DIET
The most important guidelines:
- Always eat breakfast
- Take one piece of fruit every day for snacking
- Eat three meals a day... if you do this you’ll make better choices in the long run
- Eat one to two snacks per day to keep metabolism higher
- Portion control is the key to weight loss
Foods to Avoid:
- full-fat dairy items, such as ice cream, cheese, butter and milk
- Iced tea... drink diet iced tea/tea w/ splenda instead.
- All other sweet drinks, including soda, juice, and coffee drinks (plain coffee w/ added milk/Spenda is alright).
- Fried foods...French fries, friend chicken, doughnuts...
- Starches (white bread, crackers, pastries, desserts, candy, white rice)
- Alcohol... turns straight into sugar in the blood. Red wine is the only good alcohol. Limit the ‘fun’ alcohols to about once a month, and drink less than 3 drinks per time (for 3 drinks you’ll be getting about 1,500-2,500 extra calories...which is 15-25 miles of running! Yikes!!)
MENU IDEAS
Good breakfasts:
- English muffin w/ spray butter and jam
- Small bowl of cereal w/ milk
- Container of yogurt and piece of fruit
- Omelet (2 eggs, 1 ounce of cheese, and veggies)
Good morning snacks:
- nuts (no more than 20, no more than once per day)
- yogurt
- cheese sticks
Good lunches:
- salad
- ‘healthy’ leftovers from dinner the night before
- turkey and cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread (esp if you have some spinach)
- tuna salad made w/ lowfat mayo, or tuna w/out mayo, on whole-grain bread
Good afternoon snacks (to fuel you up before you exercise):
- apple w/ 1-2 tbsp. peanut butter
- fruit and kashi granola bar (but not a power bar—not worth the calories unless you’re planning an extended workout)
- 10-20 triscuits w/ peanut butter or yogurt or cheese stick
Good dinners:
- most anything I cook is pretty healthy, but the key is to have one portion only, no seconds
Eating in restaurants:
- THE BEST TIP I can give is to eat half your portion and take half home for tomorrow’s lunch—you still get to eat it all, but you enjoy it in 2 separate increments, and plus you save money—it costs ½ what it otherwise would! It also saves you from having to pack a lunch the next day.
- Don’t order a margarita at a Mexican restaurant... about 800 calories a pop. Two per month for one year would cause you to gain over 5 lbs per year! Just on margaritas!! Be similarly vigilant about other drinks... Long Island Iced Tea, Pina Colada, etc. tend to be higher in calories.
Chocolate at work:
- Take gum to work and pop one in your mouth when you get a chocolate craving. Also, try to avoid the chocolate-area, if possible; don’t even LOOK at it. Then choose ONE DAY PER WEEK (like on Friday afternoons) to eat 1-2 pieces of chocolate. That way you can still have it, but you’re conscious of when you eat it, and the portions are well-controlled.
EXERCISE:
Goal: the goal in exercise is not just to burn calories or try to get thin...it’s to get your heart healthy, increase your metabolism, and relieve stress (also boost immune system to keep you less susceptible to germs/infections). In short, the goal of exercise is to be healthy.
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
|
30-40 minutes stairs strength training—do legs, but focus on arms and upper back (low weights, high reps) 25-75 crunches |
Walk, run, or aerobics video for 20 minutes |
45-60 minutes treadmill, elliptical trainer, stairs, or bike strength training: legs and upper back (low weights, high reps) 25-75 crunches |
Walk, run, or aerobics video for 20 minutes |
Run 30-45 minutes (preferable, just to burn the calories, for now) |
Run from 45-60 minutes OR do treadmill, elliptical trainer, or stairclimber for 45-60 minutes OR Walk 90-120 minutes |
OFF: day of rest!! |
With this schedule you’re burning calories through cardio (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; so this is at least 2 ½ hours of cardio per week) and also working on strength training in order to start to build muscle and increase your metabolism (as well as to slowly start toning). Note that you can increase your intensity in any of these to get a more intense workout, but try to stick to the time schedule as much as possible.
MOTIVATIONAL IDEAS
You need to come up with your own motivational ideas but I thought I’d present a few to you to consider.
Weigh yourself now.
Set a goal of losing 10 lbs.
While working out and eating right, don’t eat out at lunch. Instead, save $5 per week in a jar in your bedroom.
After you’ve lost 10 lbs, you will probably have $40-$50 saved. Take the money and buy a cute item of clothing.
REPEAT for the next 10 lbs, and so on!
OR
Make a goal of not eating lunch out. Tally up the amount you usually spend on lunch out and set it aside, physically. When you have lost 20 lbs, go buy something you like... anything, CD/clothes/whatever.
OR
You may also want to get a photo of yourself when you were slimmer to motivate you as well.
AND
Always use visualization. Visualize yourself exercising, feeling good. Visualize yourself making healthy choices, eating nutritious foods in small portions. Visualize yourself slim and trim.
Comments on: Diet plan for women