. I’m calling it my 4-2-Fiji Diet. There are only 4 guidelines and 2 exceptions. I challenge you to follow along with these recipes and meal plans to see if you not only look better, but feel better too.

Sugar-free meal plan: week 10

Challenge complete: I did not buy one grocery item this week. The challenge I set last week was followed through by me being frugal and creative, but also benefiting from the generosity of good friends who gave me eggs from their farms and, of course, my family who supplied me with some grass-fed beef from their farm.

Sugar-free meal plan: week 8

The interesting thing about cutting out sugar from your diet is the way your concept of treats totally changes within a relatively short time frame. Looking back over this week’s food diary I can see that I consumed more fruit than other weeks (I generally stick to two serves a day). Prior to adopting a sugar-free lifestyle I ate bucket loads of fruit. Now I consider it my ‘sweet treat’. And, with my successful experiments in the kitchen this week (sugar-free Banoffee Pie anyone?!), I did not miss out on anything.

Sugar-free meal plan: week 7

I am normally one to follow a recipe to the tee, but since I quit sugar I have found there are few recipes for sugar-free desserts or ‘sweet treats’ out there. And, anything I do find  inevitably contains an artificial sugar or sweetener of some kind – now tell me, would you quit smoking and take up drugs? To me, quitting sugar and replacing it with a chemical alternative makes no sense. So, I experiment. Sometimes it goes pear-shaped, other times I am pleasantly surprised. This week was a pleasantly surprising week.

Sugar-free meal plan: week 4

I have ended up with so much food in my fridge and pantry after this week that  I can pretty much guarantee next week will call for some creative thinking about what to do with all the leftovers. Which is not a bad thing. It just goes to show it pays to plan ahead – literally. The financial savings that can be made when you plan, or at least consider, your daily or weekly meals in advance can be significant. Not to mention the environmental savings you can make by avoiding throwing out half the contents of your fridge as food waste.

Sugar-free meal plan: week 3

Every time I sway from my sugar-free lifestyle the consequences stay with me for at least a week. Why do I do it to myself?! I had better disclose right now that these sugar-free meal plans are not necessarily telling you what you should eat if you want to quit sugar, but  my way of showing you that it can be done. However, while I have been ‘sugar-free’ for about four months and can attest to the benefits of quitting the sweet stuff, there are days days when avoiding sugar can be quite difficult. Sunday was one of those days, and come Monday morning I was feeling truly rotten!

Sugar-free meal plan: week 2

What an eventful week! I started drinking full cream milk, donated blood for the first and last time, and ate chocolate cake, but not just any chocolate cake – chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and ice cream! So, in reverse chronological order, let me update you!

Sugar-free meal plan: week 1

After completing my 8-week no sugar challenge the feedback I received was that you guys missed my meal plans – I hadn’t realised they were anything more than a means to keep me motivated and prove to myself I was cutting out sugar from my diet! But it turns out quite a few of you were following along, or at least finding inspiration in my ‘sugar-free meal plans‘, and incorporating some of the breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks into your or your family’s weekly meal plan. So, seeing as I am continuing with my sugar-free lifestyle, I thought some of you might find it might be useful if I continue to share my weekly meal plans. But first, there are a few things you need to know.