When I set out to create the perfect diet over a year ago I knew I needed to create an awesome sandwich!
Everybody loves sandwiches. I consider this sandwich to be one of the main reasons I lost 80 pounds in 5 months.
It tastes awesome. It is extremely filling. And, it measures in at just 200 calories. That means that since I’m 6’3″ I could eat over 6 of these a day and still finish below my required 1400 calorie max.
I’ve been doing a bunch of video’s on YouTube lately. A YouTube celebrity named Philip DeFranco recently decided to go on a diet and film his process.
In this series of video’s I try to keep him from making the same mistake’s everyone else makes:
Maxine wrote in and said, “While it’s great that you lost 78 pound’s, you have to understand that starving yourself can have serious health threats. You have to understand that a woman’s hormone’s also make it very hard to lose weight in comparison to men.”
I agree with the starving yourself part Maxine, but I don’t starve myself, I just eat between 75% to 80% of the calories my body requires to maintain my optimum weight. Your body only goes into starvation mode if you eat less than 55% of your required calorie intake. In a previous article I covered how to calculate that number, but I’ll do it again here.
Continue reading How to Lose Weight: Best Foods & Common Food Myths
Ok, I got a ton of emails asking me about the following:
Avoid Putting the Weight Back On
I accidentally created a diet that not only drops weight, but also keeps it off. Here is a giant article on The Diet Nutritional Plan I created and lost 64 pounds with. As I described in a past article, I based my diet off of about 20 Nutritionist Textbooks. It is a very simple diet, just avoid food high in fat, cholesterol and salt. Well in doing so, I cut out a food additive accidentally called MSG. By doing this, I now can’t eat anything unhealthy. Hence, permanent weight loss. Continue reading The Diet Nutritional Plan & MSG
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhbS5oEFXOU[/youtube]My website is a bit odd with my focus on Web design, Communication, Marketing and Dieting! But, hey that’s me. I’m now down to 183 pounds and I’ve made a major discovery! Not only does my diet seem to hinder future weight gain, meaning the dreaded weight rebound, I think it may make it very hard to go back to unhealthy eating habits? Here is the link to the Original Diet Nutritional Plan.
This may be a positive or negative, but I can’t eat fast food anymore. Everytime I do I get stomach cramps. I’ve been doing a lot of research on this and I believe it is because of a chemical called monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is also known as Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, on products that want to state that they don’t contain MSG. Continue reading Diet Nutritional Plan Keeps the Weight Off
Many people that read my articles might not know, but one of my first articles was on creating the perfect diet. If you click the Diet Nutritional link at the top of the page you can read the whole story.
We’ll since I haven’t talked about it in a while many people have written asking if it failed? Nope, I started at the beginning of November at 248 pounds and now after 5 months I’m at 184 pounds. That is a total loss of 64 pounds in 5 months! I achieved that weight loss:
Continue reading Diet Nutritional Plan: Update After 5 Months
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K3WiHFiQ5E[/youtube]I got on the scale on October 20th and was shocked to see that I weighed almost 250 lbs. I weighed 248 lbs to be exact and I decided I was ready to lose weight now.
All the diet books I read were either too vague or proposed I go on a diet that was either very expensive, time consuming, or disgusting. I had lost weight in the past, but I knew I had done it in unhealthy ways. I decided to look at how my diet in college differed from my current diet first off.
Continue reading I’m not a Nutritionist, but I Lost 35 lbs in 2 Months, The Healthy Way
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VXMXxyWXps[/youtube]Now you are going to find out exactly how many calories your body needs. First off you are going to want to know what size frame you have. Take your arm and project it away from you and then bend your palm towards your body. There are to bones that lay above your elbow, toward your bicep, that will protrude the most. Measure roughly the distance between the tips of those two bones. Using the chart below, you’ll see what type of frame you have.
Continue reading The Diet Nutritional Plan: How Many Calories Does Your Body Need?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLXUCXahg4o[/youtube]I read just about every diet and nutrition book available and all I got was this list:
The Bad Things in Your Diet
Continue reading Diet Nutritional Plan: The Good, The Bad and The Sodium, Cholesterol, Fat Blob
Ok, I’m now ready to list out 100 different types of food that you should plan your diet around. Most diets fail because people feel to limited in what they can eat. In a later article I create an exact week long diet plan for you, but it’s good for you to see this list ahead of time. Everything is listed in order based off of how much of the good qualities of food are represented versus eliminating the bad qualities.
Continue reading Diet Nutritional Plan All the Food you Should Eat
The problem with most diets is that they don’t give you an exact plan. I’m changing that right now. Here I’ll list out an exact week long healthy meal plan. The average day will provide the following nutrients, calories, etc.
Continue reading The Diet Nutritional Plan Week of Healthy Food
If you know how to roast vegetables, you’ll be able to make them taste as if they have been fried. I’ll jump right to it. Here are the simple steps:
1. Pick your vegetable. It should be solid ex: Asparagus, Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Peppers, Onions, Root Vegetables, Squash, etc.
2. Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces, that are some what thick.
3. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.
4. Spray a pan lightly with PAM spray.
5. Lay the vegetables on the pan, in a single layer.
6. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes.
7. Flip the vegetables and put back on a single layer.
8. Cook the vegetables for an additional 10 minutes, til brown.
Continue reading The Diet Nutritional Plan: How to Roast Vegetables Like a Pro
| Diet Nutritional Stats Roasted Broccoli with Garlic | |
| Serving Size 179 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 78 | Calories from Fat 23 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 2.5g | 4% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 58mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrates 12.2g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.6g | 18% |
| Sugars 3.0g | |
| Protein 5.1g | |
| Vitamin A 22% Vitamin C 262% Iron 7% Calcium 9% |
Preheat oven to 450°F. Put broccoli on a baking sheet, sprayed with a bit of PAM cooking spray. Roast 15 minutes. Stir 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast broccoli about 5 minutes longer. Season with pepper.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Broccoli Rabe with Bulgur and Walnuts | |
| Serving Size 399 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 259 | Calories from Fat 76 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 8.5g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 0.8g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 54mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrates 38.5g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.0g | 28% |
| Sugars 0.0g | |
| Protein 10.9g | |
| Vitamin A 147% Vitamin C 170% Iron 24% Calcium 23% |
Place bulgur in medium bowl; pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over. Stir once and let sit for about 20 minutes. Pour bulgur into fine strainer set over bowl. Reserve soaking liquid.
Cook broccoli rabe in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain; cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
Heat PAM spray in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté about 2 minutes. Add walnuts; sauté about 2 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and bulgur; sprinkle with pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. If dry, add reserved bulgur soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls. Stir in lemon juice; season with pepper.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Steamed Broccoli with Garlic & Lemon | |
| Serving Size 91.1 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 60 | Calories from Fat 33 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 3.7g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat 0.5g | 3% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 28mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrates 6.1g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.2g | 9% |
| Sugars 1.5g | |
| Protein 2.5g | |
| Vitamin A 11% Vitamin C 128% Iron 4% Calcium 4% |
Discard tough part of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut broccoli into 2-inch florets. In a steamer set over boiling water steam broccoli, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes.
While broccoli is steaming, finely chop garlic and in a small skillet combine with (oil or PAM Spray), lemon juice, and pepper to taste. Heat garlic mixture over moderate heat until garlic just starts to brown. In a bowl toss broccoli with garlic mixture.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Roasted Cauliflower with Barbecue Sauce | |
| Serving Size 226 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 88 | Calories from Fat 76 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat .6g | 1% |
| Saturated Fat 0.1g | 1% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 384mg | 16% |
| Total Carbohydrates 19.6g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber 5.3g | 21% |
| Sugars 12.3g | |
| Protein 4.7g | |
| Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 160% Iron 12% Calcium 6% |
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray cauliflower with PAM Spray. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast until very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Spray a small saucepan over medium-low heat, with PAM spray. Add ginger and garlic; sauté about 3 minutes. Add ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and cumin. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Reduce heat to very low; simmer barbecue sauce 1 minute to blend flavors, whisking constantly.
Remove cauliflower from oven; transfer to large bowl. Toss with barbecue sauce; season to taste with pepper.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Cauliflower, Dried Cherries and Capers | |
| Serving Size 773 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 189 | Calories from Fat 15 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 1.7g | 3% |
| Saturated Fat 0.0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 861mg | 36% |
| Total Carbohydrates 37.1g | 12% |
| Dietary Fiber 19.0g | 76% |
| Sugars 13.2g | |
| Protein 17.6g | |
| Vitamin A 480% Vitamin C 507% Iron 53% Calcium 38% |
Cook cauliflower florets in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and transfer cauliflower to bowl. Heat PAM sprayed pot over medium-high heat. Add spinach and toss until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to sieve set over large bowl and drain well. Reserve pot.
Respray pot with PAM spray. Add half of shallot; saute 1 minute. Sprinkle cauliflower with cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add to pot and toss to coat. Add spinach and toss until heated through, about 3 minutes.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Grilled Eggplant with Caponata Salsa | |
| Serving Size 239 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 61 | Calories from Fat 6 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat .7g | 1% |
| Saturated Fat 0.0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 79mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrates 13.4g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 6.3g | 25% |
| Sugars 5.9g | |
| Protein 2.5g | |
| Vitamin A 19% Vitamin C 27% Iron 9% Calcium 6% |
Mix tomatoes, celery, onion, chopped oregano, capers, garlic, red wine vinegar and crushed red pepper in medium bowl. Season caponata to taste with pepper.
Turn oven on medium-high heat. Cut eggplant into cubes about 1 inch thick. Spray eggplant with PAM spray; sprinkle with pepper. Grill eggplant until very tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes.
Mix grilled eggplant with caponata, garnish with oregano.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Eggplant Cannelloni | |
| Serving Size 238 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 132 | Calories from Fat 23 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 6.1g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat 1.9g | 9% |
| Cholesterol 9mg | 3% |
| Sodium 464mg | 19% |
| Total Carbohydrates 16.2g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.2g | 9% |
| Sugars 10.2g | |
| Protein 5.3g | |
| Vitamin A 107% Vitamin C 517% Iron 7% Calcium 10% |
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Reduce heat. Cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add peppers and juice; bring to a boil. Lower heat; simmer until peppers are soft, about 5 minutes. Cool. Puree in a blender. Pour into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Coat eggplants with cooking spray and broil on a baking sheet until golden on both sides, about 15 minutes. Heat oven to 400°F.
Mash cheese, capers and 1 tablespoon of the parsley in a bowl. Place 1 tablespoon of filling at the end of each eggplant slice; roll up. Lay seam side down in dish. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Top with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
| Diet Nutritional Stats Ratatouille | |
| Serving Size 349 g | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 89 | Calories from Fat 8 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat .9g | 1% |
| Saturated Fat 0.0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 600mg | 25% |
| Total Carbohydrates 19.1g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 6.2g | 25% |
| Sugars 10.2g | |
| Protein 3.6g | |
| Vitamin A 64% Vitamin C 183% Iron 7% Calcium 5% |
Peel eggplant; cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut into 3-inch-long, 1-inch-wide strips. Cut zucchini into same size strips. Place vegetables in large bowl
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat, sprayed with PAM spray. Working in batches, add eggplant and zucchini to skillet; sauté until light golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plate; reserve.
Spray skillet with PAM spray; heat over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic. Season with pepper.
Place tomato strips atop onion-pepper mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover skillet; cook over low heat until tomatoes begin to juice, about 5 minutes. Uncover; baste vegetables in skillet with juices. Boil 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer 1/3 of onion-pepper-tomato mixture to 2 1/2-quart pot; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini, then remaining onion-pepper-tomato mixture; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Layer remaining eggplant and zucchini over; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Cover; simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Uncover; tilt pot and baste with accumulated juices. Increase heat to medium; simmer uncovered, basting several times with pan juices until only 2 to 3 tablespoons juices remain in pot, watching closely to avoid scorching, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.