On the following pages, we’ve provided
some overall guidelines to planning your
diet for weight loss, some great tips to
ensure weight loss success, and a good
deal of helpful information about getting
quick results without feeling hungry,
deprived or stressed out.
Set Yourself Up to Do
Well
Make a copy of the foods list and the
food pyramid that appearsin this
blog and stick it on your fridge. It’ll
help you plan your shopping and your
meals and snacks, without having to look
everything up each time.
Before you get started on your diet, go
through your pantry, fridge and
cupboards and get rid of any landmines
that are hiding there. If you live alone or
with a spouse that will also be on the
diet, that makes it easier; just give away
or throw away anything that’s not
allowable, such as margarine, donuts,
frozen French fries, etc. If you have a
family that will not be following the
diet, designate a certain cupboard and a
particular refrigerator shelf for
forbidden foods and stay away from it.
Try Something New at Least Once a
Week
If you’ve never been much of a
vegetable eater, you may be tempted to
stick to the broccoli, carrots and green
beans you usually eat. If fish has never
featured prominently in your diet, you
may get stuck looking for new ways to
eat tuna. Don’t limit yourself to the
things you’ve always eaten. The
Mediterranean people have a huge taste
for adventure and discovery that extends
to their diets. You should, too.
At least once a week, try a food you’ve
never eaten. You might hate it, but more
times than not, you’ll find yourself
enjoying something new and exotic (at
least, exotic to you).
This can really liven up your diet, make
shopping more fun and help you to
prevent getting bored with your diet. The
foods allowed on the Mediterranean
Diet are so vast and varied, there’s
simply no excuse for being bored.
So, try a slice of papaya, some
ratatouille, or broiled flounder. You
never know, you just might love it and
you have nothing to lose if you don’t.
