Step One: remove cat
Your kitchen will make or break your weight loss results.
Countless successful clients have told me they just stopped buying the crap that was causing them to fail. To accelerate this some have done a kitchen clean out. I think it helps you mentally too. Out with old habits and in with new!
A kitchen stocked with the makings for healthy meals and snacks will keep you on track, even when late-night cravings strike. On the flip side, a kitchen filled with unhealthy munchies will kill your drive and results every single time.
So what should your cupboards hold and what should be off limits? I’ve designed this self-guided kitchen raid to help you sort out the good from the bad.
Go ahead, grab a garbage bag, print out the list below, and then head to the kitchen.
Your Refrigerator
Let’s start with the fridge, the heart of your kitchen. If you find something in your fridge that is on the “Dump this” list, then you know what you have to do. Get that garbage bag ready.
Dump this: Drinks with high fructose corn syrup or sugar such as juices from concentrate.
* Replace with: Water. It is a well known fact that most people are partially dehydrated, a condition that is harmful to your health and wreaks havoc on your weight loss efforts.
Dump this: Rich dairy products. Such as heavy cream and cream cheese. Eliminate high-fat cheeses and milks.
* Replace with: Fresh Vegetables. The produce drawer in your fridge should be overflowing with colorful nutrient-rich veggies. In fact, your fridge should hold more veggies than the drawer can hold. Veggies are filled with fiber, vitamins and nutrients and are a vital part of a healthy well-rounded diet.
Dump this: Fatty meats.
* Replace with: Lean meats. Skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey, white fish – there are numerous choices when it comes to lean meats.
Dump this: Fruit-flavored yogurt. More than 50% of the calories in fruit-flavored yogurt come from sugar.
* Replace with: Plain low-fat yogurt, Greek yogurt, or low-fat cottage cheese. Another option is to have a scoop of low-fat cottage cheese with chopped fruit on top.
Your Freezer
Next let’s take a look into your freezer. Anyone who has walked the freezer aisles at the store knows how plentiful frozen temptations are. How does your freezer measure up?
Dump this: Ice cream.(worst “food” ever for those trying to lose fat) Save yourself from that temptation and don’t buy ice cream.
* Replace with: Frozen fruit and low sugar pudding.
Dump this: Frozen Pizza. Try instead to make a healthy pizza with a whole wheat crust and lots of fresh veggies as toppings.
* Replace with: Turkey or Veggie Patties.
Dump this: Frozen dinners. Yes I know they’re fast and “low cal” OPRAH said so! They’re also full of preservative, chemicals and High Fructose Corn Syrup.
* Replace with: Home-made Portioned Meals. Spend some time on the weekends to cook up healthy meals, and then freeze them in portioned containers. Then throughout the week you simply need to reheat and enjoy.
Dump this: Frozen Breakfast Food such as French toast, waffles and pancakes are popular items in the freezer aisle.
* Replace with: Whole Grain Bread and Muffins. It is just as easy to throw a slice of sprouted, whole grain bread into the toaster as it is a frozen waffle. Spread it with some natural peanut butter and pair it with a piece of fruit. Now that’s a much healthier breakfast.
Your Pantry
Last, but not least, we come to your pantry. This may be the most painful part of your kitchen raid, since most junk food ends up here. So take a moment to give yourself a pep talk before grabbing that garbage bag and opening your pantry.
Dump this: Sugar-filled cereal.
* Replace with: Whole Grain Oatmeal.-(Not flavored or sweetened. That’s sugar disguised as oatmeal). Use honey or fruit to add flavor.
Dump this: Refined/White Bread/White Rice/ Heavily Processed Pasta.-
* Replace with: Whole Grain Bread/Brown Rice/Pasta. Whole grain is filled with healthy fiber, and is less likely to contain harmful, waist-expanding ingredients.
Dump this: Chips/Crackers.
* Replace with: Almonds.-(most popular-get me to the next meal snack today.)
Dump this: Packaged Sweets such as cookies, cakes and candies. Nothing here you don’t know already.
* Replace with: Dried Fruit. Make sure that you purchase dried fruit that does not contained added sugars.
That’s it raid over. Do this raid every couple of months as a way of keeping yourself on track. Talk with your family members about the healthy changes that you’re making, and try to get everyone’s support.
(Sidebar-What to do if your husband or kids don’t want to eat what you’re eating? You have 2 choices-
1. Tell them they can starve until they get on board. Why would you want your closest loved ones to eat junky fattening unhealthy food anyway? We haven’t had a husband die of starvation yet.
2. Tell them they’re on their own and put their food into a box and set it in another part of the kitchen. Keep their food segregated and out of sight and refuse to cook it.-Remember you’re not a doormat.
-end rant)
You know that weight loss comes as a result of healthy eating and consistent, challenging workouts. Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will get you on the fast-track to your best body ever.
If you’re going to read on book about eating, nutrition, getting and staying lean for life(and you just need the facts-no drama) I recommend Food Rules by Michael Pollan.
Here’s the link to Amazon-Food Rules by Michael Pollan (I make no money with this link, just so you know). Yes, I know the book is $6. How much are you willing to pay to look and feel better the rest of your life? Just asking.
Hope this helps you on your way to less struggle, and a leaner better body and more energy than you’ve ever had!
Dedicated to Your Success,
Dave
