| When you are trying out a vegetarian diet plan, | | | | meals for that week. (I like to do this on the |
| the key word is "plan". You've already made the | | | | weekend.) During this important time: |
| decision to take care of yourself, to lose weight | | | | 1. Get your shopping list out so it's ready to go! |
| and be healthy. And just like you've heard | | | | 2. Look in the fridge, freezer, and cabinets to see |
| countless times, the most effective way to lose | | | | what needs to be used up this week, or what |
| weight is to make a real, sustainable change in | | | | you haven't had in a while. |
| your lifestyle. That means changing the way you | | | | 3. Look for recipes or other inspiration, either in |
| eat, and exercising more. | | | | cookbooks or online (vegetarian food blogs are a |
| And to make sure you do both of those things, | | | | great resource for recipes and ideas). Especially |
| planning is required. It's a little easier to budget | | | | look for low carb vegetarian options, like meals |
| some time on your schedule to go to the gym, | | | | that involve a lot of vegetables or whole grains, |
| or go for a walk. When it comes to eating a | | | | rather than a bunch of heavy pasta dishes. |
| healthy vegetarian diet plan, the good news is you | | | | 4. Pick out some recipes you'd like to try: a rough |
| only need an hour a week to do it! When you | | | | guideline is 1-2 for breakfast (to give you some |
| take just one hour for yourself to plan, you can | | | | variety), 2-4 for lunch, 3-5 recipes for dinner |
| eat in a healthy way, and not drive yourself crazy | | | | (including a few that will leave leftovers for lunch), |
| in the process! | | | | and perhaps a few healthy snacks. In addition to |
| Here is an example of what can happen to your | | | | finding recipes that use up things you already |
| vegetarian diet if you don't plan ahead. Say you're | | | | have, also look for recipes that share some |
| running late after work and there's nothing to eat | | | | ingredients, so you'll use up what you buy at the |
| at home. You go to a popular chain and order a | | | | store. |
| veggie burrito, with black beans, rice, vegetables, | | | | 5. Assign times during the week when you'll |
| cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and guacamole. | | | | prepare each recipe. For example, you may cook |
| That tasty, totally vegetarian package adds up to | | | | several meals on Sunday so you don't have to |
| almost 1000 calories! | | | | cook from scratch every night. |
| As you can see, if you are trying to lose weight, | | | | Once you've spent this hour on creating your |
| not all vegetarian food is created equal! And when | | | | healthy vegetarian diet plan, you just need to go |
| you want to lose weight, eating this many calories | | | | shopping to pick up the ingredients! |
| just for one meal pretty much means you've | | | | That's it -- one hour a week to a healthier, fitter |
| busted your calorie limits for the day. | | | | you! And there's even a bonus: you'll also be |
| To avoid pitfalls like this with your vegetarian diet | | | | saving money in the process, because you'll be |
| plan, the best thing you can do is to set aside an | | | | stretching your food and your food dollars further. |
| hour once a week when you can plan out your | | | | |