The 21-Day Fix Diet --My Opinions
Have you seen the 21-Day Fix diet? I kept coming across pins on Pinterest related to it, and I was intrigued by the seeming simplicity of simply measuring by using colorful containers. No counting!
Let me state right at the beginning that I didn't buy the book, nor did I buy the colored containers. While they are inexpensive enough on Amazon, I want to "try before you buy" and simply see if it would help me in my weight loss adventures while I wait for surgery.
I'm a dedicated foodie. That's one reason why my BMI is a whopping 43. I love food, and I love combining my foods into interesting and tasty combinations such as mini-peppers cut in half and stuffed with half a mozzarella stick. Yumm! Who says diets have to be boring?
Anyway, I checked around and found the number of colorful containers for my weight. Each color represents a different food group and each container is a specific size to match a serving of that food group. For instance, I am allowed 3 green 1-cup containers a day of vegetables. Whew! That's a lot of veggies to choke down.
As I said, I wanted to see if this would work for me before I spent money on the containers, so I took my time and pulled out glass jars and other plastic containers that matched the sizes needed. I labeled the top of the jar or container with masking tape detailing what food would go in that jar, and how much. Mine were 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 4 proteins, 2 carbs, 1 fats/cheeses, 1 seeds/dressings, and two teaspoons to designate my two allotted teaspoons of nut butters/oils.
The "secret" to this type of plan is portion control and pre-planning. If you know you will have meatloaf, collard greens, a salad, dressing, and a nectarine for dessert, then you can move those jars aside to "reserve" them for dinner. (You can even stick a Post-it note inside each designating what food is reserved.) Now you can look at what's left and designate what's for breakfast, snacks, and what's for lunch. Now you know for sure what you're going to eat, when, and how much. When you've eaten everything in the containers, plus your water intake, you're done for the day.
I was on a similar type of portion control/planner diet called "Move, Groove, and Lose" by Richard Simmons back in the 80's, so I know it works for me. I had forgotten how difficult it was to eat everything you're "supposed" to eat every day! By mid-afternoon, I was fighting to finish my set snack of carrots. I was stuffed full of veggies and running to the bathroom every hour to recycle all that water. LOL!
Yes, you can combine your foods! 1 cup of ground beef, 1 4-oz of cooked macaroni, and one 2-oz of cheese is a bowl of spaghetti, right? That's a hearty lunch.
So, I'm thinking I'm going to stick with my homemade jars for now. I know how to measure and plan ahead. Right now, I'm waiting to find out if Humana Military will approve my surgery, so this is Part 1 of my pre-surgery diet. It doesn't hurt me to get started on shrinking my liver.
Let me state right at the beginning that I didn't buy the book, nor did I buy the colored containers. While they are inexpensive enough on Amazon, I want to "try before you buy" and simply see if it would help me in my weight loss adventures while I wait for surgery.
I'm a dedicated foodie. That's one reason why my BMI is a whopping 43. I love food, and I love combining my foods into interesting and tasty combinations such as mini-peppers cut in half and stuffed with half a mozzarella stick. Yumm! Who says diets have to be boring?
Anyway, I checked around and found the number of colorful containers for my weight. Each color represents a different food group and each container is a specific size to match a serving of that food group. For instance, I am allowed 3 green 1-cup containers a day of vegetables. Whew! That's a lot of veggies to choke down.
As I said, I wanted to see if this would work for me before I spent money on the containers, so I took my time and pulled out glass jars and other plastic containers that matched the sizes needed. I labeled the top of the jar or container with masking tape detailing what food would go in that jar, and how much. Mine were 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 4 proteins, 2 carbs, 1 fats/cheeses, 1 seeds/dressings, and two teaspoons to designate my two allotted teaspoons of nut butters/oils.
The "secret" to this type of plan is portion control and pre-planning. If you know you will have meatloaf, collard greens, a salad, dressing, and a nectarine for dessert, then you can move those jars aside to "reserve" them for dinner. (You can even stick a Post-it note inside each designating what food is reserved.) Now you can look at what's left and designate what's for breakfast, snacks, and what's for lunch. Now you know for sure what you're going to eat, when, and how much. When you've eaten everything in the containers, plus your water intake, you're done for the day.
I was on a similar type of portion control/planner diet called "Move, Groove, and Lose" by Richard Simmons back in the 80's, so I know it works for me. I had forgotten how difficult it was to eat everything you're "supposed" to eat every day! By mid-afternoon, I was fighting to finish my set snack of carrots. I was stuffed full of veggies and running to the bathroom every hour to recycle all that water. LOL!
Yes, you can combine your foods! 1 cup of ground beef, 1 4-oz of cooked macaroni, and one 2-oz of cheese is a bowl of spaghetti, right? That's a hearty lunch.
So, I'm thinking I'm going to stick with my homemade jars for now. I know how to measure and plan ahead. Right now, I'm waiting to find out if Humana Military will approve my surgery, so this is Part 1 of my pre-surgery diet. It doesn't hurt me to get started on shrinking my liver.
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