Tag Archives: The Abs Diet

The Farmer’s Favorite Breakfast: The Three-Country Breakfast Sandwich

I’ve said before that I’m a follower of The Abs Diet. I don’t really like the term “diet” when it comes to what kind of foods you can eat on this plan, though. It’s just a very healthy relationship with food. When I first moved down here to the farm, the farmer had to adapt to my ways since it was a healthy eating plan that I adopted after I had Peanut. It worked for me in losing the leftover baby weight and the farmer has lost 25 pounds since I moved in. (without a whole lot of complaining, to boot!)

The thing I absolutely love about The Abs Diet is that the recipes are so easy and so delicious. My husband likes food. I don’t know many men that don’t. And as embarrassing as it is, there have been times throughout the course of our relationship when I have been able to eat my husband under the table.

And it wasn’t when I was pregnant. In my experience, my hollow leg at 26 is a lot less hollow than it was at, say, 22.

So, today, I thought I would post a breakfast sandwich that the farmer has just about every morning. It’s one of my favorites, too. It’s called The Three-Country Breakfast. Here’s how you make it:

1 egg, fried in olive oil cooking spray

1 slice Canadian bacon

1 slice tomato

1 toasted whole-wheat English muffin

1 tablespoon shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

Arrange egg, bacon, and tomato on one half of muffin. Top with cheese.

*Sidenote: You can also put the egg in the microwave for about a minute and a half to cook it. It takes even less time. I just like the texture better if I cook it in a skillet.

The specifics on this sandwich are: 326 calories, 24 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 1145 mg sodium

Trust me. It’s delicious and so easy. The farmer also had to make sure his favorite staple made it into the picture. Tabasco. He douses it in it. But, I’m ok with this because it actually makes it even more productive for him. Hot sauce will kick your metabolism into high gear for a little while.

I don’t know about you, but I like the thought of the food I eat working for me. Because the less I have to work out, the better.

A Super Healthy, Simple, and Scrumptious Breakfast

I look forward to this breakfast every morning. Not only is it healthy, but it’s very tasty and it keeps me full for a while.

Here’s the ingredients:

1 packet maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal

1/2 cup 1% milk (you can use skim or fat-free and eat even less calories)

1 turkey sausage patty (I use the pre-cooked Jimmy Dean ones and all I have to do is heat it up cuz I’m lazy like that)

1 slice whole wheat bread

I heat the oatmeal and milk up for however long the packet says. Then, I cut up the turkey sausage patty into little cubes and throw them into my oatmeal. (I know this might sound kinda weird, but it’s really good. My 3-year-old little brother really likes it, too). Stir it up and use the unbuttered toast for dipping in your oatmeal, if you like. Or you can have no toast at all and save around 70 calories.

I like to keep my meals in the 400 calories vicinity and this one comes in at 375, so it’s perfect.

Since I’m talking about oatmeal, I wanted to throw in some interesting little tidbits about how it’s a weight loss power food. I started eating it a lot when I found out in high school that Halle Berry ate it every morning for breakfast. Who doesn’t want to look like Halle Berry? But, my information is coming from The Abs Diet. The author touts the unsweetened, unflavored variety (which I’m 100% sure is better for you), but I just can’t abandon my maple and brown sugar flavor. My life would be remiss. A piece of me gone. And it also means that I wouldn’t be bucking the system and we can’t have that now, can we?

The reason oatmeal keeps you full longer is that it contains soluble fiber, which attracts water and stays in your stomach longer than insoluble fiber (vegetables). This reduces your blood cholesterol because during digestion, your liver has to pull cholesterol from your blood in order to keep making digestive acids. Therefore, your bad cholesterol levels drop. You can’t beat that for an added bonus.

Doctors recommend 25-35 grams of fiber per day. I know I wasn’t getting that before I started eating healthier. The book says, “Fiber is like a bouncer for your body, kicking out troublemakers and showing them the door. It protects you from heart disease. It protects you from colon cancer by sweeping carcinogens out of the intestines quickly.”

You know what else it does? Maintains your blood sugar levels longer than many other foods. This keeps your insulin levels low, so you won’t be starving in 2 or 3 hours. This is amazing because when your insulin levels spike, your metabolism drops and sends a signal to your body that it’s time to start storing fat. Yeah…not good. That’s why oatmeal is so beneficial to a weight-loss plan.

So, folks, treat your body to some oatmeal today! If not for breakfast, throw some in a smoothie or use it as a late-night snack. You’ll feel good about the healthy decision and I will be happy.

An oatmeal enthusiast,

The Dairy Maid

 

Source : The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko. The recipe is adapted for my own personal preferences, though.

A Diet and a Workout That I’m Really Passionate About

I gained 45 pounds when I was pregnant with Peanut. I ate like a horse because 1) I was hungry 2) I’ve always eaten like a horse with no consequences and 3) if you can’t eat like a horse when you’re pregnant, then when can you? Pregnancy was not a time when I thought I looked my best. People tell you that you look so pretty and glowing, but I felt like a swollen toad. I was a swollen toad. My legs were so swollen they hurt and no amount of watching my sodium intake helped.

So, after Peanut’s birth, I left the hospital 15 pounds lighter, but still pretty swollen. Weeks went by and the swelling went away, but the body didn’t quite bounce back that quickly. I don’t know how many people told me stories about how 6 weeks after they had their babies, they were back in their jeans again. They. Were. Lying. Immediately after I had Peanut, I started watching what I ate so I could lose the extra weight I had left. By the 6th month, I still wasn’t in my jeans. Just trying to eat better wasn’t working for me. I decided to take drastic measures (aka exercise.) I’m an extremely active person, (except when I’m parked here on my can blogging). It actually makes me angry to just sit around. My nerves go awry and I end up lashing out at people. I have to be doing something. But, my definition of doing wasn’t working. I had 12 pounds to lose and it had collected right around my middle. The hardest place to lose weight.

This is when Tony Horton became my hero and The Abs Diet taught me how to really eat right. I started doing Power 90. NOT P90x, but the Power 90 at home boot camp. It kicked my dog. I was terribly out of shape. Two days after I started the regimen, I was in so much pain I could barely move. I actually had to take a break for 3 days in order to recuperate. (BCAA was an invaluable supplement at that point. It made a marked improvement in my muscle recovery time.) I was dedicated, though. See, the reason it’s called Power 90 is because you have to religiously do it for 90 days. Six days a week. It’s a committment, for sure, but I was so happy with the results that I started recommending it to everyone. My arms got more toned, my legs got more toned, and the fat around my middle was melting off. My energy level really improved, too.

Then, I stopped seeing as much progress, so I decided to try The Abs Diet. Tony Horton has a meal plan, too, but it was way too rigid. No caffeine? I’ll pass. And you slowly wean yourself off of meat and I like meat. A lot. I read The Abs Diet and it was a total game changer for me. I highly recommend it. It changed the way I think about food, but I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing much because the food’s you can have are foods I really like. And you get 1 cheat meal a week. (I actually took more like 2 or 3 and still saw a lot of progress.) At first, I got hungry some, but you eat every 2 hours, so that definitely helps. Then, my body acclimated to that eating pattern and I was good to go from there. I lost all the weight and my arms and legs never looked better. I was back in my size 4 at 60 days, but I finished it all the way through and still continue to do the work out. Just not as religiously. But, I do still follow The Abs Diet pretty close for maintenance.

I’m still a little looser around the middle than I used to be, but that’s just what babies do to you, I’ve decided. (That was my disclaimer so you wouldn’t be too critical of me.) But, I wanted this post to be the introduction of a new category of my blog. I’m all about finding healthy recipes for my family, foods that boost metabolism, helpful facts about weight loss, and anything else that has to do with healthy living. I’ve found some really delicious recipes and concoctions that don’t make me feel guilty and I’ll be sharing them with you from now on along with all my other daily ramblings.

Again, if you want something that works and you’re in it for the long haul, this works! 3 months is really not that long. You just have to be dedicated and make time. There were nights I would come home from work, put Peanut to bed, and be in my living room at 9:00 just starting the workout. It’s only 30 minutes long for Phase 1-2, so it’s really not that bad and soooo worth it when you feel good and know that the fuel that you’re feeding your body is the most efficient, high-octane fuel you can give it.

I’ve blabbered about it long enough, so ta-ta for now, but if you want to know more or have questions, feel free to contact me.

Not a fitness guru, just know what worked for me,

The Dairymaid

This is not a paid advertisement for Power 90 or The Abs Diet. I’m just passionate about the combo and wanted to share.