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A SIMPLE DIET THAT WORKS The reader needs to keep in mind that I have a relatively small frame (I'm 5'-6" tall) and I have a fairly normal build, but have been just a bit paunchy for around 28 or 29 years. Even strenuous physical work and exercise never seemed to take it off. I was not heavy enough or even disciplined enough for any of the popular weight-loss programs. I weighed 172 pounds in May. With this diet I lost about 2 pounds a week until I reached my present weight--158 pounds, and my energy level never decreased--in fact, it went up. I have rather puffy eyes, like Bill Clinton and J.F.K., and the bags under them decreased in size. All of that changed this past summer. I had been in a funk regarding relationships, and I met someone who really sparked my interest in a huge way. She was 49, and built like a really buff female athlete, yet totally feminine. Her job was not physically strenuous, though I'm sure it creates enormous stress. She worked out a lot, at a gym, with a trainer. The point is, because I met her, and we spent a few days together here and there, I re-evaluated myself for the first time in a while, and decided I was not trying to become the person I want to be. I decided to start with my immediate surroundings, the most immediate of which is my body, my tabernacle, my temporary dwelling-place. Without reading any books, surfing the internet, or consulting anyone, I knew exactly what to do to lose the unwanted inches around my waist (AS MOST OF US DO). First: I stopped drinking carbonated beverages of any kind, diet or otherwise. I like wine and beer, but I limited how much I drank to one or two beers or one or two glasses of wine. I don't drink every day, but I keep some around in case I feel like drinking one. I began buying Peroni beer, a fairly expensive Italian brand, and SIPPING AND SAVORING it instead of guzzling it. My favorite household wine is Sangria (any brand), but I also like blushes, beaujelais (almost the same thing as sangria) and the Basque red table wines. I just don't drink enough alcoholic beverages to assist my body in creating excess fat. I drink some juice, but not heavily sweetened juice, and I often add some water to it. Second: I had earlier stopped eating refined sugar, and had switched to the coarse natural sugar for health reasons. I decided to stop using even that, except on rare occasions and in small quantities. Now, I LOVE strong coffee with a generous amount of milk, but I began sweetening it with Splenda (or the less expensive Walmart version-- "Altern"). When I was thirsty I drank water. I drank water with my meals. I put enough milk in my morning coffee to ensure that I get enough calcium daily. THIRD: I work fairly long hours and I am on my feet all of them, so I knew I needed something that would sustain me and my energy level and provide food for my muscles without making me fat. I really LIKE fish, but only aquatic creatures and a few birds and cats can eat fish day in and day out. I am a man, and I live alone, so I seldom really COOK, and when I do cook, it's because I'm hungry, so I don't want to take an hour to prepare anything. I usually eat out. Somehow, I knew exactly what I needed to eat-- Hot and Sour soup from a Chinese restaurant. The name doesn't sound great, but the soup is really good in most places. It has a flavorful broth (satisfying taste), sliced veggies (fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants) , mushrooms, usually some egg content (protein), generous tofu (more protein), some crushed red pepper (heavy in flavor and vitamin C), and maybe an undectable amount of vinegar. Every Chinese chef makes it slightly differently, but the general ingredients are usually the same. Some restaurants also put white chicken in their soup. If you think about these ingredients, you can see the intuitive wisdom behind my choice: 1) Relatively low calorie, but not calorically starving. 2) High protein, medium fiber 3) Hot pepper, even in small quantities, raises one's energy level, thus encouring the heart to BURN more calories and actually lifting one's spirits and optimism, alleviating some of the stress factors that cause our bodies to create the fat in the first place. I eat this for lunch EVERY weekday, and usually at least once on the weekends. I have a fairly large bowl, which I cool with the ice from my customary glass of water. I eat it without bread, rice, or the noodles that the restaurants give you with it. My lunch bill is usually $2.70, plus I leave a generous tip. If you get it at a takeout restaurant, it's usually around $3-$4.00 a quart. You can make two meals with a quart. My regular meals before were anywhere from $4.50-$7.50. Sometimes I will eat a medium plate of fruit afterwards, and my bill goes up to $3.50. FIFTH: When I got the munchies at home, I ate raw fruit or popcorn--nothing else. When fresh raw cherries are available, that's the thing to eat. Then the plums and nectarines come into season, and now I'm eating red grapes. Forbidden fruits would be: pineapples, ANY canned fruit unless you are suffering from constipation (which you won't) and want to eat a whole can of canned pears, avocado, big juicy strawberries, and any other fruit that LOOKS fattening. Go easy on the honeydews and canteloupes, but eat all the watermelon you want. SIXTH: I eat supper at a restaurant maybe twice a week. I eat no bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no squash, no okra, no FRIED rice. An occasional small serving of white rice is ok. No creamed corn, no fried chicken, ABSOLUTELY NO PORK, EVER. When I eat from the buffet, I eat a few strips of grilled beef, maybe some salmon, and maybe cooked cucumber slices, but I go easy on the veggies because of the stuff we put in them to make them taste good. I'll top it off with some watermelon, grapes, and 2 or 3 apple slices. Now, if you work outside the home you probably don't eat much breakfast, if any. I try to keep a few of the small cups of lowfat yogurt around, maybe some cheese sticks. Usually if I eat anything, it's something I can eat while driving. My philosphy for breakfast is: ANYTHING GOES, except for pork. I leave home no later than 7:15a.m., and don't eat lunch until after 1p.m., so anything I eat between 6a.m. and 8a.m. is going to be totally gone before lunch, anyway. If I eat eggs, they are fried (NOT scrambled--that mixes the oil in with them) or boiled. Sometimes I boil up a whole dozen so I can eat one or two here and there. If my daughter cooks and offers me a plate, I only eat the leanest things she makes, with maybe a taste of everything else--BUT ONLY A TASTE. If I'm home alone (in the evenings) and get really hungry, I'll usually eat a cup of noodles, a bowl of cereal, or crushed saltines in milk. If I just want a little something, I'll eat a cup of yogurt and/or a stick of cheese and/or some grapes/and/or a boiled egg/and/ or some popcorn. You can't get fat off that stuff. That's it. It really works.
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