Ok, so I admit I am terrible at following diet plans. But there are reasons for that, not all food combinations work for me and I hate that most plans have you shopping for and cooking a different set of food every day. I also enjoy simple food, easy to cook, store and reach for. So what do I really follow? It's a combination of paying attention to what works for my digestion/schedule/lifestyle combined with understanding calorie content and some basic food rules that work for me. Now all I need to do is stick to it solidly to get results!

Some tips I can share:

 

  • Pay attention when you consume something about how it makes you feel overall and make notes as you go so that you can tweak whatever plan you're on to work long term for you. I know I don't do well with fruit in general so I try to not eat too much of it or only stick to certain kinds. Corn products also wreak havoc with my digestion and breads usually leave me feeling sluggish and heavy.
  • Find carbs that work for you. The calendar diet recommends 3 servings a day totaling no more than 45g but includes allowances for dairy and starchy veg that contain carb grams. Most indications are a total of around 100g carb per day is a great happy spot for losing weight whereas 150g per day is really maintaining. This is important because you want to be dipping into fat stores for energy.
  • Make sure you eat enough. Not taking in enough calories can also slow down weight loss.
  • Consider investing in v02 testing if your physician's office offers it and your health insurance or hsa cover the cost. It gives a good base line to know where you stand. It'll also give you your max heart rate that is useful for exercising.
  • Decide what your cheat will be. I've been told everything from a whole day off to one meal off. If your weekly deficit only totals x calories, is it worth possibly consuming more than that in one sitting to end up back at square 1? What's important to you? What do you enjoy? Guidelines I've been given by my trainer are 2 glasses wine per week because I enjoy wine but shouldn't get into the habit of counting it into my calories where I can have it every day. I also enjoy chocolate, so 1/2 bar of high end chocolate per week. I can also have 1 cupcake if I run at least 10miles in that week. Other than that, it's the plan at all times. So what I will tend to do is plan date night at a wine bar and have my wine there, keep the cupcake for a weekend treat trip out with my kids, and enjoy the chocolate on my own relaxing in front of the tv when I need down time most.

 

In finding food that makes our bodies better yet still makes our tastebuds sing!