Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Flat Belly Diet!

First off, a big shout out and thanks to My Favorite Everything! I love her! Call me a blog-stalker, I don't care. She always has fun new stuff to share and if I've already heard of it or have it, she usually adds a new spin to it that I didn't think of. She posted this last week about her battle with the belly bulge. She's had three kids back to back to back, and is having trouble losing the baby/belly weight. Really, they're one in the same. She picked up the Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook to help in her quest. After reading her post, I was sold! I am in my own battle of the belly bulge and don't have the energy with one kid to workout, let alone two (like Lani) or three kids (like her) to chase after and still find time to workout. Most nights I pass out the second my head hits the pillow... Plus, I'm not a big "workout" kind of girl. I'd much rather get my exercise having fun outdoors with Hubby and my little monster. Diet and exercise-in-disguise is the key for me. Even better if I can eat foods that taste great and that I can make for our whole family to enjoy. It's a win-win!

Lo and behold what arrived at my stoop today:
It makes me feel like a mom when I am SO excited about getting books. The things I used to roll my eyes at when I received as a gift when I was a kid. Even more mom-ish that they are about cooking and raising kids (The Happiest Toddler on the Block). My how times have changed... I'll tell you more about the toddler issues when I crack that book open.

The Golden Rules for the diet are:
1. Eat a MUFA (monounsaturated fats - aka nuts and seeds, oils, olives, avocados, or dark chocolate) at every meal.
2. Stick to 400 calories per meal. It's based on a 1,600 calorie day.
3. Never go more than 4 hours without eating. Yay for a diet that doesn't make you starve!

There is also a 4 Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart program. You can find it here, here, or here. It's not suitable for kids and maybe some adults, so it's not included in my Family cookbook, which makes sense. As part of the program, they recommend drinking 8 glasses of Sassy Water a day (yes...it's SASSY! Hubby laughed at the name too...but we have changed the name to Sexy Water instead.), which will help keep you hydrated and calm your digestive tract. I made it and it's tasty! It reminds me of the water you drink at the spa. I find myself drinking more water because it just tastes good. So here you go!

Sassy Water

2 liters of water (approx 8.5 cups)
1 teaspoon grated ginger (use fresh)
1 medium cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)
1 medium lemon (thinly sliced)
12 small spearmint or mint leaves

So cheers to maybe losing 15 lbs in 32 days like some of their subjects did. My birthday is June 21st. I'm at 152 lbs right now, so I'll weigh in on my birthday and we'll see how it's working. I made my meal plan for the week last night. It took a while because it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack all planned out. Plus I made my grocery list and gathered coupons too. Honestly, making three square meals and a snack didn't make my list any longer than usual. It's still a lot of fresh produce like we were doing, just some tweeks on portions. I'm excited to try some new recipes. I'll, of course, share my favorites as we try them. So far, today's breakfast was easy and good:
1 whole wheat piece of toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tbsp strawberry preserves
1 banana
Coffee - of course
A good tip is to try and eat your meal a little slower. Enjoy your food, as difficult as it may be with kids getting antsy and running around. It helps your brain get the message from your belly that "Hey, I'm full". And sit down. That will help your body register that it's meal time. When you're running around, taking a bite here and there, again, your brain doesn't register that it's meal time. You're more likely to be hungry earlier.

Let's drop some L-B's together! I've got a drawer full of cute, skinny, summer clothes waiting for me!

2 comments:

  1. Congrats for starting the diet!! The lbs are going to FLY off for your birthday!! I was down 2 lbs this morning. And I agree, you can eat sensibly and foods you like, it really more about portion control, and I like that it's teaching me that (or at least reminding me!) Best of luck to you! Can't wait to see where you are on your bday! Cheers to Sassy / Sexy water!!

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  2. Wahoo! I will be picking this book up. PS...I already have the happiest toddler book. It's good...at least a good guide....but I haven't picked it up since I first read it. I found figuring it out yourself works better. But now I have a new challenge on Hunter being actually IN the 2's and communicating...so I may have to refresh the tips. The one I remember clearly and still use is teaching patience. It works...

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