Losing the Weight

In case you were worried about those 4 pounds that I put on eating whole grains at the Satchitananda Yoga Ashram, they are coming off. It is an unhappy fact that you can put ON weight way faster than it comes off again. A very good reason for trying to at least maintain your current weight over the holiday season rather than throwing all caution to the wind. I am expecting to take at least a week to lose all of those pounds, even though I put them on in just 3 days.

I thought you might be interested in exactly what I am eating now in order to drop those pounds. Here is a run-down of my meals since I arrived back home. I am trying to be pretty consistent with what I eat.

Breakfast:
Cup of coffee (of course) with heavy cream (I never cut back on fat to lose weight!)
6 ounces fat-free plain Greek Yogurt (Costco brand-- we only buy fat-free because of the price)
1 small-medium sized banana
1 teaspoon fish oil (I take this separately before I eat.)

1 liter of water BEFORE exercising
Walk for 1 hour with the dogs and Mr. Balancing Act

Another liter of water DURING exercise

Lunch:
Large Bowl Chicken Mulligatawny Soup (recipe can be found in blogpost)

Snack:
Cup of coffee with heavy cream OR cup of tea with nothing in it. (I usually have coffee when I need to perk up for teaching again in the evening. Otherwise, I stick with tea.)

Dinner:
About 3 ounces roasted chicken meat
1 slice butternut squash tart (Recipe can be found on blog. This week I made a version with no crust as I wanted to completely avoid grains.)

1 liter of water with my supplements (including probiotics, vitamins, minerals, etc.)

Snack:
1 chocolate zucchini muffin (purchased frozen from Costco. 120 calories and 11 grams sugar. No wheat flour! Made from veggies, egg whites, cocoa powder, etc.)
1 TB natural peanut butter
Large cup of decaf green tea

This has been my daily menu plan for the past week. It is easy to follow as I made most of this food ahead of time. I don't count calories. The only thing I really measure (on my scale) is my Greek yogurt and my chicken as I want to be sure to get enough protein. My final snack of the day is a little low in protein, but it is pretty darn healthy for a treat, and it fills me up enough so I am not starving all night long. My meals (except for the final snack) are completely Zone-compliant, balancing protein, fat, and carbs, which keep my blood sugar stable and my hunger at bay.

There is nothing magical about the particular choices I have made in this meal plan. You could substitute cottage cheese for the Greek yogurt. Many other fruits would be even better than banana, like apples, oranges, berries, etc. But bananas are quick and easy. Soup is my favorite winter lunch because it is light yet very filling. Any soup with enough protein and tons of different veggies would be a good choice. Dinner could be any lean protein plus a couple of veggies or a big salad. Make sure you add a little fat to every meal, like a few nuts, olives, avocado, or grass-fed butter.

I am also planning a cheat meal on Sunday because Mr. Balancing Act and I are going out to dinner. Since this is a rare occurrence, I will eat whatever looks good to me without worrying at all about calories, grains, sugar, alcohol, and other sinful abominations. I'll post a restaurant review afterwards so you can benefit from my indulgence!