Roland Barthes said that the bastard form of mass culture is humiliated repetition. So, what does this mean? This means that while an item or specific piece of something may differ, or try and repeat itself haphazardly, the meaning or content of this same something remains a constant. I always think of this quote when dealing with diet: we must break our eating habits and shake up our routines, yet stick to what works for us as individuals. And, for the sake of posterity, I will write my own quote here, “our pants begin to tighten and our stomachs grow swollen with fat when the body has nothing to shock it up”.
I mean, who doesn’t love weekends: errands, dinner parties, weekend trips, shopping, friends, and so much more. For me, sitting on the couch with my husband and enjoying a typical Middle Eastern breakfast before we start our day, well, this is half of my weekend enjoyment. In the past, I had personally struggled with both starvation and bingeing (see very early posts) and thus breakfast was never a part of my routine. I was fearful of eating during these hours as I never loved the foods served, and I didn’t want to “waste calories” at a meal I didn’t really love. When I broke my constant and broke what I knew, and found what worked for me, well that was when I started realizing the importance of individualizing a diet and eating all meals.
I know a countless number of people who skip meals or eat the same foods over and over and wonder why they gain weight. Have the myths not been busted, people?! We need to put food in our mouths first thing in the morning if we want to see weight loss results! We need to vary our diets and we need to eat items that work with our body types and our blood types and our personality types (as individuals)! I am a LOVER of Italian and Japanese cuisines, but this does NOT mean I should be eating Fried Chicken Teriyaki or Veal Parmesan on repeat. Rather, knowing my love of my these foods, and knowing my love of eating cleanly, and knowing my love of wanting to maintain a healthy weight, I have interjected various types of modified foods from these cuisines, and others, into my diet, making sure that the items I pick work for MY BODY. And of course, as mentioned earlier, I allow myself a delicious cheat meal or two a week (not when pregnant J) to spice it up, and add some shock to my routine- and guess what?…. I ended up seeing amazing results!
I have written some items from my non-diet, diet plan below- what I EAT for my meals and of course, cheat meals. I also list foods that DO NOT work well for ME– and thus, I avoid them all together. YOU must carry out a trial and error food period until YOU see which foods work with YOUR body and bloods and tastes. Eventually, the foods that work for YOU will create a routine that can be easily spice up at any desired point.
BECCA’S MEAL PLAN
- I carry my weight in my lower half (I do better with vegetables and salads and lean proteins over sandwiches and wraps and meats)
- I have a Type A- Blood type= I do not digest red meat, poultry, deli meats and too many complex carbs well
- My weakness is salty foods = my cheat meals are salt, salt salt and pasta pasta pasta!
My weakness: rigatoni with vodka sauce!
Breakfast
- 3% cottage cheese with melon
- Greek Yogurt with berries/ bananas/apple and some honey
- 2 Hard Boiled Eggs (1 yellow, 2 whites) with piece of whole wheat bread with tuna (I use light mayonnaise or Tahini)
- 5 egg omelet with asparagus and mushrooms with ¼ hero bread and cream cheese
- Half a grapefruit with fresh oatmeal made with water and some natural fruit jelly added
- Middle Eastern Breakfast: egg scramble, tuna salad, avocado, chopped vegetable salad, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms, tahini, assorted breads with cream cheeses and assorted cheeses (can serve 2+)
- BAD FOR BECCA: granola, cereals, breakfast bars, bacon, pancakes, waffles and any breakfast meats or heavily sweet items
- CHEAT BREAKFAST: New York style bagel with tuna and tomato or cream cheese, tomato, and onion, with a cold chocolate milk
Lunch:
- Piece of grilled white fish (bass, sole) with lemon and garlic, a side of vegetables or a chopped salad with dressing of my choice (guilty pleasure!)
- Salmon Teriyaki Lite (dash of soy and brown sugar in marinade) with bok choy or asparagus and a side of ½ cup of white rice
- Greek Salad with slice of whole wheat bread
- Mixed Vegetable Salad with Mozzarella and homemade Italian dressing
- 1 roll of maki sushi + 5 pieces sashimi + fresh miso soup
- ½ a chicken 1x week MAXIMUM! – Chicken no skin with garlic powder and oregano, olive oil and garlic, served with mixed salad of your choice or small side of rice
- Power Salad (over rice: brussel sprouts, edamame, grilled chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, string beans + balsamic syrup)
- BAD FOR BECCA: Deli meats, red meat, chicken more than 1x a week, processed foods or meats (hot dogs, hamburgers), heavy carbs during the day, potatoes or sweet potatoes, ANY night shades, too much pasta, quinoa or lentils
- CHEAT LUNCH: Slice of pizza, hummus with one pieces of pita bread, pasta dish with seafood or cream sauce, breaded meat with sauce or any “parmesan-style” dish, shawarma over tahini with bread, french fries…
Shawarma with salad and bread!
Dinner:
- Lighter poke bowl: shaved carrots, steamed shrimp, edamame, avocado, seaweed strips, cucumber with two teaspoons of spicy mayonnaise
Lighter Poke bowl heaven! - Sushi (see above)
- Homemade Bolognese (chicken ground) over carrots shaved with basil and a dash of parmesan
Serve over carrot and use only fresh, homemade ingredients for lighter choices. I use ground chicken instead of red meat! - Breakfast for dinner (see Middle Eastern breakfast above)
- Non-pasta tomato and parmesan: string beans or asparagus with homemade marinara sauce and a DASH of melted parmesan on top
- Lemon chicken, chicken marsala, roast chicken with chili (chicken dinner 1x week maximum, never breaded or floured)
- 1-2x month steak marinated with balsamic, soy, whole ground mustard and honey served with vegetable salad and side of mushroom
- Lighter stir fry: Steamed shrimp with steamed broccoli, asparagus, string beans, mushrooms, baby corn and served with a dash of light soy for flavor
- Steamed shrimp with garlic and olive oil with green salad: lettuce, cucumbers, white onion, avocado
- Any white fish with vegetables (see lunch items)
- BAD FOR BECCA: nightshades (potato, sweet potato, eggplant) too much meat in the evenings, deli meats, too much cheese, Chinese food!
- CHEAT DINNER: any pasta or pizza, more than 2 sushi rolls with a noodle dish, steak and side of carbs, creamy soup
I hope this helps you all find your journey, your blood types and what works for you and only you, so that you can accomplish the goals and see the results you want to see. But don’t forget to have some fun every now and again and eat something you REALLY want!
XOXO, Becca
A Life Without Recipes 