Oh, you thought I meant how to get lean now with bread? Sorry about that! I think it will happen a lot faster without it!
Which foods have I removed from my diet that has made the biggest difference, at least as far as I can tell?
Yea, and I do apologize that most likely, pizza will also be on this list! But remember, have it as a treat for those special occasions, and at least on that special occasion you will be able to fit into your new suit!
Top Foods To Avoid
Get Lean Fast By Eliminating These ‘Favorites’
And they are favorites because we were all raised on them! What was a typical daily menu for you when you were a kid and a teenager? For me it was something like this:
- Thomas English Muffin (Did you ever look at the ingredients?!) with
- melted American cheese,
- ketchup and paprika.
This English muffin was known as the famous ‘weight watchers pizza’. Now, of course, Weight Watchers has changed a lot, and yes I did go to their meetings, just like my folks did, but back in the day, that was the morning meal, the WW pizza with orange juice.
- Egg salad sandwich on wonder bread.
- Oreo cookies for snack
- Chicken pot pie, deep-dish style from Swanson
- Chicken pot pie, small style cause my sister would never finish it and I would!
- More Oreo Cookies
- Potato Chips
- Pretzels
- O’Henry Candy
And if it was Mah Jong night, then I was in for a real treat, there would be even more nosh to go crazy on! On Mah Jong night, my Mom’s friends would bring over plenty of cakes, strudels, candy, and chocolate chip cookies. I was in snack heaven while hearing the crackling Mah Jong tiles “3 Bam, 2 dot, Joker!”, noshing on all that nom nom, and watching Get Smart or Star Trek.
Okay, that was my daily fare, not too many vegetables or fruits there. What was yours?
So, here now is my top list for removal:
1. Bread, Bread & Bread
Leads off as number one because it is so ubiquitous and ‘ingrained’ in our daily food. It will take you a few days to detox from being without bread I believe, but try it out, and if you must have bread, I would keep it to as early in the day as possible, like breakfast or no later than 3 pm.
2. Cookies, so sorry Pepperidge Farm!
My chocolate chip cookies, sigh, no more, but hey you know what? Yesterday I was able to go get a suit right off the rack because I actually fit into clothing, so which would I rather have, cookies or look good in a suit?
3. Pizza
A real favorite here and real New York, so how can I still be a real New Yawkah if I do not have pizza? Well, as I said, I am not saying never, I will save it for a treat on a special occasion, no extreme drama here!
4. Pasta
Oh boy, I know this is hurting, lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, can we live without these staples? And I have heard it is different in Italy where people eat fresher food and produce and are much leaner than many American (is it true that Europeans call Americans Balloon people?). But, in the meantime, cut the pasta out!
5. Candy
You know the deal, snickers, mars, babe ruth, all those finely graphically attractive packages that end up in our body, and most likely, our digestive system has no clue how to deal with the weird soup that was just dumped inside of us because they are not real foods that grew out of the earth!
But, What Can You Eat?
That is the million-dollar question. What can you eat to look and feel better than ever before?
The good news is that the answer is not complicated. Notice that most of the junk foods above are highly processed (unless they are freshly prepared). All you need to do is focus on real unprocessed foods and you will be shocked at how fast your body starts to change.
What is real food?
Vegetables
The first food group that I think is most important to pay homage to is vegetables. The reason is that many people only think of vegetables as a garnish for their turkey sandwich or bagels and lox.
A slice of tomato is not going to cut it!
You need to start eating more vegetables, such as:
- asparagus
- bok choy
- bitter melon
- watercress
- okra
- spinach
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- tomato
- cucumber
- onion
- garlic
- eggplant
- sweet potato
And the list goes on.
The point is to stop neglecting vegetables. Make sure to have a raw salad at lunch or dinner (without the thousand calorie dressing) and one or two cooked vegetables a day.
These amazing plant foods will never let you down, and you will probably find that your digestion works much better as well.
Fruit
Enjoy fruits and some nuts for a snack and let the snickers go.
Whole Grains
Whole grains like rice, oatmeal, and buckwheat are global staples. Don’t be afraid to have some carbs during the day, because your muscles need carbs in the form of glycogen for fuel.
Also, notice the last sentence says ‘carbs during the day’ which means ‘not all night!’ If you are struggling with nighttime binging, see The Best Way to Stop Binge Eating at Night is Easier Than You Think for some useful strategies.
Other natural carbs include potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, beans, and corn on the cob. No matter what, check out how any foods make you feel. If you feel lean and energetic after a meal, then keep eating similar food.
But, if you feel lethargic, sleepy, or too weighed down, then you are not over your target.
Top Foods To Avoid – Final Thoughts
Food is your friend, not your enemy. But, that is as long as you are putting real wholesome quality food into your body. Otherwise, you will get what you have gotten up until now – overweight or obesity and a host of correlated conditions.
When you eat real food, you will be amazed at how fast your body responds, and losing your first 20 pounds will not be as difficult as you believe.
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),