Why I decided to go on a diet
Diets are a funny thing, some of them are incredibly hard. While others are just healthy eating habits. I am somewhere in between. On one hand, my diet is very similar to the keto diet, where you eat little to no carbs, no bread, or grains of any kind. However, I’m on a much more… shall we say a moderate diet? I can eat about 80 carbs a day. Which is roughly 3.5-4x less than the number of carbs that are recommended.
Here is what I eat in a day
Breakfast
- Intermittent Fasting
Lunch
- 8oz of Mixed Greens
- 2 Boiled Eggs
- 4oz of Chopped Ham
- 1oz of Shredded cheese
- 2oz of Salad Dressing
- 8 Roma Tomatoes
Snack
- 8oz of Greek Vanilla Yogurt, with a piece of fresh fruit (usually a banana or apple)
Dinner
- 1/2 Chicken Breast
- 6oz Broccoli
- 4oz Green Beans
and that’s it. While I do occasionally change up the veggies, and fruit. The base meal stays the same. I always eat chicken, but I cook it differently, I always eat a salad for lunch, but I change up the lettuce each week and add/take away specific objects to make it seem new. As for my snack that rarely gets old. While this may seem like a small diet, it helps contribute to a better state of mind, and more energy,
Why I fast
Intermittent fasting has been proven to help provide more energy. There are lots of pros and cons. But it works for me. I find that I can still have my black cup of coffee in the morning and my water and that gets me to lunch. It’s always helpful to be able to enjoy coffee in the morning, if I could not enjoy coffee in the morning I would not be fasting. But, that’s a big benefit to this.
Calories
Calories are an important number, it’s how you measure weight loss (without a scale) and it’s how you know how much you’re actually eating. Now, do I count calories? No, should I be? Well, it depends. It’s dependent on how much you eat on a given day. Maybe it would be a good idea to count your calories if you’re an athlete and have to stick to a strict diet. One that your doctor or nutritionist is monitoring or suggests.
However in most cases, I feel counting calories once you’re already on a diet can just give you anxiety and make you stress out even more about what you are eating, how you’re doing and what you’re doing wrong,
Cheat Days
Cheat Days! These are extremely important to my diet. Not only can they help jump-start my metabolism, but they can also help you stick to a diet. I have two, yes TWO cheat days in my diet. It’s the weekend. Now, this is not a time where I can forget about my diet, forget about what I put into my body, or pig out. No, it’s a time for calculated rewards. Let’s say you just can’t have a diet without being able to have your glass of wine or cup of ice cream. The weekend is the perfect time for this! You can enjoy your favorite glass of wine or your favorite flavor of ice cream. IN MODERATION!
Now, I enjoy my Whisky. Good whiskey is what I use to reward myself. That and the occasional sweets. Maybe I want some cinnamon roles or a good breakfast. (Hint – That’s what I get for my second cheat day!)
Just remember, whatever you eat on your cheat day you have to work out of your system and make it up by working out.
Working Out
For Starters, I walk a minimum of 10 thousand steps a day, even on weekends. It’s great for the mind, the body, and your diet! Walking and any cardio, in general, can help you shed the pounds off when it’s combined with fasting AND dieting.
My goal is to work myself up to 15 thousand steps a day, plus three times a week lifting weights. But until I get there I feel better, I have more energy and I am more productive.
The Moral?
A combination of a healthy diet, fasting, and exercise is improving my life one day at a time. Start your journey today.
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