The YOUv2 Diet and Meal Plan Explained: Developing Healthy Eating Habits

Most people think of diets as restrictions they put on what they’re currently eating. They focus on what they can’t eat. With the YOUv2 meal plan, there are no food restrictions to begin.

The “YOUv2 meal guide” is all about developing healthy eating habits. Eating junk food all the time or leading a sedentary lifestyle are unhealthy habits we have the power to change. They are especially easy to change if you use the “habit stacking” formula we go over below.

What Is the YOUv2 Eating Plan?

The plan is called “The K.I.S.S.” (Keep It Super Simple) and Just Eat! It’s not really a diet you do for a certain amount of time and then go back to the way you were eating before. That’s an easy way to gain all of your lost weight back.

With the YOUv2 eating plan, your goal is to develop good eating habits. What is best about the way this diet works is that you do not change everything at once. It’s a gradual process.

Every week you make simple changes to your diet. These changes stack on each other. Often referred to as “habit stacking”, it is based on the premise that your new behaviors need to be small to start to make lasting changes.

With YOUv2, you build upon these small habit changes to turn your bad habits into healthy ones in 4 simple steps over the course of 4 weeks:

Week 1

1. Replace one snack with a serving of Shakeology.
2. Drink more water. Sodas, alcohol and specialty coffee drinks are a huge source of empty calories. Some sodas contain over 150 calories, which means cutting soda from your diet is going to be a huge win. If you can’t stand the taste of water yet, consider adding your own natural flavor to it.
3. No eating after 8 p.m.! When is the last time you sat down and ate something healthy after 8 p.m.? Neither can I. No eating before bed also has the hidden benefit of helping you sleep better, because your body will work on repairing your body rather than using energy to digest food.

The first week of a new eating plan is often the easiest. You’re really excited about the change you’re going to make and will likely see a large drop on the scale if you follow the tips above.

Week 2

1. You continue with the changes made in week 1.
2. Replace your current breakfast with one from the YOUv2 recipe section. Breakfast is often called the most important meal of day, because it breaks the overnight fast while you slept. Eating a YOUv2-approved breakfast provides your body with the nutrients to replenish your energy reserves for the day to come.

Week 2 of a new eating plan can be a real test for people to stick with it, especially after a weekend that may not have necessarily gone as planned. So if you made had a slip up or two, don’t worry about it! Concentrate on making the week ahead the best it can be.

Week 3

1. As in week 2, you continue with the habits from week 1 (healthy snack, water, no eating after 8pm), and week 2 (eating a healthy breakfast).
2. This week, you will replace your current lunch with a YOUv2 lunch salad. Proteins, veggies or fruits, and healthy fats are on the menu for lunch. While lighter than you’re used to, the YOUv2 lunches are still going to fill you up.

Week 3 is a critical time when you are making healthy eating and exercise part of your new, healthier lifestyle. This is when you need to push through and stick with eating healthy because around the 21st day, new habits you’ve been working on will become as routine as brushing your teeth.

Week 4

1. Continue with everything you have worked on from weeks 1-3.
2. Replace your current dinner meals with a YOUv2 dinner recipe. These are balanced recipes with a focus on complex carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats – not starvation!

Week 4 is when you will really start to notice not only physical changes, but you’ll probably also start to feel them both inside and out. Once you hit this point, it is important to realize you’ve accomplished a lot and should extremely proud of yourself!  But don’t stop now – stick with it to make those results last!

I know I’m going to get a question in the comments if you can jump ahead to week four and change everything at once. I would say yes, especially if you are one of those all or nothing people like me.  But remember it is the simple choices that we make every day over a long period of time that make us who we are.

The YOUv2 program also comes with the “Oh Hello” YOUv2 Journal to help track your progress and transitions from one week to the next and write how you’re doing with the program.

Examples of the YOUv2 Recipes & Meal Plan

The YOUv2 meal plan comes 7 different recipes for each meal.

You get:

• 7 Shakeology recipes or protein shake ideas.
• 7 Breakfast recipes: oatmeal, yogurt, parfait, sweet potato spinach.
• 7 Lunch recipes: different salad recipes.
• 7 Dinner recipes: tacos, quesadillas, chili, pizza and more.
• 5 Simple snack ideas: veggies, fruits, or nuts.

You’ll probably want to meal prep a couple of times a week for the YOUv2 diet. There are lots of veggies you can pre-cut, and the proteins can also be prepared ahead of time.

Each recipe is used once a week during the meal plan. But remember, you are not changing everything at once. It isn’t until week four that you will be eating exclusively from the YOUv2 guide.

If you are looking for a meal plan, laid out for you. You can refer to page 64 of the YOUv2 K.I.S.S. and Just eat Meal Guide. I have also included an image below for you.

Here is the link to download the sample YOUv2 meal plan below in excel format.

One More Tip

There would be a lot of cooking in how this meal plan is laid out. Another option I would consider is choosing a couple of recipes you think look the best and double or triple the recipe to eat it more than one day that week. Then the next week, choose different dinners to cycle through. Then you can use some storage or meal prep containers to have your meals ready to eat!

Questions? Leave a comment below.