A New Way of Eating

It is no secret that I am a “big girl.”  I was overweight as a child and again after college with a reprieve from obesity in high school due to obsessing (unhealthily) about what I ate and how much I exercised.

Since April 1^st, I have been on a new journey to try to get healthy.  I read a book entitled 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferris and everything written in the book resonated with me.  My eating habits had been out of control for years and I finally took a step toward improving them!

The “new way of eating” was awful the first two days, I will tell you that flat-out.  After that, it was extremely easy to follow.  I call it the high-protein diet or slow-carb diet, which is similar to the Paleo diet or those who watch their glycemic index.

Instead of telling you what can be eaten on the high protein diet, I will tell you what cannot be eaten. 

• Flour
• Sugar
• Dairy
• Fruit
• Starch

Now, mind you, I am a professed sugar and carboholic!  I used to eat carbs and/or sugar 3 meals a day with a few extras in between.

So, how does this new way of eating work?

You can eat pretty much anything that has a lot of protein.  The book states you should eat 30g of protein (much of that in the form of beans) for breakfast and lunch.  I cannot stomach that many beans, so I only eat them occasionally when I can hide them in foods I enjoy (chili or ham and lentil soup).

One great thing about this new way of eating is that you get one “cheat day” a week.  Some weeks, I live for the cheat days, but most of the time, I have to remind myself that I can have all the bread, sugar, spaghetti, ice cream and whatever else I may have been craving throughout the week.  (Usually, I feel horrible on cheat day and the day after!)

Since starting this new way of eating, I have lost 17 lbs and over 10" off of my body: much of it within the first two weeks!  I find it easy to follow, and the foods fill me up quickly and keep me full!  I have had no cravings for carbs or sugar, and I have no problem passing by the occasional bagel or cookie that is brought into work.  I actually have to force myself to eat every 4-5 hours to make sure my metabolism keeps up.

This is what our meals look like now that hubby has joined in on the fun of eating a high protein diet.

Breakfast 

Eggs over easy

Omelet
Scrambled eggs (we like ours with spinach, ham, onions and mushrooms: sometimes with salsa over it)

Lunch

Leftover dinner from the night before

Salad
Tuna wrap (romaine lettuce with some avocado spread out on it, tuna, onions and diced tomatoes)
Veggies
Sashimi (raw fish) with mushroom soup, edamame and salad when I go to Benihanah’s with a co-worker every other week

Dinner

Ham & Lentil soup (it is so delicious! I could eat this all the time!)
Taco soup
Hamburgers (wrapped in lettuce with all the fixin’s)
Fish/Seafood
Steak
Loaded Salad (skip the creamy dressings)
Pork chops
Tacos (again, I use a piece of lettuce as a shell, and it’s delicious)
Fajitas
Black Bean Chili
Chicken

In the beginning, I thought the menu would be bland and not very fun, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It is amazing what some spices can do to change the flavor of the same ingredients!  And we are finding new recipes all the time!

I am sharing this journey with you because I know I have struggled for a very long time with my weight, and if someone can be as successful as I have been with this way of eating, I think it is worth sharing with everyone.  On the slow carb diet, I am rarely hungry, I have no cravings and I feel great.  For the first time in my life, I am eating to live instead of living to eat!

Side Note:  I have tried moderation, Weight Watchers, green smoothies and Body by Vi within the last year.  With all of these, I couldn’t stick with any of them due to my lack of willpower and my true addiction to food.  For me to be on a single diet for any length of time has been a blessing.