My Diet Secrets- Part 1
Big Breakfast = Little Waist
After starting this blog, I have been bombarded with questions like : "What is your secret?" "No but really, how did you do it?" After being asked these things about a gazillion times, I thought I would share some tips! And no- they are not secrets. They are well known good habits to health advocates like myself. If you are looking for some magic secret pill I took to lose weight then you won't find one. The only drug I ever use is ENDORPHINS.
My diet motto is:
"Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Princess, and dinner like a Pauper!"
Our society has the worst meal schedule habits. EVER. Many people don't eat breakfast, overeat at lunch, have a blood sugar crash, eat an even bigger dinner to regain energy, have a blood sugar crash, have an unhealthy late night snack, and then store all of the unhealthy food as fat while we sleep.
It is hard to maintain weight, or even lose weight while in this cycle. That is why I started following my diet motto 2 year ago.
Every morning I set aside time to cook myself a delicious, healthy breakfast. I usually aim to consume around 400 calories in the morning, at least 6 grams of dietary fiber, and upwards of about 20 grams of protein. This might sound crazy to some people-- but it works! I have tons of energy through out the day, and I don't overeat at lunch or dinner.
There are some precautions to this lifestyle though:
1) A 400 calorie allowance does not mean you can have a donut. It should be 400 calories of healthy food!
2) If you are eating this big of a breakfast, you need to scale back your other meals to balance your overall diet.
If you are willing to make these adjustments though- the results are well worth it! Not even for the weight loss, but also for the sustained energy you will feel throughout the day. Here are some examples of what I eat for each meal!
Breakfast
-Multigrain Cheerios, Silk skim milk, special K protein shake, banana
-2 pieces of whole wheat toast, low fat peanut butter, and cut up bananas
-Egg white shake with blue berries, strawberries, and pineapple, and protein powder
-Oatmeal with peanut butter and dried fruit mixed in
-Whole wheat english muffin with turkey bacon and scrambled egg whites
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| Yummy Turkey Bacon and Egg Whites! |
-When in a rush I will grab a handful of nuts, an apple, and a Special K Protein bar to eat while walking to class!
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| Turkey Burger with Carrot Fries! |
Lunch
-Turkey Burger
-Fat Free Hot Dogs
-Whole Wheat Pizza
-Whole Wheat Pasta
-Honey Mustard Chicken
-Shrimp Stir Fry
-Chicken Burrito (with whole wheat tortilla)
-Fish Tacos
-Chicken Nachos
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| Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto! |
My lunch is basically like most people's dinners, except with healthy alternatives. For example, instead of having a burger and fries, I would have a turkey burger on a wheat bun with mixed veggies and wheat thins.
Dinner
-Lean meat and veggies
-Lean meat and salad
-Healthy Soup
I eat very small dinners. This is because I have already eaten enough throughout the day. When I eat at night I'm not ravenously hungry! I also try to avoid all starchy food at night--NO BREAD. I stick to very lean meals consisting of chicken or fish, veggies, salad, and soup. I recommend Progresso light soups!
LATE NIGHT SNACKS
Late night junk food eating= VERY VERY BAD
If you eat junk food late at night you're not giving your body enough time to process the bad food. So you're basically storing all of that junk food in your system as extra fat when you go to sleep.
This is why I don't eat after 9 o'clock at night.
If it is 8:30 and I am still a little hungry, I will definitely snack on something. But I can guarantee you it won't be junk food!
Past dinner time the only thing I will snack on is fruits or veggies!
I eat like this everyday, and it works! This is because I don't diet.
Instead I maintain a healthy lifestyle! I eat good, nutritious food when I am hungry, and I NEVER starve myself.
