"It's not that I'm fat but I don't feel 100%..."

Recently a friend contacted me about my diet. Here's how it all went down:
"Hi girl. Congrats on the new arrival. When you get a chance can you tell me what kind of diet you have? I saw your awesome ab pic. I am struggling to figure out what works for me. Its not that I am fat but don't feel 100% a lot of the time and have some fluid retension. What worked for me after 2 kids and being younger, hasn't worked for me after 3 kids. Just in case you look at the time for the post (when I should be sleeping), yes I know sleep is important for hormone levels and weight:)"

The pic she's referring to is this: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150360226948250&set=a.430168943249.209839.536418249&type=3&theater

Hi ya girlie!
When I experienced water retention (accompanied by super uncomfortable bloating) I discovered I was allergic to soy, wheat, whey proteins and gluten. Make sure those aren't issues for you. I currently practice food combining because otherwise I don't have enough digestive enzymes in my digestive tract to property assimilate my food and it drops my energy level drastically when I combine the wrong foods together. Food combining basically says that you keep your fruits separate from other foods (never combine sweet fruits with sour fruits either), protein and veggies are good combinations and proteins and carbs are not compatible for complete digestion when eaten together. We have less digestive enzymes in our system as we age but there are digestive aids you can take to help increase the enzymatic breakdown of food which might help if you experience bloating after meals.

Essentially my diet looks like this on any given day:

8am after workout: a banana or a pear but not both (once in a while I'll eat steel cut oatmeal here)

10am: omlette (often with veggies)

noon: deli turkey rolled with a piece of low-fat mozz and wrapped in lettuce/toms

3pm: yellow pepper with hummus and a few salted almonds cuz I like the salty

6pm: turkey chops with grilled asparagus

8pm: small piece of salmon or left over turkey chop 

(something high in protein before bed helps me sleep)


I'll also substitute any given meal with a green drink that consists of seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, kale, spinach, cabbage and collard greens.

Of course in all of this I watch portion sizes. I try to get about 80% full at each meal because I know I'm going to eat again in a couple of hours.

One more element you might want to think about is your workout and using heavier weights: You are familiar with the Metabolic Effect diet so I can tell you that I am a mixed-burner and that'll mean something to you.  Although I no longer eat for the purpose of fat-loss, I still maintain the same diet plan because it provides me with a ton of energy and the ability to retain my muscle. You know that muscle burns fat so essentially the fat I lost years ago stays off because I maintain an adequate amount of muscle by using heavier weights in my 30 minute workouts.

I hope this helps. I know you're super busy loving on those kids of yours and trying to make a living at the same time but none of that can be possible if you don't take care of you first. I know you know that or you wouldn't be asking me what I do. And for that, YOU ROCK because you're getting your priorities straight.


Wrapping things up, optimally I eat for energy and health. My abs are just a residual effect to working out ME style and eating for energy. ;)


Let me know how you feel in a couple of weeks or if there's anything else I can do for you.


XO T.