HOLLYWOOD—The 30 pounds in 30 days plan resembles a conventional “diet” much more than my preferred easier-going weight-loss method. It contains a lengthy list of detailed do’s and don’ts; this is the nitty gritty, folks. Nevertheless, 30 Pounds in 30 Days is meant ultimately as a segueway to a permanent way of better living and eating to achieve lasting fitness and contentment.
My own story: for about nine months I adopted gentle, but transformative changes, a light pre-breakfast exercise and breathing routine, fruits in the morning, later meals accompanied by a generous complement of vegetables. Then, out of the folly of wanting a lean movie-star belly, I tweaked the program and did indeed lose 30 pounds in 30 days, something that I do not advocate. As a matter of fact, more cautious physicians hold that the body can safely lose only one pound a week. But so many people are so eager to know what habits achieved a loss of 30 pounds in 30 days, I am spilling the beans.
The key, in addition to maintaining my morning exercise regimen, was speeding up the body’s digestive system and simplifying eating choices.
–Don’t drink beverages at mealtimes. If you want a drink, have it 30 minutes before or after eating. (Liquids dilute the digestive juices and slow the process of digestion).
–Do drink a glass of water before you go to bed. It replenishes liquids lost through sweat and pee during the exertions of a full day. A glass of water balances vitamins, minerals and nutrients in the body, which is mostly water; a glass of water harmonizes hormones, muscles and energy levels, and will relax you. You’ll have a great night’s sleep, and during these hours water has time to circulate and flush out the poisons.
—Don’t eat three hours before bedtime. To be truly in a state a rest, the body should not be working digesting food.
—Do eat fruit if you’re feeling really peckish in the evening. Fruit is the quickest digesting of foods. (Watermelon takes 20 minutes, an apple 40. Carrots are a vegetable, and also make a great snack too, 50 minutes digestion time).
—Don’t weigh yourself. We’re on a race to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Abstain from weighing yourself for the first weeks. Look instead, to the fit of your clothes or feedback from your friends. Does a race car driver check a speedometer? Heck no. A race car doesn’t even have a speedometer.
—Do like yourself. A lot – Remember liking yourself, being at a state of ease and comfort in your body, whatever its current shape, is paramount for effortlessly acquiring the shape you desire. That will be possible when you shake off the monkey of self-aversion, spawned by unrealistic fitness expectations or wanting to be someone you are not. Accept and like yourself… as is.
—Don’t fixate – There’s strong temptations to fixate on the part of the body you’re unhappy with, where you want to see immediate results. Admit it; there are times when we gaze at ourselves in the mirror with a punishing gaze: perversely wanting to see that flab or that extra chin, and lash out at ourselves. Learn to keep your shirt on and/or not focus on the location of that physical part you fret over. This can be a magnet for all the feelings of dislike for yourself.
—Do use a non-stick pan – for greaseless cooking.
—Avoid foods that are trouble when it comes to washing the dishes. The greasy and grimy, the stuff that splotches the counter and sends clothes to the cleaners, the stuff that requires a pan scoured by a Brillo pad. The highly perishable stuff that stinks to high heaven when it rots. Fried ice cream and chimichangas are out.
—Do eat nuts and seeds – Almonds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts are awesome to munch on and are a great source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals. A cup of whole almonds has nearly 25% more calcium than a cup of milk (379 milligrams calcium from the tree versus 300 from the cow).
—Don’t count calories –this is a lighten up concept for the mind. Taking notes and doing the adding and subtracting, entering in the punishing calculus of remembering what decadent indulgence you had yesterday and, because of it, denying yourself today. Count only the things want to grow. (to be continued)
Humorist Grady Miller is the author of “Lighten Up Now: The Grady Diet,” available on Kindle. He can be reached at grady.miller@canyon-news.com.
By Grady Miller
