The Hungry Girl Diet: Big Portions. Big Results. Drop 10 Pounds in 4 Weeks (10 page)

Go-Anywhere Salad Advice!

Request no croutons, cheese, or crunchy toppings. You’ll want to stick with salads made up of raw veggies: leafy greens, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. Ask for either oil and vinegar or low-fat/light dressing on the side. For a dinner salad, stick with a teaspoon or so of oil and a couple of tablespoons of vinegar, or have about 2 tablespoons of the dressing on the side. (Dip your fork in it, don’t pour it over your salad.) For a side salad, top with vinegar and a drizzle of oil (about ½ teaspoon), or have a tablespoon of the dressing.

Go-Anywhere Hot-Veggie Advice!

Steamed veggies without butter or oil are your best bet. If steaming isn’t an option, get your veggies grilled, but request little to no oil. For extra flavor, add a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

When in Doubt, Calorie Count!

There are many diet-friendly meals on the pages that follow. Some require a little special ordering, but there’s almost ALWAYS some version of these available. If you can’t find something listed here and nutritional information is provided, look for meals with 300 to 350 calories. If you can only find something in the range of 400 to 450 calories, go for it; just skip one of your snacks that day.

Diners and American Restaurants …

Seafood or Chicken with Hot Veggies and Salad

You can get this meal almost anywhere. Follow the go-anywhere advice on the previous page!

Salad with Grilled Chicken or Turkey Breast

Another easy-to-find staple. Don’t be afraid to special order … Just ask nicely!

Shrimp Cocktail with Dinner Salad

Enjoy the shrimp as your appetizer, or have it served with your salad. (I like to put the shrimp on top of my salad!)

Fast Food …

Salad with Grilled Chicken

Those dressing packets often contain 2 ounces, about ¼ cup. So stick with half, or request salsa instead!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich on a Lettuce Bun

Skip the cheese, bacon, and mayo, and go for mustard and/or ketchup. If the place doesn’t do “lettuce buns,” simply ask for extra lettuce in place of bread. Pair with a side salad!

Italian Food …

Seafood or Chicken with Hot Veggies and Salad

Remember to order your protein baked, broiled, or grilled. Add a little marinara to flavor up your protein
and
your veggies. Mmmmm!

Steamed Mussels or Clams with Marinara Sauce

Four ounces is the equivalent of about 14 large mussels or clams. Nice! Order a side salad and steamed veggies, and toss some marinara on those veggies.

Chinese Food …

Steamed Shrimp, Scallops, or Chicken with Veggies

These meals are often served with
twice
the amount of protein you need. Stick with about 4 ounces, and take the rest home to eat the next day. But enjoy all those veggies! And don’t forget to skip the sauce. Dress your meal with a splash of soy sauce or a squeeze of lemon.

HG FYI:
Those crispy noodles on the table are loaded with calories and fat. Avoid them at all costs!

Japanese Food …

Sashimi with Sunomono (Cucumber), Seaweed, or Green Salad

Ten pieces of sashimi (fish without rice) is the perfect amount—about 5 ounces of fish, in total. A little ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce seal the deal.

Chicken Teriyaki with Veggies, Hold the Teriyaki Sauce

See if they’ll steam the meal for you. And add a splash of soy sauce for low-calorie flavor!

Mexican Food …

Salad with Grilled Chicken or Shrimp

In addition to the guidelines in the
Go-Anywhere Salad Advice!
section, skip the guacamole and sour cream. And whatever you do, avoid those giant fried tortilla shells! Salsa makes a great salad dressing at Mexican restaurants.

Chicken or Shrimp Fajitas

You
have
to be careful with this order. Request it prepared with as little oil as possible, and lots of veggies. Skip all the fatty extras, and stick with lettuce, pico de gallo, and black beans. Then load up two small corn tortillas until they overflow! Enjoy any remaining protein and veggies on the side.

Sandwich Shop …

Salad with Turkey Breast or Grilled Chicken

Pile on flavorful sandwich fixins, but skip the usual high-calorie suspects: cheese, mayo, bacon, etc. If the protein amount seems meager, request double!

Turkey Breast or Grilled Chicken over Shredded Lettuce

If salads aren’t on the menu, order a small sub sans bun, and get your goodies over a bed of shredded lettuce.

Convenience-Store Emergency Meal!

If you find yourself on the go with no real lunch or dinner options in sight, assemble this diet-friendly hodgepodge … NICE!

* 4 hard-boiled egg whites

* 2 sticks of light string cheese (or 1 stick regular string cheese)

* 1 large apple or medium banana

* ¼ ounce of almonds or pistachios (about 6 almonds or 12 pistachios)

The Sodium Situation …

The meals and snacks in the book were carefully developed and/or chosen with sodium content in mind. That’s one reason why not every food or product typically recommended by Hungry Girl fits into this particular diet plan.

If you need to be extra careful about your sodium intake, here are some tips & tricks to help …

Always choose unsalted nuts. I actually PREFER no-salt-added almonds and pistachios to salted versions. I think they taste better!

For salads, stick with oil and vinegar as opposed to dressing. The one exception? The
Creamy Balsamic Dressing!

When it comes to sliced turkey, make
sure
you choose the no-salt-added kind. Reduced-sodium and even low-sodium options have more sodium than you might expect. If you don’t see any prepackaged no-salt-added turkey, check the deli counter. The kind by Boar’s Head is fantastic!

If buying precooked chicken, check the labels and look for ones with low sodium counts. Your best bet, however, is to cook it yourself with salt-free seasonings. Check out
here
for how-to info!

If a meal calls for chicken
or
shrimp, choose chicken. It’s naturally lower in sodium. And shrimp (even raw) often contains some added salt.

When choosing sauces, dressings, or marinades with 25 calories or less per 1-tablespoon serving (a staple ingredient in Week 1), select ones with the lowest sodium counts. Mrs. Dash has a lineup that’s completely free of salt!

Swap premade salsa for diced tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Start with a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes to save time!

When it comes to beans, rinsing them (as called for in the meals in the book) eliminates about 35 percent of the sodium amount listed on the can. Seek out no-salt-added beans to save even more.

Choose snacks with little to no sodium: fresh fruit (any kind), unsalted almonds or pistachios, veggies (your pick), freeze-dried fruit, certain rice cakes (check the labels), frozen fruit bars, and more. Click
here
for the exact serving sizes.

This might go without saying, but when a meal calls for an occasional dash of salt, leave it out.

The suggested daily meal plans are designed to give you an easy guide to weight loss, but you can mix ’n match meals however you like. So browse around, and choose the meals with the lowest sodium counts!

HELPFUL HOW-TOS

How to Hard-Boil Egg Whites …

Place the eggs in a pot and cover completely with water, leaving a few inches of the pot’s inner edge above the water line. Bring to a boil, and then continue to cook for 10 minutes. Drain the water, and fill the pot with very cold water. (Add ice if you’ve got it.) Once cool enough to handle, peel off the shells, slice in half, and remove the yolks.

How to Bake Spaghetti Squash …

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Microwave squash for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft enough to cut. Halve lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Fill a large baking pan with ½ inch water, and place squash halves in the pan, cut sides down.

Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. (Check it at 30 minutes, if you like it on the firm side.)

Use a fork to scrape out squash strands. Place in a strainer to drain excess moisture. Blot dry, if needed!

How to Microwave Spaghetti Squash …

Microwave squash for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft enough to cut. Slice into quarters. Scoop out and discard seeds.

Place one piece of squash in a wide microwave-safe bowl, cut side down. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, or until soft. Repeat with remaining squash.

Use a fork to scrape out squash strands. Place in a strainer to drain excess moisture. Blot dry, if needed!

How to Cook Broccoli Cole Slaw or Chopped Cabbage in a Skillet …

Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add slaw or cabbage and ½ cup water. Cover and cook until fully softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover and, if needed, cook and stir until water has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

How to Steam Veggies in the Microwave …

For 1 to 3 cups of most veggies …

Place veggies in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes, or until softened. Repeat as needed. Drain or blot dry.

How to Cook Chicken à la HG …

Place raw boneless skinless chicken breast on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray, and sprinkle with some salt-free seasoning mix (like Mrs. Dash Original Blend). Bake at 375 degrees until cooked through, about 20 minutes. (Cook time will be longer for large batches.) Easy and delicious!

P.S. For perfectly cooked chicken, use a food thermometer, and bake until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

Skillet Alternative!
Pound chicken to ½-inch thickness. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Sprinkle with salt-free seasoning mix.

HG’s High-Fiber Veggies

Tomatoes

Onions

Bell peppers

Green beans

Sugar snap peas

Snow peas

Bean sprouts

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Carrots

Jicama

HG’s High-Volume Veggies

Mushrooms

Cucumbers

Cabbage

Celery

Zucchini

Eggplant

Yellow squash

Asparagus

Cauliflower

Kale

Spinach

HUNGRY GIRL’S GUIDE TO EXERCISE

While you absolutely CAN lose weight on this plan without any exercise at all, the truth is you’ll drop weight faster if you work out … even a little bit. Burning extra calories means dropping extra pounds. The thought of exercising used to upset me. I couldn’t get into it for the longest time … until I stopped trying to force myself into doing things that worked for
other
people and found ways to move that I LIKE. My go-to form of exercise is walking on the treadmill. I do this four to five times a week—for 45 minutes to an hour at a time—while watching my favorite TV shows on my DVR. This, plus weight/resistance training twice a week, works for me. I strongly recommend finding an exercise routine that YOU enjoy.

So let’s talk calorie burning …

Find What Works for YOU

I told you about my routine, and now it’s time for you to find yours. Making your workouts FUN is crucial. The trick might be working out while talking with a friend, listening to upbeat music while you lift free weights, swimming, dancing, speed-walking through the mall … Experiment! You might be surprised to find out that Hula-hooping or hiking does it for you.

Be Realistic

If you’ve never exercised before noon in your life, yet you’ve made up your mind to hit the 6 a.m. cycling class five times a week, you probably won’t do it. So don’t set yourself up for failure. Choose mini goals that you can
truly
see yourself achieving. Once you meet those, you’ll have the confidence to take it to the next level.

Schedule Workouts

Setting exercise appointments can really help you to establish a routine. If they’re written in your calendar, you’ll be more likely to show up (as opposed to talking yourself out of them on lazy Sunday mornings). If you’re still skipping out, try scheduling them with a friend. Or sign up for a class that takes place the same time each week. You can even plan to walk in place while watching your favorite nightly talk show. Try it!

Embrace Mini Workouts

It can be difficult to carve out an entire hour each day for a full-on fitness routine. But studies show that even short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity throughout the day are highly effective. So consider an exercise plan of 15-minute cardio sessions: one in the morning, one on your lunch break, and one before dinner. Feels much more achievable, doesn’t it? You don’t even need to do the same thing each time. Do a little dancing in your kitchen in the morning, power walk with a pal in the afternoon, and hop on the treadmill or go for a short jog after work. Go, you!

The Buddy System

The old saying that there’s strength in numbers couldn’t be more applicable than when talking about exercise. Not only is it fun to have company on the move-more bandwagon, but working out with friends means extra encouragement
and
accountability.

If you want to start simple, set lunch-break dates to go walking around the neighborhood or nearby mall. Then work up to activities like biking and jogging. Sign up for a group exercise class, or just go to the gym with a buddy. Even if you both do completely different activities at the gym, going together (or meeting up) will help get you there.