Several of you have wondered what I’m doing to lose this weight. What’s my secret? What am I doing to tighten up those abs or tone those arms? So, I’ll do my best to give you an overview and make it as simple as possible, because face it….no one wants to follow a complicated diet and fitness program, right?
Many years ago, I worked for an “old school” doctor who took me under his wing and taught me a lot. His diet was so simple.
- 1. No bread
- 2. No potatoes
- 3. No sweets
- 4. No seconds
Seriously, if you do those things, you’re just about guaranteed to lose weight. Then I met Trainer Paul in February and he gave me his dietary plan. It’s great. I worked with it and this is pretty much what I do.
First, I cut out gluten in the form of bread and pasta. I don’t read labels to look for gluten because I don’t buy stuff with labels. I don’t eat out of a box or can if I can help it. No processed foods. I cut out sugar…period. And, I cut out diet sodas. I stopped all artificial sweeteners and use Stevia, a plant based sweetener.
I eat a Greek yogurt with fresh berries, two tablespoons of gluten free granola and two of ground flax seeds for breakfast. Maybe twice a month I’ll have a cheese omelet instead.
For lunch, I have a salad with as many different veggies and fruits as I can get in it. For protein I’ll either have chicken or quinoa or salmon on it. If I haven’t had that omelet for a few days, I might have eggs and cheese in the salad. I use whatever salad dressing I like, on the side, and dip each bite in it for taste. You’d be surprised how little dressing you’ll actually eat.
I might grab fruit mid afternoon or maybe a little cheese. Watermelon has been my go to lately because it’s been so hot out. I’ve been enjoying yellow rind muenster of late. Nice nutty flavor.
For dinner, fish is my favorite. I try to only use wild caught but I’m not all that picky. I will not eat tilapia. I make a fabulous curried salmon…just ask Trainer Paul! I don’t eat white potatoes but I do eat sweet potatoes. I also love quinoa, again for the protein and because you can dress it up with mushrooms, onions, etc. and get a really savory side dish. Spring had me eating a boatload of asparagus. I love summer and zucchini squash, green beans, caprese salad with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Once or twice a month I have gluten free pasta with spaghetti sauce. I like grass fed bison and eat that in my sauce.
I don’t count calories. Period. I am acutely aware of what I eat and mentally keep track. You know when you’re overdoing it. I don’t weigh myself every day. Muscle weighs more than fat. While I weigh around 170, my muscle tone has me looking much more trim than I did the last time I weighed 150.
I try to eat superfoods every day.
- Blueberries
- Pomegranate
- Walnuts
- Kale
- Green Tea
- Coffee
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Sweet Potatoes
- Greek Yogurt
- Wild Caught Alaskan
- Salmon
- Basil
- Thyme
- Dark Chocolate! (72% or higher)
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
I use real butter. Not a lot of it, but when I need butter, I use the real stuff.
Sweet potatoes, fruit, or a square of dark chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth. I don’t crave anything. Ever.
I don’t drink alcohol. I do have one non-alcohol beer or one glass of de-alcoholized wine just about every night. I drink a lot of water but still not enough I’m sure. I have nonfat milk in my latte when I buy one and I always drink half and half in my coffee. I drink Spark from Advocare or Powerade Zero when I play hard outside in the heat.
The word “exercise” is seldom in my vocabulary. I go outside and play as often as I can. I really like to walk and climb stairs. I love to ride my bike long distances. And I REALLY love paddling my kayak! I like to play pickleball but haven’t this year. I try to use my resistance bands and weights for upper body toning. I just started doing planks…or as my friend Ryb calls it, water boarding. lol
That’s pretty much it. I did jumpstart my weight loss with the Advocare 24 Day challenge but I am NOT spamming you on that. Just telling you I used it. It included a 10 day colon cleanse. It’s amazing the junk we carry around with us. That prepared my gut to absorb the nutrients in this great food I’m eating and you are seldom hungry when your body is actually getting fed.
As with all diet and exercise programs, check with your healthcare provider to see if you are healthy enough to exercise. Enjoy your summer and get out there and play if you are able!!!
❤️
“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Genesis 1:29 NIV