Replace your “Dieting Ways” with a Baseline Day

The year has barely started and all I’m seeing and reading are about the pressure to restrict, cleanse and lose weight in January. The media is screaming that 2017 is absolutely going to be the year where dieting is a thing of the past. We know that most of the time, when people lose weight, they gain it back and more. It’s no shocker that the weight loss industry is a billion dollar industry, since most weight loss efforts fail and people move on to the next thing.

 

I’m really sympathetic to those out there who don’t know what to do if they’re not supposed to diet anymore.

 

I’ve had great success breaking all of the rules of “dieting” and helping my clients lose weight and MAINTAIN it. It involves a lot of trust (yes, whole fat yogurt is a better choice than the 0%) and what I call a BASELINE DAY.

 

A baseline day is a day of eating and drinking that serves as the foundation for how you eat. It is delicious. It is convenient. It is well tolerated by your tummy and you look forward to knowing what you are going to have, so you don’t have to put a lot of thought into it. Having a consistent baseline day is meant to ground your eating philosophy and work wherever you are in the world, whatever day of the week it is and whomever you’re eating with. It makes shopping a breeze and it’s never ho hum. Yes, you may swap a chicken for a salmon, an almond for a walnut or a salad for a soup, but while you’re swapping a protein, you’re keeping the structure. You eat this way 85% of the time (so yes, you can share a dessert and not feel like you messed up!). Yes. You lose weight and it is sustainable forever.

 

Here’s an example:

Breakfast: 6 oz Greek Yogurt, 8 walnut halves, 1 cup of berries

Morning Snack: 1 hardboiled egg and an apple

Lunch: Spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots and peppers with 4 oz grilled chicken, ¼ avocado, dressed with lemon juice

Afternoon Snack: Suzy’s thin rice cake with 2 teaspoons peanut butter and carrot sticks

Dinner: 4 oz broiled salmon with 2 vegetables, such as a salad and broccoli and a ½ cup serving of whole grains or root vegetables . A drizzle of olive oil or dressing.

Indulgence: 1 oz 70% cacao chocolate, or 5 oz red wine

 

It actually sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? If you need help and support to figure out the best baseline day that works for you, the Lara Metz Nutrition team would love to work with you. We have a baseline day solution just right for you in our bag of tricks, even if you loathe vegetables, are living a gluten free life, have a passion for pizza or a fear of failure. Say so long dieting and hello baseline living!