Hello there,
In my introduction of this blog I pointed out that my purpose was to share with you how I have been able to keep a healthy lifestyle for almost 30 years!

To those of you out there who happen to stumble upon this blog, and hopefully many more of you who have been directed to it, here are the guidelines that I have followed, as well as the bits and pieces, from here and there, that I have learned along the way, and found to have worked successfully for me:

• During the whole morning, consume only fruit and only on an empty stomach
• At lunch time, consume a big plate of vegetables
• At dinner time, if you are a meat eater, only consume meat with vegetables or, if you are a carb lover like me, only consume the carbs with vegetables as well.

REMEMBER: During the whole morning, consume only fruit!!!

During the course of the morning keep consuming fruit when hunger strikes. My routine as soon as I get up is to prepare a healthy size bowl with one third of a large size cantaloupe, honeydew or any other type of melon in season, and consume it on its own or combined with some type of berries. No Orange Juice (unless fresh), No Coffee, No Tea, No Cereal, No Bread, No Bagels, No Bacon, No Eggs… Just Fruit!

I find that melons have the ability to clean up your system, which is an important element for detoxifying your body. By adopting these habits, you will slowly but surely detoxify your body and the weight lost will occur at a slow but healthy pace! Remember this is not a diet, it is a way of life!

During my working years, I used to bring to the office, already washed, apples, pears and bananas (or any other fruit that you prefer) to satiate hunger during the morning. A regular piece of fruit will leave your stomach, I believe, within 20 to 30 minutes after consumption, with the exception of a banana which will take up to 40 or 45 minutes. That is if you have consumed ONLY FRUIT in the morning.

At lunch time, consume a big plate of vegetables!

As I progress with this blog, I will try to expand by posting every week pictures of the plates of vegetables that I consume, to give you an idea that after all consuming vegetables could be as appetizing as any other type of food!

At dinner time if you are a meat eater, only consume meat with vegetables or if you are a carb lover like me, only consume carbs with vegetables as well…!

Again, if you follow the reasoning, whether it is Protein or Carbohydrates that you prefer, always keep in mind to accompany it with vegetables. Forget the potatoes or the rice, or the pasta, or the bread if you are eating any sort of meat, or forget the protein if you are eating pasta, make it a Pasta Primavera for example without the parmesan cheese! I try NEVER to eat meat and carbohydrates in the same meal as I find that I digest easier that way.

You do not have to become a ‘slave’ of eating foods this way all the time. In my experience, keep at it without variation until you shed the pounds you desire to lose and then you can be flexible, from time to time, as long as you get back to your routine the next day. You will observe that you actually like eating this way, because you will feel better after you eat, as opposed to the heaviness you likely encounter after a big meal.

If you are the type that dines out frequently (as I was in my working years), because of work or other circumstances, you can implement this way of eating as well. What you have to exercise is a sensible way of ordering your meal considering the parameters explained above.

I find that ever since I started this way of life, I can eat all I want in the quantities that I wish at the moment and still be able to keep my desired weight. You will also find that you have more energy!

I hope that this information helps!