Check out my diet blog!
I'm diabetic, so I had to modify my eating a lot in the past 20 years. That was on top of learning I was allergic to foods with gluten (wheat, rye and barley). I am still trying to eat healthier but now I have to count carbohydrates, protein, and fat. I lost 25 lbs. in 2008, and I didn't gain most of it back. I still need to lose another 50 lbs., roughly, but I'd be happy to lose anything.
I went from a size extra large to a size large. I am hoping to go down to a medium size.
Here is the diet I followed when I lost the weight; I'm trying to get back to it.
My old diet was hard to stick to because I had to eat foods I hate every two hours.
I bought this book: SuperFoods Rx : Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven G. Pratt, Kathy Matthews; it has lots of great advice and recipes. I'm not saying I eat exactly as it says in the book, but I do recommend it.
This doctor focuses on which foods have the most vitamins. He has grouped them into 14 different categories (these are the Super Foods). We always knew that fruit, vegys and grains are important, but this grouping tells us which ones are the most nutritious. It's a simple and yet fascinating idea.
I found that the only way that works for me is to eat a very low carb diet, with some low fat and low calorie as well, and exercise almost every day. I have a dog, so I try to walk her at least once a day, two if possible.
To me low carb does NOT mean eat tons of meat, like in the Atkins diet. I don't really watch fat or calories but try to eat in moderation. When eating out, if I don't have a salad, I eat only half of the meal and take the rest home. I try to order a chicken or fish dish.
Here are the basic foods I cannot eat any more, at least not more than a bite:
potatoes, flour, corn, rice, and sugar.
I sometimes will have fruit (apples, berries and pears), dark chocolate, milk, or beans. Most fruits are too high in carbs for me.
I mostly eat salads, with nuts/seeds, meat, and cheese in them. I try to only snack on nuts/seeds, meat, cheese, low carb products, sugar free Jello, or popsicles.
I am taking Metformin and Glipizide for my diabetes, so sometimes my blood sugar will drop low and I will have to have something with carbs in it. That's rare, though. I hope that I can get off these and other meds if I lose the extra weight.
I eat as many vegetables as I want and also try to use olive oil whenever possible.
This part below is old, and I haven't had time to update it yet.
Here are the kinds of things I keep in my house. Yours may vary according to your likes or dislikes:
Freezer:
Frozen chicken breasts (easy to nuke to defrost and then you can fry them with Pam or broil them in the oven; I like to put spices on them. Check out your store's spice section, they have lots of great spice combos you can use, like barbecue, taco, etc. I also use a lot of garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and red pepper to spice up my food. Experiment, you will like it!
I also make turkey burgers and freeze them ahead of time.
I use to eat a lot of soy burgers and frozen dinners, but they mostly are either too high carb now or have gluten.
Frozen fruit and veggies
I still really love making smoothies with different kind of fruits, it's easy and tastes like milkshakes
Mango Sorbet
frozen yogurt
sugar free popsicles
low carb ice cream bars
Notice my freezer has no ice cream, pies, etc. Get rid of that stuff! Throw it out or give it to a friend. If you live with someone who's not on a diet, they still don't need that junk. Tell them how important it is for you both to eat right. Threaten them if necessary :) If they love you, they will want you to be healthy. They can always hide candy bars in their own belongings. If you have kids, they should be eating healthy, too!
Refrigerator:
turkey, ham, roast beef, some cheese
fresh fruits and vegetables including lettuce of different types, spinach, green and red peppers, baby carrots, broccoli, strawberries, cucumbers, greenbeans, cabbage, snow peas, raspberries, tomatoes, and blueberries.
I have been using Spinach instead of lettuce on burgers, sandwiches, and in salads. It is so much healthier!
Country Crock Lite This stuff tastes pretty good, too--use it sparingly! I use butter sometimes
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise
Greek plain yogurt
low-fat sour cream
flavored lowfat or low carb yogurts (they must say Active Live Culture)
pickles, olives, mustard, other condiments
V-8 (tasty veggies in a can)
Bottled water
Diet Pepsi or Mountain Dew
Hummus
fat free hot dogs
Cabinet:
gluten free bread and muffins (eat sparingly)
mixed nuts (I mix lots of almonds in with others)
sunflower seeds
peanut butter (don't over do it)
assorted spices
Equal (for my smoothies and fruit) or Splenda
CEREAL (studies show that if you start your day with a bowl of healthy cereal, you will actually lose weight; I like it with a banana cut up in it; any non-sugary cereal will do. I used to like Post's Great Grains, which is a yummy high fiber cereal with oats and pecans. it is even better than Raisin Bran or Total!!) I can't eat cereal any more because of the gluten, but I do really love Kind fruit and nut bars.
tuna or salmon
Various kinds of beans
The hardest thing for me to give up is sweets and potatoes!
Exercise is also important; I'm lazy, too. I go out walking with my husband and the dog. I try to take the stairs whenever possible, instead of the elevator.
If you say, Oh, I can't give up fast food, or Oh, I can't do without chocolate, then you are just not really interested in dieting....for any real diet you have to cut out fat and sugar, and exercise. No way around it. The point of my diet is to make it a little easier to change your diet. The great thing about it is you won't be hungry, which to me is the worst part of any diet.
NOTE: I am not a dietician, doctor, or anything like this. This diet is only for myself and friends who recognize the logic of it. I have read a lot about health, nutrition, and diet over the years so that's what I'm basing this all on, besides the sources I mentioned.
This page updated 3/13/19
