The word "diet" is a legitimate word to describe what I will outline. Basically, anything we eat is our diet. However, the phrase "to go on a diet" means that we are going to change our eating patterns. In my mind, "going on a diet" means temporarily changing our eating patterns. My goal is to permanantly change my eating patterns. So I avoid calling what I am doing a "diet." It is simply how I am making food part of my living fit lifstyle.
I am not a nutrition expert, doctor, or anything else that gives me any credentials to recommend, develop, or critique any "diet." These are simply things that I have gleaned from some of the "diets" I have tried and some books and articles I have read. I hope that I have added a dose of common sense. My first 2 weeks, I tried a popular "diet" which forbade breads, cereals, grains, or pastas AND FRUIT. It was at the end of the first 2 weeks that I came to my sense and realized what a wacko "diet" that was. I ignored my common sense which was screaming at me, "Any 'diet' that forbids fruits is insane!!!!!!" I then turned to a few websites which wanted to charge me money weekly to tell me to eat healthy. Being the cheapo that I am, I decided that I knew enough to avoid "dieting" and simply start living a lifestyle of fitness. Here is the plan I came up with for my eating habits:
Food Do's & Dont's:
1) Only eat whole grain breads, pastas, cereals, and rice. (Check labels and ignore claims)
2) #1 will never be the main dish of a meal.
3) No potatoes except sweet potatoes.
4) Added fats will be in the form of olive or canola oil. Salad dressing will be home made and oil based. Instead of butter use a heart smart spread.
5) #3 will be used sparingly
6) No high sugar fruits such as canned fruit, fruit juice, or dried fruit. (No pineapple or bananas either)
7) No more than 1 serving of lowfat cheese (not including cottage cheese) a day.
8) No food with sugar added.
9) Sugar substitute may be used sparingly
10) Red meat only once a week
11) No foods which do not have a positive net sum of nutritional value. (For example, apples have good positive nutritional value, but covering them with caramel or baking them in a pie cancels out the nutrition of the apple)
Follow these habits:
1) Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner
2) Eat 3 snacks each day: mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and after dinner
3) Sip 8 oz. of water before each meal and snack
4) Divide each meal into 2 parts. The first part is eaten immediatly following the cup of water. The second part is not eaten until at least 15 minutes after you began drinking the water. In this way, it should take at least 20 minutes to eat the meal giving the brain enough time to realize that there is food in the stomach.
5) Use serving sizes to measure food.
5) Only 1 helping of food. No seconds.
6) No breads, grains, pastas, rice, couscous, potatoes, etc... after 4 PM
7) No eating after 7 PM
The following is the meal planning guide I came up with:
Breakfast
First Course:
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- One serving of whole grain (bread, cereal)
- One serving of dairy (low fat milk or yogurt)
Second Course:
- 15 minutes after the water 1-2 servings of protein (egg beaters or cheese or turkey bacon, cottage cheese)
- 1-2 servings of fruit
Mid-morning Snack
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- Vegetable
- 1 serving of protein (string cheese, nuts, hard boiled egg, etc…)
Lunch
First Course:
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- Vegetables (Not carrots every day)
Second Course:
- 15 minutes after the water 1 serving of protein (chicken, low-fat lunch meat, nuts)
- 1 serving of starch (whole grain bread, rice, or pasta or a sweet potato)
- 1 serving of fruit
Mid-afternoon Snack
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- Vegetable
- One serving of dairy (low fat milk or yogurt)
Dinner
First Course:
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- Vegetables (Not carrots every day)
- One serving of dairy (low fat milk or yogurt)
Second Course:
- 15 minutes after the water 1 serving of protein (chicken, fish, turkey, beef*)
- Vegetables (Squash-legumes are acceptable)
- 1-2 serving of fruit
After Dinner Snack (No later than 7PM)
- Slowly drink one cup of water, not all in one swallow
- Freebie (Anything but starches) e.g. sugar free fudgicle
That's the plan, and I am nearing the end of my second week eating this way.
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