If you've been following my posts the last few weeks, you'll have seen that my weight has been bouncing around for a little while, and while the trend is still downwards, it's been slowing down. So I'm following my own advice on plateau breaking and going to give you some full day meal plan ideas that should help get things moving again!
Calorie cycling will involve more than one day, so if you're in a similar situation, I'd recommend switching up your daily calories to highs and lows. If you only reduce calories, you do ultimately wind up slowing down your metabolism, plus you'll have nowhere to reduce later on when you plateau closer to your goal weight. Doing high and low days keeps your body from getting used to ultra low calorie days, doesn't slow your metabolism, and hopefully shocks your system into starting to lose again.
I'd also recommend looking for more ways to give your metabolism a boost, because again, that will help you burn more calories, increase your BMR, and make it more likely for the scale to start dropping again. While it's easy for a first reaction to be, the scale is stalled so I should just increase my Ozempic dosage, the problem there is that there is only so far to move up. While Ozempic is approved for up to 2mg weekly for diabetics (and Wegovy, when we get it here in Canada, up to 2.7mg for weight loss), many doctors don't like to approve a dosage increase over 1mg weekly. So if you've reached that dose, then what? It doesn't mean you can't lose more weight, but it means you'll likely have to change up what you're doing as well.
Our bodies get very efficient when we do the same thing over and over, so they have less and less of an effect. Do you walk 10,000 steps daily? Great- so you think you have your exercise marked off! Except that if that's all the exercise you do, you slowly start to burn fewer and fewer calories doing those steps, and they become less effective. Give your body the shock it needs to get moving again by adding some dumbbell exercises, or HIIT training!
So here is my first all day meal plan- plateau breaking version. I'm going to post a lower calorie version today and then a higher calorie plan in a few days so you have some ideas for a high day as well as a low day. Don't forget to follow my other plateau breaking tips when you're trying to get that stubborn scale to budge!
Breakfast:
Russian breakfast squares:
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb kale, trimmed of tough ends and ribs, coarsely chopped (approximately 4 cups)
8 eggs
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated light Swiss or Gouda cheese
5 oz smoked salmon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11x17 pan lightly with cooking spray. In a deep pan, saute the onion for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in kale and cover the pan, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until the kale is wilted.
While the kale is cooking, beat the eggs well in a mixing bowl, and stir in the dill, mustard, salt, pepper, and cheese. Stir the egg mixture into the vegetables, and add the salmon and breadcrumbs. Mix well.
Pour into prepared baking dish, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until eggs are set and the edges are browning. Cut into 6 squares and serve warm. If desired, top with 1 tbsp. sour cream and sprinkle with a little more dill.
You can make this recipe in advance and then you're set for breakfast for the workweek! It also helps get those veggies in while being loaded with protein and only a small portion of low glycemic carbs.
Breakfast Summary: 220 calories, 11g fat, 10g carbs, 20g protein
Morning Snack:
This dip recipe is good for entertaining, so the pic above is when I've made it as a party snack platter, and the recipe below serves six generous portions. The dip will keep fine in the fridge if you're meal prepping your snacks for the week, and it gets more flavourful the next day!
Skinny Spinach Dip
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2/3 cup water chestnuts
3 green onions, base removed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp hot mustard
black pepper to taste
Put the spinach in a strainer and press out as much liquid as possible. Set aside. Pulse the water chestnuts, green onions, and garlic in your food processor. Add the spinach and continue to pulse. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If you have time, chill the dip in the fridge until you need it so that the flavours blend well.
Nutritionals include a portion of baby carrots, cucumbers, and sliced bell peppers as well! It's a fun snack to munch on while you're busy with other things, plus it helps get those veggies in!
Snack Summary: 80 calories, 2.5g fat, 9g carbs, 5g protein
Lunch:
Brazilian Shrimp Moqueca:
8oz shrimp, peeled and tails removed (you can also use chicken, or tofu to make it vegan!)1/4 cup diced yellow onion1 green zucchini, cut into half moons2 Roma tomatoes12 oz butternut squash, peeled1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)2 tsp olive oilgarlic, red pepper, paprika, salt, & pepper, to tastefresh cilantro, to taste (optional)Medium dice the tomatoes. If you have a food processor, run your butternut squash through it to make "rice". If not, cut into small chunks.In a medium pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil, and add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the zucchini and tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until zucchini is beginning to soften. Add the coconut milk, raw shrimp, and spices, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until sauce has thickened well.In a frying pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add the butternut squash and cook over low heat until beginning to brown. If you made your squash into rice, this will stick very easily with this small amount of oil, so don't leave it unattended and stir frequently. I cooked mine over low for ten minutes until it started to brown, and then added pepper.Divide the "rice" and moqueca between two plates and serve. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Take a bite and marvel at the amount of flavour in this meal for the amount of calories!Keep in mind, we aren't trying to eliminate carbs- what we're trying to do during plateau breaking is to switch to lower glycemic versions of our usual carb options. There's nothing wrong with having brown rice with this meal, but since we are trying to kick the scale into moving again, the butternut squash will help with that since your body will process it differently. You could use cauliflower rice to make it lower carb, but then you won't have starch with the meal and I don't believe in eliminating a food group.
Lunch Summary: 306 calories, 13.6g fat, 8g carbs, 20g protein
Afternoon Snack:
Stuffed Hasselbeck Tomatoes:
2 fresh Roma tomatoes, whole
1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
6 fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
Wash your tomatoes thoroughly, and slice the top end off where the stem was. Slice your mozzarella cheese into 6 thin slices, and brush each with the sundried tomato pesto. Tear each basil leaf in half.
Turn your tomato sideways, and make three cuts evenly spaced through the tomato but do not cut all the way through! Repeat with the second tomato. In each of the little "pockets", place a slice of cheese and a basil leaf. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar over each tomato, and enjoy!
Try some variations! Do you prefer your tomatoes cooked? Bake it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and enjoy the cheese all gooey and melted. Are you a BLT fan? Take a combination of turkey bacon and cheddar cheese and stuff your tomatoes with that! How about using ham & Swiss cheese to make a tomato melt?
Snack Summary: 103 calories, 7g fat, 4.5g carbs, 7.5g protein
Dinner:
Reducing simple carbs doesn't have to mean that we miss out on delicious meals, nor does going lower calorie for the occasional day! While both beans and sweet potatoes are carbohydrates, they are both low glycemic index and so get processed differently by your body and won't cause blood sugar spikes.
Sweet Potato Nachos:
400g sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4" rounds
1 cup black beans
60g shredded mozza-cheddar cheese blend
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup tomato salsa
2oz plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp dry ranch powder
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 tbsp lime juice
6g chili powder
4g ground cumin
4g garlic powder
2g dried oregano
Sprinkle the sweet potato rounds with salt and pepper, and layer them in your air fryer basket (this recipe works best in an air fryer but you can also use a conventional oven, you just need to flip them halfway through). Bake for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees.
While potatoes are baking, heat a large nonstick pan and add a little Pam spray. Add the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and oregano, and allow the spices to toast. Stir in the black beans in their liquid, the crushed tomatoes, and half the salsa. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce to medium-low. Simmer for about ten minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
In a small bowl, combine the avocado cubes and diced tomatoes. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
In another small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt with the dry ranch powder until well blended. Add a tbsp of water to thin out the sauce.
When the sweet potatoes are done, set your oven to high broil. Sprinkle half the cheese on top and broil until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.
Plate your dish, topping the sweet potato nachos with the black bean mixture, the tomato-avocado salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese. Serve the Ranch dip and salsa on the side for dipping or drizzling! This recipe serves four portions. If you have leftovers and want to reheat it, just keep the sweet potatoes separate from the other ingredients so they can reheat without getting mushy, and then top them once all ingredients are hot.
Dinner Summary: 284 calories, 9g fat, 38.5g carbs, 13g protein
Dessert:
Cottage cheese ice cream has been taking the internet by storm, so I figured I'd give it a try! It's so straightforward and is high in protein.
2 cups cottage cheese
1 banana, frozen
Put your cottage cheese to a blender until smooth and creamy. Add the banana until well blended. Transfer your ice cream mixture into a loaf pan and cover completely. Freeze for at least one hour before scooping.
The nice thing about how simple and straightforward this recipe is, is that you can make it your own with mixins. While I wouldn't suggest adding crushed Oreos or candies when we're focused on breaking a plateau, you could add some chopped fruit, and on a higher calorie day perhaps some crushed nuts.
Makes four servings.
Dessert Summary: 136 calories, 5g fat, 9g carbs, 14.5g protein
Daily Total: 1129 calories, 48g fat, 79g of carbs, 80g protein
While I don't normally recommend going below 1200 on a regular basis, for the occasional day it's not a problem, especially while doing calorie cycling. I wouldn't do it often, though. Hope you found this plateau breaking full day meal plan helpful! Let me know if you tried it!
