Determining My Eating Philosophy

I stumbled across the Eat-Clean Diet (Tosca Reno) and thought, hmmmm... this looks relatively close to the nutrition philosophy I subscribe to.

I finished The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged! a day and a half after finding my amazon box at the post office.  What I love about this eating lifestyle...

• The combination of protein and complex carbs w/ healthy fats to keep you feel and energized
• Frequent small meals (5-6/day) to keep blood sugar level and hunger at bay
• Focus on natural foods, even for those who really can't cook (I cook... and am good at it but not everyone is!)
• Honesty... Tosca shares her story including what our bodies really look like after significant weight loss and how she made decisions regarding cosmetic surgery after weight loss. 
• The fact that Tosca is 51 years old and looks STUNNING... but 10 years ago she was a frumpy, overweight housewife.  She's lost 70+/- lbs!
• The website and forums (FREE!)
• Tosca explains how we sabotage our metabolisms (too few calories = starvation mode) and hit weight loss slumps

Tosca also emphasizes the beautiful body formula 80% Nutrition, 10% Exercise, 10% Genetics.   She goes on to say that working out isn't necessary to weight loss when you eat clean, but if you don't work out/tone then you will just be a smaller (soft, squishy) version of your former, chunkier self.  (My wording, not hers here).

What I'm not on board with:

• The emphasize on low fat dairy (dairy fat is essential to health)
• The focus on egg whites (the yolk of free range eggs is healthy)

So, I'm going to combine Tosca's Eat-Clean Diet with the standard Mediterranean diet (minus white carbs) and a Traditional (WAPF) diet.

Tosca says there is no need to count calories and fat... that by eating clean foods we are fueling our bodies efficiently and that foods are not equal in our bodies... we might be able to lose weight on 2000 cals/day of clean foods but gain on 1600 cals/day of junk foods. This makes sense.  I'll still be recording what I do eat and drink so that if I'm not losing, I can look back and figure out why.  

Here's my menu for today:

Breakfast (7am): GF oatmeal (1/2 cup oats + 1 cup water), 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries, 1 scant handful raw almonds + 1 heaping teaspoon of palm sugar (I can't go sans sweetener yet).
AM Snack 10am: 2 eggs scrambled w/ 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms and half a sliced apple
Lunch 1pm: chicken breast (palm sized) + 1 cup brown rice + large garden salad
PM Snack 4pm: 1/2 sliced apple + 1 Tbs natural almond butter + drizzle of local raw honey
Dinner 7PM: Tilapia fish + 1/2 baked sweet potato + zucchini and mushrooms sauteed w/ coconut oil
Before Bed snack (if needed) 10pm: kefir smoothie

How I Am Avoiding Over Indulgence

12 days in.  Wow... the changes already!  (BTW, I haven't weighed again because I don't want to see myself still stuck... so I'll be waiting until Thursday AM, but I feel and see a difference!)

I'm not really craving sweets.  This is an extraordinarily weird experience for me!  I did enjoy a mug of homemade cocoa and a slice of buttered toast yesterday (comfort food!).  Othewise, I've had only a couple treats in nearly two weeks.  Since I used to eat treats daily (because my body/brain CRAVED chocolate), this is amazing!

How I'm avoiding over-indulgence:

I'm eating every 2-3 hours (6am, 9am, 11-12, 3pm, 5-6pm, maybe a light snack in the PM).  This way, my body is nourished so I'm not feeling deprived, although I am feeling hunger. 

I'm adding REAL fat to my meals... too little fat is not a good thing.  I enjoy a bit of cheese, real butter, whole milk, coconut or olive oil.  (I've been enjoying veggies with olive oil and salads with cheese.)

I'm limiting sugar.  We only use SuCaNat (pure evaporated cane w/ minerals intact), Stevia, Raw Local Honey, and Organic Maple Syrup.  That said, I have purchased a couple of "diet" frozen treats... I'm really not sure why.  I can scoop up some nourishing ice cream or real whipping cream and berries just as easily.  

My breakfast consists of whole grains (oats and whole sprouted grain breads), fruit, & protein (almonds, eggs).

For a morning snack, I enjoy fruit.  It's plenty sweet. In the afternoon, I try to switch off fruit to veggies.  I'm eating a lot of veggies and a couple fruits a day.

When hunger strikes, I opt for protein if possible (by adding some almond or peanut butter to my fruit, having a few nuts, a chunk of cheese, real hot cocoa).

I'm altering my thinking.  I realize that 80-90% of what goes into my body is responsible for fat loss (or retention).  That's no small thing.

Did I mention, I don't even miss soda anymore?  Really, I don't.  I am working on some kefir blueberry soda... it'll take a few days, but should be promising!

*Water kefir grains (avaliable at Cultures for Health), turn sugar water into a fermented, healthy, good bacteria filled beverage.   Think yogurt goodness in a soda like beverage.