Simple Seven-Point Nutrition Plan

A few years ago I my brother asked me how I had succeeded in losing all the weight (and more) I had put on following a serious sports injury, so I created a document for him summarizing the basic elements of my "nutrition plan." I've since shared with several other friends and acquaintances, most of whom have had some success with it. I call it a nutrition plan and NOT a diet because it's more of a philosophy or approach to eating. I based it on a number of books and articles I'd read during my recovery. The primary source was Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, by Walter C. Willett, M.D., which I highly recommend. Of course, the other half of the caloric equation is the "fitness plan" (more on that later) since weight management is all about calories in versus calories out. Enjoy! - FJM

1. Cut out saturated fat!

Always read nutritional labeling and try to pick items that are very low in saturated fat (and absolutely zero trans fats). To do this you'll need to cut way back on dairy products (little to no butter, cream, ice cream, whipped cream, and very little cheese). Make sure to drink skim milk. To make it more enjoyable I recommend mixing it half and half with soy or oat milk (I like Pacific brand). When choosing entrees for lunch try to select meals that have two or fewer grams of saturated fat.

2. Have a nutritious, low-fat breakfast and lunch!
This should be much easier to do during the week because you're more or less captive at work. You'll save a lot of money by not going out to eat, even if you buy relatively expensive nutritious food at the supermarket – you can buy a prepared entree at the supermarket for $3-4, while lunch just about anywhere will cost you at least $10. Breakfast at work: whole grain cereal, small amount of honey, skim/soy/oat milk. For lunch: Look for entrees that are low in saturated fat. There are some excellent Asian stir frys and I like Amy's brand burritos. Humous and pita is excellent. The hardest thing to do at work will be avoiding the donuts, bagels and other treats co-workers bring in. Try to politely decline. You can always sit with them if they're taking a social break and have a cup of tea or coffee (without cream, of course!).

3. Have healthy snacks accessible at all times!
If you don't stock up on healthy snacks, you'll eat junk when it's available at the office. Stock up on fruit (apples, bananas, grapefruit – I keep a grapefruit knife at work), dried fruit, low fat trail mix, and veggies. If you can buy several vegetables you like on the weekend, you can cut them up and keep a container at work. Take an hour and walk through Whole Foods or your local co-op looking for snacks that are low in saturated fat and reasonably low in calories. This can be a lot of fun and can get you excited about starting a new plan, since you'll get to try lots of new, healthy foods. Don't be afraid to spend a good chunk of money initially – it will save you a lot in the long run, since you'll eventually be eating less and eating out for lunch much less. Be careful, however, not to take this as a license to snack all day long. A few small snacks during the day will help level out your metabolism and can help you eat less during your meals.

4. Always eat a good portion of vegetables and/or fruit with dinner, and never serve yourself more of your entree before finishing them!
In fact, try to get in the habit of eating seconds of fruits or vegetables before you have more of any entree. Try to pause for a few minutes before serving yourself seconds to see if you really need more food. One thing you can try for the first few months is to have a large glass of water and a few nuts (almonds, cashews, or other high-protein nuts) just before your meal. The protein will give you a fuller feeling and help you eat less for dinner. Regarding entrees, I think you know that we gave up red meat a few years ago (for a variety of reasons we can discuss later, including nutrition, safety and environmental). I'd recommend lean meats, like chicken and turkey, as well as fish and vegetable protein (tofu, beans, lentils, etc.).

5. Limit food intake after dinner, and particularly just before bed!
To kick-start your new nutrition plan and to see results quickly, try hard to take in zero fat after dinner. That means no ice cream or rich desserts. In fact, for the first two months I ate very little if anything after dinner and went to bed hungry. After this initial period you can reintroduce a small snack one, or ideally two, hours before you go to bed, with little to no saturated fat. I'll often have a piece of toast and jam (whole wheat bread with canola oil butter and low-sugar jam). If you're going to have beer or wine try to have one drink and make it once every three or four days if you can. For the first couple of months I'd try to limit yourself to one or two drinks on the weekend and none during the week, if you can't imagine cutting it out entirely for this short period.

6. Avoid corn syrup like the plague!
I strongly recommend you swear off for good soda of any kind. It's terrible for your teeth, it's very high in calories, and it uses highly refined sugars that do nothing good for you. It's been aptly called “liquid candy” by nutritionists. Diet soda has Nutrasweet or Aspartame – nasty stuff that's proven harmful to lab animals and is associated with memory loss. You should also be very careful about the kinds of fruit juices you buy. Most of the offerings from major brands (Ocean Spray, Dole, etc.) are going to be loaded with corn syrup. Buy 100% juice whenever possible. It's considerably more expensive but very worth it. The other varieties are cheap because they use cheap ingredients and minimize the amount or real fruit juice in them. Also very important: Get in the habit of mixing your juice half and half with water. It will take only a short while to adjust to this (after some time, straight fruit juice will taste way too strong). Mixing it with sparkling mineral water makes it more enjoyable. Consider this: It's actually cheaper to buy relatively expensive mineral water and 100% juice and mix them half and half than to buy regular juice with corn syrup, and it's much better for you. If you can stomach paying the price, buy organic juice. Non-organic juices are bathed in pesticides. This is not so important for weight management but for general health.

7. After exercise, try to take in a large amount of protein and little to no fat!
I recommend skim milk with a healthy brand of whey protein powder. The flavored protein powder mixed with cold milk makes a nice shake, particularly if you blend it in a mixer with crushed ice. However, it's important to get a significant amount of protein (15-20 grams) within about 30 minutes of hard exercise. Otherwise your muscles shut down the protein intake process. Also, try if possible to go to bed without eating additional food if your exercise takes place in the evening. This is very helpful because your metabolism stays at a very high level after exercise (kind of like a car's cooling fan after a long trip!) and you burn calories at a much higher rate for several hours.