Okay everyone, today is one-week out from the full-on, no excuses start to our 28-day diet. It's actually more of a jump start to a lifestyle change! Here's the plan to start today:
1. Get out your diet journal. Write down your goals, and your affirmations so you can re-read them later for encouragement. Write down your starting weight, your last cholesterol level (our goal is "under 150"). Don't forget to write down how you are feeling now.
2. Plan your exercise. We're going to be moving everyday, what are you going to do the first week? Plan on a minimum of 20 minutes a day to start. What are your exercise goals?
3. Don't buy any food that we'll be throwing away later in the week. We're going to have a refrigerator clean out next weekend. Plan accordingly!
4. Start reading. The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn, and Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman are our guideline diets. What I'll be posting is a blend of these two plus other related eating plans. This gives us variety and simplicity. Here are a couple websites to check out: www.fatfreevegan.com and www.engine2diet.com
5. Brace yourself for naysayers and saboteurs. For some reason people want to try and interfere with your plan to get healthy and lose weight. Mostly it comes from them being unhappy with themselves and unwilling to make changes. Recognize it when you see it and and don't let them derail you. Be on guard! Prepare yourself for "But what about protein?" with this "If plan proteins can grow elephants and rhinoceroses, I'll be fine." And it's true!
6. Understand the rules. We'll be focusing on what we CAN eat and not what we can't, so stay positive! But to be crystal clear:
NO animal products of any kind. This includes: meat chicken fish dairy cheese milk mayo eggs. Any questions just ask me.
NO processed foods. We'll be eating fruit, vegetables and whole grains. It's easy to recognize whole grains...read the label, they use the word "whole".
Also understand that we'll be grocery shopping twice a week, due to the fact we'll be eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Your homework until next blog: Go ahead and buy the following things, and try my Best Smoothie Ever now. You'll need: spinach, pref. baby and organic, ripe bananas, blueberries (frozen or fresh), almond milk, ground flax seeds (optional this week but you'll need them for next week) and cocoa powder. Grab a big handful (about a cup loosely packed) and smoosh it down in the blender, add a banana, and about 2/3 cup of blueberries, sprinkled cocoa and flax seeds on top,and pour in a cup of almond milk. I keep a 1/2 cup of water (or crushed ice) handy in case I need more liquid. Then blend and enjoy! Makes a lot, and it keeps me satisfied until lunch.
By the way, buy a large bunch of bananas so they will be good and ripe in a few days. Then we'll freeze them so they are sweet and frozen in time for next week's smoothies. How's that for planning ahead?? I can't wait to hear your comments.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I'd like to be your new Health Coach!
First of all, let me say that there is nothing like putting oneself on a diet and successfully losing weight to give one a smug sense of self-righteousness. But you also learn some things along the way that make the journey to losing weight a lot easier. And when you see people you care about struggling, you want to help them if you can! So I thought I'd start a purely volunteer and low pressure blog about getting healthy and losing weight. In that order.
I firmly believe that we are on the precipice of a major change in how we look at the food we eat, and what is considered "normal American food". Every day a new report comes out that points out that what is called the Standard American Diet is actually what is causing our high rates of heart disease and cancer, plus diabetes and obesity. Remember, there was a time not long ago that doctors thought smoking was healthful! So don't be naive and think that because the Dairy council says drinking milk is healthy then it must be!
The diet book we'll be reading and diet we'll be following is called the Engine 2 Diet. It is a very reader-friendly book, with lots of yummy recipes. It is what they are calling "plant-based" which means emphasis on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is NO dairy products, animal products, or added fats. I'll leave it to the author to explain the cancer-causing properties in animal proteins. This isn't theory folks, this is reality. An amazing amount of people are finding out about this stuff every day. Soon it will be the norm.
Enough theory, let's start with a practical approach. I'll announce the official start date of the diet soon, but for now lets start with "Prep Time." I want you to think about adding a raw salad to your diet, every day. Personally, I look forward to a "Big Salad" at lunch. I try and make 3 days worth of salad at a time, to save on chopping time. Throw every raw veggie in there that you like, the more colorful the better. Go easy on the nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and avocado, but don't leave them out if you want them. Throw on a cup of kidney, garbanzo, or soy beans too. Can't finish it all? Save it for dinner or a snack.
What about salad dressing? Don't mess it all up with using a high-fat dressing. The best choice is to mix up your own. The easiest is two tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two tablespoons of real maple syrup, a sprinkle of Italian seasonings (or whatever). Put a tiny half teaspoon of olive oil if you MUST but try it without. If it is too strong, dilute with a little bit of water. There are lots of fat-free dressing recipes on the web also, or experiment with your own. If you have a really nice vinegar, many times that is all you need to use. The next best choice is a fat-free or very low fat commercial dressing. I like the Newman's Own Salad mists, 10 sprays is only 10 calories! And it's great.
That's enough for now, next time I'll tell you the recipe for the BEST BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE in the world, and it is so healthy you'll be starting the day feeling great!!
I firmly believe that we are on the precipice of a major change in how we look at the food we eat, and what is considered "normal American food". Every day a new report comes out that points out that what is called the Standard American Diet is actually what is causing our high rates of heart disease and cancer, plus diabetes and obesity. Remember, there was a time not long ago that doctors thought smoking was healthful! So don't be naive and think that because the Dairy council says drinking milk is healthy then it must be!
The diet book we'll be reading and diet we'll be following is called the Engine 2 Diet. It is a very reader-friendly book, with lots of yummy recipes. It is what they are calling "plant-based" which means emphasis on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is NO dairy products, animal products, or added fats. I'll leave it to the author to explain the cancer-causing properties in animal proteins. This isn't theory folks, this is reality. An amazing amount of people are finding out about this stuff every day. Soon it will be the norm.
Enough theory, let's start with a practical approach. I'll announce the official start date of the diet soon, but for now lets start with "Prep Time." I want you to think about adding a raw salad to your diet, every day. Personally, I look forward to a "Big Salad" at lunch. I try and make 3 days worth of salad at a time, to save on chopping time. Throw every raw veggie in there that you like, the more colorful the better. Go easy on the nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and avocado, but don't leave them out if you want them. Throw on a cup of kidney, garbanzo, or soy beans too. Can't finish it all? Save it for dinner or a snack.
What about salad dressing? Don't mess it all up with using a high-fat dressing. The best choice is to mix up your own. The easiest is two tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two tablespoons of real maple syrup, a sprinkle of Italian seasonings (or whatever). Put a tiny half teaspoon of olive oil if you MUST but try it without. If it is too strong, dilute with a little bit of water. There are lots of fat-free dressing recipes on the web also, or experiment with your own. If you have a really nice vinegar, many times that is all you need to use. The next best choice is a fat-free or very low fat commercial dressing. I like the Newman's Own Salad mists, 10 sprays is only 10 calories! And it's great.
That's enough for now, next time I'll tell you the recipe for the BEST BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE in the world, and it is so healthy you'll be starting the day feeling great!!
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