Every morning when I wake up, I drink an 8 ounce glass of warm (filtered) water with half a lemon squeezed into it. It's not horrible but I'm also not saying I like it either.
For breakfast I eat fat free vanilla yogurt (Activia--it's like dessert) and a piece of approved fruit, usually an apple or a serving of red grapes. I eat breakfast with a cup of hot green tea (8 ounces) sweetened with a packet of Truvia.
For snack I eat my other serving of fruit. In cycle 1 you're to eat 2 servings of approved fruit before 2pm.
Before lunch, depending on the weather (I live in Florida) I try to get a walk in for at least 20 minutes. I just returned a short while ago from a rather warm walk. It's also Biketoberfest here in Daytona so I had my tunes cranked up extra loud.
For lunch I have a large salad filled with a mixture of lettuces, celery, grape tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of fat free feta, chicken breast (can't get enough protein in cycle 1) and homemade dressing (see below for 2 recipes I've tried and love!). Lunch is also paired with another serving of sweetened green tea.
For my mid-afternoon snack, I try to get in my second probiotic for the day. Usually I eat a 1/2 cup of sauerkraut, but when I'm not in the mood, I wait until I get home from work and eat a second yogurt.
Once I'm home for the day, I like to unwind with yoga. I have a DVD that I love so I get right to it. It's a good way to get your body moving and the deep stretching is wonderful after an 8 hour day sitting behind a desk.
Afterward I want a little something to hold me over until dinner. Since you're allowed 2 teaspoons of healthy fats per day, I open up my jar of Smucker's All Natural Peanut Butter. It's delicious. I eat just 1 teaspoon. I like to have the second one reserved just in case I need a little something after dinner. Sometimes I'll bring a teaspoon of it to work with me for dunking (think apples and celery). You'd be surprised how far a teaspoon of all natural peanut butter can stretch. It's not as thick as the "other" kinds. Don't be fooled by labels...check the ingredients, which should read peanuts and salt, sometimes just peanuts. If it has sugar in the ingredients, it's not all natural.
Dinner for me is where it gets rough. I have a husband and three kids to feed and they usually have something different than me. Last night, for example, I made them meatball subs. I ate Tilapia, asparagus and carrots paired with, you guessed it! Green tea. I wanted so badly to reach over and swipe a meatball from one of their plates, but I didn't. In the end, it paid off because while I was full, it was a pleasant kind of full. No carbs were expanding as I settled in to relax for the night.
Throughout the day/night I am drinking water. I have a great travel cup that holds up to 24 ounces of liquid. I drink three cups of this totaling 72 ounces. The lemon water and green tea also count toward your water consumption. I probably get anywhere from 72 to 112 ounces of water everyday. The diet recommends at least 64 ounces per day. The more you work out, the more you'll need.
The concept behind cycle 1 is to detox your body. You will eat much less in this cycle than in other cycles because the other cycles include certain red meats and pork as well as some healthy carbs. So in cycle 1, you can eat an unlimited amount of the approved proteins and vegetables.
Today is my day 5 of cycle 1. I have 12 days remaining and I plan to mix up the menu to avoid getting bored. In the coming days, I'll share the new menu along with recipes. For now, enjoy the two recipes below.
Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
The zest of an orange
The juice of an orange
Combine all of the ingredients and store in the refrigerator. I was able to eat four very large salads with the amount the recipe produced.
Fat Free Ranch Dressing
1 6 Ounce Container of Fat Free Plain Yogurt
1/2 Packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Tablespoon of Water (or more depending on how thick you like your dressing)
Combine all of the ingredients and refrigerate to get it cold. I wasn't too fond of the dressing when I first tasted it right after making it. Once it was chilled, I dunked in some celery and it tasted great. It is a nice creamy dressing change from the balsamic.
Keep in mind there is a rather large list of approved foods and I only showcased a handful.
Do you have any questions, comments, tips and/or tricks to get through the first cycle?
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