Long time no see...

LOL, I know, I know..I have not blogged in forever. But I have! Just not here and that's bad so I thought I would document what I am doing now since it could help others on the way up.

I gained some weight the past 2 yrs. first my mom passed away 3 yrs ago, then I quit smoking. I became really depressed and seriously gained a lot of weight, most of it within the span of about 6 months. Talk about a big shocker. So I have been on a mission the past yr or so to lose the weight. Let me say, I LOVE my Wii for exercise, it truly rocks! I did Wii Active (totally kick butt program) everyday for over a month and tried to eat better, salads etc but still kind of cheated because I was starving everyday so much. I would grab a handful of gummies or eat a sandwich at 11pm at night before bed. So after 30 days of Wii Active I lost NO WEIGHT! I got frustrated and stopped working out. Why should I? It didn't work!

Then I realized what didn't work is what I was doing food wise. I know how to eat good foods, I am not a meat eater at all and I rarely eat fried foods but I am a cheese and bread junkie. I also love peanutbutter choc. chip milk shakes! LOL What I really wished I had was someone to say "Here is a list of foods you can absolutely eat everyday and here is a list of foods you cannot touch!" I know it sounds weird but I needed it spelled out for me. It's just easier that way for me.

So I found Dr. Ians Fat Smash program. I started reading about it and realized that I could totally do this! It's NOT a diet! Not at all. It's a kick start to better eating and better choices! It's 4 different phases and the initial most restricting part is only 9 days long! Who can't do 9 days? If I can quit smoking I can do this for 9 days! LOL

The single most important aspect of the diet is the idea that you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you like. This is critically important because traditional diet approaches focus on limiting and restricting the foods you eat. This is a recipe for failure. The Fat Smash Diet is especially good at kicking off a diet. It is hard to maintain long term, but the first phase will begin to condition your "healthy eating muscles.

The Fat Smash Diet is a 90-day program divided into four phases. Smith is adamant about not counting calories in this plan. The only calories you'll see are associated with the more than 50 recipes.

Phase 1 of the plan is a nine-day "detox" period designed to cleanse the impurities from your system and rid you of all your bad habits, so you can begin to prepare your "temple." Calories are significantly reduced and water is used to flush the body. You are told to eat four to five meals, whether you're hungry or not. Skipping meals is not allowed at any phase.

In the first phase of the Fat Smash Diet, food choices should be eaten raw, grilled or steamed. Fats are limited to a maximum of 3 tablespoons, with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil per day. Allowed foods include unlimited fruits and vegetables (except white potatoes or avocado), chickpeas, lentils, tofu, and beans. It also permits limited amounts of brown rice; low-fat, skim, or soy milk; oatmeal; low-fat yogurt; egg whites; and herbal tea. This is the total menu for nine days.

Phase 2: Foundation is a three-week period introducing additional foods, maintaining the schedule of four to five small meals throughout the day, and enjoying them simply prepared as defined in phase one. Foods allowed in limited quantities in this phase include avocado, lean meats, seafood, whole egg, cheese, a variety of whole-grain cereals, granulated sugar, butter, fat-free mayo, coffee (10 ounces a day), fruit juice, diet soda, lemonade, and club soda.

Phase 3: Construction is a four-week period embodying the principles of the first two phases, with the ability to add more foods into the plan. Portions are a little larger but still limited. Pasta and bread are introduced for the first time, along with one dessert per day, chosen from a short list of acceptable sweets.

Phase 4: The Temple is the final stage and one that the author promises will last a lifetime. In the phase wine, beer, pizza, and potatoes are now included, accompanying the guiding principles of exercise, portion control, not skipping meals, and eating four to five times daily.

How It Works

The Fat Smash Diet is designed to change your relationship with food and get you hooked on regular physical activity for the rest of your life. At the end of the 90-day period, you should be making better food choices, eating fewer calories, exercising regularly, and losing weight.

During the detox phase, cravings are suppose to be smashed, and the nourishing power of fruits and vegetables reintroduced to your diet.

Because there is no calorie counting in the Fat Smash Diet, Smith shows you how to seek a balance in your food choices and change your relationship with food so you won't overeat. "Diets require a change in behaviors and you must learn how to deal with cravings," he says. "Have a small cookie but if you want more, try frozen grapes, because fruit is healthier and will help you satisfy your craving and control calories."

Throughout the four phases, Smith intersperses diet tips to teach dieters principles of eating healthy. Each phase comes with a laundry list of allowed and forbidden foods. Indulgences such as beer, wine, sweets, and coffee are kept to a minimum.

So I started phase one this past Monday 4/12/10 and I cannot get over how much you have to eat! I was literally stuffed all day and I thought there can be NO WAY I am gonna lose weight with all this food! LOL So I am gonna post what I have eaten since Monday on this blog and then everyday I'll blog what I ate that day. I'll let you know at the end of this first phase if I have lost anything. I am also doing cardio everyday and walking as much as possible too.

4/12

Breakfast 1/2 coffee and a bowl of grits
Snack banana
Lunch 1/2 cup brown rice with 1 tbsp of hot salsa mixed in
Dinner 1 cup beans
Snack banana, yogurt and strawberry smoothie

Calories for day 1356

4/13
Breakfast 1/2 cup coffee & yogurt
Snack banana
Lunch 1 cup beans
Dinner 1 cup beans 1/2 cup rice

Snack roasted carrots, onions and snow peas

Calories for the day 984

Until next time,