THE 6 WORD DIET
PART FOUR
Ready to go? This section has
everything you need to start!
? The 6WD Tool Box
? Tricks and Treats
Beth Drennan
The Six-Word Diet
The 6WD Toolbox
You don't actually NEED any particular tools to follow the 6WD. But we
have compiled this list of things we think will help to make the 6WD a
simple, easy part of your daily routine.
Ideal 6WD Starter Kit
1. Your very own copy of the 6WD Book with its unique 100-calorie
food chart in back.
2. A small portable note pad and pen for jotting down meal times.
3. A large lunch box, a pretty soft fabric tote, or a package of brown
paper lunch bags for carrying pre-packed meals for the day.
4. A thermos if you like very hot or very cold meals.
5. A package of plain or zip lock sandwich-size plastic bags.
6. A simple, medium-size, all-purpose stainless steel bowl for salads,
vegetables, soups.
7. A selection of small cup-sized dishes for single servings of yogurt,
ice cream, etc., (fun to collect at second-hand stores).
8. A copy of the 6WD Cookbook (coming soon)--full of simple, flavorful
recipes for keeping the 6WD lifestyle fresh and entertaining.
Beth Drennan
The Six-Word Diet
TRICKS AND TREATS!
These tricks and treat suggestions have been collected from the
successful experiences of other 6WD-ers. If YOU discover any tricks or treats
you'd like to share, please write to us at our Web site, or e-mail us. Maybe
your trick or treat will be published in our next edition!
Packing meals to take to work
If you work outside the home for eight hours a day, you will be eating
between six and seven meals away from home--perhaps more if you
commute.
Pre-packing your meals is quite simple. You can pre-pack the night
before or in the morning before you leave. First, figure out how many meals
you need to take along. Then--say it's six--simply place six little plastic
sandwich bags on the counter, fill each up with a meal, and then carry them
in a brown paper lunch sack or in a lunch box, or simply in your purse or
briefcase.
We highly recommend making three large sandwiches of 200 calories
each (use 35-calorie bread), assembly-line style, and cutting them in half.
This way, six meals are taken care of at once. Not only is this quick and
easy, but eating a half a sandwich at work is simple, quick, and can be
accomplished easily sitting right at your desk. (But pack these
half-sandwiches in separate bags to avoid the temptation of eating both
halves at one meal!)
Other lunch-bag favorites include squares of cheese or sticks of string
cheese, peanuts, individual yogurts, pieces of fruit, raw vegetables and dip,
salad, peanut butter crackers, single servings of pretzels or chips, rice cakes,
tofu, tuna, a cookie, half a brownie, half a protein or granola bar, a carton of
skim milk. See the Portable Foods list at the end of this section for more
ideas.
If you like soups or stews or hot meals, simply carry a thermos or use
a small Tupperware container that you can microwave in the office
lunchroom. Popcorn is another favorite for microwaving at work (100-calorie
bags).
And remember that you can sip coffee or tea all day, WITH cream and
sugar if you like, as well as diet soda, bottled water, or whatever you like.
Making the 6WD work while YOU work: simple!
Before and after photos
Take some "before" photos of yourself on the day prior to starting
the 6WD. After the 6WD has done its job, take a set of "after" photos. You
will be delighted to be able to see, on film, with your own eyes, the dramatic
difference in how you looked before the 6WD, and how you look after.
If you exercise, avoid the scale at first
If you're going to make exercise a big part of your 6WD routine (and
we're in favor of that!), we recommend that you should not depend
entirely on your scale to determine whether or not you are making
progress in the beginning. Here's why:
Your body is going to lose fat rapidly from the effects of the 6WD
alone. When you add exercise, your body will not only lose fat but will also
gain muscle.
Muscle tissue weighs significantly MORE than fat.
So when you combine the 6WD with vigorous exercise, you can shrink
DRAMATICALLY and yet not necessarily lose a drastic number of pounds
right away. In fact, if you exercise enough, you may even GAIN pounds,
while losing inches rapidly.
If a person did not understand this principle, and only used the scale
to determine whether they were succeeding, they might get the mistaken
impression that they were not making rapid progress, when, in fact, they
were. That's because scales do not distinguish between fat pounds (which
appear as large, flubbery inches on your body) versus muscle pounds (which
appear small, tight, and compact on your body, but weigh MORE than fat).
This is why we highly recommend that you rely more on your clothing
as a gauge, rather than relying on your scale, at least for the first couple of
months.
Select one pair of jeans and a shirt that fit you snugly at the start of
the 6WD. As you shrink in size and become more muscular and compact,
your clothing will become baggier and baggier.
If you simply can't get away from the numbers, and feel insecure
about your weight loss unless you use the scale every day, then go ahead
and weigh, but please remember the following two sentences:
(1) Muscle weighs more than fat.
(2) Scales can deceive; jeans can't.
Beat the big-meal blues
If you ever feel deprived when you are eating a meal because you see
someone else eating a big meal with lots of calories, remind yourself that
YOU are going to be eating again in 90 minutes, while THEY will have to wait
six hours or more for their next meal!
Restaurants
There are only two ways to tackle the restaurant situation on the
6WD: You can either go into them, or you can stay out. If you stay out, it
could seriously hamper your social life. So we think you should brave it and
go in.
Once you're in, you again have two choices: You can either make a
100-calorie selection of something small, or you can just say the heck with
the 6WD, eat what you want, and get back on the 6WD later.
You know we will love you even if you choose the latter path.
But our advice is to try to stay with the 6WD in restaurants. All you
have to do is keep your thinking away from the big-meal mentality, and also
remember that you're going to eat again in 90 minutes and those other
people aren't.
When deciding what to order in a restaurant, remember that salads
and salad bars have lots of your unlimited foods in them, and if you devote
your 100 calories to salad dressing, you can have a nice, large salad.
For breakfasts, you can choose an egg, or bacon, toast, oatmeal, juice,
fruit plate, coffee, even pancakes or potatoes. Lunches and dinners can
include vegetable or fruit plates, small portions of meat, potatoes, soup, half
a sandwich or even half of a fancy dessert.
Whatever you choose, try to stay with lower calorie foods. Then it's
just a matter of eating only 100 calories' worth and putting the rest in a
take-home box.
Treasure the pleasure
When you eat, don't read or watch television at the same time. If you
do, you will find that your meal is over and you didn't even notice eating
it--and worse, you didn't get to enjoy it.
Instead, when you eat, take the time to look at your food while you
are eating it, and to pay attention to its color, flavor, temperature, and
texture as you enjoy each bite slowly. This way you will receive all the
aesthetic benefits and sensual pleasures that food provides.
Sometimes these kinds of benefits can be even more of a gift to you
than the nutrition.
Trade senses
Trade senses. Because you are changing your food intake patterns,
which affects a route you were using for taking in joy through the pleasure
of eating, compensate by more richly feeding your other senses. Surround
yourself with new kinds of beauty, especially good smells and colors. Begin
using more fragrant lotions, scented candles, flavored lip glosses,
sweet-smelling shampoos, luxurious bubble baths, incense, and delicious
room sprays.
Cheap Frills in Second-Hand Stores
You may not think of it as a problem now, but once you see how
quickly you shrink on the 6WD, you will realize that it can be something of a
challenge to keep clothes around that actually fit as you become smaller and
smaller.
We recommend that you wait until you have reached your target
weight before you buy the more expensive clothes in your new smaller
target-weight size.
During the transition period, however, second-hand stores can be lots
of fun.
To maximize your time in a second-hand store, have your best
clothing colors in mind. Go to the sections where your sizes are hanging and
walk down the rows, scanning only for clothes in your best colors. If you are
looking for real "finds" such as expensive label clothing, they are much
easier to spot if, instead of focusing on colors, you focus on fabrics. Scan
down the rows looking only for cottons, linens, weaves or fine rayon fabrics.
Well, you probably have your own methods for mining the goods in a
second-hand store. However you do it, remember the second-hand store
solution to keep you in clothing that fits as your sizes continue to drop.
6WD Flubberbuster Clubs
If you like to work in groups, call a few friends and start a 6WD
Flubberbuster club. It's FREE (and that's a lot less expensive than some
other diet groups can be) and it's a great way to encourage each other,
share ideas, and be part of each other's weight-loss victories.
Get together at a favorite coffee shop once a month or once a week,
share stories and progress reports, and then trade new tricks and treat ideas
of your own.
You can take individual or GROUP before-and-after shots. It's also fun
to keep track of how many pounds or inches or sizes you've lost AS A
GROUP, instead of just as individuals.
If you do form a 6WD Flubberbuster club, we'd love to hear from you.
Send or email a snapshot of your group, or write to us with your group's
favorite tricks and treats and these might appear in a future edition.
Reward Yourself
Once you decide to begin the 6WD, establish some markers which,
when you reach them, you get to reward yourself. Markers can be weight
levels that you reach, or size levels, or simply numbers of days or weeks of
sticking with the 6WD. We think that the more markers you set, the better,
because it's nice to get lots of rewards when you're doing something that's
so good for yourself.
Next, fill a jar with slips of paper on which you have written little
rewards for yourself. One might say you can treat yourself to a manicure,
pedicure, or massage. Maybe a new soap, lipstick, after shave, round of golf,
a new tie, new pair of undies, or a small cluster of fresh flowers from the
grocery story.
Then every time you reach a marker level, pull a slip of paper out of
the jar and give yourself the reward you've written there.
Tummy Flattener
For a quick tummy flattener, do 50 sit-ups or crunches before you get
in bed each night. It takes only a few minutes but has a tremendous effect
on your figure.
Quick Trick
Whenever you eat, take small bites and chew slowly.
TREAT IDEAS--in alphabetical order
100-calorie bags of everything: Stores now carry 100-calorie bags
of every kind of snack and cookie. LOAD UP! You can eat virtually ALL your
favorite junk foods by just eating one 100-calorie bag full!
Alcoholic drinks: Wine, beer, mixed drinks are all on your diet, in
100-calorie portions. To make two large drinks from one serving of wine,
mix half a glass of wine with no-cal ginger ale to make a delicious, sparkling,
50-calorie wine cooler! Then drink TWO!
Beef jerky: Most have 100 calories per serving, and high protein. Not
altogether healthy because of additives, but makes a great portable protein
snack that needs no refrigeration.
Beverages: Use diet drink to fill up and stay hydrated with meals or
in between. If you only have access to non-diet drinks, read the can and see
how much you can drink, then drink the rest later.
Bread: Look for low-calorie sliced bread. There are many brands
featuring calorie counts of just 35 per slice, in white, rye or whole wheat.
Candy bars: Yes you can! For most brands, you can eat half a bar at
a time (calories vary slightly). For low-carb, choose protein bars.
Cheese: One-inch cubes are especially easy to tote. String cheese is
usually 100 calories per stick.
Chocolate: Yummmm! Low-cal hot chocolate mix, small cookies,
chocolate grahams, chocolate chip yogurt, Hershey bars (portions),
chocolate pops, and whole cups full of chocolate cereal, eaten like popcorn.
(Calories vary; check packaging.)
Chocolate cookie pigout substitute: Look at chocolate cereals in
the store. You'll see there are only 100 calories in a whole cup for many
chocolate cereals. If you're in a chocoholic mood, eat a whole cupful of
chocolate cereals puffs--surprising, and delicious!
Cold cuts: Many packaged meat sections carry lots of kinds of
low-calorie cold cuts (turkey, beef, pork, ham) in calories-per-slice from just
10 up to 60. See how to make GREAT sandwiches below, at "sandwiches."
Dessert sampler: All these can be eaten in nice amounts and still be
under 100 calories (check packaging as calories may vary): lollipops, low-cal
jello, cool whip, fruits, berries, chocolate popsicles, frozen ice pops, frozen
orange juice pops, candy, angel food cake, low-cal hot chocolate, low-fat ice
cream, many frozen ice cream desserts.
Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs are portable and pure protein.
Gatorade: Hate diet drinks? Gatorade and similar sports drinks have
only 50 calories per serving!
Gravy: Yes, gravy! Choose any gravy mix package and you'll be
surprised that most have only 25 calories per serving! You could actually
drink a whole cup of gravy! I mean, who would? But you could!
Gum: Remember that gum (with sugar, or sugar-free) is unlimited. If
you get hungry between meals, use gum to get you through.
Hamburgers/cheeseburgers: Most fast-food restaurants provide
calorie counts. Just divide your burger into 100-calorie portions. Eat some
now, some later. Nothing like making a good thing last!
Ice cream floats: One serving of 100-calorie per serving ice cream
and calorie-free soda, any flavor! Yummmm!
Meat for lunch: See "cold cuts" or "sandwiches."
Meat sticks: Not for everyone, but if you like them, baby food meat
sticks come in convenient no-refrigerate jars, about 8 sausage-sized meat
sticks per jar, and only 100 calories for the whole jar.
Microwave meals: Check packaging for calorie counts. Divide meals
into 100-calorie portions. Carry frozen portions to work, refrigerate, heat
and eat.
Popcorn: You can now buy microwave popcorn in 100-calorie bags.
Amazing. Also, a HUGE bowl of air-popped is only 100 calories! If you miss
butter, use Pam-type butter-flavored spray on your popcorn to jazz it up a
little and to make the salt stick. Pam-type sprays list calorie content as zero.
Or buy 100-calorie microwave popcorn bags.
Protein bars: Hi-protein, low-carb; half of a 200-calorie bar keeps
you full a long time. Very portable.
Puffed wheat/puffed rice: If you just need to munch mindlessly
during a movie, try the subtle nutty flavor of these healthy cereals, eaten
like popcorn (they're only good if they're super fresh, though). At only 50
calories per cup, you can munch for a LONG time on this crisp snack.
Relishes and side treats: Pickles, capers, pepperoncini, olives,
pimentos, jalapenos, marinated artichokes--all can have very low calorie
counts.
Sandwiches, Texas-size: Endless possibilities. Use one or two slices
of 35-calorie bread then pile up six slices of 10-calorie meats (Buddig brand
is great). Now fill up the sandwich with good things from the unlimited list:
tomatoes, lettuce, olives, jalapenos, banana peppers, sprouts, pickles,
onions, peppers, mustard.
Another sandwich trick is to make one big 200-calorie sandwich, stuff
it with lots of goodies, then cut it in half. This makes two meals.
Soups: Many commercial soups fit into your calorie range per serving
but can be extremely salty. You can make your own soup using foods from
the unlimited list and eat some with each meal, to your heart's content! Fill
up and be healthy at the same time!
Spaghetti: You can use canned, drained Chinese bean sprouts as a
noodle substitute. Pile on 100 calories of Italian tomato sauce, salt, and
parmesan, and it's almost good! Hey, it's not for the rest of your life or
anything!
Spices: Use LIBERALLY! Most spices are calorie free and add zip to
everything. You may also use ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, soy sauce,
curry pastes, hot peppers, horseradish, herbed vinegar, mint, Greek
seasoning mixes, and more.
String cheese: Usually only 100 calories per stick, this is a delicious,
tasty, highly portable snack.
Sugar: Only 15 calories per teaspoon! YOU CAN USE IT!
Beth Drennan
The Six-Word Diet
MAINTAINING THE NEW FAT-FREE YOU
Woo-HOO! Fat-free YOU!
Stay skinny forever!
Of course the day will come (and in the not-too-distant future!) when
you will reach your target weight. Kudos to you on that day! What a gift you
have given yourself, and what an example you have set for others!
On that happy day, you will need to decide whether you wish to
continue eating on the 6WD format, or to adopt a variation, or to leave the
6WD entirely, and return only when needed. Here is our advice:
If you wish to continue with the 6WD format, simply increase
your calories per meal or the frequency of meals until you find the point at
which you are no longer dropping weight. Your personal physician should be
the one to help you decide what your lowest acceptable weight should be,
and you should not go below that number.
If you wish to establish a hybrid plan, using the 6WD only
part-time, we suggest that you try a weekends-off program, while
remaining on the 6WD for your Monday-through-Friday meal plans. Your
Friday evening meal and all Saturday and Sunday meals would consist of
whatever you like (but practice the good habits you've learned from the
6WD!). Simply watch your weight daily and if, over a two-week period, this
plan stabilizes your weight, then hurray! You've got a great maintenance
plan! If you need to make adjustments, you know how!
If you wish to leave the 6WD entirely, then go with our blessings.
But do continue to watch your daily calorie intake and if you ever get into
trouble with your weight again, the 6WD door is always open! You can
always hop back on the 6WD. Then once you return to target weight, you
might wish to experiment with a more gradual departure from the 6WD plan
so that you don't regain your lost weight next time.
If you wish to leave the 6WD, but only gradually: When you
reach target weight, gradually increase your calories per meal until you find
a daily calorie intake level at which you neither lose nor gain weight. The
number of calories will vary for you based on the amount of exercise or
activity in which you regularly participate.
Once you know that number (your personal daily caloric need) then
you can experiment with reducing your number of daily meals.
You may wish to return to eating three meals per day. (We strongly
recommend that you do not attempt to eat fewer than three meals per day,
or to adopt any plan in which the majority of your daily calories are
consumed in the evening. Should you do so, your metabolism may think it's
starving, and slam on the brakes. If that happens, you could actually gain
weight even though you are consuming the same number of calories on
which you lost weight when your meals occurred more often.)
If three meals a day is too few for your preference, you may wish to
go to six meals per day (or three meals and three snacks.)
Whatever plan you choose, as you transition, simply monitor your
weight closely and keep track of the calories you consume daily. Adjust your
intake up or down as needed. And remember: Should you find that eating a
certain number of calories per day keeps your weight off when those calories
are consumed in lots of small meals, but the same number of calories causes
you to gain weight when you switch back to three meals a day, then the
problem is most likely your super-efficient metabolism not liking the amount
of time which is passing between meals.
Eventually you will find your optimal personal eating pattern, and at
that point, you will be equipped--for a lifetime--with a fat-free healthy new
you, and more knowledge about your body and your personal metabolism
than you ever possessed before!
WAY! TO! GO!
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