There is no doctor on this Earth who is going to tell you to only eat certain food groups. Fruits and vegetables are good for you and provide nutrients and anti-oxidants that your body needs. While I was eating a sensible diet to lose 20 pounds, my brother in law was consuming Italian sausage without bread and insisting that this was the way to lose weight. That whole concept never made any sense to me then and it still doesn’t now. As a matter of fact, sausage is one of the things that you need to avoid when you are trying to lose weight. It is loaded with fat.
The one thing that the Atkins diet did allow me to be aware of, however, was how refined sugars can affect your diet. In the past, if I wanted to take off 5 vanity pounds at the end of winter, I usually skipped taking sugar in my coffee. I was able to lose 5 pounds a week with this just this method alone. I knew sugar added to weight gain as my mother often would talk about candy being “empty calories” in her attempts to lose weight. The Atkins diet brought this to the forefront. I know what works for me as well as my friends who I recommended this diet to. And that means eliminating all of the following foods from your diet:
Fast foods
A Big Mac has over 500 calories. A medium order of fries has about 400 calories and a coke has 200 calories. Do the math - that is 1100 calories for lunch. Think it’s a good idea to super size it?
Fast foods such as fried chicken, pizza and especially fries, should be avoided at all costs when you are trying to lose weight. Most fast foods are not only loaded with fat, but with sodium as well, which allows your body to retail water. They are no good for you. And this includes the Sub sandwiches as well, that are made with processed meats. Pack a lunch from home. If you do eat out, grab a salad. Not a salad that is laced with fried chicken, either. One that is vegetables and perhaps broiled chicken. Use a low fat or no fat dressing.
Above all, skip the fries. These are probably the most devastating to any diet. They offer very little nutritional value, do not really fill you up and are loaded with calories, sodium and fat. For the three weeks that you are on this diet to lose 20 pounds, make a pact with yourself to eat at home or at least bring meals from home. Remember that you are watching your calories and cannot go over your limit. Splurging on fast food may very well put you at the limit for the entire day.
Fried Foods
Everything tastes good when deep-fried. In some parts of the world, they deep fry coach roaches and people eat them. And they probably taste good, too. Country singer and actress, Reba McIntyre, has been known to say that “if it ain’t fried, it ain’t food.” While this sounds charming coming from this petite woman, it does not sound good coming from someone who is morbidly obese. Yes, fried food does taste good. It is also filling and cheap. But it just isn’t good for you and is loaded with fat and calories. Skip any type of fried food when you are on this diet.
Processed Foods
This includes sausage, lunchmeat and hot dogs, all of which are processed meats. You should also exclude processed cheeses from this diet. Processed foods are simply not good for you - period. They are also high in calories and can ruin your diet. Skip the lunchmeat and replace it with chicken or meat that you make yourself. For example, you can make a meatloaf and slice it very thin for a sandwich instead of having processed meats. It is healthier for you and lower in calories.
Cheese is loaded with fat, but it is also loaded with vitamins that are essential for your health. Real cheese is good for you - processed cheese offers very little by way of nutrition. You want to have a certain amount of dairy in your diet, so real cheese is a better choice than processed cheese. Remember to count your calories.
Frozen Foods
All of those pre-packaged frozen entrees that are made with the diet conscious person in mind should be avoided. They are loaded with sodium. Make your own food - it won’t kill you to do this for two weeks. Broil up some chicken breasts and fish on Sunday and make them part of your meals for the week. Boil some hard-boiled eggs and use them. Skip the frozen foods as they may promise lower calories, but have a high sodium content.
Condiments
Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salt, barbeque sauce, salad dressing - all of these have calories that are not taken into account when you are dieting. If you must use condiments in your meals, make sure they are low in fat. Ketchup and mustard are not too bad when used in moderation, but mayonnaise is a killer. It’s loaded with fat. If you use any of these condiments, be aware of the calories contained and use them by the teaspoon. Skip the salt entirely.
Sweets
Cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, candy - all empty calories. No nutritional value and will leave you feeling hungry. They are a total waste of time and can wreck your diet. If you need to have something sweet to top off your meal, as some people do, then have something like a mint or a small piece of hard candy. A square of dark chocolate will do as well. Be sure to count this in with your calorie intake.
All of these foods are part of the family of “simple carbohydrates.” You have probably heard about the no carbohydrate diets (Atkins is one, the South Beach Diet is another). They are correct in advising people not to eat sweets as they do not stay in your system long enough to offer any nutritional value, are hard on your digestive tract and are quickly absorbed as fat. Where the no carbohydrate diets get it wrong is to lump in all carbohydrates, such as vegetables and fruits, that do have nutritional value.
Fruits can easily be substituted for cake when you want something sweet. Try eating an apple instead of candy after dinner and you will see that this will satisfy your craving for dessert. On top of that, the apple is loaded with nutrients.
By avoiding fast foods, fried foods, processed foods, frozen foods, condiments and sweets, you can expect to lose weight. If, by any chance, you “fall off the wagon” and have a piece of birthday cake, don’t beat yourself up. Have just a bite or two of the cake and then go right back on the diet. The secrets that I am sharing with you to allow you to lose 20 pounds in three weeks has a margin of error. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. But at the same time, you have to be aware of your calorie intake and what foods you need to avoid.
Tomorrow Ill be posting the next part of my system: Watch What You Drink
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