MyFitLife2Day: The Eating Plan

I came up with this plan more than 10 years ago, and it led to fantastic success. I lost 165 pounds following it, with some tweaking along the way to account for my increase in exercising that came naturally as I took the weight off.

I went from 420 pounds down to 255. Unfortunately, I experienced several major setbacks when my mother passed away, and I returned to my old habits of emotional, uncontrolled, and often binge eating.

Attacking Obesity takes drive, commitment, resilience - and a plan!

During that time, I only ate fast food, and as a result I gained back all the weight I had worked so hard to lose. But when I get knocked down, I get up again. So now, I am now implementing the same routine as before and fully expect to achieve similar results.

So far, I have lost nearly 25 pounds by following this eating plan, without having added exercise to the equation. However, I will start going to the gym soon, and I will document how that impacts my diet with regards to calorie consumption, energy levels, and muscle recovery.

The Plan

• Consume between 1800 and 2200 calories per day, trying to stick to the lower end but listening to my body when I need more.
• Achieve a daily goal of 30% of my calories from fat, 30% from protein, and 40% from carbs.
• Start every morning by drinking at least 16 oz. of water before eating any calories
• Drink water steadily throughout the day (64 oz./day plus 8 oz. additional for every 20 lbs. overweight)
• Consume the first meal within 30 minutes of waking up
• Spread out calories to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks, with meals averaging 300 and not exceeding more than 500 calories.
• Stack carb-dominant foods in the morning and during the day, when I need the energy most.
• At night, eat something high in protein, so my body has something to fuel my metabolism throughout the night
• Eat all my calories before 9 p.m.
• Weigh myself in the morning (daily or at least once a week) to record my dry weight and track my progress.

My Staple Foods

Carb Dominant	Fat Dominant	Protein Dominant	Vegetables
Steel cut oats	Nuts (almonds, walnuts)	Greek yogurt (whole milk)	Spinach
Dried fruits (cherries, raisins)	Seeds (chia)	Protein powder	Peas
Honey or agave nectar	Peanut butter	Chicken or turkey	Broccoli
Frozen fruit blend	Olive oil	Eggs	Brussels Sprouts
Sweet potato
Lentils, black beans, or garbanzos
Rice, quinoa
whole wheat bread