PEOPLE. I HIT MY DIET GOAL AND HAVE STAYED WITHIN 5 POUNDS SINCE MARCH 2017. This was what I used to look like (pay no attention to the epic Colorado mountains)…—->
Tim and I were aware we had to do something. We agreed to count calories, added the Lose It app and…let’s just say that Tim was better than I about counting…I lost 15 lbs (and then gained back 5), and he lost 20. Come November, I knew I had to do something more, something more radical/shake-me-up…and several people talked to me about the FAST METABOLISM DIET. From the start, I was on board.
After 28 days I’d lost 20 lbs., just like the book said. My husband, by just eating dinners with me and being generally aware, lost another 10! (Dirty dog…Why is it so much easier for boys???)
I had some hiccups over Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I was pretty ruthless, sticking super-close to plan. After another two weeks, I’d lost 10 more pounds. After 6 weeks on the diet at my 30-lbs-down goal, I reassessed. Figured out a benchmark number I’d like to weigh, and then a “well, this would be cool” number that was five pounds lower. 
I eased up a TAD, having things like cheese or a bit of sugar or rice or anything on the “no-no” list below a couple times a week…just because I thought if I didn’t have some flexibility, I might totally jump ship. That slowed things down for sure, but I continued to whittle away the weight, getting to my goal of 178 lbs. (my “well, this would be cool” number) by my 50th birthday in March 2017…a total loss of 48 lbs!!!
The initial number in my head was 184. But when I hit 184, I just wanted to see what 178 felt like, since I hadn’t seen I hadn’t seen a 1-7 number since before babies…so I went for it…and reached it! [Editorial sidenote: This picture <—-is from Nevis, where my upcoming novel, KETURAH, is set!]
Since I’ve “gone public” about this diet, I’ve gotten a lot of questions. Yesterday, a friend asked me for details—what’s worked, what’s been difficult, etc. She’d already bought THE FAST METABOLISM DIET book (this link benefits my favorite charity, not me, and costs nothing more if you choose to buy it too). So she already knew that being on this diet means you eradicate these foods from your diet while losing (and most of the time during maintenance):
sugar
wheat/gluten
white rice/white potatoes
alcohol
caffeine– (I now drink 1-2 cups in maintenance, with almond milk and Truvia)
soy
corn
dairy
dried fruit/fruit juices
fat-free “diet foods”
The weekly plan goes roughly like this:
M & T: Lots of fruit from the list, whole grains, lean protein and veggies
W Th: Lots of lean protein and veggies, no fruit or grains
F, S, S: All of the above
Some things I always have in the fridge/freezer/pantry that will get me thru any meal on this diet:
eggs—I eat two whites/one yolk and sautéed spinach for breakfast 4-5 days a week (3-4 days a week at first)
spinach
arugula
celery
cucumbers
bell peppers
jicama
washed/ready-to-eat lettuce
apples
pears
berries of all sorts
grapefruit
sweet potatoes—-poke skins, microwave 2 minutes, then bake 30-45 minutes in oven at 350 and they pop right out, ready to eat
lemon
lime
deli meats
dill pickles—-deli roast beef or ham wrapped around a spear = perfect snack!
hummus
almond butter
almonds
walnuts
basalmic vinegar dressing
gluten-free pasta (brown rice pasta is better, but it’s only for when you’re being really good!!)
unsweetened almond milk—-for smoothies and for on my oatmeal
cans of all sorts of beans—-been making turkey/veggie chili—feeds me for days
boneless, skinless chicken breasts—-I often pound them out, marinate in Tamari/garlic/ginger/Truvia and grill—YUM!
ground turkey
lean ground beef—-often have a patty for lunch, esp on high protein days
steak—do you grill? if not, can you learn?
chicken sausages from Whole Foods—-slice and sauté one with some spinach and spices and serve with brown rice or sweet potato—easy meal!
Ezekiel bread in freezer (I like their English muffins even better)
brown rice (some ground up for cream-of-wheat-like cereal); steam extra for easy leftover additions/replacements when the fam is eating no-no carbs
steel cut oatmeal—-make it on Friday mornings and eat it all weekend
beef jerky—for your purse on high-protein days
Truvia
La Croix soda water—for something jazzy to drink at 5 :-); I add lemon slices and Truvia to mine
rotisserie chicken—then use the bones to make chicken and veggie and brown rice soup—-feeds me for days
It’s challenging to eat out. Always suggest a place you know serves grilled meats/fish/veggies when you want to meet up with friends. Some things I’ve found:
–Biaggi’s beet and arugula salad, adding chicken
–Chipotle burrito bowl: brown rice, black beans, chicken, peppers, two salsas, guac—-feeds me twice on the weekends
–Freddy’s CA burger, bunless (they wrap in lettuce)—-you can do a bun-less burger at any restaurant
–PF Chang’s lettuce wraps—partial cheat with the white-rice noodles, I think, but it’s something close-to-plan; they also have brown rice and fish/broth items
I started the plan on Mondays, so weekends were my “more liberal” zone. I tended to lose weight M-Th and maintained thru the weekends, so if it works the same for you, you’ll have a sense of what you’ll need to do to maintain (Phase 3 eating).
I think this plan is really healthy and really works—-I’ve never spoken to anyone who it didn’t work for, other than those who couldn’t stick to the rules (it’s challenging, for sure) and a woman who found out she was allergic to fruit! And it really helps you eradicate the things that you know are bad for you anyway—-alcohol, sugar, white carbs being the biggies for me. The hardest loss has been cheese/dairy. I cheat on that front 1-2x a week now (no cheats at all the first 8 weeks)—-a slice on my bunless burger, a bit of goat cheese with the beet salad, etc. But I used to eat it 6-7x a week!
Other challenges:
–Eating first-thing in the morning (I always used to begin eating at 10am), having snacks available mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and giving myself mental permission to eat after dinner if I’m up late (it goes against everything you’ve ever read/heard). She’s serious about keeping the metab burning by eating consistently all your waking hours—what’s good is that I never feel hungry (if I’m prepared).
–You also have to be thinking one-phase ahead every day, stocking/restocking your fridge so you’re prepped for the new day/phase. To wake up and have nothing right in your fridge is deadly.
–And you have to be ready to eat a lot, if you have more than 20 pounds to lose—her portions are not small! It’s another psychological hurdle—eat a lot of the foods on your list, but none of the others.
–Cooking. A lot. It helps to make the full recipe and freeze some leftovers for that phase in a week or two, or trade with a friend who is on the same diet.
Last advice…print out the food lists from your Kindle version/copy out of the print book. You’ll want those easily accessible all the time in the first few weeks (as in, in your purse!)
If you’re considering this or another diet, blessings on your decision! Whatever you decide, I hope 2018 brings you renewed health!
Love,
Lisa