Disclaimer:
Let me start by mentioning that everything I say is my own opinion. I am sometimes wrong-and sometimes right. This plan is my plan. It works for me. If it works for you, awesome. If not, either modify it or ignore it. Oh, and I guess I'm supposed to say, DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt any diet or exercise program before consulting with your Physician. Happy? Great. Moving on.
History/Bio. Back in August of 2013, I was living the good life! A life of never cooking my own food, never worrying about nutrition, and getting all of my meals either "from a menu" or "through a window." My Family Practitioner said he didn't like my Blood work and that I should cut out meat, cheese, milk, and eggs. But that's like, all the food in the world! What am I supposed to eat? "Fruit, Vegetables (Bleh!! I can't stand veggies!), Nuts, Seeds, Legumes, and plenty of water" (what's a Legume?). I told him I wouldn't do it. He said "Fine! You're well on your way to Cancer, Diabetes, a stroke, and a fantastic Heart Attack." So after a good cry and seeing my life pass before my eyes, I went out and bought a NutriBullet. I figured if I have to do this diet thing, it'll be much easier to simply guzzle it quickly than have to sit and chew for a half hour. And I'm no Gordon Ramsay, so cooking's out! A week later I came up with a plan and became a Vegetarian. Me, a Vegetarian. I thought it would be the worst experience of my life. And it was for a while. But when you make anything into a smoothie, it tastes better and becomes totally doable. The hardest part wasn't even the veggies-it was giving up on going out to eat so much.
On with the show!
Because a good Diet is 80% of creating & maintaining a stronger, leaner, and healthier body, I'll first share with you how I've been eating. We'll get to the workout in another post.
Diet. Throughout my research, I have come to believe in a 12-12 Eating Plan. That means, you eat all of our daily calories within a 12 hour period. The other 12 hours is for water, sleeping, and digestion. for example, if your first meal of the day is at 6:00am, then your last meal of the day will be at 6:00pm. And I hear it all the time, "But I'll be starving from 6:00pm until 6:00am the next day!" You won't. Not if you are eating right. When you quit thinking of food as food, and start thinking of it as fuel, your cravings will begin to change. And so will your mind, spirit, and body! Start this plan slowly and work your way into it.
Coffee. Every morning begins the Coffee. Strong, caffeine-rich coffee. In the fitness world, coffee is known as a Thermogenic. Thermogenics heat you up and rev up your metabolism so you burn calories at a faster rate. And that's a good thing! I add one Sweet & Low per cup and usually have two-three cups as soon as I wake up. I follow that up with two bottles of water. Don't like water? Tough! It's the #1 fluid in the world for weightloss and your body needs it. If you want to lose weight, you have to drink water. It's that simple.
Breakfast. Aka: My Infamous Smoothie. This blog is in no way a plug, endorsement, or advertisement for the NutriBullet or the company that makes it. But in all honesty, I couldn't have done it (or continue to do it) without it. There is just no way I could eat as much fruit & veggies as I do without it. There, enough said on that. I start with Nuts & Seeds. Why? Fats. We need healthy Fats to be healthy people. Even the most ripped Bodybuiders in the world consume a certain amount of healthy Fat. Here's what I do:
Nuts & Seeds. I buy 2oz of each. All raw, all organic at Sprouts.
| Almonds
|
| Walnuts |
| Cashews |
| Pistachios |
| Peanuts |
| Brazilnuts |
| Sunflower |
| Pumpkin |
| Hempseed |
| Cumin |
(Google: Soaking and Dehydrating nuts and seeds. You need to know this stuff). Once soaked & dehydrated, grind them up in a blender, food processor, or what have you, and freeze them. They'll make a two-months supply of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins for smoothies at 1/4 cup (21g) per smoothie. And there's the bulk of your Healthy Fats!
Chia Seeds. Another healthy Fat. Chia Seeds are an amazing miracle of Nature. They literally are miraculous for weightloss, taste like nothing, and provide good health. Two leveled tablespoons in the smoothie.
Whey Protein Powder. This is the bulk of the Protein in the smoothie. Protein gives you strength while burning fat. One scoop.
Almond Milk (vanilla-unsweetened). You can read up on it until the cows come home. It's healthier than milk and better for fat loss. One cup in the smoothie.
100g Leafy Greens. This is the Carbs part of the smoothie. This is also is where the serious nutrition kicks in. 100g (or two handfuls) may seem like a lot. but like I said, when you drink it, it's easy. You'll fill up, feel good, and know your healing your body. But you can't eat the same Greens every day. In another blog, I'll post my How to Rotate your Greens formula.
Mixed Fruit. Tasty, lots of Carbs, and a natural form of sugar. At Target, get a bag of Mixed Tropical fruit and a bag of Mixed Antioxidant fruit. There are tons of carbs in fruit that'll keep you losing weight at an even pace. But don't go crazy here. Carbs are still carbs. and unused carbs are stored as Fat. Use just enough to taste. 1/4 cup at most from each bag.
Ginger Root. Slice of a piece as big as a silver dollar, peel off the skin, and throw it it.
Random Veggie. The Smoothie is complete. But from here I like to throw in a Red Bell Pepper, or a purple Beet, or some other random color. Just for health and variety.
That's it! You're hovering around 400 calories, 50g of Protein, 25g of Carbs, and 15g of Fat. Many Juicer and Smoothie aficionados will live on nothing but three to five of these per day for days, weeks, and even months! Not me, I need to chew on something as well.
Let me finish this post by saying: This smoothie is completely monitored. I see my Family Practitioner every Monday. He's a friend of mine and he loves my smoothie. I've lost 33lbs on just one a day and it's changed my way of thinking about food. By the way, he also loves my blood work and says that I'm quickly becoming one of the healthiest people he knows.
That's it for now. Next Blog will be on Day One of my new workout, along with a whole day of what I'm eating.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy making your own delicious smoothies and share your recipes with me! Leave your comments/questions below and Live Good!
-Charles
