The Sugar Smart Diet: Stop Cravings and Lose Weight While Still Enjoying the Sweets You Love (25 page)

Pick one per day.

Blend half a frozen sliced small banana with ¼ cup fresh, frozen, or canned-in-own-juice pineapple and
2
⁄
3
cup fat-free milk or unsweetened soy milk. Add a couple of ice cubes before blending for a thicker smoothie.

Nutrition per serving:
121 calories, 6 g protein, 25 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 19 g total sugar, <1 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 69 mg sodium

Pick one per day.

Mix 2 tablespoons drained and flaked albacore tuna with 1 teaspoon light mayo, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and black pepper and dried dill to taste. Top 4 woven whole wheat crackers with the tuna salad and top each with 2 slices cucumber.

Nutrition per serving:
147 calories, 9 g protein, 15 g carbs, 2 g fiber, <1 g total sugar, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 271 mg sodium

Combine 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons raisins or chopped dried apricots, and
1
⁄
3
cup spoon-size shredded wheat cereal. Add ground cinnamon to taste.

Nutrition per serving:
158 calories, 3 g protein, 29 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 11 g total sugar, 5 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 3 mg sodium

Date:

Today’s intention:

Place an X next to the meals and snacks you ate today.

You can mix and match your meals and snacks from Phases 1, 2, and 3. Boldface indicates an option added in this phase; an asterisk denotes a recipe that can be found in
Chapter 11
.

Hunger level
____

__ Apple-Cinnamon Oats with Walnuts

__ Apricot-Almond Breakfast Wrap

__ Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats*

__ Blueberry and Honey Yogurt Parfait

__ Breakfast Quesadilla*

__ Canadian Bacon Apple-Cheddar Melt

__ Cashew-Coconut Muesli Yogurt

__ Cinnamon-Apple Breakfast Polenta*

__ Classic Smoked Salmon Bagel

__ Crunchy Almond Yogurt

__ Crustless Mini Broccoli and Cheese Quiche*

__ Loaded Breakfast Potato

__ Mediterranean Scramble

__ Microwave Peanut Butter Oats

__ Mushroom-Quinoa Frittata*

__ On-the-Go Breakfast

__ Orange–Vanilla Cream French Toast*

__ PB&J Toast and Café au Lait

__ Picnic Breakfast

__ Sausage-Potato Hash and Eggs*

__ Spicy Avocado Breakfast Bowl

__ Starbucks Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap

__ Strawberry-Coconut Chia Breakfast Pudding*

__ Strawberry-Kiwi Crunch Yogurt

__ Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Cheddar Wrap

__Whole Wheat Blueberry Protein Pancakes*

Hunger level
____

__ Artisan Bistro Grass-Fed Beef with Mushroom Sauce (Frozen Entrée)

__ Asian Quinoa Salad*

__ Barley Risotto with Chicken and Asparagus*

__ Bento Box

__ Beer BBQ Chicken Thighs with Corn and Tomato Salad*

__ Blue Cheese, Walnut, Chicken, and Quinoa Salad

__ Broiled Mustard Salmon with Roasted Broccoli and Quinoa

__ Build-Your-Own Meal

__ Chicken Sausage and Veggie Pita Pizza

__ Chipotle Burrito Bowl

__ Cool Cucumber, Tomato, Black Bean, and Barley Salad

__ Crab Cakes with Garlic Kale*

__ Crunchy Sesame Chicken and Bulgur Bowl

__ Crunchy Turkey-Pear Salad Sandwich

__ Fast, Hearty Turkey Chili*

__ Fennel Slaw with Salmon and White Beans

__ Fiesta Egg Salad

__ Fish Tacos with Mango-Lime Salsa in Crispy Corn Tortillas*

__ Garlic-y Shrimp ’n’ Grits

__ Grilled Shrimp Salad with Potatoes, Sunflower Seeds, and Goat Cheese

__ Halibut with Fennel and Citrus Vinaigrette and Roasted Potatoes

__ Hearty Lentil Sauté with Bulgur

__ Loaded Shrimp Fajita Bowl with Brown Rice

__ Orange-Garlic Salmon with Kale and Barley*

__ Outback Steakhouse Victoria’s 6-oz Filet

__ Panera Bread Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado

__ Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce*

__ Penne with Meatballs*

__ Poached Eggs with Fruity Wheat Berry Salad*

__ Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Pear-Cabbage Medley and Barley*

__ Potato, Pepper, and Chicken Sausage Sauté

__ Roast Beef, Swiss, and Arugula Sandwich

__ Roasted Veggie, Bulgur, and Chickpea Salad with Feta Dressing*

__ Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower

__ Spinach and Grapefruit Salad with Wheat Berries and Grilled Chicken

__ Starbucks Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl

__ Steak and Roasted Baby Potatoes and Carrots

__ Sugar Smart Asian Peanut Dressing*

__ Sugar Smart BBQ Sauce*

__ Sugar Smart Marinara Sauce*

__ Sugar Smart Teriyaki Sauce*

__ Tangy Mediterranean Tuna Salad

__ Teriyaki Beef with Broccoli*

__ Turkey Burger with Broccoli–Wheat Berry Toss

__ Turkey, Roasted Pepper, and Avocado Roll-Up with Edamame

__ Turkey-Veggie Lasagna*

__ Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello*

__Whole Wheat Tuna Pasta Salad over Mixed Greens

Hunger level
____

__ Banana-Pineapple Smoothie

__ Crudités and Hummus

__ Fruit and Protein Combo
What combo?
________________

__ PB&J Yogurt

__ Turkey and Cheese Wrap

Hunger level
____

__ 16-ounce Fat-Free Latte

__ Banana–Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding*

__ Banana Coconut Roll

__ Berry-Veggie Smoothie*

__ Caprese

__ Cashew-Ginger Coconut Muesli

__ Cheesy Popcorn with Almonds

__ Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie*

__ Creamy Dark Chocolate–Banana-Coconut Pudding*

__ Crunchy-Creamy Purple Slaw*

__ Crunchy Roasted Rosemary Chickpeas*

__ Easy Cinnamon-Apple Cobbler*

__ Fruity Trail Mix

__ No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies*

__ PB Celery and Milk

__ Peachy Ginger All-Fruit Soft Serve*

__ Pear Wedges with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

__ Pumpkin Pie Trail Mix Popcorn

__ Roasted Fennel with Pine Nuts*

__ Roasted Lemon-Ginger Pears with Pecan Yogurt*

__ Sugar Smart Energy Bars*

__ Tuna-Potato Wrap*

__ Tuna Salad Cucumber Stackers

__ Turkey, Cheese, and Veggies

__Watermelon and Feta Salad*

__ Yogurt-Covered Blueberries*

Additional Foods:

Notes:

FOR LISA, MOST OF THE 20 TEASPOONS
of sugar a day that she was downing came from sweetened beverages such as lemonade, iced tea, and coffee creamer. With four kids in the house, it wasn’t a surprise that cookies and fudge pops were often available, and Lisa was indulging in them, too. “I always felt that I
needed
something sweet to eat right after a meal,” she says.

Lisa’s cravings were pretty intense on Phase 1 of the Sugar Smart Diet, and she was constantly reminded of what she was missing. “When my kids had cereal or fruit-flavored yogurt, they would say, ‘You can’t eat that!’” she says. To maintain control, she used positive self-talk. “When a craving hit, I’d tell myself that I could do this, that it would pass—and it did, usually in 10 to 15 minutes,” she says. Within 4 days, her desire for sweets dramatically declined.

As she started to see results, her kids’ reminders became more encouraging and motivated her. “After my first weigh-in, my oldest asked about my results. They kept me in check. I wanted them to see that I could stick with it. Aside from the weight loss, one of the biggest rewards of this plan is that I have more energy for bike rides and hikes with my kids.”

Many of the healthy changes Lisa made while she was following the plan have become permanent habits. “I have no desire to return to my old way of eating,” she says. She no longer drinks sweetened beverages or buys flavored yogurt, and she starts her day with peanut butter oatmeal instead of sugary cereals. Her family is benefiting, too. “The kids still get treats, but I’m more watchful. I make more stuff myself, and if a recipe has sugar, I cut it in half and add other healthy ingredients, like zucchini in brownies.”

Overall, Lisa learned to limit her sugary foods to the ones she really wanted when she wanted them. “I like to have ice cream, but now it’s an occasional treat. I use one of my kid’s tiny cereal bowls, and it’s enough.”