Up until six years ago, the thought of trying to lose weight was an anomaly. I had been blessed with genes that allowed me to burn off calories without ever having to go on a diet. I am active so heaven knows what my weight would be if I weren’t. I blame it on menopause, and perhaps, one too many libations. The meals I prepare are predominately on the healthy side with possibly 20% indulgence of fat and carbs.
Mr. S, however, has always had to watch what he ate. He says he blames that on his Spanish genes from his mom. As a result, both of us have gained over the last six years 10 pounds! We walk 40 minutes four times per week and two days doing cardio and still, the weight hangs on. The frustration level of not being able to shake off those pounds drives me c-r-a-z-y! The only good thing to take away from this is that we’re the same weight we were two years ago.
I owe this renewed interest in losing weight to my ex-husband. We were in Calgary last month for our daughter’s engagement party and Joe told me he lost 20 pounds in 6-weeks! I was impressed and he told me it was a combination of exercise and change in eating habits. I found a simple guide that I felt we could easily do without starving or fasting. We needed a plan to kickstart us in the right direction. In the first three days I lost 2-pounds while Mr. S lost 3. We were elated!
We had to modify the plan as we were entertaining mid-week. What’s really cool is that we didn’t feel deprived of food or starving at the end of the night.
“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.”
For me, breakfast has always been an important meal of the day; fuel for the body. I would eat a lighter lunch and then the main meal at dinner time. When I was younger, lunch was more like dinner when my grandparents were around. They said that’s the time to refuel and they were right. Here’s my take on how to shed some weight.
Breakfast – when you wake up, drink a glass of water with fresh lemon juice. We usually have a cup of hot water and adding the lemon helps to activate your digestive system. Go out for a walk or do exercises at home. Then eat two fruits (citrus, pears, banana, apples). We usually add a handful of pistachio nuts or almonds.
Lunch – steamed or poached chicken (skinless/boneless) then add vegetables. I cooked the chicken in the microwave – faster and less mess to clean up! Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over meat and veggies, season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then top with nutritional yeast (optional but really good). Change out the chicken for fast-fry steak; they’re usually about the size of your palm and about one-quarter-inch thick. Cook in a dry frying pan. One lunch I opened a can of tuna.
Dinner – serve two boiled eggs per person with chopped vegetables and season to taste. Add extra-virgin olive oil and top with nutritional yeast. Dinner is best consumed before 7:00 pm.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: If you’re craving a snack through the day, munch on veggies, nuts or dried fruit. Drink all the water you like and green tea. We love our coffee too much to give that up. We had friends visit us this past week so we were off our schedule but, fondly enough, didn’t gain any weight. We still need to lose 8 pounds and even after a soft start, we feel that’s easily attainable. Enjoy!
