Back On The Wagon

I woke up this morning and decided today was the day to get back on track to getting healthy. I have been pretty much out of control for months and I just feel gross. Watching the numbers on the scale continue to go up without caring is definitely not a good place to be. That has been the case over the past few months and I finally realized that it was up to me to change it. It's not like it's going to go away on its own. So today is the magic day!

I have done a lot of research and I have learned that the healthiest diet on the planet is the diet of the Okinawans. They have the most centenarians on the planet and they also have the least occurrence of heart disease and cancer. That definitely caught my attention. They have their own food pyramid and shockingly (or not so shockingly) it is much different than the U.S. food pyramid. Their dietary habits include eating a lot more whole grains and fruits and vegetables than we consume in this country. So I decided this is the food plan I want to adopt and I am doing so by first following the Rice Diet which is basically a weight loss version of the Okinawa Diet.

Here is an overview of the Rice Diet:

Phase 1 -- one week

Day 1: Basic Rice Diet (800 calories and 50 mg sodium)

2 starches and 2 fruits at breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Days 2-7: Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet (1,000 calories a day and 300 mg sodium)

 Breakfast: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 nonfat dairy

Lunch and dinner: 3 starches, 3 vegetables, 1 fruit

Phase 2 -- one week

Day 1: Basic Rice Diet

Days 2-6:  Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet

Day 7: Vegetarian Plus Rice Diet (1,200 calories per day and 500 mg sodium)

  Breakfast: 2 starches, 1 fruit

  Lunch: 3 starches, 3 vegetables, 1 fruit

  Dinner: 3 starches, 3 protein (or 2 dairy), 3 vegetables, 1 fruit

Phase 3 -- Maintenance. Same as phase 2, adding about 200 more calories per week, until you stop losing weight.
Day 1:  Basic Rice Diet
Days 2-5:  Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet
Day 6 & 7: Vegetarian Plus Rice Diet

You keep repeating phases 1 & 2 until you have reached your goal weight and then you begin the maintenance plan.

So for today I have had low-sodium bread with all-fruit jam and a cup of applesauce for breakfast. I will more than likely have rice with pepper on it for the next two meals along with fruit. I am learning to like rice and having pepper on it really makes it taste pretty good. The key to this diet is limiting sodium, so that is the most difficult part, however I have been able to find low-sodium pasta sauce and bread, which to me make this plan so much easier. There are also resources online where you can find all sorts of low-sodium items from crackers to salsa to cookies. I haven't yet partaken in them but I am sure that I will. I will keep you posted.


I have also worked out today and am feeling great. I was tempted to have some Doritos when I ate my toast but I came to my senses quickly and decided to follow through with my plan. That was a breakthrough moment for me!