My sole investment for this plan was a stationary bike and a recumbent one at that (you can lean back and be lazy). It was a couple hundred dollars. You can program it up the wazoo but I leave it at level 3 (wimp, I know).

The main thing I do when I want to lose weight is to make sure I eat when I am hungry. It is very important. If my metabolism plummets, the weight does not come off.

This little lens includes my grocery list and a few extra tips. On average, following my pathetically simple plan, in 2 months time I lose 20 lbs. I gained it back last time because of pregnancy but am well on my way to losing that weight again.

It's funny before I figured out this method, I could never lose weight in a way that lasted. In fact, before I tried this, the last time I lost weight was in college. I still remember what I did then: banana shake and rowing machine for breakfast, salad for lunch, and a baked potato for dinner. The weight came off and it stayed off at the time. But I was in my early twenties then and now I am forty.

Also, get rid of junk: first clean up, then get rid of, clothes you hate/don't fit in, things that you have too many of, extra extra sets of things, food that has been sitting in your fridge for eons untouched, same goes for pantry, heck, go through your sock & underwear drawer. Have you been avoiding something each time you hunt for a pair of socks? Get rid of the gosh darn thing. You'll feel better.

The basic premise is very simple: follow a simple eating plan and throw in 20 minutes of stationary bike exercise 2x - 3x a week. That's it. I watch the tv while I bike ride. It couldn't be easier.

For breakfast I have an organic apple and a boiled egg & some green tea. For some reason, this is very successful at staving off hunger until lunch. If I get hungry, a few black olives in oil are delicious. Actually the best snack in-between meals are chickpeas. Organic chickpeas from a can are fine (wash the beans before storing/eating) or you can make your own.

For lunch, a mesclun salad with chicken or fish, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado. This too works wonders at staving off hunger.

For dinner, some organic short grain brown rice and some roast vegetables, or sometimes more salad too depends on mood

Dessert: organic dates, organic apricots etc.

I don't stick to it 100% if I am out, but I definitely cut out bread and then ease back in whole grain bread occasionally once I've lost a good amount of weight. Also other whole grains besides brown rice are good, I just didn't want to type forever. Okay that's really it. I guarantee it, this eating plan works, my energy is terrific, you will look terrific. Oh yeah, if you drink beer, replace it with a light beer like Amstel and also, replace most of your drinks, like fruit juice with water or tea.. that's the other thing I do. easy peasy, enjoy.

Well, there aren't too many recipes, because the entire point of this is to eat fresh foods, simplify life, and start to open your eyes to things that matter. So with that said:

Roasted Vegetables: Simple: Pre-heat oven to 400. Take a red pepper & slice in half. Take a zucchini, slice length-wise in half. Take an eggplant & do the same. If there is another vegetable you love, throw it in. Arrange on a pan and spray quickly/brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt & fresh lemon if desired. Shove the entire thing in the oven, slam the door and set your timer on 1 hour. Come back and chow down. That simple, that delicious, that healthy. Takes 3-5 minutes to prep.


Tofu cutlets Preheat oven to broil. Buy firm or extra firm tofu. Whatever you do don't buy silken tofu for this purpose. Cut block in half, refill container with remaining slice with cold water and return to fridge. Slice your half block into 1/4 - 1/2 slices. Put in shallow bowl, and put 1 tblspoon safflower oil (or another high-heat oil), 1 tblspoon soysauce, a few drops of a spicy oil if you have one, and some dried onion flakes and dried garlic powder (a tsp or two). Make sure each slice is coated and line up on oven pan. Broil for 5-10 minutes depending on how close to broiler you put them. I usually do mine for ten with the tray right in the middle of the oven. I do not have a separate broiler compartment.

EXAMPLE GROCERY LIST
Organic apples (I like gala)
organic berries (blueberries are great)
Organic chicken/fish
Organic avocados
Organic mesclun (salad greens)
free-range eggs
vegetables for roasting or steaming
cheese
black olives (in oil)
lox or sardines if salt craving
organic brown rice
extra-firm organic tofu
organic dried turkish apricots
organic dried dates

1. Keep things simple
2. Organize
3. Don't hold onto things you don't need
4. Eat fresh, local
5. Don't eat late at night for the most part, but if you do, keep it fresh and simple.