So, a little about the plan I have been following. I have truly been on almost every diet plan you can think of. I have been on weight watchers, jenny craig, low-carb, south beach, cabbage soup, maker's diet, ect. ect. ect. All of those plans definitely have the potential to work. I am not going to sit here and tell you that the diets didn't work. I know they work for many people, however they were not for me. Most of them were about restricting one thing or another, or had plans I just couldn't follow. This go around I care just as much about getting healthy as I do with losing weight. I am following the Cinch plan. It was designed by the health and wellness company Shaklee. (I have been buying my vitamins through them for years.) They are a company I trust and I know really cares about the quality of their products. The Cinch plan is very balanced, a lot of research has gone into it, and best of all it requires no thought. There is no weighing, or counting calories. I was pretty down on this plan at first because you do drink two protein shakes a day for breakfast a lunch and then eat a healthy dinner. (Menu's are provided but I do my own thing for dinner.) They also provide you with a snack bar, a multi vitamin specifically for weight loss, and a green tea blend. I have never been a big fan for plans were you drank you meals but I decided to give it a shot. With all the fresh fruits, veggies, and nutrient and protein packed shakes in this plan I knew that it was at least going to help with my healthy goals if not my weight loss goals. My first week into the diet I was pleasantly surprised. Every week day it was a struggle to have the time, creativity and energy to make good breakfast's and pack good lunches as I rush out the door for work. The shake's have really help me stay healthy and not miss meals and they taste good too. My favorite is the cafe latte but I also enjoy the chocolate. (it comes in vanilla too but I am not a plain vanilla fan) I was never hungry and they really did satisfy me. So here is what a typical day is like for me:
8amBreakfast: Cinch Shake
11am AM Snack: Cinch Bar & Fruit
2pm Lunch: Cinch Shake
4pm PM Snack: Veggies & Low Fat Cheese or Cottage Cheese
6pm 2nd PM Snack: Fruit or Whole grain Bread with Peanut Butter
8pm Dinner: Fish or Chicken with Veggies or Salad and brown rice or sweet potato.
You may think dinner sounds a bit late but that is only because I work out at night. I have been working out every night after work, from 7:00pm-8:00pm. I have been doing 60 mins on the elliptical machine at the gym. It helps me to go to a gym because once I am there, nothing can distract me from getting the job done. I usually tune into my ipod or the Gym TV and an hour rolls by easily. I know I need to add weights to this routine as well but I am just not ready yet. My husband keeps encouraging me but I will probably start with them in March. Oh, and I log everything I eat at this FREE site called http://www.fitday.com/. It helps me see how many calories I am eating and where they are coming from. I am trying to stay around 1800 calories per day. So that is my exercise and eating plan. I just thought I should lay it out there for you. More tomorrow.
Your husband is right with the weights. You don't have to lift huge 100 pounds weight multiple times to benifit from weight training.
ReplyDeleteI started out with little 3 and 5 pound weights for the first 4 or 5 months until I joined the gym. I just did very bacis exercises that I learned in junior high gym class.
Building muscle will make your body burn more fat while you're resting so the quicker you begin, the better off you'll be!