This is what I ate in December to lose 30 pounds

I'm currently living in South Florida living in motels and sometimes sleeping in my car, so it makes shopping and planning meals a bit difficult. But I manage. And this is what I ate in December to lose nearly 30 pounds. All this food totals around 2,200 calories and is protein-centric, but I don't cut single food type or macro nutrient totally out of my diet. 

As mentioned in a previous post, I eat six meals per day over the course of 12 hours. While this isn't what I eat every day, it's a sample of what I typically at all last month:

1) I have a snack at 7 a.m. to break my fast. This is usually a banana and a yogurt.

2) Just before starting work I have a meal, usually a breakfast sandwich for convenience.

McDonald's breakfast sandwiches are a weakness that works for me

3) Then there's a snack at 11 a.m. This is almost a vegan protein shake. I'm not vegan, but my wellness coach friend Angela put me on to pea protein and while it's gross at first but I convince myself that they taste like health, and that works to trick my brain just fine.

4) My lunch meal at 1 p.m. is usually a hardy bean and vegetable soup with a packet of water-packed tuna or some ritz crackers and a can of sardines in oil

5) My afternoon snack is another protein shake and maybe a couple pistachios or carrots or fruit.

6) Unfortunately, my last meal of the day is almost always some kind of convenience food, capped at 400 calories. Maybe a McChicken sandwich with pickles and mustard instead of mayo or a ham and Swiss croissant at Starbucks. On the weekends when I have more time I'll go to Publix and get a quarter pound of Boar's Head turkey, fresh fruit, another carrot, and a small roll.

These seven simple habits helped me lose 30 pounds in 30 days

Moderation in everything, including moderation! That's my mantra these days. So with that in mind, I skipped the "dieting" and simply made these seven changes in December to lose nearly 30 pounds in 30 days in December.

1. Drinking my coffee black

Cream and sugar are banished! No explanation needed. It's just a smart idea, and we all know it.

2. Drinking more water

Based on my weight I should be drinking five liters of water daily. Well, that's not happening! But I'm up to drinking two 1.5 liter bottles and a cup here and there with meals. It helps flush toxins from my body. I feel the difference.

I like my water cold and my coffee black

3. Eating one plain Greek yogurt daily

It's got protein to help me maintain muscle while losing fat, probiotics for gut health, and a bit of satiating fiber, Plus, I feel better about this mid-morning snack when I skip the added sugar and hidden weird ingredients in yogurts processed with sugar-laden fruits (or "natural" fruit flavors and colors).

4. Fasting for 12 hours per night.

They call this intermittent fasting, and lots of people recommend eating all your food within an eight hour block during the day. Well, I guess that's a good idea. But I do for 12 hours at night because that's what I feel like doing. The key is not to be hard on yourself. So I take a good idea and tweak so I can have some success without suffering.

 5. Making sure I get at least 2,500 steps in

This is not a lot. "They" recommend getting 10,000 steps daily for general health. Well, I'm not there yet. And 2,500 is as good as it gets. For now I do what I can. Besides, it's a heck of a lot more than what I was doing before. Sadly, since the pandemic started and I began working and intermittently sleeping in my car, I had barely been getting 300 steps a day. Yikes, I know. But now I'm getting a mile in over the course of my day. Yay me.

6. Limiting myself to 2,200 calories per day

Lots of diets tell men to reduce their caloric intake to between 1,500 and 1,800 calories per day. Well, that's great for some people. Cutting myself down to 2,200 per day still gets me into a calorie deficit because of my size. And weight loss is as simple as that - burn more calories from your system than you put in. So there.

7. Eat six times per day.

Spreading out my calories  throughout the day keeps me satiated enough before "feedings". As I mentioned, I fast 12 hours, and I eat during the other 12 hours. Twelve divided by six is 2, so I eat every two hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

Cardio à la swimming and hiking power my fit-life routine

First of all, let me just say that swimming is amazing! I know, I've heard that said a million times before. And having been an avid recreational swimmer in my youth is probably what kept me from becoming obese back in the day despite my regular afternoon diet of chocolate donuts, Oreos and pudding.

I just recently started doing a regular swimming workout - I call it my "everyday cardrio" - and I have been working up from one set, to two, and finally today, three. Two weeks ago I could barely do five laps of the crawl stroke. Now, I'm doing 16.5 laps (or 33 lengths of the pool here in my complex) with ease! I mean really, it was nothing. Tomorrow I might do a fourth set or add a lap to each of the five strokes I do within each set.

Plus, I'm still hiking. And today I realized that doing my swim workout followed by an hour or so hike in some hilly terrain - a great local trail that's just two miles from my doorstep - was like adding steroids to my everyday cardio routine.

LOL - It makes me laugh thinking that I'm actually doing cardio on a regular basis and loving it. Hiking was my sneaky way of getting into cardio. I would hike for the views, I would tell myself. I knew it was cardio but I would have NEVER called it that. Now, I'm quite happy to admit. I hike. I swim. I do cardio. And I love it!

Kefir Fruit Freezy - healthy snack that satisfies ice cream craving

Are you looking for a healthy snack that satisfies your craving for ice cream and is tastier than any frozen yogurt? Well look no further. Here is a healthy snack recipe that you will crave from now on!

This easy-to-make snack is healthy and satisfies your ice cream craving!

Ingredients

1/4 cup lowfat kefir
1/4 cup lowfat milk
1 raw walnut (crushed, unsalted)
2 raw almonds (whole, unsalted)
1 tsp. pumpkin seeds (shelled, unsalted)
1 tsp. sunflower seeds (shelled, unsalted)
1/2 cup frozen cherries and/or blueberries (or peaches, or strawberries, or whatever fruit you love!)

How to make

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Stir until the milk/kefir mix freezes onto the frozen fruit. Eat and enjoy!

By the way, I know you might be thinking - oh, that sounds good, but maybe I'll use fresh fruit instead. That's fine, but for the ice cream effect the freeze your fresh fruit first. You'll be glad you did!