Bircher Muesli Diet

This is a healthy but strict diet, which combines diet and exersize to improve the chances of the diet working. In some ways it's easier to stick to than the Cabbage Soup Diet, and it worked for me.

Before The Diet Starts

There is some initial preparation required before one can start this diet; data that must be gathered. 1. Buy a pedometer. The best type are accelerometer pedometers, but they're not that easy to find. I got mine at http://www.pedometersaustralia.com/ 2. Keep a food diary for two weeks. Record ''everything'' you eat and drink (including water). Also record how many steps you take each day. 3. At the end of two weeks, calculate your average number of steps per day. Add 2000 to that. That is your step-count goal.

The Diet

For breakfast and for lunch, have one serve of Bircher Muesli.

For dinner:

  • 1 serve of meat, fish, or chicken (one hand size)
  • 4 serves of vegetables (4 handfuls) or 2 cups of salad
  • Only one serve of vegetables can be potato or rice.

In general:

  • No snacks.
  • No fried, battered or crumbed food.
  • No biscuits, cakes or desserts.

Try for about 2 litres of water or drinks a day.

Allowed drinks:

  • water
  • diet drinks
  • tea/coffee with skinny milk (and sweetener, but try to avoid it)
  • "slim" soups
  • low-calorie jelly (yes, it counts as a "drink")

Tips:

  • get spring water, it tastes better
  • when you feel hungry, drink a glass of water
  • if you live on your own, empty out your cupboards of temptations
  • avoid convenience stores with their fatty snacks
  • when shopping, have a list, and stick to it

The Exersize

Every day, you must walk at least the number of steps in your step-count goal (that is, 2000 more steps than the average step-count which you recorded in your food diary before the diet started). That should take about 15-30 minutes a day, depending on how fast you walk. Record them in your food diary so you are accountable at least to yourself.

Exersize tips:

  • wear comfortable shoes
  • at work:
    • get off the bus one stop early and walk
    • if you go out for morning tea/afternoon tea, walk around the block before you have your tea
    • eat your Bircher Muesli at work, then spend your lunch-hour window-shopping
    • while waiting for a lift (elevator), walk back and forth
  • at home:
    • walk up and down your hallway to bouncy music
    • walk up and down your hallway reading a book, or listening to an audio-book
    • if you have a cordless phone, walk up and down your hallway while talking to your best friend on the phone
< Eat Good Stuff Diet | diets | Optifast Diet >