Ideas From The Crowd

A few months ago I came to the realization that I was 20 pounds overweight and needed to do something about it.  I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions and got some really good ideas:

• P90X
• Wii Gold’s Gym
• Hollywood Fast
• Hollywood Cookie Diet
• Cut out all junk food & sugar
• Replace simple carbs with complex carbs
• Eat right & exercise (no fad diets)
• Cut portions in half
• Avoid artificial sweeteners
• Avoid processed foods

… and I also received a few not so great ideas:

• NASA high tech fat sucking machine (Thanks, Mick)
• Get a tapeworm (Thanks, Joe)
• Cocaine habit (Thanks, Norm)

I thought about these options and did some online research.  I wasn’t wanting to spend a lot of money and I really didn’t want another fad diet.  I wanted to change my unhealthy eating habits for good and I wanted to start exercising regularly again.  I found some online chatter about eating like a diabetic and that sounded interesting so I looked more into it.

Eat Like A Diabetic

I had always thought that diabetics could not eat sugar at all.  But that’s not true.  Diabetics are really supposed to eat well balanced meals in order to keep their blood sugar levels balanced.  And portion sizes are pretty important too.  Most of us eat about twice the portion size that we really need to be healthy.

Many dietitians suggest the following for breakfast:

• small portion of medium-fat protein
• small portion of starch
• small portion of fruit
• small portion of low fat dairy
• a little fat

… and for lunch:

• small portion of lean protein
• small portion of starch
• small portion of fruit
• small portion of vegetable
• a little fat

… and for dinner:

• larger portion of lean protein
• small portion of starch
• small portion of fruit
• small portion of vegetable
• small portion of low fat dairy
• a little fat

… and one snack is also suggested:

• small portion of starch
• half portion of low fat dairy

Dietitians are recently suggesting that diabetics do not need a starch at every meal and they are also cutting out some of the dairy because it contains the hidden glucose of lactose.  Also, many dietitians believe that 5 smaller meals versus 3 larger ones equaling the same daily caloric intake keeps the body’s metabolism and blood sugar more level.

Major Points To Consider

A couple major points are in order.  Avoid junk food!  Avoid fried food!  Minimize sweets!  This healthy meal plan does not include soda … the two allowed drinks are water and low fat milk.  Most people should probably drink 8 glasses of water each day.  There are many reasons … it flushes out toxins … it carries nutrients to your cells … it maintains healthy tissue.

This healthy meal plan does not include big desserts.  Occasional small desserts are fine, though.  A certain amount of sugar is necessary for a balanced diet.  Naturally occurring sugar is suggested, though, like the sugars occurring in fruits.  Do not add sugar to your food!

If you want to occasionally have cookies in a meal, then you should skip any other carbohydrate content of that meal like a slice of bread and have the cookies instead. This is an even trade and the total amount of carbohydrate ingested during the meal will remain the same.  I wouldn’t suggest eating cookies at every meal, though.  Or even every day.  Maybe twice a week or so would be okay.  Give yourself an occasional treat for being good.  If you do it too often, though, then you’re not exactly being good!

This meal plan suggests foods that are low in cholesterol and low in salt and low in added sugar.  Restaurant food is often high in cholesterol and high in salt and high in sugar.  If you eat often in restaurants, you will likely not be able to lose weight unless you are very very very careful what you choose from the menu.

Now let’s talk about portions.  Portions are very important.  For a meat in your meal, many dietitians suggest 3 ounces which is about the same size as a deck of cards.  This doesn’t sound like a lot of food but by the time you finish a meal that includes a meat and a starch and a vegetable and a fruit and a milk, it all adds up to quite a filling meal.  And a balanced meal, which is very important.  The whole time I’ve been eating like this I’ve rarely ever noticed that I was hungry.

Real Food Examples

Here are some examples of actual foods that fit within this meal plan:

• small portion of medium-fat protein
  • 1 ounce of pork sausage
  • or 2 strips of bacon
  • or 1 ounce of regular cheese
• small portion of lean protein
  • 1 ounce of white fish, tuna, salmon, shellfish
  • or 1 ounce of chicken breast or turkey, no skin
  • or 1 ounce of ham, pork
  • or 1 ounce of low fat cheese
  • minimize red meats and eggs
• larger portion of lean protein
  • same as above, but 3 ounces instead of 1 ounce
• small portion of starch
  • one slice whole wheat bread
  • or 2 ounces of low fat granola
  • or 3 ounces of multigrain pasta
  • avoid white bread, white rice
• small portion of fruit
  • 3 ounces of fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
  • or 3 ounces of mango
  • or 3 ounces of apple slices
  • or 1 measuring cup of 100% fruit juice
  • minimize citrus, bananas
  • fresh, not canned fruits
• small portion of vegetable
  • 3 ounces of raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots with low fat ranch dressing
  • or 3 ounces of steamed broccoli with garlic powder and grilled onions
• small portion of low fat dairy
  • 1 measuring cup of low fat milk
  • 3 ounces of nonfat yogurt (add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1 tsp honey for flavor)

Don’t Forget To Exercise

Regular exercise is important to maintain a fit body that won’t fall apart as you get older.  And regular exercise can also help you drop unneeded fat weight.  Exercise doesn’t have to be a regimen that you force yourself to do and ends up giving you sore muscles for days afterward.  A simple daily brisk walk can do wonders.

For two months, I’ve been on a regular routine of three times a week walking very briskly … like over 4 mph … for about 3 miles.  The brisk walk isn’t all that hard, but it gets the heart pumping and gets the sweat flowing anyways.  The hardest part for me is the getting to bed an hour earlier than I’m used to and getting up an hour earlier than normal.

What I’ve Been Eating

I’ve been keeping track of what exactly I’ve been eating for two months, so here are some details that show exactly what I’ve been eating.  Now everyone’s body chemistry and metabolism is different, so don’t get mad at me if you don’t have the same results as I did.  The healthy eating meal plan I described above does not include counting calories.  It includes eating the right portions of a rounded set of healthy choices.  I only counted the calories for fun to see how many calories I was taking in each day on average.  This is not a calorie counting diet.  This is a new way of eating that will make you healthier and thinner in the long run.  I was using an iPhone app called MyFitnessPal to track my calories in case you were wondering where the calorie numbers came from.

WEEK 1

• Monday August 9th
  • was not keeping track at first
• Tuesday
  • was not keeping track at first
• Wednesday
  • was not keeping track at first
• Thursday (1,538 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola: 3 oz frozen mixed fruit, 3 oz nonfat yogurt, 1/3 cup low fat granola, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: half Sicilian shrimp appetizer, half Greek salad with meat, water with lemon (445 calories)
  • Dinner: 2 helpings of the following: 6 inch flour tortilla, 1/2 Tbsp salsa, 1/2 oz feta cheese, 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, quarter small tomato, 1.5 oz rotisserie chicken white meat, water (312 calories)
  • Snacks: fruit and nut trail mix, Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, herb roasted nut mix, tortilla chips and salsa (770 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Friday (1,031 net calories)
  • Exercise: Mowing lawn with push mower for 90 minutes (minus 636 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola (300 calories)
  • Lunch: 2 helpings of the following: 6 inch flour tortilla, 1/2 Tbsp salsa, 1/2 oz feta cheese, 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, quarter small tomato, 1.5 oz rotisserie chicken white meat, water (312 calories)
  • Dinner: Denny’s Prime Rib and Blue salad, water with lemon (600 calories)
  • Snacks: gala apple, Planters South Beach nut mix, chocolate chip granola bar, low fat graham crackers (455 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Saturday (1,133 net calories)
  • Exercise: yard work for 1.5 hours (minus 636 calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: dip consisting of 2 Tbsp nonfat yogurt and 1 Tbsp light mayonnaise and a tsp yellow mustard and chili powder and Cayenne pepper and curry, raw broccoli dipped in the dip, 1 slice whole grain bread, 2/3 Starkist herb/garlic tuna pouch, 1 cup 100% apple juice  (373 calories)
  • Dinner: salad consisting of romaine lettuce, raw carrots, raw broccoli, tomato, and 3 oz grilled chicken breast, water (195 calories)
  • Snacks: Planters South Beach nut mix, unsweetened apple sauce snack pack, low fat graham crackers, 1/2 Naked Juice Green Machine smoothie, Walgreen’s small bag of yogurt pretzels (these things are terribly fattening and I would not suggest them! 4 servings and 600 calories in one small bag!), 1 oz BBQ potato chips (455 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Sunday (1,722 net calories)
  • Breakfast: low fat graham crackers, 1 cup low fat milk, 2 servings of pound cake, water (495 calories)
  • Lunch: dip from yesterday’s lunch, 3 oz grilled chicken breast in the dip, 1/2 cup fresh mango, 1/2 cup raw cauliflower in the dip, handful of low fat granola, water (400 calories)
  • Dinner: 2 helpings of the following: 6 inch flour tortilla, 1/2 Tbsp salsa, 1/2 oz feta cheese, 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, quarter small tomato, 1.5 oz rotisserie chicken white meat, 1/2 Naked Juice Green Machine smoothie (382 calories)
  • Snacks: chocolate chip granola bar, pineapple cake, vanilla bean ice cream (445 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)

Week 1 Complete … 5 pounds lost

WEEK 2

• Monday August 16th (1,856 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: Greek salad with no meat, low fat Italian dressing, water (390 calories)
  • Dinner: whole wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato, 1 slice Swiss cheese, onion, banana peppers, black olives, water (440 calories)
  • Snacks: herb roasted nut mix, egg salad sandwich, 8 oz apple juice, fruit and nut blend trail mix (this was extremely high in calories it turns out!) (1,015 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Tuesday (1,827 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: Greek salad with no meat, low fat Italian dressing, water (390 calories)
  • Dinner: 3 oz baked salmon, 1/2 cup fresh mango, tossed salad with carrots, tomato, low fat dressing, water (254 calories)
  • Snacks: fruit and nut blend trail mix (this was extremely high in calories it turns out!), low fat graham crackers, beef steak jerky (883 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Wednesday (1,474 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: whole wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers, dill spear, water (364 calories)
  • Dinner: oats & honey granola bar, 1/2 Naked Fruit Green Machine smoothie (260 calories)
  • Snacks: 2 oats & honey granola bar, herb roasted nut mix  (550 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Thursday (1,232 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: whole wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers, water (359 calories)
  • Dinner: 2 helpings of the following: 6 inch flour tortilla, 1/2 Tbsp salsa, 1/2 oz feta cheese, 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, quarter small tomato, 1.5 oz rotisserie chicken white meat, water (312 calories)
  • Snacks: 2 oats & honey granola bar, herb roasted nut mix  (550 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Friday (2,569 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: whole wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers, water (359 calories)
  • Dinner: 2 slices of Kelsey’s pepperoni pizza, garlic knot, water (760 calories)
  • Snacks: fruit and nut blend trail mix (this was extremely high in calories it turns out!), oats & honey granola bar, herb roasted nut mix, Dunkin Donuts chocolate frosted donut,   (1,150 calories) (I was eating about 3 snacks a day for the first 2 weeks)
• Saturday (1,261 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: oats & honey granola bar, 1/2 Naked Fruit Green Machine smoothie (260 calories)
  • Dinner: fruit and nut blend trail mix (this was extremely high in calories it turns out!), 1/2 Naked Fruit Green Machine smoothie (630 calories)
  • Snacks: oats & honey granola bar, herb roasted nut mix (360 calories)
• Sunday (1,520 net calories)
  • Breakfast: oats & honey granola bar, water (190 calories)
  • Lunch: salad with grilled chicken breast and low fat dressing, water (500 calories)
  • Dinner: salad with grilled chicken breast and low fat dressing, water (500 calories)
  • Snacks: oats & honey granola bar, low fat graham crackers (330 calories)

Week 2 complete …2 more pounds lost or 7 total pounds lost

WEEK 3

• Monday August 23rd (681 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: no sugar added applesauce with cinnamon, water (50 calories)
  • Lunch: Greek salad with no meat, low fat Italian dressing, water (390 calories)
  • Dinner: peanut butter crunchy granola bar, water (190 calories)
  • Snacks: herb roasted nut mix, twice (340 calories)
• Tuesday (1,483 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: Greek salad with no meat, low fat Italian dressing, water (390 calories)
  • Dinner: 3 ounces roasted turkey breast, green beans, honey glazed carrots, 1 measuring cup milk (469 calories)
  • Snacks: Chips and salsa (324 calories)
• Wednesday (1,176 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: Greek salad with no meat, low fat Italian dressing, water (390 calories)
  • Dinner: baked non-breaded catfish fillet, honey glazed carrots, green beans, 1 cup milk (395 calories)
  • Snacks: very thin slice of cheesecake, about one ounce (91 calories)
• Thursday (1,633 net calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: oats & honey granola bar, Naked Fruit Green Machine smoothie (400 calories)
  • Lunch: whole wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers, 1/2 Naked Fruit Green Machine smoothie (499 calories)
  • Dinner: 3 ounces Cajun spiced non-breaded shrimp, green beans, raw blueberies, 1.5 cup milk (353 calories)
  • Snacks: vending machine chocolate chip cookies, vending machine apple juice, oats & honey granola bar (670 calories)
• Friday (1,586 net calories)
  • Breakfast: Fruit/Yogurt/Granola, water (300 calories)
  • Lunch: green salad from salad bar with raw veggies and hot wing sauce as dressing, water (273 calories)
  • Dinner: salad with grilled chicken breast, tomato, raw broccoli, water (303 calories)
  • Snacks: oats & honey granola bar, Mrs. Smiths slice cherry pie, vanilla Blue Bell ice cream (710 calories)
• Saturday (158 net calories)
  • Exercise: mowing yard with push mower for 90 minutes (minus 636 calories)
  • Exercise: Brisk (4 mph) walk for 3 miles or 45 minutes (minus 289 calories)
  • Breakfast: 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1 teaspoon seedless strawberry jam, Frigo low fat cheese stick (188 calories)
  • Lunch: 3 ounces turkey breast, water (285 calories)
  • Dinner: 2 helpings of the following: 6 inch flour tortilla, 1/2 Tbsp salsa, 1/2 oz feta cheese, 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, quarter small tomato, 1.5 oz rotisserie chicken white meat, water (312 calories)
  • Snacks: oats & honey granola bar, low fat graham crackers (330 calories)
• Sunday (1,250 net calories)
  • Breakfast: oats & honey granola bar, water (190 calories)
  • Lunch: IHOP Spinach, mushroom, tomato omlette with fruit (400 calories)
  • Dinner: 4 ounce baked salmon filet, brown rice, cooked broccoli, milk (520 calories)
  • Snacks: low fat graham crackers (140 calories)

Week 3 complete … 4 more pounds lost or 11 total pounds lost

WEEK 4

• Monday August 30th (1,138 net calories)
• Tuesday (1,526 net calories)
• Wednesday (1,113 net calories)
• Thursday (1,311 net calories)
• Friday (1,748 net calories)
• Saturday (1,058 net calories)
• Sunday (1,606 net calories)

Week 4 complete … 4 more pounds lost or 15 total pounds lost

WEEK 5

• Monday September 6th (1,437 net calories)
• Tuesday (1,624 net calories)
• Wednesday (1,386 net calories)
• Thursday (1,390 net calories)
• Friday (2,439 net calories)
• Saturday (1,526 net calories)
• Sunday (2,343 net calories)

Week 5 complete … zero pounds lost or 15 total pounds lost

WEEK 6

• Monday September 13th (1,220 net calories)
• Tuesday (1,073 net calories)
• Wednesday (1,406 net calories)
• Thursday (1,450 net calories)
• Friday (1,305 net calories)
• Saturday (1,256 net calories)
• Sunday (1,474 net calories)

Week 6 complete … 3 more pounds lost or 18 total pounds lost

WEEK 7

• Monday September 20th (1,240 net calories)
• Tuesday (1,430 net calories)
• Wednesday (1,302 net calories)
• Thursday (1,348 net calories)
• Friday (2,245 net calories)
• Saturday (2,713 net calories)
• Sunday (1,232 net calories)

Week 7 complete … 2 more pounds lost or 20 total pounds lost

Things I Learned

• You don’t have to starve yourself to lose your fat stores
• Small portions do not feel like small portions when you eat a well balanced and well rounded meal
• Diabetics do not need to avoid sugar completely … they just need to be careful.  Diabetics need to eat balanced and well rounded meals.  Surprise, that’s good advise for everyone!
• It’s completely possible to live comfortably on about 400 calories per meal, plus about 400 calories in snacks each day
• Salads with meat added are a simple way to get the correct portion sizes of your protein while also getting your vegetables at the same time
• Exercise does not have to be painful or hard in order to be beneficial
• All vending machine snacks are super high in calories, no matter how healthy they look
• Restaurant food is 2 to 3 times the calories and portions which is considered healthy by most standards
• Salsa is not bad for you, but most tortilla chips are quite high in calories
• I really like the Greek salad served by my cafeteria at work … and it’s not too bad for me either

References

My wife found this book Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies that she really likes.

Ezine Articles:  Diabetic Diets: What to eat and what to avoid