Bulletproof Dieting

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Added: Sun. Jul 24, 2011 10:13am
Posted in: Weight Loss

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I have been successfully dieting now for nearly a full month. If you've tried and failed to diet as many times as I have, you know how hard that is. Since I need to lose more than a hundred pounds, it's a long, discouraging road. Here's why I think I will succeed.

My theory is that diets fail due to lack of preparedness. It's working this time because I'm prepared. When I get hungry - and, frankly, that's not often - there's a selection of hearty and satisfying foods ready to be heated. No need for an involved cooking process, with its inherent tasting (accidental calories). Standing over a stove breathing in savory cooking smells is not healthy for a diet, so a dieter shouldn't do it. It's just that simple.

I have a family. They are all adults, but they would likely die from starvation if they had to feed themselves. So I do a one-day shopping, chopping, cooking binge and get meals ready for a week. I might make meatballs and sauce, a pot of shredded BBQ chicken, a pan of chicken enchiladas, pork chops in gravy, and mashed potatoes. Plus, I stock up on cheese, cold cuts, Bubba Burgers, and hot dogs. The other meals will be fish or shrimp and I can eat the same thing. I also eat chicken, just not loaded with cheese, sauce, or bready things like tortillas. Red meats are limited to one meal per week for now, and maybe forever. We'll see how it goes.

At the same time, I make a pot of bean and veggie chili, a huge slow-cooker full of vegetable soup, a batch of collard greens, and black or pinto beans. I saute a pound of ground turkey breast with onions, peppers, celery and seasonings. I stock Kellogg's fiber plus bars and Edy's Grand coconut pineapple or key lime pie ice cream for when I want something. Really, check the Edy's label, it's 110 cals per half cup. awesome.

I eat 2-3 bowls of low-carb veggie soup per day. I love it, and it's very filling and nutritious. I'll post the recipe below. I also eat one bowl of some sort of beans per day - I keep pintos, black beans and blackeyed peas all the time, and there's always some variety or a mixed bean chili in the fridge. Every small meal I eat has a little protein, and I make sure I get 25-20 grams of fiber a day to keep the works running smoothly and because fiber is very filling. I eat a very light breakfast, often a bowl of double fiber oatmeal or a fiber bar, because that's what works best for me. Then I eat something every 2 - 3 hours and drink plenty of liquid. I've gotten my daily calorie count down to 1000, and I am never hungry. Next step, 800.

Here's that simple soup recipe:

Ingredients

Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread (or other healthy oil) 2 Tbls
Mushrooms, Baby Bella, 1 lb, chopped
Onions, 2 large, chopped
Green pepper, 1 large, chopped
Celery, 5 large stalks, chopped
Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed and chopped
Cabbage, 1 head, chopped
Carrots, 1 lb, peeled and chopped
Parsnips, about 5, peeled and chopped
Cherry tomatoes, about 3/4 pound
Chicken broth, 99% fat free, 16 oz
Bud Light beer, 1 bottle

Suggested seasonings:
Salt & pepper to taste
Bay leaf, 2-4 whole
Basil, handful
Tumeric, handful
Sugar, tbls

Saute mushrooms, peppers, celery, garlic and onion in Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread until the mushrooms are brown and the veggies are limp. Transfer to slow cooker or large stock pot. Add chicken stock, beer, and remaining vegetables. Cook on low heat for 3 hours, adding water as necessary. Add seasonings and simmer for an additional hour. 
Note: You can adjust this recipe to taste using any kind of vegetables. These are low-carb, low-cal and non-starchy. Adding cooked chicken breast or sauteed and seasoned ground turkey works with this soup to add protein without adding a lot of calories.

Number of Servings: about 14


Nutritional Info (per serving)
Fat: 1.2g Carbohydrates: 14.9g Fiber: 4.2g Calories:80.6 Protein: 3.0g

Vitamin A 51.9 %, Vitamin B-12 4.1 %, Vitamin B-6 17.0 %, Vitamin C 112.0 %, Vitamin D 5.0 %, Vitamin E 4.1 %, Calcium 7.0 %, Copper 6.7 %, Folate 16.2 %, Iron 6.0 %, Magnesium 7.2 %, Manganese 14.7 %, Niacin 7.3 %, Pantothenic Acid  5.8 %, Phosphorus 7.0 %, Riboflavin 8.3 %, Selenium 5.1 %, Thiamin 7.6 %, Zinc 2.8 %

I'm not sure, but 2-3 bowls of this per day and I might be bulletproof.