The Diet Plan

Did you ever look in the mirror when coming out of the shower and see the above shape. Well, I did about three years ago, and went on my diet plan and lost 40 lbs. in about 3 months. Three years later and I have to lose about 15 lb.s to get back down to my low weight. I am going on a 13 night cruise in six weeks and know I will gain some poundage, so now is the time to slim down. As any of my readers know, I love food and drink, and it's not easy to say "no".  I am now on my advanced maintenance plan, where weekdays (and most of the weekend) I stick to the plan. I do cheat a couple of times a week, which prevents rapid results, but it is coming off.

The following is my basic plan, which is similar to Atkins and South Beach, but it allows vodka and red wine. Why deprive yourself of all pleasure.

The Jersey Paulie Diet Plan

Things to avoid totally for the first month:

• All pasta products
• All bread products
• All rice or bean products
• All potato products
• All fruit juices, sugary sodas, sweet drinks
• Every single dessert item: cakes, cookies, candy etc…
• Every single chip/cracker snack: pretzels, chips, cheese doodles, crackers etc..
• Beer, white wine, cordials, sweet mixers(including tonic)
• Most fruits…(a small amount of fruit is allowed, like ½ apple a day, or 6 strawberries)
• Any bottled or processed food:  salad dressings, ketchup, barbeque sauce etc.  Look at labels for “high fructose corn syrup”, which is your enemy. Condiments that are O.K. are: mustard, mayonnaise, butter.

Things O.K. to consume for the first month:

·        All meat, chicken, or fish either broiled, baked, deep fried or grilled. Be careful with sauces, and avoid those that contain flour, cornstarch, any type of sugar.

·        Eggs, whole milk, cream, butter, all cheeses (which includes: cottage cheese, cream cheese stuffed in celery, cheddar cheese melted over anything, swiss cheese melted over tuna, etc…).

·        Salami, cured meats, bacon, sausage, taylor ham, and every other flavored pig product

• All salads: lettuces, onions, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, olives (all types), limited carrots due to their sugar content, dressed with only olive oil and red wine vinegar, or mayonnaise. Never use bottled dressing as it is loaded with high fructose corn syrup. (Tuna salad with regular mayo is a staple.)
• Almost all vegetables. No beets, carrots, potatoes, otherwise smother them in melted butter, which is allowed.
• Nuts… cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts etc..  Not huge portions!
• Very few fruits. A few strawberries, cherries, or other berries, ½ and apple etc.
• Whipped cream made with heavy cream and Splenda. You can mix some Baker’s semi sweet chocolate with the whipped cream as well for a rich dessert that has very few carbs.
•  Vodka, scotch, Tequila, Gin, or red wine (dry). Avoid all other alcohol and all mixers except club soda.

There are a lot of things to eat and they will fill you up. The first month is critical, and you have to avoid everything on the “avoid list”.  You will lose 20 lbs. in the first month if you play by the rules. After the first month you can cheat a day or two a week and still lose weight, but not as quickly. This is a plan that when properly applied, you are never hungry. Also, the fact that you can drink red wine and vodka, you are not miserable.