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To
Everything There is a Season: . A Time to Weep, A Time to
Laugh.
Ecclesiastes 3
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Copyright © 2010 ATimeToLaugh.org
All Rights Reserved
The 7 Diet, what is it? How about a
simple diet? And a balanced diet?
And a FUN diet? And an easy to implement, life
changing diet?
Is it a bit novel? Yes. Is it another fad diet? No, It
can be easy to adapt to, and more importantly, to enjoy and adhere to
for the rest of your life.
And by the way, Is it safe? Yes, "The 7 Diet" is safe if you take
reasonable personal responsibility
for your own life. Seriously, it is based on eating a balanced
diet
from
the 5 food groups. Notice the continued stress on balanced.
Eating any single food type repeatedly, such as a high protein low carb
diet, can have dramatic short term affects. Continuing for an extended
period can do more harm than good however. For a quick reference of the
5 food groups, visit the USDA Guide to Daily Food Choices.
The 7 Diet (cont.)
So what exactly is:
"The 7 Diet"?
Simply stated, it is a
combination of the following 7 concepts.
Each of them is important, as
they create a powerful plan when combined, that each cannot achieve
alone:
Number
1:
Count
food, rather than fill a plate or bowl randomly. And
when
counting food, 7 is the key number. How much easier is it to count 7
cherries into a bowl than counting the calories, grams, or sugar
content of the cherries? When you just gotta have a salt snack and you
reach for the potato chips, what if you consciously counted out 7
potato chips? It's not an argument that potato chips are good for you.
It's acknowledging that you may eat a wide variety of food, and
limiting the intake is wise.
Many foods for example, can be quickly and easily served in seven's for
a main course, side dish, snack or dessert:
7 Carrots
7 Spoonfuls of Corn
7 Forks of Green Beans
7 Brussels Sprouts
7 Bites of Top Sirloin Steak
7 Bite-side pieces of broiled Chicken breast
7 Forkfuls of Olive Oil, pan seared Tilapia
7 Jumbo Shrimp
7 Orange
slices
7 Bing Cherries
7 Bite size Fuji Apple Slices
7 Fritos Corn Chips
7 Pretzels
7 Peanut M&Ms
And the list is nearly endless.
The
last few items do not fit well with a balanced diet plan, which is why
you need to include all seven concepts to develop a healthy diet, and
especially to reach your weight loss goals. Sweets, treats, high fat
and high sugar foods are not in your best interest. As most of us
cannot resist them, limit them to the exception, not the regular rule.
Desserts in small amounts can be a treat, but not on a daily basis.
If
you've spent years counting carbs at every meal, would this be simpler?
There is nothing wrong with counting carbs, often essential for good
diabetic care. For most of us however, have you ever noticed that diets
involving reading every box label, checking the fat grams of a Big Mac,
and checking up on the details of your diet becomes very tedious? Then,
when it works, you lose weight and reach your goal, then you slip back
into old habits, and the pounds come back? Would simpler be better? For
now, and for a life-time?
And what about foods that are not easily sorted into 7s - that's why
concept Number 4 is important to The 7 Diet.
If
you're wondering why, where, when the number 7 was chosen, the answer
is also simple. From ancient times to today, 7 has always been held in
high regard in many cultures. Biblically, the number 7 often represents
completeness, or perfection. In Genesis, the world was created in 7
days. Joshua and his army marched around Jericho seven times. In
Revelation, John talks extensively of the seven churches, seven seals,
etc. In music, the musical scale has seven notes. The human head has
seven holes and the human ankle seven bones. Okay, you get the idea,
it's almost uncanny. If you are so inclined you can spend hours
researching the number seven.
7 Rainier Cherries
Number
2:
Eating
a balanced diet is crucial to good long-term health, and to losing
weight if you are already carrying a few pounds too many. How do you do
it? The USDA Guide to Daily Food Choices is a
good place to start.
Over
the years, the government, universities, teachers, and others have
provided detailed plans about nutrition. It's a billion dollar industry
and the wealth of information beyond a life-time of reading. Educating
yourself in ways you learn best is recommended. Read. Visit nutrition
websites, talk with your Doctor or Nutritionist. Many
companies
offer health and wellness programs, filled with free information. Take
advantage of your resources!
How is a balanced diet defined within The 7 Diet concepts?
- You should have food from all 5 food groups, every
day.
- These include:
- Breads &
Cereals (carbs, energy, and fiber)
- Vegetables
(vitamins, vitality)
- Fruits
(anti-oxidants, fiber)
- Dairy
(vitamins, bones)
- Meats
(protein)
- Intake should be heaviest on the first 3, less on
dairy and meats.
- All are necessary daily for balanced intestinal and
developmental health.
- Actual food volume is controlled through concepts
Number 1, 3, and 4.
- Shop, and eat, as if directly from nature and your
garden.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables when possible
- Frozen fruits and vegetables otherwise (no canned
goods)
- Fresh or frozen meats (no breading, processing)
- Avoid boxed meals, prepackaged, prepared dinners
- Shop the outer aisles of your favorite grocery.
Number
3:
You
may have heard the strategy of eating 6 small meals a day,
rather
than the traditional 3 meals a day. A number of studies and diets
support this in depth. The habit provides energy on a more regular
basis throughout the day as needed. It also lessens the stress on your
body from digesting and metabolizing your food.
A standard rule
of thumb is that each of the 6 meals or snacks be no larger than one
clenched fist. This is generally about the size of your
stomach or
an apple. (This is your own fist, not Arnold
Schwarzenegger's). Eating in seven's, or using the next
concept
can help tremendously.
By the way, how does eating 6 meals a day
fit into The 7 Diet? Well, reality is many of us do not have the
long-term discipline it takes to follow a plan. At least not forever.
With a goal of 6 meals/snacks daily, there will be
those "occasional" days when you have that 7th snack. Rather
than
kick yourself or be discouraged, recognize it as your 7th for that day,
and then return to your discipline the next day.
7 Carrots, 7 Swiss
Cheese, & 7 Ritz Crackers
Number
4:
What do you do with foods like spaghetti, pasta,
potatoes, and watermelon, which do not readily divide easily into
seven's?
Limit
your food intake to a small plate or bowl. Yes, repeating a well
established dieting habit here. If you've heard it before, do you
actually do it? If not, it's very basic, and supports the idea of
eating no more than the size of your fist at any one meal or snack. If
you are having a bowl of spaghetti, eat it from a cereal sized bowl,
not a restaurant sized Caesar or Chefs Salad bowl. If you determine
mashed potatoes will still be on your diet once or twice a week, limit
them to that small salad sized plate next to your 7 bites of Top
Sirloin. When the plate is full, it's full, eat no more.
And for
a word about eating out. We all love that good Top Sirloin,
Taco
Salad, Chicken Piccata, or Lasagna dinner in our favorite restaurant.
Unfortunately, it does not fit into the 7's, the "no more than the size
of my fist", or on to the small salad plate.
Two alternatives are recommended:
1) Plan ahead, eat only a portion, and take the
rest home in a doggy bag.
2) Or, see number 7 below.
Number
5:
Here
comes the word expected by many, welcomed by the strong hearted, and
faced with dread by others. EXERCISE. Yes, any
consideration of improved dietary health, and especially weight loss,
must include exercise.
Americans may remember The President's
Council on Physical Fitness from the 1960's, which promoted physical
fitness throughout school systems across the county. Today
that
has developed into The President's Council on Fitness, Sport
& Nutrition. Exercise
receives attention at this level, yet headlines still glare about the
obesity of children and remind us there is more to be done.
How
about you? Do you exercise regularly? Daily? What types of exercising
do you favor? Running, jogging, treadmills and stair climbers, weight
lifting, swimming, and team sports?
The key here is regular and planned exercise, combined with that little
extra that makes a difference over time.
Start with your planned exercise. If you use a treadmill, how long is
one session?
Do
you increase the speed? Do you increase the incline? Do you do it 3-4
times a week? Early indications from recent trends, seem to direct
toward shortly, yet more intense workouts. 10 minutes at a moderate
incline for example, may be more effective than 30 minutes of level
walking on a treadmill, even at the same speed.
Strength
training has been thought of value only for bodybuilders, football
players, and others in the past. More and more evidence now
indicates a greater value for everyone, building heart and lungs along
with arms, legs, and stomachs.
A daily stretching routine,
including balance and control, is an ancient tradition in parts of the
world known for their longevity of life and health.
Add to your planned exercise, these 7 extra habits that can make a
difference and burn calories:
1) Stand when talking on the phone rather than sitting.
2) Bend down to tie your shoes, rather than sit on a
chair.
3) Take the stairs instead of the
elevator whenever possible.
4) Park farther away in shopping lots, rather than
near the entrance.
5) If you have shopping near your home, walk or bicycle
rather than drive.
6) Turn off TV more, step away from the internet, and step
outside for a walk.
7) Have fun with small children, get down on their level once
in awhile.
7 Polish Kielbasa, Onions,
& 7 Braised Carrots
Number
6:
Track
your success. What gets scheduled gets done. Failing to plan is
planning
to fail. Successful people have goals. If you don't know where you're
going, how will you know when you get there?
This is basic 101
for many people, yet surprisingly absent for many others. Do you like
to write down your expectations, create a timeline and sub-goals, and
track your progress? Some do and some don't.
For The 7 Diet, start with some simple and straightforward goals:
- What is my weight now?
- What do I want it to be?
- When do I want to reach that weight?
- How often will I check my progress?
- How will I track my diet and exercise?
- What about my Blood Pressure?
- What about my Cholesterol?
Number
7:
Give yourself 1 day off each week. What?
Yes,
that's right. Follow The 7 Diet daily, regularly, until it becomes a
welcome habit. This is not about eating specialty food. It is not about
cardboard tasting wafers, or linking on shakes. Please include those on
your diet if you like them, but not to punish yourself. The real
tragedy is succeeding with dramatic weight reductions eating what you
hate, only to regain the weight when you reach your ideal.
Instead,
know yourself well enough to know what you like. And when you have a
chance for a great restaurant meal, that clearly exceeds your daily
meal size, make the choice to enjoy it, or take some of it home for
later. Too often the rigidity of a well disciplined diet plan works
creates great depths of guilt when you "fall off the wagon". Know that
you are human, and it's okay to take a day off now and then. Just
remember to return to your regular habits the next day. And if you
finish off your meal with the piece of chocolate cake, go for a walk
in a nearby park for 30 minutes afterwards!
The Next
Step:
Follow
all seven of these concepts together: simplify by eating
multiples
of 7, eat balanced, 6-7 times daily no more than the size of your fist,
use small plates and bowls, exercise daily, track your success, and
recognize every day will not perfectly match your goal.
What's
the next step? Read on:
The 7 Diet (cont.)
You've
read this far. You've decided this may work, or it's just another way
of looking at other concepts and bringing them together. No diet is for
everyone. Each of us views the world, and ourselves a little
differently. You like what you've read and want to actually implement
The 7 Diet concepts.
Sample
Diet Plan:
Day 1
- Bowl of Cheerio's with 7 strawberries and low fat
milk.
- Celery stick cut into 7 bite size pieces
- Low fat yogurt
- 7 Ritz Crackers
- Lean beef, 7 bites. Peas, 7 teaspoons
- 7 Bing Cherries
Day 2
- Two egg omelet, with green pepper, mushrooms, and
cheese sprinkle.
- Fresh apple, 7 slices
- Red & Yellow Peppers, 7 teaspoons Rice
- 7 small Swiss Cheese bites
- Broiled Chicken Breast, 7 bites. Sweet Corn, 7
teaspoons.
- 7 bites of fresh Cauliflower
Day 3
- Hot oatmeal with 7 blueberries.
- 7 carrot sticks
- Half sandwich, ham.
- 7 small bites, fresh Broccoli
- Tilapia filet, 7 bites. Green beans, 7
forkfuls
- 7 M&M (a treat once-in-a-while)
7 Spoons of Oatmeal and 7 Blueberries
I trust you get the idea.
Each day should include regular meals, 6-7. As you are eating
less at every meal or snack, you need them regularly to keep up your
energy.
Each day also needs balance, from all the major food
groups. And don't forget to treat yourself with small amounts of
chocolate, preferable dark chocolate. It keeps you on target better to
reach your ultimate weight loss goal, and develop better habits for
life!
# # #
Copyright © 2010 ATimeToLaugh.org
All Rights Reserved
As
copyrighted material, this work may be shared freely, as long as it is
not sold for profit, it remains complete as shown, no parts or sections
are changed in any way, and the original source location is
referenced:
Disclaimer:
As with any diet, eating, exercise, or other life changing
regimen, you need to use good judgment, and reasonable common sense.
You should also talk with your doctor before beginning any program,
changing your diet, or undertaking a new exercise routine.
Return HOME from The 7
Diet
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