My "Real World" Diet

I don’t think I ever mentioned that I never did go on that strict Medifast diet (cf. Lettuce Rejoice, below). The medical team feared complications given my diabetes (diabetic ketoacidosis). So it was decided I would go on a “Real World” diet.

That consists of a carefully planned, balanced diet of three meals and three snacks daily. I can have up to 8 portions of meat/protein (1 portion = 1 oz. lean meat or 1 egg); 2 or 3 dairy (8 ozs. skim milk or 1 light yogurt is a portion); 2 to 3 fruits (a banana is considered 2 fruits!); 4 portions of vegetables (1 portion = ½ cup steamed veggies); and 5 grains/starches/cereals/breads.

It’s a diet that gives me a great amount of flexibility, but it requires that I keep a detailed log of my intake which is reviewed weekly with my dietician.

For breakfast the "gold standard" is 1 cup cheerios with 8 ozs. skim milk (and possibly a banana or even just ½ banana.) But with proper planning for the day (and enough time in the morning – or even in the evening) I can make a wonderful veggie omelet.  I use Pam spray to sauté the veggies and cook the omelet. I use one whole egg and up to 3 egg whites. Add a little salsa and toast, perfect!  So the omelet breakfast counts 2 meats, 1 veggie, 1 grain with plenty of room to eat for the rest of the day.

For lunch, I usually pack a sandwich (2 or 3 ozs. of lean deli meat is great) and a salad with an apple or a yogurt. Martha, my dietician, lead me to discover Sarah Lee's 45 calorie bread, two slices of which counts as merely one grain which makes a sandwich quite good!

And for dinner, I imagine the plate quartered: 1 quarter for meat (2 or 3 ozs. – the size of a deck of cards), 1 quarter for grain (a small baked potato or ½ cup rice) and 2 quarters for veggies (salad or steamed veggies) and I could have a yogurt for dessert.

My snacks between meals consist of a piece of fruit (apples are a miracle food!), a 100 calorie yogurt (never used to enjoy them, now they’re part of my life!) and for my salty/savory cravings the 100 calorie mini-bag of popcorn or an ounce of pretzels (that’d be a generous 48 pieces of the small stick pretzels!)

My diet is quite satisfying. I don’t find myself hungry. It takes some discipline, some thinking and some planning, but it’s working for me – at least so far!

And here’s the fun part: with proper planning, I can go out for a steak (a 6 oz. filet rare), baked potato, salad and even… a martini!  Isn’t God good!