On my flight to Nebraska on Tuesday, I read all of Jackie Warner’s book “This Is Why You’re Fat” and I’ve got to tell y’all… it’s AWESOME! In Jackie’s book, she explains why her approach to weight loss is liveable versus diets, which are hard to live out long term.
So what did I take away from the book? We eat too much sugar. Period. No, it’s nothing new, but I think Jackie does a great job of explaining why sugar makes us fat (among other things). Jackie bluntly explains that we need to eliminate sugar from our diets. Sugar hides in a number of products, from bagels to bread to crackers, and of course in sweets. Jackie urges readers to choose foods with 5 grams of sugar or less and to drastically change our diets in order to lose weight.
Now one major difference between Jackie’s coaching and that of other trainers is that she does not expect you to go cold turkey. Instead, Jackie coaches readers to continue eating as they are but to incorporate the following things into their diets for two solid weeks.
Every day during the first two weeks you must eat:
- 2 eggs
- Oatmeal
- 2-3 cups of what she calls “Detox Vegetables”
- 2 pieces of fruit
- Water with lemon juice
- Whey protein shake
- Tea
The purpose of this is to begin incorporating filling and nutrient rich foods into your diet without forcing you to go cold turkey on foods that have probably been a part of your daily diets for years. I really loved this idea because I personally know that if I simply add the list above to my daily eats, I’ll naturally cut out foods that are less filling and limited in nutrients.
After the two weeks, Jackie walks readers through her full lifestyle plan. In a nutshell, Jackie wants you to eat the following each day:
- 4 four ounce portions of protein (lean meat, low fat dairy, eggs, beans, and legumes
- 3 cups of vegetables (she lists out the vegetables in the book)
- 2 pieces of fruit
- 2 one cup servings of grains
- **Jackie also encourages two “cheat” meals a week on the weekend. After 5 weekdays of perfect eats, she encourages the reader to have two cheat meals, both under 1500 calories.
The book is filled with lots of recipe ideas and a 30 day meal plan to help you start out. Jackie also explains her theory on cardio and weight lifting, which I definitely think is worth the read!
Overall, I highly recommend this book! Although I’m pregnant and am not looking to lose any weight while pregnant, I am going to start the two week plan on Monday. My goal in doing so is to get back to eating more nutrient dense foods, as I’ve honestly been eating too many breads, pastas, and sugar filled products since getting pregnant. I think it’ll be good for me to get back to eating oatmeal, which is incredibly filling, and to make sure I’m eating enough vegetables and fruits each day. Again, I am not looking to lose any weight, but I definitely want to be fueling my body and baby with foods that are nutrient dense.
If anyone would like to start the two weeks with me on Monday, be sure to follow my Coffee Cake and Cardio Facebook page and Instagram page, as I’ll give daily updates there.
