I need to go on a diet

okay so i turn on my computer and the first thing that yahoo has up is something on another stupid diet The Dukan Diet what is this another attempt for some person to get rich on something that is fairly simple. so what am i going to do I am going to outline some simple and easy rules to follow on your pursuit of a diet.

First lets look at the word diet, we all have a diet if we eat we have a diet so lets not call this a diet but a life style change for better health. okay good now that we have decided that we are not going on a diet lets outline a few things i feel are important when it comes to food control

1. eat lean sources of protein with every meal (skinless chicken breast, turkey not packaged, fish, lean beef)
2. eat fruits and vegetables especially vegetables as I previously talked about fruits and vegetables are alkaline and our body has a PH of 7.3 (alkaline) most processed foods are acidic and our body must work harder to maintain homeostaisis when we put foods further from the magic 7.3 number
3. try and avoid processed food this includes breads, pastas, rice, and other starchy carbohydrates this doesn’t mean don’t eat these things but cut back significantly.  We as Americans were raised on a steak and potatoes eating pattern, well we got half of and what is important is to remember that we are shooting for progress not perfection so we had a huge pasta alfredo for dinner this doesn’t mean you cant get back on your life style change just get back on track at the next meal and try not to make a habit of it.
4. Portion control is highly important. You can pretty much eat what you want just keep it to a small amount. You just love the girl scout cookies but have 2 and walk away eat them and enjoy them but then do not eat any more. Maybe only have your special treat once a week instead of everyday. It is truely about your portions. When we are serving our selves you want to think of half  of the plate as veggies, and then the other half should be your protein, and if you must have those starchy foods then keep them to a very small amount. Example of how our plates look at dinner (Large piece of chicken or fish, and a mixture of veggies roasted), breakfast is always 2-3 eggs with glazed onions. lunch is usually a salad,( spinach, lettuce, small amount of cream cheese, grilled chicken,some nuts like(almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts), and 2 tablespoons of white balsamic dressing just enough for a bit of flavor!!
5. The biggest key is to eat small portions all day long!! I know its rough it has been for me. I eat my breakfast then about 2 hours later i have my 100 calorie yogurt, then lunch is about 3 hours later, about 2 hours from lunch i eat a fruit usually an apple or an orange, ( you can have  fruit as long as its like 1-2 per day), then dinner is about 3-4 hours from then!!
6. you know what you should and shouldn’t put in your mouth if you have a question on a food if it is healthy or not it probably isn’t. we all have the basic knowledge of food that will tell us if a food is healthy and we all ingnore it. well lets all start paying attention to this voice and before we eat lets ask ourselves these questions.

• what is the nutritional value of this food?
• could i eat something better instead of this food?
• Am i going to be happy I ate this food after I eat it?

These are just a few tips of you have anymore questions i will be happy to help all of you I am here for you and Danette and I want to see everyone reach their goals and have life skills that they take with them everyday.

I (Danette) have struggled with weight all my life and i have now finally found what makes me feel the best, You may not be needing or wanting to loose weight, but with changing our food intake just a bit will make you have more energy, stay more  focused and just maybe tone a bit. I was trying to loose weight for our wedding and i have found that if i take the bread, pastas, grains, and all starchy foods out of my diet and i eat more often i have felt a lot better!! i dont miss the breads or any of those foods and dont get me wrong about once a month ben and i will have sushi yes with the rice!! i was never lactose and tolerant but since i have removed the milk and dairy products from my diet i have tried some frozen  yogurt and it made my stomach not feel so great so i think that when you cut that type of food out and try and eat it and it makes you not feel so great then obviously it shouldn’t be in your daily life style!!