The best diet is one you can sustain for the rest of your life, so you must include the foods you eat on a regular basis. If you're accustomed eating foods high in sugars, fats, cholesterol and salt, you can still have them but enjoy them in smaller portions and less often. Slight changes in how you prepare your food and consuming some of your favorite foods at particular times of the day makes it easier to go on a diet with foods you eat regularly.
Fruits, Veggies and Portions
Step 1
Eat an apple, orange, pear or 1 cup of sweet cherries before your meal if you will be eating white rice, white bread or a baked potato. The fiber and water content of the fruits will help fill you up so you are likely to eat smaller portions of the refined carbs. The carbs in fruit take a while to digest, slowing the absorption of the refined carbs, keeping you full for a longer period of time.
Step 2
Fill 1/3 of your plate with grilled or steamed veggies flavored with balsamic vinaigrette or a splash of lemon juice. This reduces the amount of space on your plate for less healthy foods and helps to fill you up. Veggies are also lower in calories compared to rice and meat, keeping your total daily caloric intake down.
Step 3
Use measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale to accurately track your serving sizes and the amount of calories you eat. Scoop your rice with a ½-cup measuring cup. Portion your pasta into a ½-cup measuring cup before placing the noodles on your plate.
Meal Timing
Step 1
Eat fast-digesting carbs or your favorite sweet dessert after a 30- to 60-minute exercise session, which should be moderate to vigorous in intensity. If you're going to indulge in pancakes, waffles, muffins, doughnuts or bagels, for instance, have only one or two small servings and do so with a glass of skim milk, within 30 minutes of a morning workout.
Step 2
Eat white rice, white bread or a baked potato with a tiny bit of chicken, steak or deli meat immediately following an afternoon or evening training bout. The sugars in these foods are quickly absorbed into your bloodstream, optimally replacing the stored energy you used while exercising, according to a 2004 article by Melinda Manore, Ph.D., and colleagues, published in "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal."
Step 3
Split a few of your daily workouts into a morning session and an evening session if you want to eat more than two fast-digesting carbs a day. Exercise for 45 minutes at a moderate intensity in the morning then enjoy one doughnut. Train again at night for 25 minutes at a vigorous intensity, then have your baked potato with 1 tbsp. of light sour cream and 1 tbsp. of shredded cheese.
Tips and Warnings
- Mix and match your usual refined carbs with whole-grain carbs. Cook white rice mixed with some brown rice and whole-grain pasta mixed with regular pasta.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen scale
References
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Motivating Change: Modifying Eating and Exercise Behaviors for Weight Management; John Jakicic, Ph.D., and Amy Otto, Ph.D., RD; Jan./Feb. 2005
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch; 2007
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Applying Concepts of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load to Active Individuals; Melinda Manore, Ph.D., et al; September/October 2004
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