My beginning and some tips

I started my journey with Ultimate Portion Fix (UPF) on June 29th but with more focus on July 6th when I started 80 Day Obsession (80DO). In addition to UPF, I specifically use timed nutrition (TN) as I find it easier to get in all my containers. At the time of this (first) post, I have been doing this for 10 weeks. I want to state how I started to make this possible, and some tips I have learned. 

I was already meal planning before I started UPF. I planned 5 days at a time for 5 meals (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and dessert). I would make casseroles for lunch and dinner. My snacks were usually fruit. My breakfast was either cereal or a Bel Vita biscuit with fruit. The cereal and almond milk were portion sized out thanks to my many years on Weight Watchers. When I decided to follow UPF (this was after trying several other programs beforehand and the researching between UPF and 2B mindset), I waited till I received my materials though I did have a faint idea of what to do. I wanted to give myself time to get through the training material, eat foods I had already prepared, and eat food I had already bought that wasn't on plan. I am also an Orthodox Christian, and we fast not just on Wednesdays and Fridays but also for different lengths of time for various feasts throughout the year whether the fast lasts 2 weeks, 40 days or 49 days. I also chose to start after the Apostles' Fast as well. 

Once I started watching the videos and calculating my bracket, I started looking at my meal plan to see what I was eating, how it fit into the container count, and then what I was missing. I started adding in what I saw was missing such as veggies; I realized I was getting 3 cups in when I needed at least 5. 

In my last week of the fast, I planned for my first week on UPF. I reviewed Fixate recipes and the Portion Fix FB group. I wrote out what containers I needed for each meal. I continued to use my own meal plan template; however, there wasn't enough room to write on there. I tried to use the container checklist for UPF, but I needed a place to write my food, not just check off containers. I was also using the UPF tracker and the app. The paper tracker seemed redundant because I had already written my meal plan and then I was writing it again. I finally created my own Excel template that listed all my containers for each meal on the side, and I could type in what foods I was eating. That made it so much easier to make sure I got all my containers in.

Tips

1. Give yourself time to read through the material and watch the videos. Don't get everything delivered and then jump in the next day. You need time to get through everything, go shopping, and meal plan. 

2. Before starting UPF, I recommend meal planning for multiple reasons. 

• To get used to the process.
• To see what you are eating every day
• To see what containers, food groups you are missing
• To open your eyes to what you are really putting in your mouth

3. Find the tracking system that works for you. There are so many different options. When I started meal planning, I simply drew on a piece of 8.5" x 11" paper that was made for 5 days and then 5 meals plus dessert, evening snack. It worked. The meal plan helped me know what to cook, making sure I ate what I had cooked, and accounted for dessert that I so much enjoy. Find your tracking peace. 

• Some like to write what they eat and then check off the containers eaten.
• Some like to meal plan and check off the containers used
• Some like to use an app
• Some like to fit in a recipe and then work in the rest of the containers.
• Some like to get a paper tracker from etsy. 
• Some like myself  need to create their own