My friend, Kristin, sent me this diet via email. (She mentioned it in the comment section last Thursday.) I am leaving her comments intact because I appreciate them so much. Kristin has lost a ton of weight herself and now runs races for fun. She looks amazing!
* * * (THESE ARE ALL KRISTIN'S WORDS, NOT MINE) * * *
3-Day
Diet
This
is not just a diet, it is a very doable eating plan, although it is quite low in
calories—I calculated less than 1200 calories per day. They recommend adding 200 calories of
food per day if you want to do it more than three days. I did it for a while last winter/spring
when I wanted to get back on track and lose a few more pounds after being stuck
for a while. What I did was follow
the plan strictly Monday through Wednesday, then lightened up a bit for the rest
of the week (while still following the same basic principles). Although the immediate weight loss is
undoubtedly water weight at least in part, it is a good boost. And I never really gained the weight
back (except for a few pounds when I was training for a half marathon then went
on vacation, then it did take me all summer to lose those pounds again).
This plan centers around foods that are
supposed to help boost your metabolism, and also really features low-glycemic,
anti-inflammatory foods. There is
plenty to eat, only the snacks seem a bit spare! So if I were to add some additional
calories, I would probably boost up the afternoon snack with some sliced turkey
and a few almonds, and maybe add some yoghurt with a little fruit as a bedtime
snack.
There are a few quirky things which probably should not be omitted…
such as the glasses of water with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and the
extra virgin coconut oil (Spectrum makes an organic coconut oil which can be
bought in the supermarket—it looks like shortening).
There
is just one menu which you repeat daily. What I like to do is cook oatmeal in advance, then reheat it in the
microwave in the mornings, and also cook the salmon, chicken, and sweet potatoes
in the beginning and just use a portion each day.
Upon
rising
8 oz
water mixed with 2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I did the lemon in
the morning and the vinegar at dinner)
Breakfast
1 egg
plus 3 egg whites cooked in ½ tsp extra virgin coconut oil, topped with 2 Tbsp
spicy salsa or pico de gallo (you can buy egg whites in a carton so you don’t
have to waste whole eggs—I use 1/3 cup egg whites to equal 3 egg whites) (I
probably use more than 2 Tbsp salsa, especially if it’s pico de
gallo)
¾ cup
cooked steel-cut oats, ½ tsp maple syrup, dash cinnamon (the steel-cut oats are
much yummier than regular oatmeal!) (I made one substitution here—I reduced the
oatmeal to ½ cup and added fresh or frozen blueberries. I stir in a lot of cinnamon before
reheating the oatmeal, then stir in the thawed blueberries and trickle on the
maple syrup—measured in a measuring spoon.)
Coffee
Break
8 oz
skim latte or warm nonfat milk, dash cinnamon (if you want), 1 small apple. I know you don’t drink coffee, so you
could just go with the milk. You
could flavor it with flavored Splenda or sugar-free syrup (like the kind they
use for lattes), or get the sugar-free hot cocoa mix to make hot chocolate (but
using the skim milk instead of water). I supposed you could substitute nonfat yoghurt, but there is something
very satisfying about a hot beverage, and you can really make it last a long
time. I saved the apple here for a
bedtime snack—I would often cut it up and heat it in the microwave with cinnamon
for a dessert-like treat. Cutting
it up makes it go a lot further too.
Lunch
3 cups
mixed salad (greens, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, parsley, or other low
glycemic raw vegetables), 3 oz. chicken breast or tuna, ½ tsp. olive oil, apple
cider vinegar and seasoning to taste. This makes a great salad. I
also add pico de gallo and/or salsa, which I consider a vegetable
anyway.
Snack
8 oz.
spicy V-8 juice or low-sodium tomato juice with 3 (or more, to taste) shakes of
Tabasco, 1 stalk celery (cut up into celery sticks—and you could have extra
celery if you wanted).
Pre-Dinner
8 oz.
water mixed with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Dinner
4 oz.
salmon or tuna, 1 Tbsp spice rub (if you have it)
2 cups
broccoli or green beans, ½ tsp coconut oil, melted and drizzled onto
vegetables. (I would frequently
substitute, or add, a salad and use ½ tsp olive oil plus lemon or vinegar on the
salad in lieu of the coconut oil here.)
½ cup
brown rice or small sweet potato (This is what makes it all worth it! I love the sweet potatoes. But they don’t really come in
small. So what I would do is cook
medium or large sweet potatoes and portion them out—I figure 2 medium equals 3
small, or 1 large equals 2 small. The way I cook sweet potatoes is cut
them into small chunks and put them on a foil lined baking sheet, spray with
olive oil, and optionally sprinkle with cumin and cayenne pepper, or red pepper
flakes, and you can also toss with rosemary if you like rosemary, then roast at
450 degrees until they are browned and tender—depending on your oven they may or
may not get crispy on the outside.)
Snack
6
almonds or walnut halves (if you’ve saved your apple, this is quite a nice
snack!)
Here’s
the explanation behind all the foods…
Eggs – Protein
stimulates metabolism, and eggs are nutrient dense.
Salsa –
Capsaicin, a compound that gives peppers their heat, stimulates the release of
adrenaline, speeding metabolism by up to 20%.
Coffee –
Caffeine cuts hunger and boosts metabolism.
Oatmeal – Fiber
helps whisk calories through the digestive tract unabsorbed. It is filling, and folks who have it for
breakfast eat 30% less at lunch.
Coconut oil –
The unique structure of this natural fat stimulates metabolism as it is broken
down, boosting calorie burn by up to 50%.
Cinnamon – Just
½ tsp of cinnamon causes the body to metabolize sugar 20 times faster, resulting
in less hunger and fewer fat-storage hormones.
Apple cider
vinegar – Vinegar’s acetic acid slashes the production of fat-storage
hormones and makes food feel up to 200% more satisfying.
Salmon and tuna
– Seafood contains anti-hunger, anti-craving, metabolism-boosting properties so
powerful, one serving a day can help dieters lose 22% more weight. (Salmon should be wild Alaska or Pacific
caught, not farm raised. I know
this is the most expensive food here. But with 4-oz servings you are eating it very
frugally.)
Nuts – A study
found that after a dose of good fat from nuts, folks felt full for 90 minutes
longer than folks eating fat-free food with the same
calories.
