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Friday, February 3, 2012

A Day In My Diet

I often get asked how do you keep the weight off?  How do you get your abs so flat?  What exercises do you do? Do you do 1000 crunches a day or live at the gym?  Do you live off salad?   I could go on and on about what I do and how it works.  But I feel like the most important thing and the key to weight loss is DIET!!! Yep I said it... it comes down to your diet.  You can work out all you want but you can not out exercise a bad diet - unless of course you are Michael Phelps the Olympic Swimmer... but come on...admit it, a half hour on the treadmill does not compare.  Don't get me wrong... exercise is supper important and has been a big peice of the puzzle for me but its not a one way street.  It takes diet and exercise so go out there and move your body!!! 

Anyway I thought it might be helpful to show you what I eat so here goes...

 I do not by any means have a perfect diet.  I enjoy Texas bar-b-q, Dr. Pepper and red velvet cake too much to cut them out completely (hey I am southern arn't I?).  However what I have learned to practice is not what I consider a diet, it is a lifestyle and it involves moderation. I have also learned to recognize my trigger foods i.e. cakes, cookies, pies, bread, DR.PEPPER!!  What do I mean by trigger foods... I mean those foods that once I start eating them I just can't seem to stop.   I have learned to cut some of them out almost completely - like bread and (frowny face) Dr. Pepper,  or I have found creative ways to sneak in my other favorites - say a sugar free pudding cup for dessert (I promise it really does the trick). 

So here it goes... my typical "diet" day.

Coffee with sugar free Hazelnut creamer (I can give up almost anything... but coffee is not one of them)
2 whole eggs and 1 half cup serving black beans or a serving of fruit
or
1 serving of old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, banana and almond milk (notice I said "old fashioned" not instant... don't care what anyone says... it's not the same... the old fashioned is a much better choice)

Protein powder mixed in water (I like the chocolate whey protein by Jillian Michaels that you can find at Walmart - it's cheap and does the trick)

Mixed salad greens (anything you want can go in here - mix up a big bowl so you have extra for throughout the week) with a tsp or two of olive oil, salt and pepper and either a serving of chick peas or half a chicken breast for protein

One ounce of roasted almonds (these have been a life saver for me - advice - stick to the serving size don't plow throught the whole container) and a serving of fruit
Diet Coke

Vegi based soup, salad or vegies with a serving of protein (chicken, pork, etc)   In this meal I aim to have half my plate full of vegies.

Sugar free pudding cup or a Chocolate dipped granola bar for my sweet fix

I also love, love, love, cottage cheese as a source of protien ( I buy the full fat but keep it to the suggested serving size) and I will put avocados on anything... OHHHHH... and I also cook the whole egg (not just the whites unless I feel like it) in real butter... but just a smidge... tastes so much better and is better then a chemical sprayed from a can or MARGERINE EEEEKKKK!!!

So there you go... as you can see I am by no means perfect... but I believe I have a livable diet that most could practice.  I mostly eat the same thing each day because I am a creature of habit and because I believe in keeping it simple and that works for me.  Don't worry you can change things up to suit you - what works for me may not work for you.  I would suggest making sure that the bulk of your diet is fruits, vegies and lean proteins, limit your grains to APPROPRIATE serving sizes (if you don't know what that looks like - please do some research)  and lay off all the bread and junk. Lastly I drink a ton of water... and by a ton... I mean I have to visit the ladies room at least every hour but its sooooooo good for you and I definitely notice when I haven't had enough.  After all you can live without food for a while but you can not live without water.  So in conclusion - if you commit to lightening up your diet a bit  and throw in some exercise I promise you will see and feel results.

Hope this helps!   Now go out there and MOVE WITH STRENGTH!

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