Photo: Courtesy of fitneass.com.
With a winter that is full of gray skies and cold air, our wardrobe suddenly consists of those big warm fuzzy sweaters, stretchy tights, and boots. As much as we love our cold weather wardrobe, it also hides those extra pounds that seem to creep up, week after week, month after month. Then one day you’re looking in the mirror and the person staring back at you is…who? Where did those extra five pounds come from? Why is my skin so pale? How in the world am I going to get this winter weight off?
That’s right, folks – winter can be hard. Spring is right around the corner and now’s the time to take action. What can we do to get that scale back down without taking some crazy drastic measures, trying another freaky diet, or starving ourselves thin? I’ll be the first to confess, I’ve tried hundreds of different diets and different ways of eating. If you’re anything like the norm you’ve tried tons of different ways to lose those extra pounds. Everything from fasting to high-protein, low carbs, high carbs, liquid lunch, this diet, that diet, and so on.
You don’t have to buy any fancy diets books, products, or infomercials. This is not new, it’s simply a different way to look at food and go back to the basics to get your eating back on track.
This is the No Flour, No Sugar eating plan. Here’s the goal: no sugar and no flour throughout the day for the next 30 days! I know it seems like a daunting task, but the most important thing to remember is one meal at a time, one day at a time. Baby steps.
You’ll have to look at the nutrition labels of everything you eat or purchase. Most processed foods contain some form of flour or sugar, so you’ll be eating a lot less of these items and a lot more real, raw, nutritious foods. The first few days may be difficult. You may feel off, or hungry, or even a bit irritable. This is all normal. It’s your body detoxing and ridding itself of all the “junk”. Typically by the end of your first week you should be feeling much better, full of energy, clarity and probably sleeping a lot better.
Sugar and flour are super addicting to the body. Countless articles have been written about how addicting these two ingredients are. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that, in fact, higher sugar/higher glycemic foods can be addictive.
You will notice that once you clean your diet up, your head will clear. You may work better and have more mental clarity. The body does better without all those toxins from processed foods, flour, and sugar. For me it’s always the first three days of detoxing before I really start to feel more clarity, for some people it takes a bit. By the seventh day, you’ll see that your food has become your fuel and all those wasted calories are no longer needed or missed.
Try not to snack between meals, but if you absolutely have to eat, try something simple like celery stalks and 1 tablespoon of almond butter or an apple. Keep this up and within 30 days those extra winter pounds will be history. Your body will feel and look better, and you’ll feel lighter in your step as you glide through your daily routine.
Photo: Courtesy of youqueen.com.
Your simple No Flour No Sugar eating plan:
Breakfast: 1 serving of fruit, 1 serving of protein, a glass of water or a green tea
Lunch: 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of vegetables (this can be a simple salad with lettuce, spinach, kale, peppers, tomatoes etc.) 1 teaspoon balsamic dressing, more water or a nice green tea.
Dinner: 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of vegetables or simple salad (see above), 1 teaspoon balsamic dressing, more water or non-caffeinated tea.
Remember, 1 serving of fruit means a banana or apple or 1 cup of strawberries and so on. There are tons of fruit choices. Maybe try fruits in season from your local farmers market! 1 serving of protein means – one cup of Greek yogurt or 2 hardboiled eggs, 4 oz of chicken and so on. The choices are endless, keep your selections very basic to keep this program simple.
Here’s a few more guidelines for success: try not to snack between meals, no fried foods, try to weigh and measure everything you eat. If your food is in a package of some sort (i.e. greek yogurt) look at the packaging to find what a single serving is.
I know you hear this all the time but drink lots of water, at least seven or eight glasses per day. Look at your food before you dig in. Appreciate how you have made a positive choice to fuel your body. Don’t take yourself so seriously. This is not rocket science, it is just a new way to think about your food and what is best to put into your body. Finally be grateful that we have such amazing food choices and that we get to continue to make positive choices daily while “living in Grace”.
Please consider consulting a physician before starting any new eating or workout plan.
‘Til next time,
Michelle Gierst
Fitness Editor
DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC
