I FINALLY STARTED A DIET after I was huffing and puffing my way up into my loft last month. A little anger is a good motivator for me. I will be on this regimen for 60 days and come out on Memorial Day weekend in my new Speedo.
I have fallen into the national average of individuals gaining about two pounds a month over the last 13 months. Truthfully, I blame myself for being chubby. Blaming the Covid-19 crisis just doesn’t settle with me.
I smile as I researched all the new diets and have listened to recommendations from friends and media. I call the plan My Benzie Combo Diet and it embraces five newer behaviors for me.
Bob’s New Behaviors
1. I journal my meals and snacks and estimate the calories I’m consuming through labels and Google searches. I write notes of encouragement and purposely think about portion size. I allow myself criticism, yet praise is allowed too.
2. I have combined the forty-year-old Atkins Diet with the hot Keto Plan and throw in the Mediterranean diet that my mentors Dr. Weil and Michael Pollan recommend. I’m off red meat and have limited my bread intake by 50%. I guess it is best described as a "low-carb" diet.
3. I’m fourteen days into recording my food intakes and my two drinks (1 vodka and 1 red wine) stated goal has not been adhered to as I developed in my plan. I’d give my grade a B- thus far. But I’m trying!
4. Exercise includes walking most days for 20 to 30 minutes and I’m working on shoulder exercises with weights to get them feeling better for the up-and-coming golf season. Get moving is my charge.
5. Consume eggs galore with fresh spinach, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese. I have also weaned myself off toast for the most part which is one of my caloric favorites, right next to pizza.
I also make a clear stock soup on weekends that I consume over the week. Chicken and Rice with Jalapeño was this week’s soup. Tomato will be my Easter week soup.
My basic Frittata/Omelet is simple to make.
1 tsp. chopped onion sautéed in EVOO.
1 handful of fresh spinach wilted over the onions. I chop the greens first and add a little water for steaming.
2 eggs beaten for thirty seconds with just a little half and half.
1 TBS of Parmesan or Feta cheese.
Salt, Pepper, and dash of freshly grated Nutmeg.
I either work these all slowly over a low heat and stir regularly with a rubber spatula or place the small frying pan in a 350 F oven and bake for 20 minutes - don’t burn your hand taking it out of the oven. I make at least one of these omelets a day.
So, this is my 60-day plan trying to live on 1250 calories a day.
Wish me luck and to sticking to it.