For new readers, here’s a brief refresher:I’m putting my mom on a diet! Here’s Part 1, here is the plan I designed for her, and here are her weekly updates: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, week 13, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 1 month eating on her own, 1 year later. Welcome!
Here for your viewing pleasure is every last drippety drop, every last morsel that Mom consumed in week 1 of the plan. Scroll to the bottom for her weigh-in results and to read her take on the diet so far. As a refresher for anyone who is new here, I’m putting my mom on a diet. Yes, I’m going to Hell for it.
Monday
Breakfast: 2 cups Kellogg’s *Frosted Mini Wheats (not what’s pictured above; 200) + 1 cup 1% milk (110) = 310
*Remember this decision? It was in The Plan.
Lunch: Chicken, Feta, Cranberry Salad
[vegetable base is composed of 3 cups mixed baby greens (3 big handfuls) +1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper + 1/2 cup sliced cucumber + 1/4 cup shredded carrots + 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes= 50 calories] + 3 ounces simply grilled chicken (90) + 1 ounce feta cheese (70) + 2 tablespoons Craisins (65; dried cranberries that Mom loves more than she loves me) + 3 tablespoons Ken’s Light Honey Dijon Dressing (70 for 2 tablespoons; 3 tablespoons = 105) = 380
Snack: 1/2 ounce mixed nuts (about 12 nuts=90 calories) + 1 100-calorie box raisins (100) = 190
Dinner: 4 ounces grilled pork tenderloin (used simple lemon-orange-garlic marinade. 185 calories) + 1 small sweet potato (6 ounces cooked=150) + 2 cups steamed green beans with 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds (100) = 435
Dessert: 1 cup red grapes
Total for the day: 1415
….
Tuesday
Breakfast: 2 cups Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s (200) + 1 cup 1% milk (110)= 310
Lunch: Tuna salad (275) + 1 cup baby spinach (<10) + 1 cup red grapes (100) + lemon wedge (o) = 385
To make the tuna: 1 can solid white albacore tuna fish (140) + 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise (70) + 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce + 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery + 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions + 2 tablespoons dried cranberries (65) + pinch salt and freshy cracked black pepper = 275 calories
Snack: 1/2 ounce mixed nuts (about 12 nuts=90 calories) + 1 ounce raisins (90) = 180
Dinner: Sesame Ginger Pork Stir Fry using this recipe with 3 ounces leftover pork tenderloin rather than chicken (300 calories) + 1 cup brown rice (200) = 500
Total for the day: 1375
….
Wednesday
Breakfast: 2 cups Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s (200) + 1 cup 1% milk (110)= 310
Lunch: Salad base (50 calories) + 3 ounces Boar’s Head sliced turkey deli meat (100) + 1 hard-boiled egg (70) + 1 ounce feta cheese (70) + 3 tablespoons Ken’s Light Honey Dijon Dressing (105) = 395
Snack: 1 cup grapes (100) + 2 Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese sticks (80 calories each = 160 total) = 260
Dinner: Chicken, bacon, avocado, and caramelized onion wrap. Recipe here! (450) + 1 cup lightly sauteed Italian green beans (50) = 500
Total for the day: 1465
….
Thursday
Breakfast: 2 cups Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s (200) + 1 cup 1% milk (110)= 310
Lunch: 3 ounces chili-dusted chicken (plain grilled chicken breast that was spruced up with a sprinkling of chili powder and cumin for added flavor; 90 calories) + 1 ounce feta cheese (70) + 1/4th of a medium-sized avocado (80) + 2 tablespoons Ken’s Light Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing (80) + salad veggies (50) = 370
Snack: 1/2 ounce mixed nuts (about 12 nuts=90 calories) + 1 ounce raisins (90) = 180
Dinner: 4 ounces grilled balsamic chicken (marinade made to coat 2 pounds chicken, from 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 cloves garlic; chicken = 150 calories) + 3/4 cup Near East Roasted Pecan and Garlic Brown Rice (200) + 1/2 cup steamed peas (60) + 6 spears grilled asparagus (70) = 470
Total for the day: 1330
….
Friday
Breakfast: 2 cups Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s (200) + 1 cup 1% milk (110)= 310
Lunch: Out with her friend, Mom made the best choice she could within reason. She ordered grilled steak tips and estimates she ate about 6 ounces of them (6 ounces of top sirloin=300 [50 calories per ounce of beef], but I’ll add ~100 for cooking oil/finishing oil/seasoning/steak butter, bringing the total to 400) + 2 cups steamed and buttered baby carrots (150) = 550
Snack: 1 cup red grapes (100)
Dinner: 2 all-natural, all-beef grilled hot dogs (150 each=300) + 1/2 cup Busch’s Boston Recipe Baked Beans (150) + 2 skewers grilled peppers, onions, mushrooms (75) = 525
*Hot dogs are, very likely, in the top three of Mom’s favorite meals. They’ll never fully leave her roster of eats, though I’m pushing to make them a bit less frequent. This week, I included them to show her that her favorite things can still exist in her diet.
Total for the day: 1485
….
Saturday
Brunch: 1 Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon-Raisin English Muffin (160) + 1 teaspoon butter (35) + 1 egg (70) + 1 cup sliced strawberries (did not eat the blueberries; 50) = 315
*Breakfast note: A real stride was made in getting Mom to enjoy an egg at brunch. I think it was a bit of a trade: Me: “I’ll give you butter if you’ll eat an egg.” Mom: “Done.”
Also, she didn’t eat it hard-boiled, she ate it fried over-hard; the photo above is of my plate but they were so similar I thought I should include it.
Lunch: None. Mom was out all day and did not stop for lunch. Instead, she stopped at a convenience store and bought *mixed nuts and snacked on 1 ounce of them (170)
*This is amazing to me and I’m so proud that she chose this healthy option over all others.
Dinner: At a family wedding, Mom ate her best given the options and circumstance. She told me, in great detail, all that she consumed. Appetizers: 4 or so cheese cubes (no crackers), a plate of grapes, a few nuts. Dinner: house salad, 6 ounces filet mignon, sauteed baby carrots. Dessert: Rather than a traditional cake, the bride and groom had a cupcake tower, and Mom had 1/4th of a coconut one. The only drinks she had were water and a Diet Coke, which she tells me she hated (she drinks regular Coke almost exclusively, so Diet apparently tastes like poison to her). Now, I can’t be 100% certain, obviously, but I’d estimate her calories for the night at around 1200 (including oils, dressings, and such), which, knowing the type of event, seems fair to me.
I just need to pause here. Even though the calories seem high, when Mom recounted what she ate, I was astounded. With all of the other options available that she talked about, I know that if this were any time other than week 1 of our new diet, Mom would have eaten thousands more calories. And even in the past, if she had been on a diet, it easily would have been over by the time the wedding reception started. But no. She stuck it out. The simple fact that she skipped the bread basket (Parker House rolls–her favorite) was enough to leave me speechless. Then, a quarter of a cupcake? Uhh…whose mother are you again?
Total for the day: 1685
….
Sunday
Brunch: 1 Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin + 1 teaspoon butter + 1 fried egg + 1 cup strawberries = 315
Mom liked this breakfast so much on Saturday, she had to have it again. She even requested more of the Ezekiel English Muffins on the meal plan. That’s love, especially considering Mom that isn’t really a fan of whole-grain-anything.
Lunch: Out again all day with only a packed snack bag full of raisins and mixed nuts (180).
We’re realizing that brunch needs to be much more substantial if she’s not going to break for lunch (and really, she should).
Dinner: 8 ounces grilled chicken stuffed with feta and fresh basil leaves (300) + 2 cups roasted broccoli (75) + 1 small ear of corn on the cob (100) = 475
To make the chicken: butterfly a 6-ounce chicken breast (here’s a great how-to video on butterfly-ing) and open the chicken like a book. On one half of the breast, place 1 to 2 fresh basil leaves and then spread that half of the breast with 2 tablespoons of feta cheese. Fold the empty chicken half over to close, sealing in the feta and basil. Drizzle the breast with about a teaspoon of olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and grill on medium-high heat (around 400 degrees F) for about 15 minutes, flipping half way. (220 calories for this chicken using a 6-ounce breast)
Dessert: 2 cups fruit salad (100)
Total for the day: 1070 (MUCH too low, and Mom now recognizes that she’s got to make time for lunch on the weekends.)
……
OK, so. How’d she do? Here’s the week 1 weigh-in:
Starting Weight: 210
Week 1 Weight: 201. 4
Pounds lost: 8.6
And now, let’s hear from Mom on how she felt the first week went:
“First, I just wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your support and encouragement! This was a challenging week and I would not have made it without all of your cheering.
As Andrea told you, I am a sweetaholic, and I base everything I do around sweets. A trip to Homegoods (and there are many—too many) and I’m buying candy and a regular 20 oz Coke at the checkout.
Going through the McDonald’s drive-through for two apple pies while running errands is a no-brainer for me. Stopping for three honey-dipped donuts on my way to work: simple and good! All that came to a stop when I couldn’t stand being uncomfortable anymore.
I was constantly in a state of dizziness and stomach distress from way too many sweets. This week was a different story. All the junk was gone, replaced with Andrea’s recipes for control. I have to say I was very impressed at the good food I could still have and the way I was able to feel full on less of it. I have tried the Atkins diet many, many times in the past, and I was always craving all the things you must avoid, like pasta, bread, and cereal. Now Andrea has me eating a bit of everything and I am so shocked that I can have it!! One of the most difficult times came Sunday evening when my sister called to say she was stopping by. Andrea was making a healthy dinner and I freaked that I didn’t have appetizers, dessert, and so on to offer my sister before and after dinner. My sister loved it—she had amazing chicken stuffed with feta and basil, roasted broccoli, and corn on the cob. She was in her glory and yet, I was still trying to figure out how I could get her a White’s Bakery cake for dessert. It’s going to take time to get used to this.
The good news is not only that I was able to lose weight this week, but that I was completely satisfied with what I ate, and felt free of bloating and stomach cramps. I made it through the week and look forward to another week of great recipes and good eating. I feel like Oprah, with my own chef and diet coach; it’s a blessing. Now if I can just figure out how to keep Andrea around for the next 50 pounds, I’ll be thrilled!”
*Andie note: Mom, if you guys get a pool, I’ll stay here forever.
Onward to week 2! Expect a new meal plan with easy-to-follow healthy recipes, tips, and more.
This is so inspiring to me! I love how honest and normal everything is. This is truthfully the best and most uplifting weight-loss journey I’ve ever read and I’m so happy that your mom is letting you write about it. I’m sharing every single entry with my own mom and she is really liking it, too. Keep up the good work!
I think I found this post and your blog by divine guidance! So inspiring to read this tonight after being so depressed and upset with myself today about my weight and how I look and feel. I love to bake…and it shows. I bake for others, but my weight has skyrocketed since I got married for the second time. Maybe I should stay single and live in sin? lol! At any rate, I want to get my metabolism going again and as healthy as I eat most of the time, I need help with portions and sweets.
Thanks for sharing your story and now your mom’s story. Praying that I will have a positive weight loss story to share one day as well.
This is excellent! I have such a hard time planning meals. I’ll be using these plans myself. Thanks so much!
I found your blog recently Andie, and at just the right time too! I had over a stone in three months but it was through being quite unhealthy and restrictive about food and at that point of my life I was very scared to start to eat ‘normally’ again. Your advice to ‘Eat in a way you’re proud of’ really hit home with me and reading all of your wonderful posts has reawakened my love of food. Also, perhaps more importantly, I now have a new respect for food and my relationship with it. I love this healthy eating plan you are implementing with your Mam and I wish her the very best of luck. You two are very lucky to have one another in your lives :) Beir Beannacht
I’m so proud of your mom!!!! I’m struggling with staying on track this summer. This has inspired me. The meals look wonderful! Thanks for posting!
Congratulations to your and your mom. She, with losing weight and you for preparing such wonderful looking meals that she liked.
I will definitely try some of the recipes.
Congratulations!! That is so incredibly inspiring! So proud of her with sticking with it and what an added bonus that she is already feeling better this quickly into changing up her diet. It goes to show that a good diet really can cure a lot of things in our body. Looking forward to these progress reports.
This is honestly so inspirational. You are an inspirational family. But hearing about how easy this was… it gives everyone else the motivation to make better choices as well. Knowing that you don’t have to cut out everything you love, making choices, being smart about eating. I love this!
Way to go! I love reading this, very inspirational. (-:
Off to an excellent start Andie! Bravo. What a fun project this is. I am however concerned about having cereal and milk for breakfast, especially so many times. There is reliable evidence that milk and all dairy products increases the risk of bone fractures and presents an increased risk of cancer. And GMO Monsanto cereals are not good.
I would cut out all milk and give her some Ceylon Cinnamon Tea for breakfast. Manganese in Cinnamon will help her bone and cartilage health (which is a serious issue as we get older) as well as keeping her feeling full and even out the sugar spikes.
May I also suggest you think of some Asian breakfast options like boiled yams, rice porridge, Korean pancakes or an Asian omelet. Not sure she will go for it, but worth a try. Variety is the spice of life they say. My grandma just passed away last Monday at 91. Not only did she cook fresh food for all three meals, she was extremely active and healthy to the last day. And my mom who is seventy regularly climbs the roof to clean out the leaves. Your lunch and dinner ideas are of course excellent.
Andie, I just wanted to tell you how AWESOME this series you’re doing is. I’ve been anxiously waiting to see what your mom’s had all week! I think it’s great that you’re helping your mom like this, and your ideas for how to piece a day’s worth of healthy meals together are so helpful!
Congratulations to your mom on her awesome loss this week! It is great that she is willing to share her journey.
The meal planning day by day is helpful for me too! It’s always hard for me to figure out how to break up a day of eating and this is great. I may be using some of these ideas.
YAY Mom! I love seeing how you have everything laid out. Even without having weight to lose, this is a good exercise in paying attention to portion sizes and eating healthfully consistently. Love it.
Okay, love this!! So many awesome new meal ideas and ways to make cutting calories enjoyable! Really looking forward to week 2:)
Go Mom! I know you’re now aware that you have your own little cheering section, but I’m not sure you’re aware of how hard we’re cheering. It reminds me of going to a casino when a person next to me gets a win. I get nearly as excited for them as I would for me. So Yay for you! I’m proud of you for making it through your first week. Andie, this is so much fun and the everyday recipes are so refreshing to see. I love all the fancy schmancy recipes on food blogs and use them for inspiration, but yours are always “real” and I don’t have to translate to make for family meals. They are photographed beautifully and make my mouth water.
I am so looking forward to reading about your mom’s progress. The meal plan and food looks and sounds delicious! If I cooked like this for myself on a regular basis, maybe I would stick with the “diet” consistently. I wish you could be my diet coach!
this is so inspiring! great menu. quick question – looks like there’s nuts on the tuna, which i never thought to do, but i don’t see it in the breakdown. either way, looks yummy!
Ohh good call! Yes, I added a tablespoon of chopped pecans to the top of the salad! Thanks for the reminder!
Andie
Thank you so much for this! I already did my grocery shopping for the week, but I want to try to follow a similar diet for next week. I’ve tried low carb and it’s just not working. I think the “better carb” option might work better with me.
Getting off the sweets though, will be hard…
Way to go Maryellen! I don’t know you guys, but I love you both!! Andy is such an inspiration to me and now YOU! Your 8.6 lb weight loss in just the first week is remarkable! It’s all about smart choices and portion control. Pretty soon you won’t crave the bad stuff. And with such a talented and supportive daugther helping you with your meal plans, you won’t crave anything else but her tasty concoctions! You should be proud of yourself! We’re all behind you on this! Keep up the good work! You can do it!!
Thank you for posting this! While I was reading, I was thinking that I wanted to recreate every single salad and dinner that you made! I can’t wait to add these to my weekly meal plan and follow along on your mom’s journey. Thank you for spending the time writing this out for people like me, who want to lose that last 20 pounds!
Dear Andie and Mom –
I wanted to, once again, thank you for this series and congratulate your Mom to her first weight loss success. It is so motivating and I was so happy this morning to see a breakdown like this (with calories, recipes etc). This is by far my favorite weight loss series ever! Your blog is amazing and I hope all your dreams/goals come true.
I am copying a lot of the recipes right now and also do the “salad for lunch” thing. I will go and see if I can get the same cereal, this looks like something my husband would love (he loves his cheerios).
If I manage to lose the weight – I promise you I will send you a before/after picture of me. You once replied to an email from me Andie and it made my day. You are such a sweet person and your Mom can be so happy to have a support system like that. I know she will make it!!!
One question I have: Do you use a journal for your mom to track the food or an app? What system do you recommend?
Looking forward to your answer.
Alex
I think this is beyond awesome! And thank you so much for sharing so much, it definitely helps!
This is awesome – Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE that you’re posting exactly what is being consumed. It makes it so much easier for those of us who get stumped deciding what to eat on a daily basis! Fantastic! And congrats to your Mom.
Way to go!! What a great start, keep at it! It’s so great that you already feel a difference it’s only been one week! You can do this!
CONGRATS!!! Reading things like this is so refreshing because it lets me know that it can be done.
This is so inspiring – as I have told Andie in a few emails/comments, I lost 20 pounds myself and have maintained within a few pounds for almost a year now. It is amazing how you can still eat a lot of what you enjoy, but make better choices throughout the week. I am SUPER PROUD of everything that she accomplished during this week – making big lifestyle changes is hard, but so well worth the effort. Keep up the hard work and just remember, weight loss is a journey, not a destination :-)
Congratulation on your succes and i hope your mom will follow in your footsteps. Reading this i remember my first atempts at losing weight. My first diet was ketonic diet, pretty hard to follow but the results were amazing.
cheers, Sarah
Yayyy!!! Congrats Andrea’s Mom!!!! I weight exactly the same as when you started, and am the same height! Im going to try and follow close to this meal plan and see how it works for me! So excited for you!
Way to go, Maryellen!! Especially having been to two wedding receptions this month myself, I am beyond impressed! This looks like a great plan, and I wish you continued success for the weeks to come!
What a great meal plan. I’m tempted to try to copy it next week. Yum! Keep up the good work Maryellen and Andie!
Thank you, Andie, for sharing the meal plan in detail. I am not on as rigorous a weight-loss plan as your mother. Still,I am striving to watch calories while eating fresh, wholesome and satisfying home cooked meals at the same time.
Woo hoo!! Way to go, Andie’s Mom! This series is so wonderful because it really illustrates everything Andie has already written about and brings it into the real world. Plus, I hope it adds an extra element to the drive to succeed — you have a huge fan club cheering you along each step of the way! I can’t wait to see what happens this week.
I’m really enjoying reading about this journey you are taking together. The food looks wonderful and even better, your relationship with each other warms my heart. Keep going, you guys are doing so great!
Wow what a story to get me going this morning, thank you!! I will be reading this weekly and following a week behind…love the way you told us what she eat so we can follow :)
Just so you know….I have a pool….have plenty of room (kids all grown) live on the lake….have boat…you can come cook for me any time …you can even call me Mom….or better yet bring your Mom!
Hahahahahahah! Dang it WHY don’t I have a pool and a lake and a boat so Andie will come cook for me? She could call me mom but it’d be kinda weird. . .
Good luck to you and your mom!
As a dietitian-nutritionist whose mother is overweight, I know it’s no easy task to balance your relationship with the need to be objective when helping support someone’s weight loss goals. You guys hang in there!
And on behalf of the farm families who own Cabot, thanks so much for the mention.
Your mom must feel very loved. And skinny!! :)
These meals look great and each time I scrolled down past yet another bowl of cereal, I chuckled. You seem to have achieved the delicate balance of giving your mom some old favorites and pushing her gently to make some new friends.
Your mom seems to have a love of sweets. Yet, you did not work in a daily dessert or sweet. What are your thoughts in regards to this? Are you trying to help her break the sugar cycle? Planning to work in treats later? I would love to know since sweets are a struggle for me. Thank you.
You’re mom is amazing! Great blog, I love reading it for inspiration in my own journey to be healthier. Let your mom know she is inspiring me just as much as you have! And, how brave is she??
Can’t wait to see more success!
Way to go!! I can do this too…is what I’m saying to myself. Thanks for blogging this journey with us all!
Andie, Kudos to you and your mom Maryellen. I can’t think of any better way of showing your love for your mom. Both myself and mother struggle with weight issues. I always said I didn’t want to end up overweight like my mom but here I am at that same age she was when I made that comment looking just like her. I’ve had some digestive issues that I’ve had to go to a specialist (read a medical university specializing in digestive disorders) and I get my results back tomorrow. The doctor put me on a liquid protein diet in the interim which has helped with the pain, but not weight loss. I wish your mother much success on weight loss journey.
That is AWESOME! Keep it up! (Or down, as the case may be *wink*)
I hope you both continue to share this with us. You have no idea how inspiring this is! Congrats on the amazing weight loss so far!
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WTG MOM!! Nice job!! I lost over 100 pounds last year; gained about 50 back this year (I’m going through a lot of personal turmoil unfortunately) but I started eating more beans believe it or not. And for some reason the weight is falling off me. I’m not complaining, believe me. I’m 50 years young and I do work out pretty intense (I’m on round 2 of Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution).
Congrats and keep going!! You CAN do this!
I have a saying hanging in my walk in closet that says, “Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Pick your hard”. That little statement makes a ton of sense. Hope it helps in your weight loss journey. Best wishes!! :)
Andie’s Mom I am so impressed with you! How did you not cheat???? (like when Andie wasn’t looking you didn’t sneak ANYTHING?)
You lost almost NINE pounds in a week. . . .GET A SWIMMING POOL!!
Seriously though, great job! Keep it up. . . and good job to you Andie, you rock.
Awesome work!!! Keep it up, you got this!! :)
I love this! Thanks for sharing both sides of the story – I love how I can use and implement these in my life as well! Best of luck as you move forward to week two – and congratulations on starting off with such awesome results (not just what the scale said!)!!
What an awesome menu and update!! Andie, I can see where you got your writing skills from; your mom has a lovely style as well. Kudos to both of you… and good luck getting the pool put in. ;)
Wow, this is the best series on weightloss ever! I love love love seeing exactly what your mom’s eating and the calorie breakdown. I’m completely out of touch with what “normal” eating is and your photos and analysis help me to know what a healthy portion looks like. These visual cues are invaluable to me. I was so inspired that I made a huge salad using your 400 calaorie salad post and took it to work for lunch today – first time ever. And I prepped enough veggies etc. to last me the whole week. Yep, another Andie suggestion. I really appreciate your explanations of why you made these particular food choices for your mom. You show how we should not fight our food preferences by trying to cut them out completely and instead should work with them to create meals that satisfy so that we can stick with the new way of eating.
Thanks so much for putting the time and effort into your blog, and into this Mom series in particular. I know it’s a lot of work but I cannot express strongly enough how inspired I am by this post. Weightloss suddenly seems completely doable.
And thank you Andie’s mom for being so open with us. You kicked butt last week!
So amazing!! What a great 1st week. Love the meal plan, it all sounds like good food and real food!
Fantastic! Great daughters are such a blessing. Congratulations on your smart decisions and hard work.
Way to go!
This post made my day. Your mom is so inspiring! I’m going to start tracking my own calories and food intake tomorrow, thanks to this post.
Congrats on an awesome start, Andie’s Mom!
Great job on losing the weight! And thanks for the meal plan and for “keeping it real.” The food plan you came up with looks tasty without spending hours and hours in the kitchen or getting overwhelmed by recipes meant to impress rather than to be tasty and fulfilling.
Andie’s Mom is tha Bomb! :) Seriously, this is so fantastic. Go MaryEllen! Go Andie! I am cheering you on!!!
I happened to find your blog right as your mom’s diet plan was starting. Wow, I am so impressed and inspired. As another woman in her 50’s, it’s so nice to find a healthy eating blog that addresses women in higher age brackets…most of the diet and exercise blogs I have read are authored by very young pretty women (nothing wrong with that!) but it’s a comfort to find someone that I can relate to, and journey with, in weight loss. I have about 30 pounds to lose. I love that I have a visual picture each day of the menu and that some of the same foods are used in different ways throughout the week so that the grocery store bill isn’t through the roof. Best of all, I feel FULL eating this wonderful food. Your salads and marinades are amazing! You have a new fan!
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Thank you for the awesome meal ideas!!
What a great meal plan. It looks tasty and filling which is what you really need when dieting. x
Such a nice thing your doing Andie. x
Well done on starting, I will check back and show my support!
Looking forward to following your mum’s progress. Keep sharing.
I will be following your mom’s progress and also trying some of the recipes you put in the meal plan – I hope you do not mind Andie?
Way to go those are great first week results! This has inspired me to get back on the weight loss journey I need to make as I have over 100lbs to lose.
My parents live in MA and have an in ground pool you can use but I think I would ask you to cook something like you have for your mom ;)
Thank you so much for this. Keep it coming. The recipes look awesome.
Wow! This is so great. I loved reading this and great job Mom!
This is so awesome! What a wonderful and inspirational post to read. :) I wonder if these recipes will be okay for diabetics to consume! I mean, they seem healthy enough and it is cutting down sweets so… I hope so! I’ll have to ask my dietitian (aka my mom). Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m trying to lose weight and this is really giving me great ideas! I’m always asking myself, “What should I make?” I was wondering, do you measure or weigh the food out to make sure the portion sizes are correct? I try to eyeball it because constantly measuring my food depresses me, but maybe that’s why I haven’t been fully successful…
Thanks for the great info!
Hey! Thank you!
Yes, for Mom right now, I am weighing and measuring things because a.) I want to be as accurate as possible. I think that when you’re on a tight budget with calories, you want to be sure you’re appropriating them correctly. And b.) I want to show/teach Mom what a proper portion/serving size looks like, so weighing and measuring with her present helps a lot.
Wishing you so much luck and success on your journey :)
Andie
Thank you so much. This is so incredibly helpful for people like me (trying to lose about 40 lbs). I KNOW what I’m supposed to eat, but the actual meal planning is where I hit a wall. Please let your mom know that I think she’s a superstar for doing this! Your blog is wonderful and your story is so inspiring, Andie. Love your photos, too.
Your mom is so sweet and you are too for doing this with her!! I am so loving this series. I love that she is willing to let you document everything that she eats and does and why. (Is she exercising, just curious?)
What a great result for the first week! You guys are just an awesome couple of people.
Thanks so much Erika!! No, she’s not exercising right now. We hope to work it in soon!
Andie
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Hi Andie – I’m loving the plan you put your mom on so far. I wish you had (or maybe you do and I am blind) a link where there is a printable version of the week (and maybe a grocery list?). I’m inspired to try it out next week. Tell your mom strong work!!!
Good idea, Jen!! I’ll try to add a printable option in the future…need to figure that out… ;)
Andie
This plan is amazing! So much delicious healthy food – so glad it is going well.
Hazel
Speechless! I just started a week ago at 324. I have lost 7lbs, and won’t stop! Never been so motivated and now I also have you! Thanks soooooooo much for this awesome blog!
Melissa, way.to.go!! That’s so great. Thanks for your kindness and thanks for being here for us :)
Andie
What a brilliant idea for a blog series. And kudos to your mom for her willingness to share every detail with all of us. You both are such an inspiration and the timing for this could not have been more perfect as I embark on a overhaul of my eating/exercising habit myself. Thanks for sharing the calorie break-down info — what a great roadmap. Can’t wait to continue following this journey – GO MOM! :)
Congratulations! This is a great entry and I’m looking forward to read more from you two :)
Perfect timing for me to stumble upon your blog (thank you, Pinterest!)! Just started my diet yesterday and needed ideas what to eat while cutting out the sugar! Every single meal posted here looks delicious and totally doable! I hate diets that use tons of off the wall ingredients because that just isn’t feasible for me and my family! I will definitely be following along and incorporating these food ideas into my eating plan! Hopefully I will see the same great results as your Mom to help keep me motivated. So excited to have found you…I will be sharing your site with friends, too!
Oh Andie – I’ve been following your blog for the last year or so. We are so much alike. The inexpicable depression at times, the binging, the love of food…in many ways we are one. The very same day you started posting on the program for your Mom, my husband and I starting tracking our calories using an App and really made the decision to focus on health and moderation. Not so much for us, but for our 11 year old daughter. I already see her turning to food in times of stress or boredom and she’s unhappy with her body – at 11. I feel responsible but I also have the power to change it…now. Thank you for these posts and thank you for sharing your journey. Wishing you continued growth and success….making your chicken stuffed with feta and spinach tonight – yum!!
Hi! I love all of your recipes! I was looking for the recipe for the wrap and I haven’t seen it yet = Dinner: Chicken, bacon, avocado, and caramelized onion wrap. Recipe coming tomorrow! (450)). Did I miss it?
Thanks Cindy! Here’s the recipe: http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2013/06/25/packed-lunch-turkey-bacon-and-avocado-wrap/
Andie
Is there a way to print the daily food plans, without the pictures, etc.
I would like to know the same thing. Is there a way to print the daily food plans without the pictures, etc.
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Thank you for sharing this! Thank your mom for being an inspiration to other moms who are going through this journey!
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What a wonderful thing to share! I think you are helping lots of people with your great food ideas, honest comments and inspiration.
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I am just stumbling onto your blog and reading through your mom’s journey. I LOVE this!!
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Just found your blog. Congratulations too you and your Mom. I am just a little younger than your Mom and I have struggled to keep my weight in check since I was young. I weigh the same as your Mom’s old weight and I am also 5’7.
I love your recipes and will be trying them soon.
Thanks for sharing your story. You and your Mom have just inspired me to get back on track.
Thank you :)
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i love your article. i always have a 1 Meal Plan . and now, you know ? I am happy when I have a beautiful body, because I have the methods about weight loss. These methods are wonderful because it helped me lose weight 20 pounds in just 3 weeks. Trust me! And I really really share to everyone, click here: http://weightlosssurgerytoday101.com/Freeebook
Hi,
I love this Mom diet. I was searching your blog for recipe index ideas for my own blog, and then found this diet you created for your mom. You are ADORABLE. I am not only old enough to be your mom, but probably old enough to be your granny and I am going to try your mom diet. Why? Because a few months ago I ended up in the hospital from an Ecoli attack (yes, I ate Trader Joe romaine lettuce just like the other Ecoli victims all over the U,S.) After 5 days in the hospital it took six weeks to feel better. Then I had a kidney stone attack brought on by dehydration from the Ecoli attack. My doctor said in order to avoid another kidney stone attack I had to keep my weight down and drink a ton of water every day. Aaaagh. Thanks to the Ecoli and stone, I lost 20 pounds, but keeping it off is a whole other thing. I hope your lovely mom diet with its interesting menus can help me not put back the pounds I lost. I never want a stone attack EVER AGAIN!!! lol. I also love your blog, your sweet pictures and touching weight loss story. What a hidden treasure.