It may not be for everyone, but when I decided I needed to lose about 20 pounds, cereal came to the rescue. Raisin Bran, Special K, Cheerios – you name it! I heard from a friend that a mostly cereal diet was used by people trying to postpone gall bladder surgery. A very low-fat diet tends not to exacerbate gall bladder problems, according to WebMD’s Gall Bladder information page. The upside is that restricting excess fats helps cut calories and promote weight loss.
My goal was to lose about 20 pounds. I’m not recommending my diet to anyone, especially those who want to have fast results similar to a coolsculpting procedure (learn more @ https://njcenterforcoolsculpting.com/). My diet probably wouldn’t meet any strict medical standards, but I needed to create my own approach to weight loss. It would have to be effective, short term, and it could not involve starvation dieting. Even saying the word “diet” makes me hungry.
Also, I needed to figure out how I could add about 45 minutes of exercise into my busy day. I decided my exercise would consist of at least three 15-minute brisk walks. If I had extra time on any given day, I would add in extra walking and even more on my days off work.
I took brisk walks during my breaks at work or around my neighborhood after work. If it was raining, I would walk in a shopping mall. I even used a nearby office building’s four story stairwell to trot up and down when I had a chance for extra cardio. Anywhere, anytime I could get in those walks, I did it.
Even though my diet changes might not suit everyone, they worked for me. I have always loved all kinds of cereals and milk, along with all kinds of fruit. So, I based my diet plan on that. I would have a bowl of whatever kind of cereal appealed to me at that minute.
I switched from low-fat to skim milk which has fewer calories. Along with the cereal and skim milk, I added fresh fruit. Bananas, strawberries, and blueberries have always been my favorites so they were part of my daily fare. I allowed myself to eat as much cereal and fruit as I wanted but nothing else.
By sticking to cereal, skim milk and fruit, I was eating foods that I liked and that I could vary enough so I didn’t get too tired of eating the same thing every meal. The trick was that, even though I allowed myself to eat as much as I wanted, there was only so much cereal and fruit that I would want in any given day.
By morning, I would be hungry again and a bowl of cereal and fruit was looking pretty good. I had a cup of coffee with skim milk in the morning. I tried to take a multivitamin, if I didn’t forget! During the day, I drank water or unsweetened tea. I never used any kind of artificial sweetener, just for the record.
Within a week, I had lost about two pounds and then by the end of the second week, I had lost about six total. And so it went until I had lost all 20 pounds within a few short weeks. It was relatively easy and I didn’t have to say the four letter word “diet” or feel hungry or deprived of food.
