I know I’ve written about this before, but it is an absolute bitch to lose weight in your late-30s. So, because Goonies never say die, I decided to try something a bit drastic this week: no alcohol for 5 days! Ok, so there is obviously more to the plan than that, but that part, along with no cream in my coffee, was the hardest part for me. Here’s a breakdown of the plan:
Cut The Crap comes from the BeachBody program and it promises that you will lose up to 5 pounds in 5 days if you stick to the eating plan religiously. It is obviously not meant to be sustainable after the first week, but they say it should give you a good place from which to start. They hope that when you finish the program you’ll realize that you can survive without sugar and salt, and go forth to make healthier choices.
For five days you eat:
- Black coffee or coffee with 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 6 servings of protein from eggs, greek yogurt, fish, shellfish, lean chicken and turkey breasts and ground, turkey bacon, and canned tuna
- One carb for breakfast-brown rice, plain oatmeal, quinoa, sweet potato, small whole wheat wrap
- 3 servings of vegetables- carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, onion, squash, cauliflower, green beans
- Condiments- mustard, hot sauce, lemon juice, all salt-free spices and seasoning
- Water- Try to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces.
If you don’t see it on the list, you don’t eat it. Pretty restrictive, right? I’d been approached about doing it by a friend of mine who is a BeachBody coach, but I thought the limited diet sounded impossible. However, a few weeks later another friend told me she’d tried it and had lost 8 lbs. by sticking to the plan. Well, now, color me intrigued! She told me it hadn’t actually been too hard to eat only the things on the list and she’s not one of those salad people. She loves a beer and burger as much as I do. I decided it was worth a try.
Here’s what I ate: I tried to eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and snacks every day, but my dinners varied a bit. They were usually some kind of lean protein with lots of veggies.
Breakfast: Two egg frittata with tomatoes and arugula over one small sweet potato, black coffee
Lunch: Two mini turkey burger patties, two tablespoons Greek yogurt with a splash of hot sauce, small salad of arugula, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots, one hard-boiled egg with lemon juice and 1 tsp. of olive oil
Snack: Shakeology vegan chocolate smoothie
Dinner: Baked fish or chicken, cauliflower rice, roasted zucchini or carrots
Snack: hard-boiled egg or veggies and greek yogurt with hot sauce
Disclaimer: I don’t eat a lot of meat so I sometimes subbed my animal protein for lentils or chick peas during the week. I also probably ate more than three servings of veggies a day and drank a few cans of La Croix the first day. All of this may have affected my results.
My results: At the end of the five days I’d lost three pounds. This wasn’t the five pounds I had been hoping for, but it wasn’t just about the number on the scale. The spare tire I keep around my waist where my abs should be was feeling a lot firmer, and I looked slimmer. I was also feeling really good about myself. I’d slept better all week and had more energy. On Saturday, I ate very well until the later afternoon when I had a beer or three and then mainlined a large bowl of spaghetti. When I woke up on Sunday morning and stepped on the scale, (surprise, surprise) I’d gained those magical three pounds back again. Wah, wah.
Take-Away: If you’re doing this program solely to lose weight, you might be pleased when the five days are up, but you’re probably going to be disappointed in the long run. However, if you can use it as a jumping off point for a healthier diet, than I would recommend you try it. When a diet is so restrictive you really find out which foods you can handle skipping and the ones that are hard to go without. It turns out I didn’t mind forgoing the cheese in my frittata and the bowl of berries at breakfast, but skipping the cream in my coffee made me wonder if life was even worth living! This week I’m keeping up with the low-carb, no sugar, no alcohol for five days, but I’ve added back cream, salt while cooking, and more than 1 tsp. of olive oil per day. The original plan is so limited and low-cal that when you finish it you can add things in gradually and still be eating a very healthy diet.
Let me know if you decide to try the plan!
♥ Erin