A 2011 Diet Plan to Avoid the Hunger Pangs

For anyone who's seen me lately, I've put on a few pounds. I'm not quite at my heaviest, but I'm close. Eggnog and pumpkin pie kept calling to me over the holiday season, as did some of my favorite coconut curries, and I couldn't resist. They're with me today, hugging my waistline. Well folks, I'm tired of being 'portly'. At my height, 6'3" I need at least a 34" inseam, preferably 36". I can still get by with a size 40 waist, but major retailers don't cater to folks like me. If you're fat, they believe, you must be short. Sorry, but a 40x32 makes me look like I'm wearing Capri pants, and it's down-right laughable to look in the mirror while I'm wearing a 42x30. No thanks. So, I've resolved to go on a diet.

Fresh Veggies

A good diet is one that will keep you feeling full, but one that your body won't convert very much, if any of it, into fat. So, I'm stepping up my salad intake. For snacks, I plan to increase the servings of carrots, celery, and broccoli that I eat per week and avoid comfort foods like chips, cookies, and other sugary snacks. A good source of fresh vegetables is your local farmer's market during the warmer months. There you'll find delicious vegetables that haven't been waxed or doctored up to look artificial like at a chain grocery store. When Spring rolls around, I'll be sure to stop by our farmer's market.

Low Fat Tip for Salad

Part of my problem is I've always drowned my salad with ranch dressing, which is very high in fat. Fatsecret shows one of the most common ranch dressings, Hidden Valley Ranch, as having 140 calories per 2 tablespoon serving. When I could easily drown a salad in two or three servings, my low-fat salad quickly became an 800 calorie meal. I might as well have gone to a buffet. Instead, by dipping the edges of my salad or veggies into the light ranch version, I can use half of a serving, which amounts to only 40 calories, and still have the flavor I enjoy with salad.

Protein to Trim Up

As part of my diet, I'm also looking to tone up a bit, in addition to burning fat. I'm not going to go all out and do the Atkins diet, or start taking protein supplements. I am, however, going to make certain that protein is a part of my diet. One way in which I plan to combine my fresh veggie diet with more protein is by eating a spicy beef salad a couple of times a week or more. I'm a huge fan of Thai food. Huge! A spicy beef salad made with a dark green lettuce such as romaine lettuce can be a good source of vitamins, low in calories, with protein provided by red meat, seasoned with lime juice, cilantro, and chili paste, and other spices. Kick up the percentage of greens to beef and add a few cherry tomatoes and onions and you've got a very filling and tasty meal with just a few hundred calories.

Exercise to Solidify My Weight Loss Plan

Naturally, no weight loss plan is going to be successful if you don't exercise. I reconsidered my gym membership cancellation, which wasn't difficult considering the greedy owners of the local gym make people pay for three more months after cancellation. Of course that's why they do it, so you WILL reconsider! I'm visiting the gym and using the treadmill to walk 2 miles at a minimum, in addition to lifting weights to tone my legs, arms, and chest. I'm adding sit-ups to tone my abs. I'm working towards hitting the gym at least 4 times a week, if not every day. All of this is to get me to my goal of being 25 pounds lighter by the end of this year. With hard work and persistence, I know I can do it!

Sources:

Fat Secret: Hidden Valley Ranch.
Fat Secret: Hidden Valley Light Ranch.
Learning Info Nutrition Facts: Lettuce.