Starting today, I'm trying out a new meal plan that my trainer's wife put together for me. If I had my way, I'd go back to the meal plan I had been following last summer. However, it was much higher in protein and, because of the whole kidney thing ... well, you know the story. The plan that my trainer put together in February was understood to be a temporary measure until there were some more definitive answers. After my disappointing meeting with the nutritionist on Friday, I spoke with my trainer about wanting a revised plan. He handed the job over to his wife, who is also a trainer and in the process of preparing for figure competitions. She's also very into food preparation and knows a lot about nutrition. After about a day, she had me a complete work-up for me. Here's the new plan:
- Meal 1:
- 3 egg whites
- Veggies
- 30g dry cream of rice (cooked in water)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Total breakdown: 24g carb, 14g fat, 24g protein
- Meal 2:
- 0% or 2% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
- Total breakdown: 21g carb, 14g protein
- Meal 3:
- 3 oz lean meat
- Veggies
- 1/2 cup cooked rice or 4oz sweet potato
- Total breakdown: 25g carbs, 20.3g protein
- Meal 4:
- 3 oz lean meat
- Veggies
- 1/2 cup cooked rice or 4oz sweet potato
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Total breakdown: 24g carbs, 4g fat, 20.3g protein
- Meal 5:
- 0% or 2% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Total breakdown: 21g carb, 14g fat, 14g protein
Totals for the day:
- Protein: 92.6g (361.2)
- Carbs: 115g (460 cals) plus trace carbs from veggies
- Fat: 42g (378 cals)
- Calories: 1199 cals
It's only been one day so far, but I'm pretty happy with it and think this is something I can follow without much difficulty. That's a good thing, since I've been told I don't get a cheat meal for the first two weeks! I know I was complaining when the nutritionist gave me a meal plan of 1200, but this plan seems like it has so much more food in it! Also, it's foods that I like and that are healthy, as opposed to adding in mayonnaise, margarine, or slices of diet bread. Here's my take on each meal:
Meal 1: The eggs are what I've already been eating, just 50% more. Can't complain there! The cream of rice might be a form of baby food, but baby it's yummy! I added the coconut oil and then some Splenda, cinnamon, and vanilla and it was a delicious treat. I could also see adding I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray or nutmeg. The coconut oil melted easily into the hot cream of rice and I didn't notice it adding any flavor what with everything else I added in there.
Meal 2: I LOVE Greek yogurt! I used to add a scoop of chocolate protein powder and it would almost be like eating frozen yogurt, what with the thicker texture. I'm not sure if there's a specific reason for recommending the Chobani brand, but I found a number of yummy flavors. This time it was strawberry. Right now, I only have the 0% fat because that's all that was at the grocery store. Next time I'll check out the other flavors and not limit myself to the 0% as I might have in the past.
Meal 3: Not different from my previous meals except for the addition of brown rice. I cooked up a large batch in the rice cooker so I can scoop out a serving as I need it. I also have some frozen steamers bags of brown rice that I can pull out in an emergency. It did seem like a treat to have some rice, and it smelled really good as it was cooking. Yum! I'll pick up some sweet potatoes the next time I'm at the store as well. I love sweet potatoes, especially when they've been oven-baked (as opposed to microwaved). It can be more difficult to work out the portions just right.
Meal 4: I wasn't quite sure how to incorporate the coconut oil here. I heated up my rice and veggies in a bowl and then put the coconut oil on top of it afterward. As with the cream of rice, the heat was enough to liquify the oil. I then used the rice to soak-up any leftover oil.
Meal 5: I didn't have the benefit of heat for the coconut oil this time, so I microwaved the oil to liquify it and then mixed it directly into the Greek yogurt. It took a little while for it to get incorporated but I was able to blend it quite easily and it didn't change the taste of the yogurt either. It's not the same as my oatmeal and peanut butter as a before bed snack, but it's still quite yummy and satisfying.
Exercise: None - planned. One of the doctors I saw on Wednesday told me that he didn't want me exercising on the day I re-did my urine collection. While I didn't get on the elliptical, I did cut the grass, trim the hedges, and do a bit more yard work. I didn't bother wearing my heart rate monitor, but there was a bit of physical activity.
Today's weigh-in: 154.1 / 153.4 - Yesterday was weight-lifting and quite a cheat meal, so I really wasn't surprised by this. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the week with this new plan in place.
I'm intrigued by the coconut oil, what's the nutrition value in that? rather, what's that supposed to do for you?
ReplyDeleteGreat question! My trainer's wife wanted to make sure I was getting enough fat in my diet, while keeping a check on the protein level. Often increasing healthy fats is connected with increasing protein (almonds, peanut butter, etc). Coconut oil is a healthy fat with no carbs or proteins, so it's a straight addition to the meal plan. As to why coconut oil as opposed to something else? Here's what I was able to get from a few different websites as to the rationale for adding coconut oil (keep in mind some of this was from a website advertising a "coconut oil diet" but I found similar information repeated elsewhere):
ReplyDeleteCoconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT's are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.
Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, it increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.
Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism, most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.
This is because coconut oil is nature’s richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy.
"I think the real key to coconut oil and weight loss is the fact that it decreases your appetite while you're eating the meal and afterwards," says Fife. "Studies show that when these fats are added, people are satisfied sooner and eat less, and at the next meal they don't make up for it by eating more."
The American Heart Association's Position
Where does the American Heart Association weigh in on coconut oil as an aid to weight loss? "I would be very pessimistic about this, says Robert Eckel, MD, the Association's spokesman on nutrition. He says he's concerned about the effects of high levels of saturated fat. "This is going to be a cholesterol-raising diet."
He says he also doubts claims that coconut oil can boost metabolism. "People have looked in the past as to whether MCTs have thermogenic properties, and I think the answer is pretty well negative. Generally, saturated fats tend not to be as well [metabolized], so if it does have any ability to promote heat generation, it's going to be minimal."
Eckel says coconut oil's effect on metabolism, if any, is modest compared with the potential for raising overall cholesterol and particularly "bad" LDL cholesterol. "Ingesting coconut oil for a short period of time will not do harm, but I'm concerned about the long haul."