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This is the diet I was on for quite a while. It was great--my energy was high, I felt good, and I felt in control. I'm sorry to say that I am now on quite the junk food kick (although still somewhat limiting calories), and I do not feel nearly as good nor am I losing as much weight.
Let me know what you think, and if you try it, let me know if it works for you. This is my version of the food pyramid. If you want to know how and why I've deviated from the standard, I can explain, but I think this is easier to understand/follow.
I would start with making sure I had enough fruits and veggies in my diet. 5-9 servings a day is best. You'll probably be eating fruit and veggies at meals, as snacks, and as dessert. (They will probably replace higher calorie foods, as well as being good for you.)
Next, replace all the starches you're eating with high fiber whole grains. Beware that just because something says it's whole grain DOES NOT mean it's high fiber. It may not have enough whole grain added to have any effect on your diet. Look for the grams of fiber.
On the next level is meat and dairy. 2-3 servings of lean meat and 3-4 servings of low fat dairy. Dairy is especially important because it has recently been implicated with higher rate of weight loss--and it's good for you anyway.
Limit sugar, fats, and alcohol. A little bit every once in a while is OK, but these are empty calories, and you really don't need them.
Eat when you are hungry. I like to keep apples and lowfat cheesesticks at work for my mid-afternoon snack.
You can make all the changes at once, or take them one step at a time. The important thing is that you make the changes and stick with them. This is a very healthy diet, and it will maximize your energy, level out blood sugar, and combined with exercise it will lower blood pressure. I'm usually skeptical of diets that make huge claims like these, but this is basically the food guide pyramid, and there is ample science to back that up.
Good luck, and happy dieting!
Jana
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