my "kinda" diet

Every Ramadan I gain weight. I know this sounds crazy considering the fact that from sunrise to sunset I'm not eating or even drinking anything, but it's true. I think it's because I tend to eat more before I sleep and we all know that's a big no-no. Also, with Ramadan comes a lot of appetizer/pastry type foods that I know are super fattening. I usually gain at least a couple of extra pounds. :-( Even though I think this has been my best Ramadan in terms of this issue, I just feel icky. I told my hubby today that after Ramadan I'm going back on my "kinda" diet.




What is my "kinda" diet? Well, it's something I did this past year and it worked. I lost 15 pounds, and that was without exercise. I have to call it my "kinda" diet because I can't feel deprived or it just won't work. Also, it's not a fad diet that I found in a book or online. It's my own sort of made up thing.


So back in like December or January I was like, I need to lose some weight and I want to eat healthier. I'm 30 now, I have to watch these things. ;-) I knew that the only way to lose was to change my eating habits. Here's what I did, with my schedule:

• No time to eat before I head to work(it's b/t 6 and 6:30am), no problem, I'll eat my quickie breakfast before I head to 1st period which is: a nutri-grain bar and a small boxed milk (these are readily available here but in the US I only find them at Toys R Us or at an organic food store).



• A total of three breaks at work (a 20 min one, a 15 min one, and a 10 min one) plus an average of 3 out of 8 periods in my office for grading and things . Pack and take the following to eat during my work day; a salad, fruit of any kind, and maybe some wheat crackers. I spread these out throughout the day but always eat my salad first. Why? Because I usually make it with beans and it fills me up. I do all kinds of combos with this salad but it's usually something like this: chick peas, red kidney beans, corn, diced cucumbers, and diced tomatoes (with a small spoon of Italian dressing and a dash of salt and pepper). It looks a little something like this:

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  Sometimes I substitute my salad for a sandwich; whole wheat bread, turkey breast, a slice of low fat cheese, and mustard.

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  At work, only drink water, coffee, juice on occasion, and green tea (GREEN TEA is very good for health and losing weight!)

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  Arrive home around 2pm, lunch is ready by 3pm (this is when housekeepers come in handy). If hungry during this time, I eat a low fat yogurt or some fruit.

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  Eat lunch b/t 3 and 4pm. Lunch is usually something like chicken, rice, salad, and cooked veggies. Do not limit myself (example: we eat a lot of rice here, if it's cooked that day, I usually eat it), rather I watch my portions. One way of doing this is by using a smaller plate. Drink a glass of strawberry, guava, or berry juice with my meal.

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  Most nights dinner is skipped and this is only because my salad was kinda like lunch at work and lunch was more like an early dinner(in Saudi, the main meal of the day is lunch but it's served later like around 3pm). If hungry, I'll eat a portion of the salad or fruit that I prepare for the next day's packed lunch.

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  Throughout the day drink LOTS of water...like LOTS and LOTS of it, I LOVE water!

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  Treat self to a cup of caramel Chai Latte or coffee in the evening, and try to drink another cup of green tea somewhere in my day.

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  LOVE chocolate, eat some dark chocolate after lunch/dinner(I switched to dark chocolate for my "kinda" diet which was hard at first, but I got hooked, you just have to find a good quality dark chocolate).

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  If the urge to munch comes along, eat light popcorn, wheat crackers or Indian snacks that are spicy, tasty, and low fat.

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  Special Rule: no eating 2-3 hours before bedtime!!!

So there you have it. That's what I did and it worked for me. I not only lost weight, but I felt better too. But, it's important to mention that everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another.

I'm hoping to start this back up in a week or so and my new goal? Combine this with some exercise. Exercising is really hard when I'm working, but I have to make the time. We shall see...