Today we have a special guest blogger, Cindy, who will talk to you about realistic dieting.
Hi, I’m Cindy and today I’m going to talk to you about diet. I know that this is everyone’s favorite subject because it means their either gonna have to starve or totally give up there favorite foods! And that’s why I love this subject so much, because you actually do not have to do that. Diets fail when the come with unrealistic expectations. And one of those unrealistic expectations is to think that you’re going to cut out all the stuff that you love that’s bad for you and you’re going to just eat vegetables and fruits and that’s gonna be it. Today I am going to talk to you about some vegetables and fruits but I’m also going to talk to you about what you can leave in your diet. There’s one thing, actually, that I do cut completely out of my diet and then there are some other things that I cut back on. Then there are some other things that are just common sense. The rest of your diet is just going to be variety and moderation and, like I said, common sense.
I’ll start with what I personally do as an example. I am not consistent, so I don’t have a consistent eating habit. What I am consistent on is walking everyday with my ABBR video. You can use a treadmill or you can use a stationary bike. Whatever you prefer. I prefer walking, so I use a treadmill. I’m also consistent on having my coffee every morning. Usually at least 2 cups, maybe 3, if I really need it. I also drink a healthy shake. It’s very important before your workout. And another thing that I’m consistent on is when I’m out and about and on the road I stop by the dollar menu at my favorite restaurant.
In my coffee, something that I do change is that I don’t use white sugar, I use brown sugar. And the reason is that the white sugar usually gives me that sugar high and then I come down and I don’t feel very good. But brown sugar does not do that to me. It does not have the same effect. So, if you want to try making that switch yourself, I would recommend it. In my shake, we’re gonna have a banana, we’re gonna have 1 cup of blueberries, that’s really important, and I’m gonna throw in a few strawberries, some orange juice and some shake mix. My favorite shake mix that I highly recommend.
When I go to the restaurant and I order my food off the dollar menu I’m actually able to get a cheeseburger or a chicken sandwich, fries and 2 cherry pies. What I cut out is that I don’t have the carbonated beverage. The reason is, because when you’re working out and you’re really really hoping for those fantastic results, what I found out is that when I’m drinking those carbonated beverages what I end up with is lumps on my thighs. Believe it or not, it does do that and you don’t have those nice smooth thighs and also I have no waistline. It will just bloat your waistline so bad and it will also give you gas and when you’re trying to look sexy and shape up, you know gas isn’t exactly…That’s gonna blow it out of the water, isn’t it? That’s how I keep it off my hips, by not having the carbonated beverage and I also work out every day on my treadmill for at least 30 minutes. And then I have my cool down and then I do some toning. This is up to you. If you want to be a little bit more firm and maybe you want a little more strength in your arms. I can only use a 5 pound weight. I just want to get a little toned and get a little shape. My husband laughs at me with my little 5 pounders, but they work, for what I want. That’s up to you, but what’s going to take off the pounds is the treadmill.
Sodium is something that you need to cut back on. An example of having too much sodium is if you’re having 2-3 glasses of water after a meal, you’re probably getting too much sodium in that meal. Pizza. I love pizza. I have it at least once or twice a month. But I gauge when I have it on how it’s going to make my waistline look, because I know I’m gonna be dying of thirst after I eat that pizza. But I’m not going to totally give it up because that’s how you totally blow your diet out of the water, by giving up those foods that you love. The carbonated beverage is something that you definitely need to give up if you want that waistline. When I’m out with somebody and they have a beverage, you know, nobody else likes to give it up, if I’m really craving it, I might steal a few sips. That’s kind of how I get rid of the thought that I’m never ever ever gonna have it again. Whatever works for you, but you cannot drink that every day and have a waistline. Sorry. And you’re not going to be able to get the cottage cheese off your thighs if you’re drinking that. It’s just the way it is.
So, if you’re thirsty for that carbonated beverage, what you need to have in your refrigerator is juice. Apple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice. Not juice drinks, because they have too much sugar and that’s not gonna work, that’s not the same thing. But you’ll go for the juice drinks and after a while that’s what you’re going to be craving instead of the soda pop. So…yay! So cut out the carbonated beverages and cut back on the sodium. It’s really not that difficult. Another thing, just use moderation. Don’t sit down and eat a ton of food just because it tastes good. Eat as much as you’re going to need to fill your stomach up and just don’t go passed that. If you do have a day where you’re thinking, “I’m gonna go for that second piece of cake,” put an extra 5 minutes on your treadmill time, maybe 10, if you see that that’s actually putting some weight on you.
I don’t want to make it sound like I eat unhealthy all the time, because I really don’t. Those are just the things that I don’t totally cut out. I do use butter instead of shortening and I don’t use the tub stuff that they call butter. Never never never, because that’s really really bad for you to use something like that consistently every day. Real butter is actually not going to harm you. It’s not a bad fat. The next thing is peanut butter. Oh my goodness! Have you ever read the label on the creamy typical peanut butter brands? It’s like putting Crisco on a sandwich. Switch to the all natural peanut butter. It’s just all natural and has peanuts and salt. That’s it. This one that I have has oil on the top. You just stir it all up when you get it and then refrigerate it. You won’t be able to stir it later if you refrigerate it first. At the rate that my household goes through it, we really don’t have to refrigerate it since we go through it in about a week. It’s not going to go bad that quick. Definitely switch to the the all natural peanut butter. That other stuff, is not even food, I don’ think. It’s just simple changes like that. Just read your labels and find the substitutions where you can pretty much eat the same stuff, but in a healthier form. So, those are just little examples of the switches you can make.
Maybe right now you’re having pancakes, bacon, sausage, etc. This is OK is you’re just doing it once a week. That’s an OK breakfast once a week. Biscuits and gravy and all that good stuff. On your everyday, if you’re craving something aside from your shake, have a bowl of oatmeal or a bowl of malt-o-meal with some buttered toast on the side. It’s good, it makes you feel good and it’s healthy for you. Enough about that. Quick review: cut out your carbonated beverages, cut back on the sodium.
I’m gonna show you how to make one of these shakes now. We’re gonna start with a banana and one full cup of blueberries. Blueberries are a picker-upper and they’re going to make you feel sooo good when you have them. Blueberries are really really really good for you. Lot’s of antioxidants and they just make you feel good! Now I’m gonna throw in 3 strawberries. I’m not a big strawberry person, but if you are you can have extra strawberries. It doesn’t really make a difference. Now I put in my shake mix that I get at the health food store. I put between a half a scoop and a full scoop. You don’t need any more than that, unless you’re a real big person. Now you add your orange juice. Just fill it up to about the top of where your blueberries are. Put your lid on and blend. When I drink my shake I use a straw and the reason I use a straw is because blueberries will stain your teeth. So there’s my shake. It’s really blue and it’s really good. Enjoy and I guess I’ll see you working out sometime. Thanks. Bye!
-Cindy
To see the cycling DVDs that Cindy uses every day, check out the America’s Best Bike Rides store.
