ABS Diet

I've had a difficult time losing weight since I had Sienna. It's been tough. My sister-in-law Liz had a friend who introduced her to the Abs Diet, and she loved it, so I bought the book and I really like it as well. I think I'm going to be one of those women who really just doesn't lose the weight until after I'm done nursing, but now that I've been implementing some of the things I've learned about the Abs Diet, I'm actually losing, which is nice.

I don't really like to call this a "diet" since it doesn't feel like one. It's more of a life-style change. It's not a fad-diet, which forces you to eat weird foods and then once you go back to your normal diet, you'll gain it all back. It teaches you how to live a healthy lifestyle.

For those who are interested, here's a little blurb about the Abs Diet. It teaches you to eat six "meals" a day. You include two or three from a list of 12 power foods at each of the three main meals and one or two power foods as part of each of three smaller snacks. Here is the acronym for ABSDIETPOWER to help you remember the foods to include.
A-almonds and other nuts B-beans and legumes S- spinach and other green vegetables D-dairy I-instant oatmeal E-eggs T-turkey and other lean meats
P-peanut butter (natural, sugar-free)
O-olive oil
W-whole grains breads and cereals
E-extra protein whey powder
R-raspberries and other berries

While there isn’t much guidance about portion size, the author says that eating from the power-food lists automatically reduces calories since choices are, for the most part, light and lean. I still tend to try to watch my calorie intake and pay attention to portion sizes (i.e. you could eat way too many almonds if you didn't pay attention to how many calories are in just a handful). When I am really sticking to the diet, I notice that I am not hungry at all. (When you are snacking on healthy, protein-filled snacks, you stay fuller longer). It feels good to eat smaller portions. You don't get that over-the-top, bloated feeling after your meals. The exercise part of the plan includes strength training three times per week, abs exercises on two days, and cardio two to three days a week. Realistically, you could work out just 3 times a way, doing 20 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weight training, which is total doable. The only thing I'm finding challenging right now is that Dan and I are training (I use that word loosely this week, since I am also studying for my LCSW exam, work has been crazy and have had a sick baby all week) for a triathlon so I am having to do more cardio to train for that. The book has a whole section on exercise and gives you a whole program to follow, which I have really enjoyed. It's a great work-out.

Anyway, you just try to build your diet around these power foods and learn to avoid fatty foods and unhealthy trans fats. The author emphasizes the importance of avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup and enriched products. He also discusses the dangers of belly fat and how it leads to heart disease, diabetes, etc...The whole preface of the diet is to rev up metabolism, so that you're burning calories while you sleep. The idea is that it will help you build more muscle and burn more fat. For every 6 lbs of muscle you have, you'll burn an extra 300 calories a day. That is why the plan focuses so much on circuit training, rather than intense cardio everyday.

FYI, they also have the Abs Diet for Women, which is very similar to the Abs Diet, only tweaked a little for women. It has a section on post-partum, etc...I just ordered mine on Amazon. For more info you can also check out their website at www.absdiet.com