A Sample 1,800 Calorie Day Eating Plan
I’ve been sharing my Lose the Last 10 Lbs Plan over on Instagram this past month, and it’s been so much fun to field your questions!
I think that so many of us are stuck in the diet mentality of the ’80’s and ’90’s that the idea of LOSING weight while eating that many calories is a little overwhelming! While I didn’t struggle a great deal with weight gain or weight loss until adulthood, I do remember doing crazy things like the “Cabbage Soup Diet” and weeks where I ate nothing but boiled eggs, Triscuits and mustard to drop a few lbs quickly! Oh! And 100 calorie packs galore!
I am amazed at this today. One, that so many of us believed the lie that starving ourselves was going to be worth it. And two, that processed JUNK could ever be packaged and sold as “healthy”…. no matter how many calories it has!
I am DAILY thankful for the knowledge I have gained over the past few years and that I no longer live hungry or victim to the familiar marketing of the diet industry!
With that, I HAVE put on a few extra lbs I am working to get off in a HEALTHY manner. Most of my extra weight is in my abdomen, which is the unhealthiest place for us to gain as women. So about a month ago, I embarked on my “Lose the Last 10 Lbs” journey, and I’m committed to sharing that publicly, in the hops that :
- It educates other women on how to lose weight safely.
- It encourages someone else who may be thinking that we can’t lose weight past 40.
- Selfishly, it holds me more accountable!
I feel like we live in a culture that condemns talking about weight loss, but I am a WELLNESS coach, and I am fully aware of what extra weight does to our bodies. Unhealth weight is linked to a HOST of health problems, like breathing problems, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, difficulty conceiving and more! I’m not a medical professional, but I’ve done my research, and this is a great article to read on this topic!
So I am here to talk about it and show you how I am working to lose the extra lbs in a HEALTHY and SUSTAINABLE way!
For starters, I calculated the calories I typically burn in a day with my level of activity, and that came out to about 2.100 calories a day. In order to LOSE weight, I must be in a slight deficit.
Since I didn’t want to be HUNGRY all the time and want to lose the weight slowly so that it STAYS OFF, I am allowing myself a target of 1,800 calories a day. That puts me in a deficit while also allows me to enjoy full and satisfying meals!
I also prefer a lower carb, higher protein and fat plan, as I stay satiated more that way, but don’t worry. I’m eating PLENTY of carbs still!
A Typical Day of Eating 1,800 Calories
So here goes. This is what I eat in a typical day on this plan:
Breakfast – fatty coffee, 3 eggs, a cup of berries, 1/4 avocado, Royo toast (Use code RACHELJMITCHELL to try it for yourself!)
Lunch – Large salad with tons of veggies, 5 oz chicken breast, Whole 30 Ranch, flaxseed crackers
Snack – mixed nuts (no peanuts), Shakeology with Digestive Boost and 1/4 avocado
Dinner – Cauliflower “Nachos” with 5 oz rotisserie chicken, red onion, salsa, and more Whole 30 Ranch (I love the stuff!)
As you can see, it’s NOTHING crazy, complicated or anything that I cannot sustain long term! I am also focused on eating lots of WHOLE food 90% of the time and saving treat meals for special occasions.
If you have questions for me, you can always message me rachel@racheljmitchell.com and I’m happy to help! Until the next update!