By Popular Demand...

A bunch of people have asked for details about what I'm doing so here goes...

My program is all about keeping your metabolism up but your calories down, and being strategic about what you eat. I eat 5 times a day, once every 3 hours, around 300 calories each time. It's not really low-carb, but all my carbs come from whole grains, fruit, and vegetables (no refined carbs, no 'white' foods- no sugar, no white flour, no potatoes, no white rice; definitely no junk like chips, cookies, or cake) and I try to get them all by lunch (3rd meal) and then switch over to greens and lean protein in the afternoon. here's a quick(ish) summary of what I'm doing and some examples:

- start eating first thing when you get up (7-9am): a 1/2cup of whole grain cereal and 1/2c skim milk and a piece of fruit; or, 2 eggs, and 1 slice of whole grain toast (dry).
- 3 hours later (10-12): a piece of fruit (or 1c of berries), a piece of whole grain toast (or whole grain pita), and 1/2c of low-fat cottage cheese or 1c of skim milk (or either breakfast option)
- 3 more hours (1-3pm): 1 can tuna (drained, nothing added) and 1c raw spinach (or 1tbsp hummus) in whole grain pita; or, 3 whole carrots with 2tbsp hummus, and 1c low-fat cottage cheese; or, 4oz of pork or whitefish (broiled or grilled) with 1c of corn or peas
- 3 more hours (4-6pm): 4oz chicken or tuna steak (or, occasionally, shrimp), 1c of broccoli or green beans or cooked spinach, and 1c of skim milk (or extra 1c of veggies); or, 8oz chicken/tuna and 1c of greens (and water instead of milk)
- 3 more hours (7-9pm): same options as previous meal, try not to do exact same thing both times too often.

And don't ever add butter, margarine, or salad dressing to anything (or at least barely any low-fat dressing, try lemon juice instead). You can add black coffee to any of these (or even coffee with a dash of skim milk), but really the key is to always be drinking water. Always. And, your last meal should be at least 3 hours before you go to bed- though, if you sleep 8 hours and actually start eating right away in the morning that will be no problem. Hope this helps!