Ready to hit the road?  

Fantastic!  The RDA Team and I can’t wait to come along for this journey with you!

Here’s your WEEK ONE PLAN  – more info on this below.

Since you’ve (hopefully) read through the info on the Derby Fuel Home Base, you know that there are tons of different ways to make this program work for you.  Regardless of the stage you’re at with your nutrition knowledge, you’ll be able to make meaningful changes that get you closer to the goal you’ve chosen.  Each week, we’ll focus on one main habit to really nail. How much or how little you follow the plan is up to you.  Remember the derby analogy from the Choose Your Roadmap section:

• Fresh Meat – Just learning about nutrition?  Focus on the habits, let the recipes fuel your imagination.
• Home Team Skater – Got a handle on nutrition, but want to clean it up?  Follow the meal plans and let your body tell you when it’s hungry and when it’s full.
• Travel Team All-Star – Have a good handle on clean eating, but want to dial it in even more?  Follow the meal plans, but also track your macros so that you can add nutrients as needed to better suit your specific goals.

Okay, let’s get to the good stuff!  This week’s habit is simple (but not always easy):

Eat every 2-4 hours  

Eating every 2-4 hours will help to keep your energy and blood sugar stable, and will keep you from becoming so hungry that you make off-plan choices.  It will also really help to make you more mindful about your eating habits in general – that’s why it’s the very first one to focus on.

You don’t have to have a full meal each time you fuel – just something.  We’ve made suggestions in the meal plan, but you can feel free to substitute if there are particular meals/snacks that are easier for you to prepare or bring on the road.

Also, we don’t want you to worry about “cleaning your plate”.  Since you’re having to think about when you eat throughout the day, pay attention to how your body responds to the multiple meals.  See if you start having clearer signals about when you’re hungry and when you’re not.  Take the time to evaluate what you’re eating and how you’re feeling – thoughtfulness about nutrition is one of the biggest difference-makers when it comes to really establishing life-long healthy habits.

>> Quick hop back to the Derby Fuel Home Base

Okay, let’s hit the road!

Here’s what you’re bringing along –

• Your WEEK ONE PLAN –  this includes your Meal Plan, Prep Activities, Grocery List, and Recipes for the week!
• Your General Grocery List  (the staples you’ll need every week), and your Quick Fill-Up recipes (snacks, shakes, and bars) 
• Some substitutions for special diets – vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free options available for many recipes
  • Vegetarians: there are a few recipes in the weekly plans that are just for you (like the Veggie burgers), and there are also substitutions written into the individual recipes.  Make sure you check each of the recipes before you shop for food to ensure you’re getting all the swaps you need.
  • If you are substituting legumes for animal proteins, you may slightly want to decrease your serving sizes of other carbs, since legumes contain more starch than other protein sources.

You can always change up the order of your meals, main protein sources and spices to suit your time constraints and personal tastes.  There’s nothing that says you can’t have dinner for breakfast if that’s what makes your life easiest.

Recommended serving sizes are approximated for moderately athletic females.  You can adjust them up or down as your hunger dictates.  Don’t feel the need to clean your plate if you’re not hungry, and don’t be afraid to add extra if you’re still hungry after a meal.  Your energy needs will change day to day, so an important part of this plan is listening to your body’s signals.  Since you’ll be eating nutrient-dense food, your body will let you know when it is hungry and when it’s time to stop.

How to track what’s going in your tank:

The key ingredients in each of your meals will be marked to help you get a better handle on which macronutrient they represent.

• Proteins will be red
• Carbs will be yellow
• Fats will be blue
• Greens will be green (obviously)

This will help make swaps (for foods you don’t like or don’t tolerate) easier.  Just make sure that you’re swapping for the same nutrient, and you’ll be good to go!  Same goes for eating out – look over the menu, and identify the major nutrients.  See if what’s on offer suits your needs, and if not, see if you can substitute.  Way more information on eating out, eating on the road, and other special circumstances can be found in our bonus Travel Tips Guide.

We also have the recipes marked AT for Any Time, or PW for Post Workout, so you know which meals contain those starchy carbs that your body uses best after exercise.

And finally, since all of this reading is exhausting, why not give yourself a boost with one of our suggested Quick Fill-Ups for this week?  We’ll start things off with my very favourite green shake:

CHUNKY GREEN MONSTER

What’s in it:

• 1 scoop unflavoured protein powder
• handful spinach (or kale or chard) (*as long as you add a banana, you won’t taste spinach in your smoothie)
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp chunky peanut butter
• ice & water

… And my very favourite not-green shake:

PUMPKIN PIE

What’s in it:

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 banana (*I am not creative with my smoothie fruit choices)
• ice & almond milk
• cinnamon to taste

Feel free to refer to these shakes this week, or use the Quick Fill-Up guide for even more ideas.

So, let’s get Week 1 started.  Pick a day with some spare time to get your first grocery shop and prep done, and then make Derby Fuel your own!

Are you feeling ready?  Let’s roll!  We’ll be with you every step of the way!

-NoFair and The RDA Team