Eat Rarely!

A while back, I posted something about the Men's Health Abs Diet. Now, I don't follow this per se and I don't really think I'm on a diet. But I love this chart I got from one of my Men's Health magazines. So I kept it and use it as a bit of a cheat sheet. It reminds me what foods are good for me and which ones I should stay away from.

It's broken down into four categories: Eat Rarely, Eat Occasionally, Eat Often and the Abs Diet Bulls Eye. Now, I'm not trying to get a washboard stomach or anything, hence the not-following part. But the list in general is good, so I decided to share it with you.

The largest group is Eat Rarely. Of course, it's filled with tasty foods, foods that you can find yourself eating often if you're not careful. I'm breaking the list down so you don't have to digest it all at once. Woe is the person who digests all of this food at once!

EAT RARELY: bagels, beer (regular), breads (made with white flour), brownies, burgers (fast food), burritos (frozen), cake, candy, cereals (sugary), chicken (fried), chicken wings, chips.

Okay, let's take a breath. I suppose none of these foods would be too surprising to be here. Maybe white bread... maybe, but the rest seem like no-brainers to avoid. I used to eat frozen burritos religously, back before my fitness and cooking renaissance. Those had about 400 calories per pop and I'd usually eat two per meal. Yikes.

EAT RARELY (cont.): cinnamon rolls, coffee (high sugar), cookies, croissants, danish, dips (creamy), doughnuts, fish sticks (frozen), french fries, fruit juices (sugar added), hot dogs.

Probably from this group I have most problems with cookies. If they're around, I eat them. So that's why I don't make them more often. I try and avoid giving too much fruit juices to my daughters but sometimes it's difficult.

EAT RARELY (cont.): jellies, malts, margarine, nachos (restaurant), non-dairy creamer, packaged desserts, pancakes (made w/white flour), pasta with creamy sauce, pie, pizza.

Pizza is also difficult to avoid. Still, I think if you have to have pizza and limit yourself to two slices you should be okay.

EAT RARELY (cont.): popcorn (buttered), popsicles, refried beans, salad dressings (creamy), sausage (pork), scones.

I'm Mexican so I just can't give up refried beans. Not possible. But I do limit myself. I can't make scones so that's not a problem.

EAT RARELY (cont.): seafood (fried), soft drinks, toaster pastries, vegetables (fried), waffles (made w/white flour), whipped cream.

Okay, that's the end of it. When people ask me how I did it, how I lost my weight, the first thing I tell them usually is that I gave up certains foods and the first thing I tell is sodas. Giving up sodas is so simple. There are plenty of alternatives to drinking soda. Myself, I stick to water. I'd say about 80-90 percent of what I drink is water. The other 10 is a mix of coffee, beer, diet soda... wow, that sounds toxic!

Anyway, it's always good to revisit this list. I have it hanging on my refrigerator and refer to it weekly, if not daily.

Keep an eye out for foods from the other sections. Not as lengthy but quite thought-provoking.