I have been trying to follow the MIND diet for a month or so now. I have been fairly successful by just trying to eat the recommended foods and avoid those that are not so good. I have tracked mostly at the end of each week by reviewing my MyFitnessPal food diary and plugging in to my MIND diet tracker.
However, I have fallen a bit short in a few recommended foods each week. So, I decided I should make up a week’s worth of menus and be sure I hit all the recommendations before I start the week. Here is my first attempt: MIND diet menus one week. If I counted right, these menus will give me 15 points at the end of the week. I tried to include enough detail that someone else could follow them, if desired. I have never been very good at following someone else’s menus, but they might be a good start anyway. Or else you can have a good laugh.
You may notice that I listed calories, dairy, and fruit intake as well as MIND diet foods. I really have to watch my calories because, if I eat over 1200 calories, I gain weight. I have to get down to 900-1000 calories plus 30 minutes of exercise a day to lose weight. Figuring out how to increase my whole grain, nuts, beans, and wine intake without increasing my calories has been my biggest challenge. I also try to get 2 low fat dairy and 2 fruits per day, but I did not figure out how to do that on these menus. I still need to work on that.
It seems as if when you gain wait on a paltry 1200 calories a day, perhaps that weight gain is in muscle and might be a positive thing. You exercise 30 minutes a day which is recommended and to be applauded. I’m not sure how tall you are or what you weigh already, but for the average person basal metabolic rate is about 1200 calories a day. I’m not trying to tell you your life, because I don’t know everything. But the number on the scale isn’t always the clearest info.