Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight (25 page)

Lunch and dinner items. These contain 400 to 500 calories.

Snacks and treats. You can have up to two 100-calorie snacks per day.

Just select one breakfast item, one lunch item, one dinner item, and one or two snacks each day for the next 6 weeks, and you will stay in a daily calorie range of 1,250 to 1,600 calories. This calorie range should support weight loss for most women who are active or somewhat active, as well as men who are sedentary.

You can modify how you pick foods from the charts to make this plan fit your individual needs.

In each chart, items are listed from least to most caloric (in other words, items at the bottom of columns have more calories than those at the top). Choose a variety of foods from throughout the columns. If you find that you aren't losing enough weight, start picking foods from higher up on the charts. If you're hungry and losing weight too fast, move down the chart. Choosing from a variety of positions in the charts should yield a proper calorie balance.

Women who are sedentary should limit their snacks/treats to one per day. That's because you aren't burning as many calories as someone who's active. Men who are active should aim to eat higher-calorie foods at mealtime (choose the foods in the bottom rows of the charts). They may also consider eating 50 percent more protein in a meal than what the chart specifies if they're not feeling satiated or they're losing weight too rapidly.

If you wish, you can “bank” unused snack/treat calories—up to 400 once a week—to accommodate a splurge.

Please refrain from drinking beverages with calories, like sodas and alcoholic drinks. You can, of course, have a smoothie for breakfast.

If you eat a meal out, try to find out the calorie count of your options, and choose something that fits into your daily range. I know this calorie-counting requires effort and time, but the trade-off is not having to cook or clean up. This attention to calories will also get your mind more involved in the meal.

The items in these charts aren't necessarily all low in sodium or saturated fat. If you need to follow any dietary restrictions for health reasons, be sure to choose items that meet your particular needs. If necessary, talk to a doctor before embarking on this eating plan.

Plan ahead! Shop ahead of time so you always have plenty of appealing options in your kitchen. If you leave your decisions to the last minute, you're likely to default to less healthy choices.

Now it's time to get started. Here are your simple, easy-to-follow charts. Use them to put together delicious meals and snacks that will help you create the slender, happy, more mindful life you're seeking!

BREAKFAST

Start each day off right. Every morning, select
one
of the breakfast items from these charts.

Breakfast Sandwich