The FatLoss4Idiots food groups are pretty varied, really. As I said in my last post, you can choose up to 30 food groups from a selection of 50. The choices include: chicken, fish, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese slices, milk, different kinds of fruit, vegetables of all kinds and nuts. And burgers, pasta, sandwiches, sausages, even frozen yoghurt! The key is moderation. You usually get 1 day when all you eat is vegetables, and another day when you have mostly fruit. The diet emphasizes more protein, but I love my proteins, so no problem for me.
So what happens if you're vegetarian? They have a special section for that. The online Diet Generator can whip you up a meal plan based on vegetarian food choices too, so that shouldn't be a problem.
What about Drinks?
It's really important to drink a lot of water every day. Water fuels the fat-burning process. We aim for at least 8-10 glasses a day. Low-cal sodas, coffee and iced/hot tea with lemon are also allowed. Easy on the sugar though. That's where lots of hidden calories creep in and sabotage things. During the 11-days, sugar substitutes are recommended, but I just try to go without cos I don't like the taste. One glass of wine a day is also budgeted for, but I don't drink, so that's not an issue with me.
Food Group Arrangements
The food groups are arranged in interesting ways, which took me a while to adjust to, but no big deal really. My first time, I had scrambled eggs and peanuts! I wondered whether I was supposed to cook my eggs with the nuts or what? But no, you can have them separately. Or just the eggs with no nuts. Or the nuts, no eggs. One more example: Green and red veggies (any kind) + a bowl of baked beans. Not hard, right? Quick green & red salad and beans form a can. For me, can't be easier.
Fruit days are toughest for me, cos they never make me feel very full, and I get hungry really fast. Although we get 1 meal with any kind of deli sandwich (turkey, ham, roast beef etc), I miss my meat during the rest of the day and feel a little weaker, so on fruit days, I try to keep my activities easy-going. I also hit the sack a lot earlier so my stomach doesn't rumble for too long and kick in cravings halfway in the night.
Some people said this way of eating is not balanced, but they were basing that statement on only 1 or 2 meal plans. When you look at it as a whole over 11 days, the meals are really healthy. I have picture versions of my meal plans and I can see the variety of things that I eat. It's really colorful too.
And you have choices, so if you don't like cooking, you can manage with stuff that's quick to throw together. Sausages, ham or turkey breast slices, or chicken from a deli are all quick and easy. If you like cooking, then you can be creative about it too. Make sure you tick the assortment of nuts too, cos they make things a lot easier and convenient as well.
If you want to check out the FatLoss4Idiots website, just click here.
