A Plus Attitudes

So this is long overdue. A while back I said I was going to start writing more about staying fit, and sexy through menopause and really didn’t follow up much on that. So, I do apologize.

Now that I’m done with my marathon relay race and feel pretty good physically, I realized that I got lazy on my food intake and managed to put on some pounds over the last year. Well, that is just not good. My clothes don’t fit comfortably and I’m inching my way into the next larger size, which I refuse to do.

So, I’ve decided to start a weight-loss regiment called The Fast Metabolism Diet, by Hailey Pomroy. The reason I chose this particular diet is because my sister Linda has lost 80 lbs so far by following it. She is my inspiration.

Although, I don’t have 80 lbs to lose, I could definitely stand to lose 25-30 lbs. The diet is 28 days long and it has 3 phases you follow each weak. The author, Haylie Pomroy, recommends you start your diet on a Monday and you start with Phase 1.

This is how your week would look:

Monday & Tuesday

Phase 1 – High-glycemic, low fat and moderate protein

Wednesday – Thursday

Phase 2 – High-protein, high-vegetable(no fruits), low-fat(no grains)

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Phase 3 – High- healthy-fat, moderate carbohydrate and protein, low glycemic fruit

The idea is to eat 3 meals a day and have 2 snacks in between meals. Basically they are scattered every three hours.

I’m not going to go into great detail about the diet because I’m not the author and don’t want to give you the wrong information. But if you are interested in learning more about the diet it is available at books stores an on-line.

So, since this is my Day 1, I had oatmeal for breakfast with fresh, organic blackberries and I did have a small no-sugar added almond mocha. I missed the part about no caffeine, but the coffee I made was half decaf.

I had to work today at my part-time job, so I made sure I was prepared by packing my lunch. Here is a peek into my lunch bag. Since I am a vegetarian, my protein at lunch was beans. I had to pack my in-between meal snack, which in Phase 1 is fruit. So, apple slices were my mid-morning snack and the orange was my fruit with my lunch.

I packed a refried black bean sandwich topped with canned, sliced beets and arugula. You are not allow wheat on this diet, but you are allowed sprouted wheat, which is what I made my sandwich with.

My mid-afternoon fruit snack for today(Phase 1) was another apple. I stopped at the grocery store after work and was very hungry and had purchased apples. I had water in my car, so it was an easy decision. I have to say, that apple tasted so sweet and juicy, it really satisfied my hunger.

I will probably repeat what I had for lunch for dinner since I have leftover refried beans.

On this diet, the only artificial sweeteners you are allowed are Stevia and Xylitol. I found a diet soda with Steevia in it that tastes really good, called Zeevia. I personally like the cream soda flavor. I was craving something to drink other than water, and coffee or ice tea would have been something I would normally choose, but since we’re not supposed to do caffeine, I went for the Zeevia. It’s really good over ice. I felt like I was having a treat.

The diet claims you can lose 20lbs in 28 days, although as you probably know, not everyone loses at the same rate. I would be very happy if that was the case for me at the end of day 28, but some people lose faster than others. The diet also claims that it is designed to reduce fat around the middle and in the legs.

As we get older, the fat around the middle is unhealthy and quite frankly, uncomfortable too. These are both selling points for me on following the diet. And lastly, it can be a healthy diet to follow because the author recommends buying organic fruits and vegetables, and the diet focuses a lot on fruits, vegetables, healthy carbs and fats and lean proteins.

I will weigh myself tomorrow to get an idea of my starting weight. I will also take measurements so I can do a comparison at the end. So, bear with me and stay tuned.

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