The result: I lost 5 pounds in 4 weeks. I did not count calories, nor points. I did not count carbs either. I did incorporate the following daily habits:
- one teaspoon of Metamucil 2 times a day--per doctor's orders (for cholesterol, for IBS, and the fiber helps you feel full)
- one tablespoon of flax meal a day
- green vegetables every day
- raw food every day
- 1 or 2 servings of good fat every day, limiting other fats by using some fat free or very low fat products so that my body will burn my stored fat first
- a serving of beans/legumes every day
- 2 fruits and 3 or more vegetable servings every day
- green tea every day
- eat less animal and more plant--the bulk of my food was plant.
- eat less processed foods, eat foods in their closest to natural state--the test: would my great great grandmother recognize this food? The exceptions were the fat free and low fat products which I will eliminate once I lose my excess fat.
I made a chart and used tic marks to keep up with my habits each day.
While there were no forbidden foods I do try to limit or avoid using any food with fructose, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils. I personally believe these things make us fat, that they are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic we are seeing.
I divided food into two categories.
EAT OFTEN
EAT ONCE IN AWHILE
When I ate food that tasted really good I used my head to prevent eating past no longer being hungry. Jack LaLannes "if one apple is good you wouldn't eat a hundred" was my mantra.
For portion control I made a half cup my standard serving size no matter what I was eating.
I'm going to give it two more weeks and see what happens.
Here are the fat free and low fat products I used: fat free cheese slices on my sandwiches mainly; 1% milk in my coffee instead of half and half ; for a savory snack Laughing Cow Light Cheese wedges; buttery spray and light heart smart buttery spread--it has no trans fats and is a good source of omega 3's.
Aside from my morning coffee I drank water the rest of the day--at meals and in between.
I ate 3 meals and 2 snacks most days. If I ate an early breakfast and an early lunch I skipped the midmorning snack.
This worked for me. It may not work for you. We each are different. We each must adopt a way of eating that will help us to achieve optimal health. Critical to long term success, it is key that it be something we can live with day in and day out. And a key component for me: keep it simple--simple plain foods, simply prepared.