You say you are busy, but I say that’s no excuse!
Before I was on The Dr. Oz Show, I had many friends come to me for advice on weight loss and exercise. May of them did not have the time to read YOU: On a Diet or watch the show. To help them (and now YOU), I came up with a “cheat sheet” explaining how to start a healthy weight-loss journey.
YOU: On a Diet Cheat Sheet
The big picture: eat 3 main meals plus snacks so you’re never hungry.
Automate!
Breakfast :
- 1/2-1 cup of steel cut oats with a ½ tsp of cinnamon or high fiber cereal with fresh fruit and cinnamon.
Lunch:
- Veggie burger on 100% whole wheat bread, wrap or pita with your choice of veggie toppings (hold the ketchup or go very light). One cup of low-sodium soup or a side salad.
Dinner:
- Stick to baked or grilled chicken or fish, nothing fried. Anything that walks on 4 legs should only be eaten 1 time per week. As a side dish, have fresh or frozen veggies, whole grain rice or pasta, brown rice or a very small baked potato.
Snacks:
- Be prepared! Always keep cut-up vegetables and fruit in the fridge and healthy snacks like nuts or a bar in your car or purse.
The Top No-No’s:
Don’t eat it if one of these is the first 5 ingredients:
- Simple sugars
- Enriched flour
- Bleached flour
- Refined flour
- HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup)
More Helpful Tips:
- If you fall off the wagon and eat something bad, hop right back on the wagon with your next meal or snack.
- A portion of protein should be no bigger than the size of you palm.
- Eat all your meals on small (9”) plates.
- Read labels! Check the sodium content to make sure it’s less than 400mg per serving.
- Don’t add salt or sugar to anything!
- Drink a glass of water or skim milk before you eat.
- Walk, Walk, Walk! If you have time to sit down, then you have time to take a walk!
- Strength train at least for 20 minutes, 3 times a week. Remember you can always build on the cardio and strength training.
- Stretch every day.
- Smile!
