Summer Slimdown Diet

Okay, here's the diet. My friend Patty lost 20 pounds in five weeks on this. (Four pounds a week.) But she also worked out like crazy. It's not meant to be a diet to help one maintain their weight (obviously), but to help one lose weight and do so pretty quickly.

I'm now on day five and my hunger pangs have subsided, but when I started this thing I was starving. If someone asked me how many calories I thought it had, I would've guessed 600 or so because I was so hungry. But, I've added it up and there are anywhere from 1200-1400 depending on what lean proteins and fats you choose.

So anyway, here it is:

SUMMER SLIMDOWN

BREAKFAST

OPTION 1

• 8 oz nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup fresh fruit or berries
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds

OPTION 2

• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, scrambled
• 1 cup of veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, spinach, etc.)
• 2 tbsp guacamole or 1/4 avocado
  

SNACK

• 23 almonds

LUNCH

Think of lunch as a puzzle. Here are the pieces:

• VEGGIE FOUNDATION:
  

2 cups dark leafy greens (options include field greens, torn romaine, spinach)

• VEGGIE PARTNERS
  

Add another cup of watery (not starchy) veggies like mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, spinach, zucchini, artichokes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, snow peas

• LEAN PROTEIN:

3 oz size of deck of cards grilled chicken, shrimp, chunk light tuna canned in water, firm tofu or low sodium, lean deli turkey

• ONE “GOOD” FAT:
  

A quarter cup (size of a golf ball) of slivered or chopped nuts or avocado or no more than 1 tbsp olive oil

SNACK

• 1 all-natural bar like Larabars (I love these because the only ingredients are whole nuts and fruit) or Bumblebars

DINNER

PUZZLE PIECES:

• 1 cup (1 baseball) cooked veggies
• 3 oz lean protein
• 1 “good” fat
• 1/2 cup cooked grain

EXAMPLES:

• 3 oz grilled chicken with 1 cup Oriental veggies sauteed in oil over 1/2 cup brown rice
• 3 oz grilled fish with 1 cup steamed green beans garnished with 1/4 cup slivered almonds and 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

SNACK

• 1 cup (1 baseball size) fresh fruit
  
• 1 dairy (Options: 1 reduced fat string cheese or 1 Laughing Cow mini babybell round, 6 oz nonfat Greek yogurt, 8 oz skim or calcium fortified soy milk)

And now, a few more notes from me:

• This diet came from a nutritionist, so the notes contained in it are from her not me.
• There is a lot of preparing in this diet. If you like convenience, do yourself a favor and buy as many veggies as you can cut and cleaned from a place like Trader Joe's. I did this with mushrooms, snap peas, broccoli, spinach, etc. It makes life a whole lot easier, especially when you have a headache.
• You can also do this with the liquid egg whites, cooked frozen shrimp, etc.
  
• I also bought the guacamole from Trader Joe's. They have something in the produce department that's made from whole avocados and no fillers. If you peel back the plastic topping very slowly to only uncover what you need and store it in a ziplock back, it doesn't brown. The guacamole will be a highlight of your diet—trust me—so make it good.
  
• My friend Patty had a chocolate-covered Fiber One bar instead of a Larabar and she still lost weight. I'm sticking with Larabars because they're more nutritional and I happen to love them. Try the Cherry Pie one.
  
• I'm also taking a multivitamin.
  
• Don't forget to drink tons of water and exercise!

I'm off to work out! I'll post motivation tips when I get back! Happy losing weight!