So what happens after you have achieved your weight loss goals with Cambridge? What then? If you return to your old eating patterns and lifestyle habits, you will logically end up right back where you started. You may think that eating and living healthy is too demanding and requires too much thought, but in reality it is simple and will actually free you from the daily stress of food choices for both you and your family. There are some basic principles to follow:
As long as you do not use any processed foods at all, you are on the right track. Focus on flavor and fiber. Most of us have spent most of our lives more interested in volume. When your diet consists mainly of highly processed foods, overeating is the natural consequence. This is especially true of a diet high in processed grains. A high grain based diet is the main contributor to obesity.
As soon as you start going back to grains in the form of white flour pasta and white rice and breads you are on your way to weight gain. Stick to whole foods in their natural form. If man made it, consider it bad for you! You can occasionally use whole grain forms of pasta such as that made from brown rice (very tasty!) or even whole wheat, just don’t make it a diet staple. In other words, no more meals of a pile of pasta on a plate!
Limit your grain use to brown rice and occasionally long cooking oats. Other grains play havoc on your blood sugar and encourage fat storing. You will find that your family will learn to prefer the texture and flavor of brown rice over the cardboard tasting gummy white rice. You can make up a big pot of brown rice that can be used over several days. Just keep it in your fridge.
I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but avoid sugar and all sweeteners as much as possible.
Stay completely away from fast foods and most restaurants. You will end up eating 2 days worth of calories, not to mention the enormous amount of sodium and trans fats and other damaging fats that they use. Nothing fried of course. Research has shown that the high heat of frying starches as well as the high heat and charring of BBQs can alter the chemical structure of foods and may cause them to be carcinogenic. Stick to baking, steaming, poaching, and sautéing.
An extremely healthy fat is pure organic unbleached coconut oil, preferably from the Philippines. Unlike other oils, it is safe to use at high temps for cooking, but the structure of the fat makes it so that your body does not store it, but uses it for energy making it a thermogenic food. This means it actually increases your metabolism! Use Olive Oil for cold foods and coconut oil for hot.
Most fishes are too contaminated with chemicals and mercury to be safe for eating regularly with the exception of small fish such as sardines or wild caught Alaskan salmon. Never buy a farm raised fish. Tuna and farm raised salmon are two to be wary of.
Keeping some Cambridge in your pantry is highly recommended in your first year post weight loss. This is when you are the most vulnerable to gaining it back and with some Cambridge on hand you can just go on it for a week to get off any pounds that may find their way back. It is a good maintenance plan and really not expensive. Many people keep it as the core of their new healthy eating plan using it for one or two meals a day along with the addition of whole foods.
Exercise is the main factor in keeping the weight off. If you turn to a sedentary lifestyle you can pretty much plan on buying some larger sizes! It has to be a part of your daily life as much as brushing your teeth is.
Here is my suggestion for a typical healthy day’s meal plan:
Breakfast:
Poached egg (uncaged natural feed if available) over 1/2 cup brown rice, berries with 1/2 unsweetened yogurt.
Lunch:
Mixed salad greens with 2 to 4 oz poached chicken breast or other quality protein, 1/2 cup of chopped veggies, (choose an assortment of veg such as celery, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, onion, green pepper, whatever you like. Put it all in your food processor and chop to about pea size. Speaking of peas, throw some of those in too! Keep in a covered container in your fridge for use throughout the day) and a good quality balsamic salad dressing or make up a light version of your favorite. If you are a Ranch fan you can successfully make a low cal version with buttermilk, (only 98 calories a cup and you would only actually be using a couple of T per serving) and unsweetened Greek style yogurt. Add some minced garlic, onion, and whatever herbs and seasonings that you want.
Dinner:
Poached Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, sweet potato, (avoid white potatoes) and roasted veggies. Use as assortment of veg like you did before only either cube them in to 1/2 inch pieces or slice them thinly. Brush with a little coconut oil and season to taste. If you do not have coconut oil then roast the veggies first and then brush with a little olive oil. Roast until tender but still firm and brown. You can also just use some of your pre-made veggie mix sautéed with some of your brown rice with some soy sauce and garlic. Have a green salad instead of the sweet potato.
Alternative: You can make chicken enchiladas with low carb whole grain flour tortillas, seasoned chicken breast, sauce, and a little cheese. It is not necessary to drown the dish in cheese as you may have in the past. A little goes a long way. Top with some sliced olives and some unsweetened yogurt. I like to use a Greek style “cheese” yogurt that I get at Trader Joe’s Market. Tastes just like sour cream! Make up some Spanish brown rice and beans. Heat some of your brown rice from the fridge in a can of diced Mexican style tomatoes with some cooked black beans. You can add some of your coconut oil too. Remember portion control! 2 small enchiladas are plenty with 1/2 cup rice and beans. A good fiber rich meal that the kids will love!
For snacks stick to an apple with a small slice of sharp cheese or some other fruit or veggies. I will sometimes take a scoop of my chopped veggie mix and add some of my home made salad dressing for a refreshing crunchy snack. Keep some thinly sliced chicken or turkey breast in the fridge and wrap a slice around a celery stick or some ham around a pickle spear.
Try to not eat anything that does not have a good amount of fiber in it. Buy organic if you can. Try to eat at least 50% of your produce raw. Stay away from sodas, both regular and sugar free. Don’t buy in to marketing hype like what the dairy industry is now saying. Drinking 24 oz of pasteurized milk in 24 hours will have 0 effect on your weight and in fact contributes to obesity and diabetes.
By the way, whenever you hear about this kind of “research” it was funded by the industry that is trying to promote their product so consider it propaganda and ignore it for the deceptive advertising it truly is. Avoid meat substitutes made from soy like Boca Burger products. Most are made from genetically modified soy and are not good for you. Get plenty of sunshine and sleep regular hours. No more late nights. It messes with your hormones and will make you fat. Try not to eat anything past 6pm. Don’t skip meals and keep a tight watch on how your clothes fit and how you feel. You should weigh yourself once a week, no more, no less. I would strongly suggest that you buy a good quality digestive enzyme and take them without fail with every meal to be sure that your body is getting the full benefit from your food.
You should have abundant energy and a sense of well being if you are eating correctly. You should be able to fend off whatever illness is going around and your hair, skin, and nails should be healthy. By making the effort to live simply you can avoid the many harmful medications that are being pushed on the American public by their doctors and the pharmaceutical companies.
A final word of advice for weight maintenance….don’t lie down when you could sit, don’t sit when you could stand, don’t stand when you could walk, and don’t walk when you could run. In other words, look for opportunities to move your body and challenge it every day. Our bodies were designed for hard physical work, not sitting all day at a desk or on the couch.
