Denise's Daily Dozen (6 page)

12. Back Relaxer

Unwind from a long day with this one.

Sit on the couch with your legs together and feet flat on the floor. Lift your right leg up, place your hands just below your knee, and round your upper body forward. Switch legs and repeat.

Food is fabulous, and having a good relationship with it will make you healthy and happy! You can do it!

The Daily Dozen Eating Plan

I
f you want to lose weight, drop a size, and get healthy while eating delicious, filling foods, then the Daily Dozen Eating Plan is your recipe for success. I love food and love to eat, but I also want to stay in the best shape possible. As a result, I’ve worked hard over the years to come up with a way to enjoy flavorful, satisfying meals and snacks that fuel my busy life yet keep me trim at the same time. The result is the Daily Dozen Twelve Foods to Eat Every Day. This is not a diet but a simple, lifelong way of eating that provides you with all the nutrients you need to stay healthy, slim down, and maintain your weight.

The word
diet
can have negative associations. It might make you think of that friend of yours who was desperately trying to lose weight for an upcoming class reunion. When the pounds didn’t melt off quickly enough, she resorted to skipping meals (a definite no-no!) and working out until she reached the point of complete exhaustion. Not so appealing—or healthy, for that matter! But you can relax, because that’s not what my program is all about. Changing the way you eat and incorporating healthy foods into your life doesn’t have to be overwhelming. And that’s exactly why my Daily Dozen Eating Plan comes down to a few simple principles that are easy to get the hang of. Trust me, you can do it!

I
t’s called “chasing” a dream for a reason. Nobody gets anything by sitting still!

People often comment on my eating habits. They say that they can’t figure out how I stay so fit when they see me eating all the time. Well, all that eating
is
my first secret. When you eat, your metabolism revs up and burns calories simply to digest your food. Munching at regular intervals throughout the day—rather than starving yourself or skipping meals—capitalizes on this metabolism boost by keeping that calorie burn running. My second secret for staying slim is the foods that I eat. Yes,
what
you choose to eat does make a difference not only in terms of keeping you full but also in providing the right nutrients to lose weight and stay healthy. And yet what’s surprising to so many people is that there are tasty, filling foods you can enjoy while trying to shed pounds. You’ll see that when you follow the Daily Dozen Eating Plan. (Think Yogurt Parfaits, Grilled Shrimp with Honey-Kissed Grilled Pineapple, Fish Tacos, and Chicken with Cilantro & Lime.)

The Power of Twelve

The basis of my eating plan is the Daily Dozen—twelve foods to eat every day. I don’t mean twelve specific foods—like blueberries or chicken—but rather food categories. By having a varied, balanced diet of these twelve nutritious, wholesome, energizing foods, you can eat well and shed pounds and fat. I believe in whole foods with minimal processing. These twelve foods are:

1.
Veggie

2.
Veggie

3.
Veggie

4.
Fruit

5.
Fruit

6.
Fruit

7.
Protein

8.
Protein

9.
Protein

10.
Healthy grain

11.
Healthy grain

12.
Healthy fat

DAILY DOZEN SERVING SIZES

 
Fruit:
1 medium-size whole fruit; 1 cup cut-up fruit or berries

 
Vegetables:
1–2 cups

 
Protein:
3–4 ounces meat, fish, or chicken; 1 cup dairy; ½ cup beans

 
Grains:
1 slice bread; ½–1 cup grains, cereal, or beans

 
Healthy fats:
1 teaspoon olive oil; a quarter of an avocado; 1–2 tablespoons natural peanut or almond butter; 2 tablespoons vinaigrette salad dressing; 1–2 tablespoons nuts

Yes, it’s that simple. But eating three servings of vegetables, three servings of fruit, three servings of protein, two servings of healthy grains, and one serving of healthy fat for a total of twelve works. To create the menus in the Daily Dozen, I worked with registered dietitian and sports nutritionist Chris Mohr, PhD, a weight loss expert who has helped thousands of people lose weight permanently. Every single meal and snack is carefully created to help you finish your Daily Dozen and consists of the most wholesome, fresh foods you can find. You’ll also find a checklist for each day of the Daily Dozen so you can monitor whether you’re getting these twelve important foods. In order to make eating the Daily Dozen way a cinch, we have done all the homework and calculations for you! (To keep it simple and help you save time, I’ve also included a shopping list for each week at the end of the book.)

Chris and I designed unique menus that are a balance between the Daily Dozen Foods and a specific calorie count for each week. The latter is important because weight control comes down to one simple equation: calories eaten compared with calories burned. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you regularly burn more calories than you eat through work, play, and exercise, you’ll lose weight. If you equalize the calories you burn and consume, you’ll maintain your weight.

The goal of the first two weeks of the Daily Dozen Plan is to lose weight, so the meal plans for those days will be lower in calories. The first week, you’ll eat around twelve hundred calories a day for women and fifteen hundred for men. The second week you’ll eat around thirteen hundred calories a day for women and sixteen hundred for men, and add regular morning snacks. (Because men are typically larger than women, they need more calories.) Given the kinds of foods I’ve included, you’ll actually feel totally satisfied regardless of the calorie count. No bird-size portions here! The goal of the third week is to help ease you into your new, healthy lifestyle while still shedding pounds. In that week, the Daily Dozen Meal Plans include fourteen hundred calories a day for women and seventeen hundred for men. For the first three weeks, I’d like you to stay as close to the Daily Dozen menus as you can: They’re carefully formulated for you to lose weight, and I want you to see results. I know these daily menus work (in conjunction with exercise, of course) because these are the same foods that I eat and have been eating for years. They’ll also get you on the right track to eating healthfully and teach you how to make choices that are good for you.