Day 11 - Feeling Better

I'm not 100%, but I am getting there. I suppose there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm actually quite surprised how quickly I jumped right back on the Cinch plan. I spent 3 straight days of random eating; I was sick and stressed out all of last week; Mother nature paid me a visit; The scale climbed up 3 lbs.; and amazingly I started over yesterday with no problem. I think this "diet" will be easy to maintain over the long-term.


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Strawberry Green Tea Muesli:

1 cup strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped peanuts
Green tea leaves


Love, love, love this breakfast. The breakfasts in this plan are easy to pack on-the-go for work.




LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Spinach Walnut Bleu Cheese Pita:

1 cup fresh spinach and 1 large chopped plum tomato
1/2 whole grain pita
1/4 cup bleu cheese
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
Dash balsamic vinegar


As I ate my pita today, my co-worker right next to me said "Something smells good." She looked to see what I was eating, and then my other co-worker pops his head over my cube and says "Seriously? How do you have time to make that?" I actually realized how easy it is to throw a plum tomato in my lunch bag, pack a handful of spinach in a ziploc bag, measure 2 TBSP of walnuts in a side container, wrap a pita in foil, pack a knife, and keep some balsamic vinegar on hand at work. Sounds like a lot, but it took me 5 minutes this morning to pack both my breakfast and lunch. I already had a snack waiting on me at work, so there was no need to pack one.

SNACK (5:30 pm)

Lemon Lara Bar
8 oz. organic skim milk


DINNER (8:00 pm)

(I made this one up based on a recipe in the book.)

Pistachio Nut Dusted Chicken, Wild Rice, and Sauteed Spinach with Tomatoes:

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, ¼ cup green onion, and 1 chopped plum tomato - sauteed
½ cup cooked wild rice
3 oz cooked organic “Smart” chicken
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash basil and 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar for the spinach and tomatoes; Dash garlic powder and tarragon for the chicken

This one was quite yummy!

Day 30 - Core Plan Complete

Today was Day 30! It feels like I have been on this diet much longer than that. No more weight loss this week, but I’m about to begin another 3-day Fast Forward this Wednesday-Friday, so that should change. TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS (30 DAYS): 8.5 pounds.

I’ve been much more careful today with the random snacking.

BREAKFAST (8:00 am)

Strawberry Green Tea Muesli:

1 cup strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup Kashi Go Lean
6 oz. vanilla yogurt
2 TBSP chopped peanuts
Green tea leaves



LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Mediterranean Broccoli Couscous Platter:

2 cups steamed broccoli
½ cup whole wheat couscous
3 oz cooked chicken
2 TBSP chopped pecans
1 TBSP lemon juice and dash pepper

I had my dark chocolate right after lunch.

SNACK (4:30 pm)

Minneola Almond Twist:

Wedges from 1 medium Minneola
½ cup non-fat cottage cheese
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Minneola zest and sprinkled with basil


DINNER (7:30 pm)

Wild Rice and Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Citrus Slaw:

4 romaine lettuce leaves, 1 cup shredded purple cabbage, 1/4 cup green onions
1/2 cup wild rice
3 oz cooked chicken
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP pineapple juice, 1 TBSP rice vinegar, dash pepper, and I added some celery seed.

Day 20 - Quick Post

Just a quick post for today. I still have to finish packing for our trip tomorrow. I'm going to do my best to stick to my diet while we are in Indiana.

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Almond Toast with Berries and Milk:

(I made this one up since I'm trying to use up my berries before they go bad.)

1 cup fresh strawberries and blueberries, combined
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz. skim milk
1 TBSP almond butter
Dash cloves for the berries

I also had a cappucino from the work cafeteria for breakfast, but it tasted REALLY sweet. I think it may have had some kind of creamer or sweetener that I wasn't aware of. My taste buds are definitely changing since I have eliminated salt, sugar, and other artificial sweeteners from my diet (with the exception of my vanilla yogurt). I refuse to eat plain yogurt again.

LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Tomato, Olive, and Munster Cheese Pita:

(I made this one up too, so I could use up my tomatoes and olives.)

1/2 cup tomatoes and 2 large romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 whole grain pita
1 slice munster cheese
10 Kalamatta olives
Fresh basil and dried oregano

This was tasty especially as I got to the bottom of the pita where all of my cheese was buried. Yum!



I had 100 calories of dark chocolate around 2:00 pm.

SNACK (5:00 pm)

Peppery Kiwi Almond Crunch:

1 medium kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 slice whole grain bread (omitted)
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese (I subbed cottage cheese)
2 TBSP slivered almonds (I subbed pecans)
Dash black pepper

DINNER (7:30 pm)

Green Tea Chicken with Avocado Corn Salad:

1 1/2 cups field greens, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, and 1/4 cup fresh salsa
1/2 cup corn, frozen
3 oz cooked chicken
1/4 of a medium avocado
Green tea leaves mixed with pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest

I thought this meal was quite delicious. The green tea leaves on my chicken were a surprisingly pleasant taste.