Life is an experiment. 

We all need to find what works for us.
Please understand I am not promoting the Flat Belly Diet.  I am promoting healthy foods and a healthy diet that can be sustained for a lifetime.  It just so happens that the Flat Belly Diet works for me. 

  

The day after my awesome technician and I had our little chat I made my way to Barnes & Noble to buy the Flat Belly Diet book.  I found two cookbooks so I bought both.  My journey to a healthier me had begun.  It didn't take me long to discover that I could have about 1600 calories every day.  Wow!  For someone who was trying to limit her calories to 1000 each day,  I was way excited.

There are four "Golden Rules" I must adhere to. 

     1.  Eat a MUFA at every meal.
     2.  Never go more than 4 hours between meals.
     3.  Stick to approximately 400 calories per meal.
     4.  Limit saturated fat to no more than 4 grams per meal.

MUFA's are monounsaturated fatty acids.  

They are found in some really yummy foods like avocado, olives, chocolate, nuts, seeds, and legumes.  MUFA's are plant-based fats and are considered a healthy type of fat.  The Mediterranean Diet is based around MUFA's.  Like all fats MUFA's are high in calories so I have to limit the amount.

Here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say about MUFA's.
"Consuming monounsaturated fatty acids may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving risk factors. For instance, MUFAs may lower your total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels but maintain or increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. And some research shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes."

Here are just a few things I love about the Flat Belly Diet.

1.  I can eat a variety of foods.
2.  I can have so much more food each meal.
3.  I know that I am eating an extremely healthy and balanced diet
4.  I am never hungry.
5.  I can have DARK CHOCOLATE every day.  It's a MUFA!

The hardest part about this diet is juggling the calories, the required MUFA, and other nutrients I need such as protein and calcium.  I am getting better at that as I study the different foods I require to meet my own personal nutritional needs.  I signed up for their website knowing it would help me plan my meals.  It helps me track my protein, cholesterol, calcium and fat intake as well.  I will probably cancel that as soon as I feel comfortable with the plan.  I have based all my meals around what I like to eat.  I like to keep things simple and stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.