Soooo, you're probably thinking that the holidays are the most inconvenient time to diet. However, I learned that this is the time of year where people gain 5 or more pounds that they are unable to lose on their "New Year's Resolution" diets. I started a diet two weeks ago and I'm finally adding an exercise plan with it. I decided to share it with everyone. Feel free to try it out.
3-2-1 Diet
I got this diet idea from a co-worker. Here's how it works. You will have:
3 Snacks
2 Protein Shakes
1 complete meal
... each day. Let me define "snacks" for you. When I say "snack," I don't mean carrots or a snack bar. The best way to describe this is to give you a few examples.
Snack Examples:
- one bowl of cereal with milk
- oatmeal
- grits
- turkey sandwich
- peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- side salad with low-fat or fat free dressing
- apple and string cheese
- bowl of soup
- 1/2 of a bagel and a banana
- one lettuce wrap
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
Try to limit your snacks to 250 calories or less.
I use whey protein for my protein shakes. You can also have the Atkins diet protein shakes or casein protein shakes. Find one that you like. You can find a variety of protein shakes in Wal-Mart, Target, Vitamin Shoppe, and GNC.
In addition to everything listed above, you cannot have fried foods, fast foods, and you want to limit processed foods and sugar. To be successful on this diet, planning is necessary. I usually plan a day ahead. You have to decide when you are going to have your complete meal. I have my meal during lunch for two reasons. I have it in the middle of the day when I'm the most hungry and when I work out, I will most likely work off this meal. Here is a sample daily meal plan:
7:30am - Bowl of oatmeal
10:00am - Protein shake
12:00apm - Baked tilapia, broccoli, and brown rice
3:00pm - Turkey sandwich
5:30pm - Protein shake
7:00pm - Side salad with low-fat dressing
*try to have your last meal/snack at least 3 hours before bed*
As far as drinks go, I am only drinking water. The goal is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. I tend to drink a little more than that everyday. I have about 88-100 ounces of water each day. Try to spread this out throughout the day. Also, having a glass of water before your meals/snacks will help to curb your appetite to prevent overeating.
30 Day Cardio Challenge
I participated in the 30 Day CC in August and I loved it! Honestly, I didn't completely stick to the workout plan every single day, but I still lost 12 pounds. This time around, I plan to stick to the daily workouts. I'm sure I'll have better results this time.
For information on the challenge, visit http://www.mrshutupandtrain.com. The first day of the challenge was this past Friday, however, it's not too late to start. The goal of this challenge is to get you active each day. The goal isn't weight loss, but developing a healthy lifestyle.
There is a baseline assessment each week. This allows you to see how your fitness level is improving throughout the challenge. Write it down! You'll be surprised by your results at the end. Each week you will receive fitness challenges and nutrition challenges. Most of the workouts are around 15-20 minutes. My goal is to workout for at least 30 minutes, 6 days each week. I will use some of the 30 Day CC fitness challenges as well as the workouts on my "Workout Trainer" app. (If you have an Android phone, you can find this app in the Android Market. I'm sure this app is available on the iPhone as well)
At least once a week, I will update you all on my progress. If you decide to join me, leave comments to update us on your progress. I know it's easier for me to stick to a diet and exercise plan if I have a partner and the same may be true for you.
Stay tuned for updates.
(P.S. I'll probably do this for more than 30 days.)
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