In the spirit of change, I’m going to jump into yet another diet and fitness regimen, giving you an up-close-and-personal look at the ins and outs of a promising plan that claims to help you shed body fat and gain lean muscle. As always, you’ll get my honest opinions both as a dietitian and as a regular ole’ human being.

Ready to dive in with me? This month I will be committing to Magnus Lygdback’s Start Strong 2024 Challenge. A trainer and lifestyle coach, Lygdback has made a name for himself training celebrities and helping them transform their bodies for the superhero and heroine roles they play on the big screen. Not planning on walking the red carpet anytime soon? He’s got you covered, too! He is serious about healthy eating, balanced nutrition, and training regimens that build strong and lean physiques, no matter your walk of life.

Why the Magnus Method?

So why did I choose the Start Strong 2024 Challenge? I first came across Lygdback on Youtube and appreciated his no nonsense approach to nutrition and fitness. I’ve yet to get a whiff of gimmicky B.S. and he values enjoying life! While his cutting plans certainly look challenging, he balances these days with meals that allow for indulgent favorites. He also emphasizes the importance of cooking delicious meals that are loaded with flavor and are fun to eat.

As far as the workouts go, I know I’ll be in for some serious sweat sessions! Magnus puts significant emphasis on strength training, but includes interval training and super sets for cardiovascular benefits as well. I have no doubt that I will both feel and see differences after completing these workouts.

What’s the cost?

Depending on the level of support you’re looking for, the Start Strong 2024 Challenge could be free or cost you up to $14.99 per month. Magnus has created some super helpful free content on his Youtube channel, including a look into his nutrition plan as well as sample workouts. If, however, you were wanting greater access to his catalog of workouts, more demonstration videos, his supportive community, and private Facebook group, these perks are all available on his app. Month by month, the app will cost you $14.99 following a free 7-day trial. An annual membership with the app is $99. Subscribers join the Challenge for no extra cost.

Aside from the app, Magnus states that a gym membership is required for most of his workouts. His training regimens incorporate everything from treadmills and bikes to squat racks and cable machines. So could you get away with doing the Challenge without a gym membership? I intend to find out! Though I do not currently have a gym membership, we’ve got a pretty good weight room in our basement plus plenty of space for me to get in some interval training. I know I’ll have to come up with substitutes for some of the exercises, so we’ll just see how much of a barrier that ends up being.

Icing on the Cake

What’s a challenge without a little cash prize? By subscribing to the app and officially joining the Challenge, you can enter to win some seriously fabulous prizes! Lygdback will be awarding loot for the best transformation as well as for top engagement. The Transformation Grand Prize winner will snag $1000 in cash, a set of Magnus Method bands, and a 30 minute Zoom call with Magnus himself. The Engagement Grand Prize winner will win 4 months of personalized 1:1 nutrition coaching, a set of Magnus Method bands, and–again–a 30 minute Zoom call with Magnus.

So what are my goals?

Though a dietitian, I am certainly not immune to ageing and the upward creep of the scale. And now that I’m in my 40’s, I have definitely noticed changes in my energy levels and where my body likes to store fat (helloooo muffin top!). More than ever, I want to stay committed to my health and fitness. With four busy boys at home, I need to be in tip top shape just to keep up with them! Though I don’t have a specific number of pounds I’d like to lose, I *do* know that I want to lose body fat and if possible, gain lean mass at the same time. I plan to take measurements along the way and will keep you posted!

The Low Down

Each week, I’ll share with you my experiences during the Start Strong 2024 Challenge. From the food plan to the daily workouts, you’ll get all the juicy details–the good, the bad, and the ugly. Each step of the way, I’ll be dishing out:

• My meal plans (breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners)
• New recipes (both faves and flops!)
• Workout progress (both wows and woes!)
• My personal results

By the end, you’ll be able to decide whether the Magnus Method might be the right method for you!

Bottom Line

As a dietitian, I know better than most just how valuable support and accountability is. Could I design my own eating and workout plan and get results? You bet. But I love learning from others, getting fresh ideas, and being challenged to step out of my comfort zone. I look forward to getting inspired by the online community and letting someone else be the brains for once. Ha!

Here’s to a wonderful new year and all the opportunities it brings! What are your goals for 2024? Share them below!

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Looking for more diet reviews? Check out my previous posts here!

The post Start Strong 2024 with Magnus Lygdback appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Are you ready to hear about the next big diet fad that no one is talking about? Are you ready to exchange a balanced diet for questionable dietary restrictions just to obtain your weight loss goals? Then look no further than April’s Diet of the Month! That’s right folks, today we are talking about the Taquitogenic Diet and all it has to offer! So if you’re curious about taquitosis and what it can do for you, just keep reading!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and a lot of nonsense. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop using these links, which helps to make this blog possible. You can just ignore the nonsense. Thank you for your support!

What is the Taquitogenic Diet?

The Taquitogenic Diet is the latest and therefore most important innovation to hit the diet industry since the cabbage soup diet. That’s right folks! Never before has there been a diet plan that’s guaranteed to impact your health and wellness for years to come. Trust me, after following the Taquitogenic Diet for a few weeks, you’ll feel like a different person!

So what exactly is the Taquitogenic Diet? Though seemingly incoherent on the surface–yes, even confusing to the average person with common sense–the secret of the Taquitogenic Diet’s transformative power lies in its sheer simplicity and spurious scientific claims. I shall, however, endeavor to explain its key elements so that you, too, may begin to reap the benefits of the Taquitogenic Diet.

The Taquitogenic Diet is a way of eating based solely upon the consumption of taquitos. That is to say, you eat taquitos and only taquitos. This is essential for reaching a state of taquitosis–the pinnacle of human existence and function.

While some may argue that taquitosis is a sort of survival failsafe mechanism developed over thousands of years in the off-chance that there would one day be nothing to eat but taquitos, this is absurd. In reality, taquitosis is in fact the optimal metabolic state of the human body, creating a cascade of physiological adaptations that inevitably results in weight loss and changes to your health status.

So now that you’ve been handily convinced by the obligatory scientific rationale, let’s move on to the exciting part–the benefits!

Benefits of the Taquitogenic Diet

Just what are the benefits of a Taquitogenic Diet, you ask? Sure, you could focus on the inevitable weight loss that results from only eating taquitos day in and day out for weeks on end, but the Taquitogenic Diet offers so much more! Just check out these other great perks of eating taquito!

• Simplified grocery shopping
• Stream-lined meal planning and preparation
• Unique recipes (stun your friends and family!)
• Everyday is Taquito Tuesday
• You’ll never have to buy kale again
• Your kids will think this is the best fad diet EVER
• Ease of involuntary social distancing from friends and family

Your Taquito-friendly Shopping List

Grocery shopping for most diets is both expensive and onerous. Plus, who knows whom you’ll bump into in the grocery aisles! Nothing’s quite as embarrassing as being spotted with a cart full of fresh meat, whole grains, and leafy greens–am I right? With the Taquitogenic Diet, no one would even think to guess that you’re on a health kick–it’ll be our little taquito secret!

Ready to shop? Here’s a quick list of the taquito-friendly foods you’ll need.

• Chicken Taquitos
• Chicken & Cheese Taquitos
• Beef & Cheese Taquitos
• Steak & Cheese Taquitos
• Pork Taquitos
• Bean & Cheese Taquitos

Now I know what you’re thinking. There are just so many options to choose from! Remember that change doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start with ONE flavor variety and buy 10 or 12 boxes to last you for the week. When you’re ready to branch out and really get serious, here are a few more options to add to your taquitogenic shopping list:

• Extra-Crunchy Chicken Taquitos
• Extra-Crunchy Beef Taquitos
• Extra-Spicy Chicken Taquitos

What is not allowed on a Taquitogenic Diet?

Though many people are initially shocked and question the wisdom of restricting so many foods, just know that avoidance of these non-taquitogenic foods is essential for attaining taquitosis. So it’s okay.

Here are the foods that must be avoided to achieve taquitosis:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Dairy products
• Starches and grains
• Beans and legumes
• Meat, poultry, pork, fish, and seafood
• Butter, oils, fats, and nuts
• Anything else your mom said was good for you. She was wrong.

One question I often get from taquito-newbs is, What about tacos and burritos? Are these allowed on the Taquitogenic Diet? Unfortunately, tacos and burritos are NOT part of the Taquitogenic Diet. Adding either of these options to your diet would take your body out of taquitosis and ruin everything. You must only eat taquito-friendly foods.

The Taquitogenic Meal Plan

One of the fabulous benefits of the Taquitogenic Diet is the meal plan! You’ll be amazed at the variety of choices and how easy it is to throw these meals together. In fact, these dishes are so deceptively repetitive, you’ll feel like you’re just eating the same thing over and over again! Sound too good to be true? Check out this sample one-day menu!

Breakfast

• Bowl of Cheese Taquitos
• Hot cup of Extra-Crunchy Taquitos (optional)

~OR~

• Taquito Sunrise Smoothie (See my recipe below!)

Lunch

• Homemade Pizza (See my taquito-friendly recipe below!)

~ OR ~

• Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

Afternoon Snack

• Taquito Bomb (Recipe below!)

Dinner

• Taghetti with Taquito-friendly Meatballs (Recipe follows!)

~ OR ~

• Beef and Cheese Taquitos

Nutrient Analysis

So let’s crunch some numbers for our taquito-friendly sample menu! If you follow the plan and eat an entire box of taquitos, you’ll get in an average of 1540 calories, 70 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 175 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, and 49 g protein. Looking next at our macronutrient breakdown, you’ll be getting in the perfect balance of macros with 41% of calories from fat, 45% from carbohydrate, and 13% from protein. It’s the ideal high-carb, high-fat lifestyle!

As you can see, despite all nutrition wisdom and recommendations, it truly is possible to lose weight on a Taquitogenic Diet! Sure, this plan racks up huge nutritional deficiencies, but…well…being in taquitosis is totally worth it!

Taquito-Friendly Recipes

One struggle many people face when starting a diet is having to give up the foods they love. Thankfully, the Taquitogenic Diet has you covered! With just a few clever substitutions, you can still enjoy your favorite foods–even pizza and pasta! From breakfast to dinner and everything in between, these delicious recipes will keep you satisfied and basking in a state of taquitosis.

Taquito Smoothie

I don’t know about you, but when I wake up in the morning, I like something refreshing and invigorating to start the day off right! If you’re like me, then you’re going to LOVE this Taquito Sunrise Smoothie! Made with all taquito-friendly ingredients, this special morning blend will super charge your day and empower your taquitogenic lifestyle. Even better? It’s a great use for those leftover taquitos from last night’s dinner!

The Taquito Sunrise Smoothie couldn’t be easier to make. Simply put 6 leftover chilled taquitos in your favorite blender, add water, and blend to a brown slurry! Breakfast is served–and the kids are gonna love it.

Taquito Bombs

Need a quick snack or an easy way to meet your taquito goals for the day? Taquito Bombs are the solution! Much like an energy ball, these little nuggets of bliss are made with all taquito-friendly ingredients and fit perfectly into your taquitosis lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to fuel up for your next workout or just keep up with the kids, these Taquito Bombs will help you blast through the day!

To make a small batch of Taquito Bombs, puree 6 cooked and chilled taquitos with 1-2 tablespoons of water until a thick paste forms. Scoop out walnut sized portions and begin to roll and shape into balls. To add a fantastic crunch, roll your taquito bombs in crispy taquito crumbs. They’re the perfect grab-and-go snack!

Taghetti with Taquito-friendly Meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is a weeknight classic, loved by all ages. But can it fit into the Taquitogenic Diet? Yes! With just a few sneaky tweaks, you can still serve up this family favorite without compromising your taquitosis lifestyle. Believe it or not, this dish is so delicious your kids won’t even know it’s not real pasta! They’ll be clamoring for more Taghetti and Taquito-friendly Meatballs!

So let’s dig into this recipe. To make the taqhetti, grab your hand-crank pasta maker and get ready for some fun! Begin by carefully unrolling a batch of microwaved and chilled taquitos. (If this seems absurdly difficult, do not be alarmed. This is normal.) Then scrape off the filling and set aside. Crank each taquito through your pasta maker on either the fettuccine or spaghetti setting. Chef’s choice!

Now let’s get on with our Taquito-friendly meatballs! If they look familiar, it’s because they’re really just the Taquito Bombs I made earlier. I just picked off the crunchy taquito bits and we’re good to go. Call it taquitogenic batch cooking.

Now that we’ve got our ingredients prepped, dinner’s practically served! Simply toss your delicious taghetti with the reserved filling, top with taquito-friendly meatballs, and enjoy! Your family will remember this meal for years to come. Their stunned silence just means they like it.

Friday Night Pizza (Taquito-friendly!)

Here at our house, pizza is a weekend tradition! While I normally would make a classic Italian crust with homemade sauce and fresh toppings, my homemade pie is hardly taquito. But not to worry! With a taquito-friendly crust and taquitogenic toppings, you can still enjoy a slice without compromising your goals. So gather your family round the table and dig into this mouth-watering pizza pie. It’s a recipe your whole crew is going to love!

Using a sharp paring knife, carefully insert the blade under the outer most layer of your cooked and chilled taquitos. Begin to slowly pry apart and unroll the taquito into a flat, circular shape. (Now if you happen to rip 10 or 20 taquitos into shreds trying to accomplish this, don’t sweat it. Consider it meal prep for tomorrow’s Sunrise Taquito Smoothie!) Once opened, smear the taquito filling around for your taquito-friendly pizza sauce.

Now that your taquito-friendly crusts are prepped and perfectly sauced, now comes the fun part–the toppings! Simply dice up your favorite taquito varieties and top up those little crusts for your own customized pizzas. The combinations are endless so feel free to get creative! Bake at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

How will I know if I’m in taquitosis?

When getting started on their taquitogenic journey, many people wonder, Am I really in taquitosis? How can I know for sure? Signs and symptoms will vary from person to person, but here you will find a list of the most common side effects of taquitosis.

• An epic case of the tell-tale taquito breath
• Increased urinary taquitones
• Appetite suppression
• Weight loss
• Greasy fingers
• Extensive nutrient deficiencies
• Decreases in performance of any kind
• Taquito-induced night terrors
• Digestive…issues
• Heartburn and taquito burps
• Involuntary social distancing

Final Thoughts

The Taquitogenic Diet isn’t right for everyone, but it’s still the best option we’ve got. If history and human behavior have shown us anything, it’s that the best way to lose weight is to eat nothing but miniature tacos. By embracing the taquitosis lifestyle, you too can change the course of your future and achieve your wildest dreams (just hopefully not those taquito-induced night terrors). As always, thanks for reading and keep chasing down your goals!

P.S. Just kidding! Happy April Fool’s Day everyone!

The post April’s Diet of the Month: The Taquitogenic Diet appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! Now that I’ve finished up my week-long crack at The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD, it’s time to take a closer look at what this diet brings to the table and–perhaps most importantly–see whether it delivered on its promises and claims.

Now that I’ve got a week’s worth of food logs, let’s crunch some numbers and see where the numbers landed. Across the seven days I followed Stassou’s meal plan, I averaged 1308 calories per day with 47% from carbohydrate, 32% from fat, 21% from protein (or 69 grams per day), and 22 grams from fiber. Based on all typical calculations, that calorie level should have definitely produced some weight loss given my particular height, weight, age, gender and activity level. More specifically, I should have created an average daily deficit of 500-700 calories per day, or 3500-4900 calories for the week. Assuming that 1 pound of body weight has roughly 3500 calories, I should have lost 1-1.5 pounds this week. So how did I fare?

After a week of following The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution, I lost precisely 1.5 pounds, or a little over 1% of my starting weight.

Though 1.5 pounds might not seem like a lot–especially if you watch any of those crash diet shows on the boob tube–let’s put this into perspective. Based on my personal results, if I were to follow this diet for the suggested 28 days (or 4 weeks) recommended by Stassou, I would lose about 6 pounds in a month. If I kept at it for three months, I’d be close to hitting 20 pounds. Twenty. Pounds. Given that significant health benefits can be reaped by losing just 5-10% of one’s body weight (assuming there’s extra weight to lose), even a person weighing in at 400 pounds would benefit from a 20 pound weight loss!

Though this diet plan certainly has both its pro’s and con’s, I would say one of its biggest advantages is the fact that I rarely felt hungry between meals. I think only twice over the course of the entire week did I feel some hunger pangs and even then, I simply added an extra snack as Stassou recommends. My friends, this is kind of a big deal, since hunger is perhaps *the* number one reason dieters give up and call it quits. To create a meal plan that chalks up a daily 500-700 calorie deficit without undue suffering is really an accomplishment. After all, if you’re not constantly dealing with a growling stomach, you will be that much more likely to stick with your plan and get the results you’re after.

So did The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution deliver on its claims and promises? I think so. If you are willing to truly commit to this 28-day kick-start plan and follow Stassou’s recommendations, you will likely lose weight. Does that mean this is the right diet for you? Maybe. Over the next series of posts, I’ll continue to share with you my thoughts and insights to help you answer that very question and decide whether a little dietary trip to the Mediterranean might just be your weight loss solution! Thanks for reading!

The post The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: A Week in Review…and My Results! appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Hey, hey! It’s our LAST day testing out The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD! It has definitely been a busy week–so much cooking!–but I’ve enjoyed taking this diet book out for a spin and sharing with you my experiences every step of the way. Now that I’ve really had a taste of what it’s like to follow a Mediterranean-style diet for weight loss, I’ll be sure to post my best tips and insights to help you get the best results!

For now, let’s take a look at Day Seven’s food log and see how the week ended!

Breakfast: Nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg, grapes, and my usual coffee with half and half

Lunch: Leftover Sun-dried Tomato and Artichoke Pizza and a small pear

Snack: Whole grain toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Dinner: Keftedes (Greek Meatballs) with Greek Salad (and a small portion of that Pasta Puttanesca!)

Today’s meal plan was a great ending to an overall great week. Breakfast was simple, but tasty and satisfying. I really love honey drizzled on plain Greek yogurt and it’s hard to beat Greek yogurt as a quick and easy source of protein! Lunch made use of yesterday’s leftover pizza, so no complaints there. Still delicious the next day!

Now I have to admit, I sort of winged today’s snack. Though it’s consistent with her other snack recommendations, she didn’t specifically have PB toast on the list. Nonetheless, it definitely hit the spot!

Dinner was wonderful. The keftedes, which are Greek-style meatballs, came together fairly quickly and since they were baked in the oven, I didn’t have to stand over a splattering pan of hot grease. I have to say, I’ve done this with other meatball recipes and you really can’t beat baking! The meatballs cook evenly without burning and you never have to worry about someone getting burned. And, if you line the pan with foil, clean up is a snap, too!

Though I was worried about the ground turkey making for dry meatballs, these actually turned out so well. All the aromatics and fresh herbs added wonderful flavor and there wasn’t a hockey puck in sight. I particularly enjoyed the fresh mint–a flavor that, when combined with the fresh oregano and parsley, really made these seem Greek.

Now, according to my meal plan, I was to serve up these keftedes alongside a Greek Salad–which I did. However, there was one recipe I hadn’t managed to make yet and simply couldn’t pass up: Penne Puttanesca. So! I decided to whip up this relatively quick and easy pasta dish for the family.

If you’re not familiar with Pasta Puttanesca, it’s a tomato-based sauce that’s loaded with all sorts of deliciousness. Olives, capers, anchovy paste(!), fresh herbs, red pepper flakes–so many layers of spicy and briny flavors that really live up to the recipe’s name! Now, I did opt to keep the heat to a minimum, since I planned to serve this to the kiddos, but you could really spice it up to your heart’s content! Either way, this pasta dish is a traditional Italian dish worth trying.

So here’s the nutrition breakdown for Day Seven. Calories came in 1277, 43% from carbohydrate, 35% from fat, and 22% from protein with 18 grams of fiber. Today’s calorie count was a bit lower than usual, but I didn’t particularly notice. Even including the small serving of Pasta Puttanesca with my dinner, I still ended up with less than 1300 calories for my daily total. Day Seven was yet again proof that it is possible to eat well and lose weight!

Speaking of weight loss, tomorrow I’ll be sharing my own personal results after following this diet plan for one week. Based on my mid-week weigh-in, I suspect I’ll have something to show for the last seven days! I’ll also give an overall run-down of the week, do a little number crunching, and give you my final thoughts on The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution.

Thanks for reading and have a fabulous week!

The post The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: Day Seven appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Happy Saturday! I hope you are having a great start to your weekend–and to November! Today we are heading into the homestretch of our seven-day review of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD. It has been a busy week in the kitchen, to be sure, but I’ve enjoyed testing and tasting new recipes and meal ideas inspired by the sunny Mediterranean!

So let’s jump right into Day Five’s food log!

Breakfast: Breakfast Sandwich made with egg and lean bacon on whole wheat bread, mixed berries, and coffee with half and half

Lunch: Leftover Faki (Greek lentil soup) with whole wheat pita bread and grapes

Snack: Nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon honey

Dinner: Sun-dried Tomato and Artichoke Pizza with Prosciutto and Greek Salad

Today’s meal plan was full of winners! It’s hard to go wrong with a breakfast sandwich and it was nice having easy options for both lunch and snack. Though the extra time spent prepping and preparing soups, salads, and snacky items can be tiresome, the reward of having a fridge and pantry stocked with tasty options packed with good nutrition is worth it.

Dinner today was definitely a highlight. Weekend pizza is a tradition at our house and most weeks, I make it from scratch. When I saw that Stassou included several Mediterranean-inspired pizzas, I knew I had to make at least one. Given my love of artichokes, the Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Pizza was a no-brainer.

For the most part, Stassou’s recipe worked pretty well. The dough was a fairly standard “healthier” pizza dough made with half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour, though I did end up having to use more flour than the recipe called for to make the dough workable–I think about 1/2 cup more. The sauce was made with canned crushed tomatoes, some aromatics, and oregano and came together quickly.

When it came time to put it all together, I got the feeling Stassou may have not actually measured the amount of toppings she used. The recipe seems to indicate you’re supposed to use all of the pizza sauce, which would have completely flooded the pizza. As for the other toppings, the sheer quantity of sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts was also beyond excessive. I think I ended up using maybe half of what the recipe stated–certainly no more than 2/3. Her amounts would definitely have been better suited to a deep-dish style pizza.

The other issue I had with Stassou’s recipe was her instruction to somehow transfer this heavily laden, uncooked pizza to either your pre-heated pizza stone or (even more impossibly) directly to your oven rack. My friends, as you can see from the picture above, this pizza is fully loaded and I can tell you, attempting to somehow maneuver this uncooked mass would be a catastrophe–and I didn’t even use the full amount of toppings! Any attempt to slide (flop) this monstrosity onto an oven rack could only result in the most epic kitchen fail of your life.

Because I am not a glutton for punishment, I went another route. Having a bit of experience when it comes to making pizza, I decided to roll-out my pizza dough directly onto my unheated stone. I could have also used a metal pizza pan. Granted, it would be ideal to have the stone pre-heated, but there was no way I was going to attempt Stassou’s suggested method.

Otherwise, I cooked the pizza according to her instructions and the results really were delicious! This pizza had so many layered flavors and was a treat to eat. Though I also made a pizza with more familiar toppings for the rest of the crew, my artichoke lovers gave this one a try and really liked it! So despite the various hiccups with the recipe, I’d still call this one a winner for sure!

Alright, so let’s look at today’s nutrient breakdown. Across the 3 meals and 1 snack, calories came in at 1350 with 51% from carbohydrate, 27% from fat, and 22% from protein with 26 grams of fiber. I didn’t have any issues with hunger today and despite being in a persistent calorie deficit of 500-700 calories per day, I have yet to really feel it. Given that hunger is one of the number one reasons dieters throw in the towel, this is a huge plus.

I’m nearing the end of our seven-day test run of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution and I hope that, if you’ve ever considered trying a Mediterranean-style diet, these posts have been helpful! Tomorrow will be my last day following Stassou’s meal plan after which I will do a series of posts sharing my overall thoughts on this diet, discussing everything from the grocery shopping and food prep to the meal plan and my personal results after one week following it. By the end of this series, I hope you’ll have all the information and insight you need to decide whether a Mediterranean diet might by the right plan for you!

The post The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: Day Six appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! It is Friday and we are on Day Five of our little Mediterranean excursion. For the last several days, we have been taking an in depth look at The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD. Putting on my Dutiful Dieter hat, I’ve been faithfully following Stassou’s plan in order to give you a little taste of what this diet is like and what sort of results you could expect.

Thus far, this book has a lot going for it! Many of the recipes have been delicious and worth making again. Yeah, there have been a few bombs, but I’ve tested enough diet and cookbooks to know this is really par for the course. Stassou has done a great job of putting together meal plans that are filling, nourishing, and (mostly) tasty all while keeping calories low enough for steady weight loss. Though my final weigh in for the week isn’t for a couple days, I can say with confidence even now that following her plan will help you drop pounds.

So let’s get into today’s food log and see how it went!

Breakfast: Whole grain bread with 1/4 avocado, 3/4 cup mixed blueberries and sliced bananas, 1 egg, and my usual coffee with half and half.

Lunch: Faki (Greek lentil soup) with chicken sausage and grapes.

Snack: Carrot and Bran Muffin (yes, I’m still eating those) with 1/2 cup Craisins and chai tea

Dinner: Shrimp Scampi with 1 cup Barilla ProteinPLUS spaghetti and green salad with Greek Dressing

Remember yesterday’s breakfast bust? Well after everything quite literally fell apart on the kitchen counter, I decided to give Stassou’s French Toast recipe a second chance. I whipped up the egg mixture once again, but this time I only gave the bread slices the briefest of dunks. Sadly, the French toast still ended up a burnt, soggy mess. (Paradoxical, I know.) I suspect the combo of too few eggs and the use of almond milk had something to do with it. In any case, I went with plan B and had the toast with egg, avocado, and fruit. Not a bad alternative!

The Faki was a new take on lentil soup for me, but a traditional recipe for many who observe Lent. Though lentil soup is something I make on a somewhat regular basis, Stassou’s recipe is meatless and had the unexpected flavor of red wine vinegar added just before serving. This not being the season of Lent, the Faki was served alongside chicken sausage and grapes for a cozy and filling lunch on a chilly day.

My snack was quick and easy–a Carrot and Bran Muffin with dried cranberries and a spicy cup of Chai tea. Fairly perfect for a fall afternoon.

Dinner today was simply delicious. Stassou’s recipe for Shrimp Scampi turned out beautifully and everyone around the table loved it! The Scampi had a nice balance of flavors between the garlic, lemon, white wine, and extra-virgin olive oil and no one minded the Barilla ProteinPLUS spaghetti, which is made with a combination of grains and legumes, such as lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, oats, and spelt. It’s an easy swap that makes pasta night even better (for you)!

So here are the numbers for Day Five. Calories came in at 1352 with 47% from carbohydrate, 34% from fat, and 19% protein with 25 grams of fiber. Stassou’s plan continues maintain a steady calorie range and though the macros vary a little bit, that is largely influenced by my snack choices.

I really appreciate how little I’ve had to battle hunger these past several days. Though I have consistently been in a calorie deficit of 500-700 calories per day, I have rarely felt it. Stassou’s ‘weight loss solution’ continues to deliver meals and snacks that keep hunger at bay–something any dieter can appreciate!

That’s it for Day Five! Thanks for reading and have a fantastic weekend!

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Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! We are officially at the half-way point of our week-long test drive of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD. If you’re just joining us, be sure to check my previous posts for Days One, Two, and Three as well as more information about Mediterranean diets and their potential benefits!

So far the week has had its ups and downs, hasn’t it? Some of the recipes have been absolutely delicious–full of flavor and a feast for the eyes! Others? Not so much. So what will today’s menu bring to the table? Let’s jump right in and take a look at today’s food log!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop using these links, which helps to make this blog possible. Thank you for your support!

Day Three’s Meal Plan

Breakfast

• Greek Yogurt with Berries, Honey, and Mint (pg. 90)
• 1 slice whole wheat toast
• Coffee with half and half

Lunch

• White Bean Soup with Kale (pg. 118)
• 1/2 whole wheat pita
• 1/2 apple

Snacks

• Date Nut Energy Ball (pg. 202) with fresh strawberries and chai tea
• Carrot and Bran Muffin (pg. 93)

Dinner

• Hamburger made with 4 ounces extra-lean ground beef on a whole wheat bun with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion (pg. 61)
• Easy Brussels Sprouts Hash (pg. 182)

My Thoughts

So we definitely had some winners and losers today, my friends. Though the day had a rough start out of the gates, it definitely ended on a high note!

Recipe Fail!

Let’s start with breakfast. I tried making the French Toast recipe found in the book and it was, I’m sad to report, a total debacle. I followed the cooking instructions to the letter and, despite my best instincts, soaked the bread slices for 10 MINUTES. If you’ve ever made French toast, you can probably guess what happened. One slice was so soggy I couldn’t even transfer it to the skillet! The others somehow managed to burn whilst remaining an uncooked mess within. Oh dear. I think I will try this recipe again, though only briefly dunking the bread slices prior to cooking. We’ll see what happens! Needless to say, I resorted to plan B and had the yogurt with berries again.

Keeping Hunger at Bay

Lunch was a significant improvement! The White Bean and Kale Soup was really tasty and satisfying on a chilly day. A colorful variety of veggies, creamy white beans, a bit of chicken sausage, fresh thyme and red pepper flakes come together to make a filling soup full of flavor–not to mention good nutrition! I would certainly make this again.

Snacks were repeats from earlier in the week, so nothing new to add there except to note that I had a bit more difficulty with nagging hunger throughout the afternoon today. I suspect that’s likely due to the fairly low calorie count at lunch. Instead of ignoring my hunger cues, I went ahead and added a second snack. Problem solved.

Dinner for the WIN!

The family definitely appreciated the dinner menu tonight and I have to admit, it felt good having an honest-to-goodness hamburger. We buy our beef from a local rancher and love it! Such high quality meat and we know how the cows are being raised and processed.

The Easy Brussels Sprouts Hash went over fairly well with the crew. Believe it or not, my boys actually like Brussels sprouts, though I usually just steam and toss them with a dab of butter and salt. My husband liked this new recipe with its tangy Dijon vinaigrette; the boys only gave it a middling rating at best. For an otherwise widely despised member of the cruciferous vegetable family, I’ll go ahead and call that a win.

Nutrition Breakdown

Alright! So, let’s look at the numbers. Today’s calories came in at 1248 with 55% coming from carbohydrate, 25% from fat, and 20% from protein and 24 grams of fiber. A slight change from the usual breakdown, but this is no surprise given that my snacks of choice today were a bit higher in carbohydrate. As all previous days, this is once again a calorie level that, by all calculations, would create about a 1 pound weight loss per week–perhaps a bit more. My weigh-in yesterday certainly confirms that.

Aside from the French Toast fail this morning, Day Four went pretty well! I enjoyed most of today’s meal plan and added an extra snack when I needed something to keep hunger at bay. I do still feel like I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen, but that comes with the territory when fresh, unprocessed food is on the menu.

I hope you’re enjoying this review of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution! I know I have enjoyed the chance to test new recipes and taste new flavors! Tomorrow we’ll be taking another look at that French Toast and for dinner? Shrimp Scampi! You don’t want to miss it!

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Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! We are on Day Three of our week-long venture into The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution and thus far, it has been a mixed bag, my friends. Day One offered up some great recipes that were both tasty and satisfying. Day Two? Well, Day Two had some trouble in the flavor department. However! Day Three is a new day and steak is on the menu! So let’s get right to the food log and see how it all went.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop using these links, which helps to make this blog possible. Thank you for your support!

Day Three’s Meal Plan

Breakfast

• Carrot and Bran Muffin (pg. 93)
• 1 egg
• Grapes
• Coffee with half and half

Lunch

• Tuna Salad Sandwich on whole wheat bread (pg. 66)
• 1/2 sliced pear

Snack

• 1 ounce mozzarella
• 10 cherry tomatoes

Dinner

• Steak with Red Wine-Mushroom Sauce (pg. 176)
• Greek Salad (pg. 110)
• Baked Apple with Walnuts and Spices (pg. 197)

My Thoughts

Day Three went pretty well, I’d say. Breakfast was relatively quick and easy, as was lunch. Nice to not have a sinkful of dishes to contend with! Breakfast today made use of the Carrot and Bran Muffins I made earlier in the week, so it was a no muss, no fuss start to the day. Lunch came together in a snap, too. I enjoyed Stassou’s simple but tasty recipe for tuna salad and certainly felt satisfied with my lunch.

The highlight for the day was definitely dinner. If you appreciate a good steak and enjoy mushrooms, you will love this recipe for Steak with Red Wine-Mushroom Sauce. The sautéed mushrooms were really delicious with the fresh thyme and added loads of flavor to the red wine reduction sauce. I did miss not having a little butter whisked in at the end of deglazing, but such is life when you’re on a diet, no?

Though I enjoyed my steak sans starch, I roasted up some little baby potatoes for rest of the crew lest they starve. If you were needing a few more calories on your plate, these would be a quick and easy addition with virtually no clean up. Though they hardly warrant a recipe, I’ll be sure post one soon for those nights you need a potato side that’s both healthy and delicious!

The Breakdown

So let’s crunch some numbers for the day! Across the 3 meals and 1 snack, calories came in at 1318 with 34% of calories from carbohydrate, 43% from fat, and 23% from protein. Only 14 grams of fiber today. Once again, calories are coming in right around 1300 calories per day and a quick weigh-in this morning showed I was down half a pound.

From personal experience, I know that this calorie level will typically deliver some results over the course of a week and so I adjusted Stassou’s plan down from 1500 calories accordingly. As Stassou mentions, a person can certainly modify her plan to suit their own needs by adjusting the number of snacks, adding protein to any vegetarian meals/snacks, or by decreasing/increasing portion sizes a bit. In my case, I simply stick to 1 snack per day (as opposed to 2-3 snacks) and call it good.

Keeping Hunger at Bay

Though 1300 calories isn’t much, Stassou really does make every single bite count. I have yet to be bothered with any serious hunger pangs and have enjoyed the color, flavor, and variety of her recipes (mostly). I find that for most people, feeling hungry is perhaps the number one reason they quit on any given diet. After all, it is pretty hard to ignore biology. Once you let yourself truly get physically hungry, it is near impossible to think about anything besides FOOD. Food like brownies. Chips. Inordinate amounts of pasta. You get the idea. Stassou has really done a great job of creating a menu that manages to cut calories without undue misery.

And that’s it for Day Three! Tomorrow we’ll be to our half-way point in this little Mediterranean experiment and speaking of experiments, I’ll be trying out Stassou’s recipe for French Toast! The ingredient list looks a little iffy, so we’ll see what happens!

Thanks for reading! If you’d like to learn more about the Mediterranean diet, you do so here.

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It is Day Two of our seven day trial run of The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution! This is a weight loss plan that promises to help you ‘kick-start your new diet and lose weight in just 28 days’ with Mediterranean-style fare. So let’s put that promise to the test! For the next seven days, you’ll get a front row seat as I follow the meal plan, test the recipes, and log every bite so that I can share with you, dear readers, my honest-to-goodness opinion of this plan.

Day One was full of flavor (and time spent in the kitchen); how will Day Two go? Let’s get right to the food log and see how it went!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop with these links, which helps to make this blog possible. Thanks for your support!

Day Two’s Meal Plan

Breakfast:

• Whole wheat toast with 1/4 avocado
• 1 egg
• Coffee with half and half

Lunch:

• Leftover One-Pan Tuscan Chicken
• 3/4 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
• Mixed greens with Greek Dressing

Snack:

• Carrot and Bran Muffin

Dinner:

• Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
• 1 whole wheat pita
• Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

My Thoughts on the Day

The Carrot and Bran Muffins

I have to admit that after yesterday’s deliciousness, today was a bit of a letdown. Breakfast was fine, though nothing particularly exciting. The Carrot and Bran Muffins, though moist and spiced, were otherwise lacking in any amount of reasonable sweetness. My muffin-loving 5-year-old was both confused and disappointed.

The Gyros

The gyros were also, sadly, a bit disappointing. The chicken gyro meat had an over-powering amount of herbs and yet still lacked flavor due to the absence of any fat content and a meagre usage of salt. The Tzatziki was also so very bland. Tzatziki is something I make several times a year and everyone at the table was pretty underwhelmed with this recipe. Bummer.

The Zucchini

And finally, those misleading Parmesan Zucchini Sticks. I mean, just look at them. They look fantastic, don’t they? DON’T BE DECEIVED. Despite the promise of crispy broiled parmesan and sizzling herbs atop the fresh zucchini, these were awful. Like, comically so. Despite appearances, the zucchini retained zero of its structural integrity and had the mouthfeel of a slug. And, to add insult to injury, the herbed-parmesan veneer did nothing in the flavor department, which really is a mystery in and of itself.

The high point of the day, then, had to be lunch, which was yesterday’s leftovers–the One-Pan Tuscan Chicken with whole wheat pasta and Greek salad. Still tasty the next day.

Crunching the Numbers

Moving on! Let’s take a look at today’s nutrient breakdown. Calories today landed at 1285 with 53% coming from carbohydrate, 30% from fat, and 17% from protein with 28 grams of fiber. Today’s protein came in a bit low, but I’m not surprised given that today’s snack was more starch-based and I also wasn’t able to eat a full portion of that chicken gyro meat. Otherwise, today’s calorie level of <1300 is once again appropriate for weight loss and should produce some results by the end of the week.

Living the Lifestyle

For exercise today, I did my typical weight lifting routine and felt like I had a good workout. Nothing amazing, but I didn’t get stuck under the bar, either. I also did fine with my water intake, getting in an extra liter. I’ve found that it really helps if I make a batch of infused water, adding sliced lemon, oranges, or strawberries for a touch of flavor and sweetness. We’ll make a water drinker out of me yet!

And that’s it for Day Two! Tomorrow we’ll be taking a look at Day Three and hopefully we’ll have more hits and fewer flops! Steak with a Red Wine and Mushroom Sauce is on the menu for tomorrow, so let’s keep our fingers crossed!

The post The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: Day Two appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! It is a new week and today we are jumping headfirst into The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss by Julene Stassou, MS, RD. I don’t know about you, but I am excited to dig in and put this Mediterranean meal plan to the test!

So let me tell you how this is going to work. For seven days, I will be following Stassou’s comprehensive weight loss and wellness plan, blogging each day and sharing with you my experiences. Grocery shopping, meal prep, cooking, recipe testing, food logs–you’ll get a front row seat for it all as I commit an entire week to this Mediterranean diet plan and dish out my candid opinions every step of the way.

Though Stassou offers 6 weeks of complete meal plans with handy grocery lists and meal prep tips, I’m going to wiggle things around a bit and puzzle together my own Mediterranean meal plan using her blank meal planning sheet. I’ll simply plug in her various meal options and make my own grocery list. Yes, this will cost me extra time, but I’m good with that. To be honest, I want to pick meal choices my family will most likely enjoy and this also gives me the chance to test out as many recipes as possible.

With that said, let’s get right into Day One!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop using these links, which helps to make this blog possible. Thank you for your support!

Day One’s Mediterranean Meal Plan

Breakfast

• Yogurt with Blueberries, Honey, and Mint (pg. 90)
• 1 egg
• Coffee with half and half

I really liked how the honey and mint tasted together and the portion seemed just right.

Lunch

• Greek Salad (pg. 110)
• 3 oz deli turkey

This was a really nice salad with a tangy vinaigrette.

Snack

• Date Nut Energy Ball (pg. 202)

These were kind of fiddly to make, but eventually came together. Definitely wouldn’t be able to eat more than one of these at a go. Though they’re not overly sweet, they have a sort of filling richness thanks to all the high-fat ingredients, cocoa powder, and dates. My husband and 10-year-old both liked these.

Dinner

• One-Pan Tuscan Chicken (pg. 168)
• 2 oz whole wheat pasta
• Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Pine Nuts (pg. 183)

The Tuscan Chicken dish was really delicious and a satisfying portion size. The asparagus recipe, I think, had way too much lemon. The whole family was puckered up!

Overall, I am really impressed with today’s offerings! The food was full of flavor and the portions were certainly satisfying. I could tell by the end of the day that I was in a calorie deficit, but wasn’t suffering by any means. In fact, based on our dinner, my husband wondered whether this was actually a weight loss plan!

Nutrient Analysis for Day One

So let’s take a look at our nutrient breakdown for the day. Between the three meals and one snack, I landed at 1324 calories with 44% coming from carbohydrate, 32% from fat, and 24% from protein. Fiber was right at 25 grams. This calorie level, for me, is appropriate for about 1 pound of weight loss per week. (I did weigh in this morning so we’ll see if there are any changes by the end of the week.) Given how satisfied I felt throughout the day, I’d say this plan offers a great balance between reducing calories whilst offering decent portion sizes.

Time and Effort

As for effort entailed, Stassou’s plan will certainly get you reacquainted with your kitchen. Between truly preparing and cooking food for every single meal as well as whipping up those Date Nut Energy Balls, there was a lot of time spent in the kitchen today. Though nothing was overly complicated, each meal involved some amount of washing, measuring, chopping, mixing, cooking and beyond. Nothing about this day was ‘grab-and-go.’ On the bright side, even my amateur iPhone pics show you how delicious and wonderfully good-for-you these meals were.

It’s a Lifestyle, too!

In keeping with every aspect of Stassou’s 28-day kick-start plan, I am also following her exercise schedule and working on drinking more water. Though she does include a strength training routine with body weight exercises, I’ll be sticking with my usual barbell program. Today was a cardio day and I had a great workout. As for the water, I managed to get in an extra liter. True confessions, I am not always the best water drinker, so this is definitely a good goal for me.

Alright! Day One is officially on the books! I’d say today was a great start to what I hope will be an enjoyable week full of new recipes. Up tomorrow, Day Two!

Thanks for reading!

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