Normally I prefer a balanced approach to dieting. But there was a time when I was desperate to lose weight and didn’t have much to show for my efforts. My weight had been going up and down like a yo-yo for years, but then suddenly I couldn’t lose weight easily anymore. From my research I devised a diet which used basic calorie math, which is to say I figured that if I ate less calories than my body burned in a day, then I’d lose weight. What surprised me in this caloric restriction was that the diet did not deprive me of a feeling of fullness throughout the day. At first, I thought that eating 600-800 calories a day would only make me tired and grumpy. But after trying some of the other quick loss diet programs out there, that made me tired and grumpy, I was shocked at how full I felt and how much energy I had when I did this diet. And because of all the water I was drinking, I was confident that I was actually losing fat instead of water-weight, which is how a lot of these other diets seem to get the pounds off quickly–by diuretic action, which is water loss rather than through the burning of fat.
From my experience this wasn’t a perfect diet, and didn’t give me all the nutrition my body required over the long haul. But for the two weeks that I was on it, it significantly reduced my weight (I even lost twelve pounds during one of the weeks on it). After I tried this diet and was feeling slimmer and more confident about myself, I got off it and went for moderation, smaller meal portions, consistent exercise, natural eating, and finding foods that delivered nutrition rather than empty calories, as an approach to a healthy lifestyle overall.
This is what I did:
Morning
2-3 eggs. 4-5 slices of turkey lunch meat. Serving of cheese: I ate either sharp cheddar or monterey jack. I fried my eggs and usually added a pat or two of butter. I always combined everything into a bowl because I don’t like eggs, and so by combining everything I didn’t have to taste the eggs as much. I usually fried the turkey so that it caramelized a little bit and tasted better. Sometimes I added a very small amount of red wine vinegar for flavor. Notice that I was eating a lot of protein. Along with the butter and cheese, this gave me a feeling of satiety for a long time. I drank a bottle of cold water after the meal. Altogether, the breakfast never exceeded 400 calories.
Lunch
One serving of sunflower seeds, salted. Handful of shelled walnuts, optional. Sometimes I substituted pumpkin seeds and other nuts etc., but I never substituted peanuts or cashews. I drank a bottle of cold water. Lunch never exceeded 200 calories.
Dinner
A single portion (5 oz.) of chicken, steak, or fish. Side dish of steamed broccoli, cauliflower or brussel sprouts. 2-3 pats of butter for a sauce, or sometimes I added one part coconut milk (1tblspoon) to one part butter for the sauce. Did not use condiments. Used salt and pepper for flavoring occasionally. The protein in the meat along with the optional butter and coconut milk helped to achieve satiety. I drank a bottle of cold water. Dinner never exceeded 200 calories.
Throughout the day I drank cold water. This was an essential element of the diet. I probably drank more than the USDA recommended daily serving of water, but I never recorded it. Basically, when I was thirsty, which was a lot of the time, I drank cold water. By drinking the water I accomplished two things: First, I assured myself that I was not losing water weight, as water was constantly being replenished in my body. Second, the water seemed to help curb my appetite throughout the day, which was very important to the success of the diet.
I also exercised every day except Sundays. I exercised a lot. Brisk walking with ankle weights was my preferred method, along with some moderate weight lifting.
I checked my weight twice a week on a professional weight scale and I kept a calendar record of my progress. I never had a headache on the diet or felt bad, though admittedly during the late afternoon and at night I did sometimes feel hungry. I was just very happy to see the weight coming off every time I stepped on the scale, and so a little hunger didn’t bother me. Ultimately though, even with the success of this diet, losing on average 7 pounds every 7 days, I used it more as a motivational tool to set me on a better dieting path, and stopped after a few weeks. Afterwards, I tried for a more balanced nutritional profile in the foods I chose. I watched my calories, consumed at least 1500 calories a day, making sure to give my body the proteins, carbs, and fats in the right proportions. I kept exercising and I believed in myself. And I’m better off because of it!
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. I’m not a doctor and I don’t make any claims except that the diet worked for me. If anyone tries what I did, their results will be different and specific only to them. Anyone who tries the diet and what I did assumes their own risk.
