Today was eventful with a lot of changes to my planned meals for the day. I made up chicken sausage fuisili for our lunches and dinners for today, however I forgot I had a new hire lunch today! So I hurried online to look at the restaurants menu to see what my options were. The choices were very limited, so I ended up having grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach. It was originally served on a bun and smothered with cheese, but I made modifications and I think I did a pretty good job. We then got tickets to the unveiling of the new MN Vikings stadium which meant we werent making it home to have dinner. We opted for Chipotle which is always good, especially since we could have brown rice on it, instead of just a salad.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 153.2 lbs
Anthony: 245.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Steel cut oats with blueberries
Snack @ 9:45am:
Orange
Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach; pineapple and strawberries
Snack @ 3pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 6pm:
Chipotle bowl with brown rice, lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and salsa
Workout:
None - I was supposed to do cardio but ended up with a huge headache after the unveiling and went straight to bed when I got home. Super bummed!
Notes on Food:
I made steel cut oats this morning - it took longer than I expected but I liked it - more texture than normal oats, but not a big change in taste in my opinion. My husband thought they were ok - he didnt mind the texture but thought they had a blander taste.
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Well today was the big dance competition day. We were away from home for over 15 hours, we relied on the foods I brought from home and maintained extra willpower to stay away from those giant cookies and maui wowi smoothies they were selling at the concession stand! There were a couple of changes in the lunch and dinner plans today, but we made it work and stuck as close as we could to the plan. Although it was a crazy busy day, we got through it and Im proud of me and my husband. Its been a long time since we havent binged on a Saturday evening.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 156.0 lbs
Anthony: 252.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, scrambled egg with red, green and yellow peppers
Snack @ 9:15am:
Cauliflower with hummus
Lunch @ 12:00pm:
Chipotle Chicken Salad (romaine lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and medium salsa)
Snack @ 3:30pm:
Cauliflower with hummus
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Sirloin steak, 3 broiled shrimp, garden salad with Italian vinaigrette and vegetable medley
Workout:
Several walks and up/down stairs throughout the day
Notes on Food:
Eggs and peppers = yum! I used the Target Archer Farms brand frozen red, green and yellow peppers, sauteed them in olive oil for a few minutes then added in the scrambled egg and sprinkled with sea salt - delicious! Im not looking forward to going back to only egg whites on Wednesday - loving the whole egg right now!
Yes, we went to Chipotle! I had a salad with no cheese - it was flavorful, because its Chipotle, but I did miss the cheese a little bit. We can have healthy fats today, so I debated on getting guac, but figured the chicken was probably prepared with some sort of fat, so I was getting enough of it in the chicken and opted for just that instead.
Dinner - we went to Jensens Cafe (near the event center) to eat and kill time before awards. They had a an egg white omelet that sounded good, but I went for the steak and shrimp (my husband ate part of my steak). I had salad with Italian vinaigrette, however it seemed like it was cream-based, instead of oil based, so I only ate a tad - maybe just a teaspoon. The meal also came with a veggie medley and a dinner roll - the roll went to my carb loving daughter! I will say, that I need to do a better job of asking the waitress questions about the food and how they prepare it - I should have asked about the dressing prior to selecting it, instead of assuming.
Also, I should have ate a snack since I was up until 11, but did not - oops!
Preparation:
I prepped the veggies and nuts a couple of days ago, so those were easy to grab and through into the cooler. I put together some containers of hummus and blueberries in the morning along with several bottles and a pitcher full of water. Between my husband and I, we need to drink at least 200 oz of water and figured why have to go up to the concession stand to buy water? Avoid temptation and bring as much as I could with.
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Yesterday was our first day on The Fast Metabolism Diet. Although I wasnt feeling the best all day (my stomach hurt from the moment I woke up and I got a headache around 4pm), I still ate all of the food on the meal plan and did my cardio for the day.
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Strawberry French Toast
Snack @ 9:30am:
Pineapples and Strawberries
Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich
Strawberries
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl
Workout:
Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning DVD
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 163.2 lbs
Tone: 261 lbs
Overall, I felt like I ate a LOT on Monday. Eating every 3-4 hours is an adjustment for me - Im used to eating 2-3 times a day and I definitely do not eat this much fruit in a day. So far, yesterday was a good start to the diet. I cant wait to see how the rest of the week turns out.
Quick note on the foods:
Strawberry French Toast was made with Sprouted Grain bread - a very nutty/wholesome taste. It was different and not my favorite dish, but I ate it!
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich - again, sprouted grain bread, so not my favorite and I was glad there was only one slice of the bread!
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - this turned out pretty good and the kids had some too. They kept asking "what smells so good?!" while it was cooking. I made a double batch for lunch leftovers and since Tuesday night is dance night and Im busy with running my daughter back and forth from the studio, we decided well have it for dinner Tuesday night as well.
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Today feels surreal - I cant believe we made it a week! I feel more prepared for the upcoming week, or I guess, I feel like I know what to expect. Today was a prep day. I went shopping for the things weve come to like and hopefully did a better job at getting enough veggies - although I did stock up on lots of frozen veggies to make it easier.
Weigh in today was great and surprising for me, considering we ate out twice yesterday. My husband was not too thrilled, he only lost 0.2 lbs. We plan to assess his portions a little better this week to ensure hes having the right amount. He was extremely hungry in the first few days last week, so we upped the protein, but I think he needs to increase the veggies instead.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 155.2 lbs
Anthony: 252.0 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 8am:
Scrambled egg and peppers, Oatmeal with blueberries
Snack @ 11:30am:
Scrambled egg and peppers
Lunch @ 3:00pm:
Subway salad with chicken breast
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Grilled chicken, frozen veggie mix and quinoa
Workout:
P90X Yoga DVD (just 30 mins)
Notes on Food:
We woke up later than normal (8am), so our day was a little off with timing of food. We opted to take out the second snack and only ate 4 meals. We tried out subways salad for lunch. It was pretty good and the Italian dressing was oil based!
Preparation:
I didnt really plan out this day too well, we pretty much winged it, but it turned out pretty well. I made sure that I prepared lunch for Monday and Tuesday. Back to complex carbs and fruit!
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I was very interested in seeing the number on the scale this morning - I know, I know, its only been 1 day! But, with all the food I ate yesterday and how full I felt, I thought FOR SURE I would be at the same weight or have gained a pound. But magically, Im down 2 lbs and my husband is down 4 lbs! Again, I know its just been a day, but checking the scale every morning is helping to motivate me to keep going and a daily reminder that I can do this!
Some key items that I also want to mention are the water intake and energy levels. I am particularly interested in having increased energy on this diet plan. I feel that for many years, I am always tired and often take naps on the weekend or in the evening. Im hoping that with the clean eating, I will see some improvements.
Water: You must drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Not as big of a deal for me since its only 80 oz, but the hubby is adjusting to drinking 130 oz of water a day.
Energy: Im not seeing a drastic improvement in my energy yet. I can say that I didnt yawn a million times on the way into work today but I dont feel like I can jump up and go run a 1/2 marathon. I plan to monitor this throughout the 28 days and will keep you posted.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 161.0 lbs
Tone: 257.0 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Oatmeal with blueberries
Snack @ 10:30am:
Apple
Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Pineapple
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Notes on Food:
Oatmeal with blueberries - It was actually pretty good and I sprinkled some Stevia on it as well. I normally eat oatmeal with a TON of brown sugar and raisins, so this is a big change, but one that I can easily adapt to.
All other foods were either leftovers or fruit, so nothing else to add. I still felt full throughout the day, which makes it difficult to eat the snacks.
Preparation:
Im definitely a newbie on buying vegetables and planning accordingly for the menu items. I realized at 7:30pm that I needed to make soup for tomorrows lunch and that I didnt have enough veggies for it. So, I ran to the store and started the soup around 9:30pm (after dance). Not the best planning in the world since the soup needed to simmer for an hour than cool down to de-bone the chicken. After I turned off the stove, I went to bed and woke up a couple of hours later (1:30am) to de-bone the chicken and got everything ready for lunches. If this soup is any good, Ill be sure to plan my Tuesday nights a little better!
Workout:
None (only because of the crazy Tuesday dance schedule)
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Well, we do it to ourselves - we went the movies AGAIN! This time, however, I didnt have as big of an urge as the last 2 times to have popcorn. Im more concerned about next weekend - there are 2 or 3 movies we want to see over memorial weekend. Im hoping we can just go watch them all on Monday!
Its getting hard with the weather getting nicer and the kids wanting to go out for ice cream or fro-yo. Im excited to bring them there, but while we cant have dairy right now, its tough. My daughter (who is a very picky eater) is asking more questions about the diet, which has opened up a nice opportunity to educate her on healthy foods and what it means to make our bodies healthy - not just skinny. I explained how we all need to eat fruits and veggies and to eat grass-fed organic meats and dairy. Shes starting to understand and I believe as we continue to bring more diverse foods into the house, she will learn to love eating healthy as well.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.4 lbs
Anthony: 244.6 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, egg with peppers
Snack @ 9:30am:
Cauliflower and raw sunflower seeds
Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Filet mignon and vegetable medley
Snack @ 4:30pm:
Nitrate free chicken deli meat and carrots
Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla
Workout:
None
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Day 5 means a new phase for the next 3 days! We get to introduce healthy fats and bring back in some grains and fruit - yeah oatmeal and blueberries! And carrots that I can dip into hummus. I truly cant believe Im actually excited to eat oatmeal!
Big challenge for the day was going to the movie theater! Ugh the popcorn smell was amazing! But I had my water and veggies, I stayed focused and made it through successfully!
My husband is having a harder time with cravings than me, especially as the weekend approaches. We are used to going out, eating popcorn, chips, cookies, ice cream and cheeseburgers all weekend. But at this point, I think weve done so well this week that Im not interested in cheating - nor do I feel its an option. I want to get my metabolism up so I dont have to continue to struggle with my weight. We are 5 days down - only 23 more to go! Its really not that long, so MIND OVER MATTER!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 157.6 lbs
Anthony: 253.6 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Scrambled egg, oatmeal with blueberries, celery
Snack @ 10:00am:
Carrots and hummus
Lunch @ 1:00pm:
Leftover steak, cauliflower and a pear
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Celery and almond butter
Dinner @ 7:00pm:
Steak, zucchini and quinoa
Workout:
None
Notes on Food:
Quinoa - this was new for the hubby and something Ive had before but had never made it myself. I used chicken broth instead of water and I think it turned out really good. Next time, I think Ill add some veggies into it instead of on the side.
Preparation:
Again, Im still getting the hang of this diet as it switches gears a little bit. Although fruit and grains are added back in, there are some limitations - no apples in phase 3 :-(! Im making minor adjustments and had a pear for lunch instead. Tomorrow is the big dance day, so Ill be spending some time packing and prepping tonight or in the morning to ensure we have all the snacks we need to make it through the day successfully.
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Today is the beginning of week 2 - OMG we made it a week! In my last post about the Week 1 recap - I lost 8.4 lbs and the hubby lost 10.8 lbs in one week! AMAZING RESULTS! Im so proud of us! We stuck together and didnt let the temptations get to us. We had our moments but we leaned on each other to get us through and now we feel good. I feel great - Im back into my size 8 pants, my ring is starting to fall off again and overall I feel a sense of achievement. My energy is about the same, perhaps a little better but its Monday and Im probably still recovering from an exhausting weekend.
Im looking forward to trying a couple of new recipes this week, of which one of them I did tonight and it was delicious! I feel more relaxed going into this week since I know what to do from a planning perspective. Im also interested in what the scale will bring but I know that I cant possibly lose another 8 lbs in a week, so Im hoping for at least 3 to 4lbs. We shall see!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 250.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45am:
Oatmeal with blueberries
Snack @ 9:45am:
Apple
Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Broccoli and Chicken Rice bowl
Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple
Dinner @ 6:30pm:
Chicken Sausage Fusilli
Workout:
Insanity Max Interval Circuit
Notes on Food:
Broccoli and Chicken rice bowl is a favorite of ours from last week. Its actually pretty simple, it just takes about 30 min to cook - just enough time to do some dishes and laundry! There is some prep work in chopping veggies but its worth it.
Chicken Sausage Fusilli - this was awesome! Ive never had chicken sausage and was skeptical of the recipe when I first read it, but we tried it and it turned out great. Im so glad we have enough for leftovers for tomorrow. Big plus - we got to have PASTA (we were both very surprised). It was a brown rice pasta that I found at Kowalskis (No Wheat on this diet!). The pasta was actually pretty light in texture and taste really good. YUMMM! This is definitely a recipe I will make forever! It can easily be doubled to make for a gathering or to have more leftovers. New favorite recipe!
Preparation:
I made lunch ahead for today and tomorrow - which is new for me. Ive never made a meal for future days, that I hadnt ate for dinner that night. So cooking at 9pm last night for todays lunch was so different, yet felt good to get it done on a Sunday night. I may think about prepping more meals for the week on Sundays, but I get nervous that it wont taste right or that itll dry out from the fridge. Anyway, something to consider for next week.
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Its day 21 - woohoo! I am truly counting down the days now. Dont get me wrong, this has been a wonderful learning experience that I plan to incorporate into my life, but I just want to have some frozen yogurt with cookie dough! Im looking forward to Monday, May 27th, but not looking forward to the stomach ache Ill have that very next day LOL! I will try my best to eat in moderation on the 27th, but it is not guaranteed! And then, back on the plan - eating clean and often throughout the day, working out and having a little treat every once in awhile!
Sundays are when I run to the store for the weeks groceries. Im getting better at having various foods in the house at all times and I have a better handle of what we need for the recipes. One irritation I continue to have is the limitation of foods at the grocery stores in the suburbs! Super Target is getting better with their variety of organic foods, but there is not a single sprouted grain tortilla in this burb! Ill make another trip out to the co-op later this week so we are prepared for next weekend - though Im unsure how much more of avocado quesadilla everyone will be up for! It is good though! And, I want to pick up some almond flour as Ive acquired a few gluten free baking recipes I want to try out in a couple weeks, when I plan to add sugar (or honey) back into my diet.
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.4 lbs
Anthony: Didnt weigh in
Menu:
Breakfast @ 8:30am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, egg with peppers
Snack @ 12pm:
Cauliflower and hummus
Lunch @ 2:30pm:
Subway salad
Snack @ 4:30pm:
Egg with peppers
Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla
Workout:
P90X Stretch DVD
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Im getting the hang of this diet as the days go on. I do feel better today about having leftover steak and beef jerky for snacks. Im also making mental notes on what meals were a success and which meals Ill need to swap out next week. Which reminds me, I need to update my spreadsheet!
The scale was down, but not as much as each of the first two days - I blame this on the heavy protein intake and the weight lifting. Either way, Ive lost more in the last 3 days than I have any other week on previous "diets". Lets hope this continues through the weekend!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 158.4
Anthony: 254.2
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Egg whites with garlic, onions and spinach, scrambled.
Snack @ 9:30am:
Leftover steak and celery
Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Chicken and vegetable soup
Snack @ 3:30pm:
Beef jerky
Dinner @ 6:30pm:
Steak and green beans
Workout:
P90X Legs and Back DVD - switched up the back exercises (since I did those yesterday) and did biceps and triceps during that time instead.
Preparation:
I enlisted my husband to help me with cutting up all of the carrots, celery and cauliflower that we had and put them into containers so that they are ready to go for the next few days. I also put raw almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds (healthy fats for phase 3!) in baggies so that those are ready to go as well.
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Oops, I missed a few days here of posts, so here I go.
Today, the hubby and I were off of work for my daughters dance competition. The day worked out pretty nice - after breakfast my sister came over and we did the P90X yoga video. I then made up snacks for us to have during the competition and we literally ate lunch right before walking out the door. After the competition and awards, we stopped at Panera and Subway for salads and subs for the kiddos. While the diet may seem very labor intensive with having to make food at home most of the time, it is nice to stop and have it prepared by someone else. And I love that Panera uses antibiotic free chicken and has really tasty balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
I think the best quote Ive heard while on this diet was from my son about the avocado quesadillas - "mom, these are the best thing Ive ever ate! Well, except for chocolate because that is my favorite!" Love that kid!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.2 lbs
Anthony: 244.2 lbs
Menu:
Breakfast @ 7:30am:
Eggs benedict
Snack @ 10:30am:
Carrots and hummus
Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla
Snack @ 4:30pm:
Carrots and raw sunflower seeds
Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Panera salad
Workout:
P90X Yoga DVD
Notes on Food:
I made eggs benedict for the first time in my life and I think it turned out pretty good. I received the recipe from the Haylie Pomroys email subscription. I didnt care for the taste of the hollandaise sauce so I omitted it. It was the first time I had poached in egg (I found a wonderful tutorial online) and they turned out great. I used a brown rice english muffin (shh...were not supposed to have brown rice today - oops!), turkey bacon, steamed spinach and the poached egg. Very good!
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Discovery
I recently stumbled across a book called The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy via an email from a bookstore - heres the link www.fastmetabolismdiet.com Haylie is a celebrity nutritionist, has several clinics throughout the US and works with athletes, celebrities and "normal people" at her clinics.
Decision
The cover of the book states "Lose up to 20 lbs in 28 days". Haylie talks about viewing the word "diet" differently - DIET now stands for Did I Eat Today? Basically you eat every 3-4 hours, which means you eat at least 5 times a day, it is a rotation diet, so you eat certain foods on certain days of the week (3 phases in a week), you dont count calories and you kick-start your metabolism so that it is burning calories and working again!
I read through the book and its 50+ recipes and also read some of it to my husband to get his buy-in on this new way of eating. We thought about it for about a week and decided, lets do this!
Of course we were both nervous - we LOVE to eat out, processed foods are EASY, and with hectic schedules at work, kids activities in the evenings and weekends, it has become normal in my house to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner or go out to eat at resataurants all weekend.
In the end, we decided it was time to try something different. Some of you may know, Im a workout fanatic! I work out every morning at 5:15am doing P90X or Insanity DVDs, 6 days a week. I then run on the treadmill the 7th day. But, Im not seeing the results I want because I eat like CRAP.
So, its time for a change and its ONLY 28 days - WE GOT THIS!
Lets GO!
As an accountant, of course I started a spreadsheet! I put together my own meal maps of foods that I thought my family and I would eat in each of the phases. I also downloaded the Fast Metabolism app for my iPhone. I like that it reminds you to eat, drink water and when selecting foods for the day, it helps ensure you have all of the food groups suggested for each meal.
Here are the phases during the week:
Phase 1 (Unwind Stress Phase) is on Monday and Tuesday - it consists of lots of carbs and fruit. You must do at least 1 day of cardio.
Phase 2 (Unlock Fat Phase) is on Wednesday and Thursday - lots of proteins and veggies. You must do at least 1 day of weight-lifting.
Phase 3 (Unleash Your Metabolism Phase) is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - all of the above plus healthy fats. You must do at least 1 day of yoga or stretch.
I think the biggest challenge for Week 1 is going to be my daughters dance competition on Saturday which is an all day event - Im talking 15 hours! I may need to purchase a mini cooler and ice packs so that we are fully prepared for the day. And, Ive got to keep my mind in check and not let temptations get the best of me.
On Sunday I went shopping for all of the foods for the week. I stuck to the meal map and bought mostly organic by going to Trader Joes and Kowalskis. Next week, I may check out Whole Foods for more ideas. Everyone says, preparation is key, so I made sure we have tons of fruits and veggies for snacks and Im doing a lot of prep work at night to make this a success. I packed up Mondays meals on Sunday night so that we were ready to go in the am - NO EXCUSES! Lets GO!
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I continue to feel more awake in the morning which is great! Today was back to phase 2 and my least favorite morning food - egg whites with spinach. Perhaps Ill do turkey bacon tomorrow instead, but that means I need to find a veggie to eat with it and I think veggies go better with eggs, so well see what I decide tomorrow. I do know that I will be avoiding the hard boiled egg whites - Im eating beef jerky for every snack instead!
Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 149.6 lbs before shower, 148.8 lbs after shower -- So, my husband first weighed the same as yesterday, then took a shower and weighed himself again losing 0.8 lbs. Im not really sure what to think about why this is. But going forward, hes doing only one weigh-in - none of this double check stuff!
Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
3 Egg Whites with onion, spinach and garlic
Snack @ 9:30am:
Beef Jerky and celery
Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Snack @ 3:30pm:
Beef Jerky and cucumber
Dinner @ 7pm:
Filet Mignon and asparagus
Workout:
P90X Chest and Back
Notes on Food/Preparation:
I made a big pot of soup again for this week, which I plan to freeze some of it up for next week instead of having to make it again. And, oh filet mignon, how I love thee! Super yummy with asparagus on the grill.
I probably should find another source of protein for snacks - but beef jerky is pretty tasty.
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Well, here we are...WE DID IT! Im so proud of both my husband and I. We stayed with the plan all month and we made it. Together, we have lost 37 pounds in 28 days!!! We didnt count a single calorie, we worked out less than we used to, we didnt cheat and we held each other accountable. It really shows that hard work, determination and will-power really pays off. If you put your mind to it and set a goal, you WILL get there. It took a LOT of focus (and some complaining) to get to this day and we did it. Im truly happy that I had my partner by my side the whole time - Im not sure I could have done it without him!
Week 4 Weight Loss:
Kiana: 3.0 lbs
Anthony: 3.6 lbs
FINAL WEIGH IN:
Kiana: 148.6 lbs, 14.6 lbs lost or 8.9% in just 28 days!
Anthony: 238.6 lbs; 22.4 lbs lost or 8.6% in just 28 days!
There were so many more topics I could have discussed in this blog but didnt always have the time to write about. If you want to know more or have specific questions, I am more than willing to chat about it with you. This was a great experience for us and it can be a life-changing experience for you as well. I highly recommend the book The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy - there are so many more details about why you eat the types of foods that you do on this diet and how the order in which you eat it affects your body.
Ive learned so much these last 4 weeks, such as, my amazing will-power and my ability to cook healthy meals even with a busy schedule. I feel that I now have a different perspective on what healthy eating really is. I look forward to our continuous progress on making healthier decisions for ourselves and for our family.
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What does "dieting" mean?
For just about all people, the term "dieting" means not eating the foods they love, eating smaller portions, and worst of all skipping meals. I hope we all know by now that dieting is hard and does not work for the long-term fat loss we all want.
Lets take a closer look at the 3 methods of dieting, the side effects, and the proper way to deal with your diet.
Not Eating The Foods You Love To Lose Fat
You probably love the same foods as me and most Americans, over- processed, high in fat and sugar, and oversized portions. We need those over sized portions because the food we are eating is not the nutrition our bodies need. They are just empty calories that our body stores as fat.
If you are trying to change your whole diet at once, that can be just as hard as quitting smoking. I tried and the side effects of cutting all sugar were quite painful. I lasted 3 weeks. The key here is to add a couple healthy things to your diet and cut back on the unhealthy stuff. An example would be to add fruit as a snack during the day instead of doughnuts but only every other day. Then add one more day of fruit a week with an occasional doughnut.
Whatever you do, do not call it cheating. You can only cheat while dieting, and that is not what you are doing. You are changing your diet to have better health, a lighter, thinner body, more energy, higher self-esteem, and the knowledge you are doing what is best for you and your family.
Eating Smaller Portions To Lose Fat
Leaving the table hungry is not the way to go. This is one of the things that make dieting very difficult. It will put you in a bad mood because you feel like you are punishing yourself for doing what you love, eating. After a few days of being hungry and weak, you rebel against yourself and eat a whole pizza by yourself. This leads to guilt and resentment and low self-esteem.
When changing your diet to nutritious foods, it is better to eat more often with smaller portions. There is a whole list of foods you can find that are healthy, low calorie and full of the nutrients your body needs. The more your body gets used to getting those nutrients, the less hungry you will feel. Personally, my favorite snack that keeps me away from the vending machine is cocktail peanuts.
I eat a handful about every hour and this event helps to eat a smaller lunch. That may be more than is recommended but I do have a labor intensive job that burns a lot of calories. I do still eat fast food on occasion, but it will just be one small sandwich off the value menu, such as a chicken sandwich.
Never get the fries!
So eating smaller portions of great tasting healthy foods will keep your metabolism going and the fat burning.
Skipping Meals To Lose Fat
Skipping meals is the worst dieting method you can do to lose fat. Eating food actually boosts the metabolism and keeps your body burning calories. This also gives you energy to do more with your day and burn more fat. When you skip meals bad things happen to your body. Your metabolism, the fat burning mechanism, slows down to conserve energy to keep your organs working. If you only eat once a day, your body will store just about the whole meal to keep your body going during the times of no new fuel. It stores this as fat.
For breakfast, I either drink a whey protein drink, about 170 calories, or eat a spinach salad, about 230 calories, but both give me a lot of energy, healthy unsaturated fats, vitamins and micro-nutrients for healthy body function.
Give yourself this one boost in the morning and you will see a difference.
If you find that you only like eating pastries or doughnuts for breakfast, try switching them out a couple days a week to start.
It will take time for your taste buds to adjust to your new diet. That is what the protein drink is for. My sweet chocolate fix for the day! Just remember that to lose fat, you want less carbs and more protein.
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