Honestly, this question is usually the second question out of everyone's mouths after seeing me. First they ask, "HOW DID YOU DO IT!?!?!" then when I explain that I lost 149 pounds in one year with proper nutrition and exercise they ask, "WHAT DO YOU EAT!?!" The answer is long... So it warranted its own blog post. (complete with pictures).
- Carb Cycling - This ENTIRE year I have followed a carb cycling plan (Choose More, Lose More for Life by Chris Powell) specially designed for my nutritional needs. I have 3 low-carb days in a week and 4 high-carb days in a week.
- Calories - I DO count my calories because I eat FIVE times per day! (YES 5!!!!) BUT I never count in my calories from plain green veggies (like celery, cucumbers, spinach, etc.) those are "free" My calorie intake has changed throughout the year but I usually comfortably sit at 1500 calories per day in maintenance.
- Schedule - You have to stoke your metabolism like a fire so I eatMeal 1 thirty minutes upon waking andthe other meals every three hours thereafter... so if Meal 1 is at 6:30 am then meal 2 would be at 9:30 am, Meal 3 - 12:30 pm, Meal 4 - 3:30 pm and Meal 5 will be at 6:30 pm.
- Tracking - TRACK YOUR FOOD!!!! I use a food tracker (like My Fitness Pal) to keep track of my meals and calories. Some people use food journals. ALSO track your PORTIONS!!! (I ALWAYS use my food scale, measuring cups, etc.)
- Food Specifics - I eat protein at every meal. I eat fresh fruit, potatoes, rice or quinoa as my carbs, I eat lots of vegetables (Brussels sprouts are my fave), My favorite healthy fats are peanut butter, almonds, avocado and macadamia nut oil. I don't eat gluten and I eat VERY LITTLE dairy. I like my diet to be made up of as many whole/natural foods as possible.
Take a peek into my meal log... Here are two of my ACTUAL MEAL LOGS from when I was at Extreme Weight Loss Bootcamp last summer:
I also made a photo journal of what my food looks like on a High Carb day (Meals 1 - 5) and a Low Carb day (Meals 1 - 5)
HIGH CARB DAY - Meals 1 - 5
LOW CARB DAY - MEALS 1 - 5
Carb cycling has worked so well for me.. and believe me, I have tried EVERYTHING in the past. I have a "reset day" on Monday where I eat 750 extra calories of ANYTHING I WANT... (that is when I eat whatever I have had cravings for that week... sushi or cake is usually my favorite thing on reset day :) Best of luck on your journey!
xoxo
Pearls