THE PROGRAMMER'S DIET

4/21/2006

This diet is a very loosely based concept that just about anyone can follow on just about any schedule. It gives you a huge variety of options on what to eat and is mainly just common sense with a limited number of rules.
It is an EXCELLENT idea to invest in a mini fridge for your office so that you can stock it with the fruit and veggie snacks that are already prepared. That way you don't have to stop what you are doing "at work" to quell the hunger. It is a great time saver and the easier it is for you NOT to cheat, the more successful you will be on your diet.

Mornings -

You want to start each day with some sort of digestive supplement. I recommend apples. You really can be creative with this, it all depends on how you choose to diet. If you are looking to lose the maximum weight in the least amount of time, have just one decent sized apple for your breakfast along with a glass of water or apple juice. However, if you are going for a more relaxed diet (just feeling bad about all the junk foods)... you can almost go crazy here. You can cut up the apple(s) and add a bit of sugar and cinnamon or flavor with a few drops of lemon/lime, or really anything you'd like as long as it is a fresh apple.

Mid Mornings -

Between breakfast and lunch, if you should get hungry, this is for you. If not, it can be skipped. For your mid morning snack you may eat absolutely ANY fruit(s) and as much of it as you'd like. I know, that is not a standard rule for the majority of diets, but get used to it... this diet is all about keeping you healthy AND satisfied!
It is a good idea to switch things up here. I mean, all of your breakfasts are basically just apples. Give yourself something to look forward to here. One day have a banana (or a few), the next, have a pear (or a few), and so on. It is actually a good idea to pick one day (the same day each week) like Fridays to be your "extravagant" day and make yourself a great home made fruit salad! This will give you something extra to look forward to each week and help to keep you on track.

Lunch -

For lunch you are going to switch gears from the fruits on to the veggies. You really want to stay away from the starchier veggies, but if you are planning for a more relaxed diet, a potato or two a week really won't kill your diet. It is best if you do not fry or boil the veggies because you want all of those nutrients and the added fat is no one's friend. Most of the programmers that I've encountered don't break for lunch at all, so this is a great time to do some hardcore veggie snacking. Carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, fresh pea pods, etc. Go crazy, you have only two limits for lunch, low in starch and fats, and it must be veggies.

Afternoon snacks -

This section is really just an extended lunch. It's the same veggies you were able to have for lunch but you may want to change it up a bit. If you had carrot sticks or baby carrots, dig into the pea pods now. Remember, variety is the spice of life! You can keep snacking straight through to dinnertime.

Dinner -

Alright, you've made it this far through the day, start each dinner with a noted compliment about how well you've done thus far! Encouragement is a great thing and self encouragement is the easiest kind to get on a regular basis! Your dinner starts off with a collection of fresh, crisp, leafy greens. You want to stay away from the iceberg lettuce because it does not digest as well. Once again, it won't kill your diet, but you will feel better and see more results if you go for other types. Put a large amount of the clean fresh greens in a big bowl and add whatever veggies you'd like. Cucumbers are a favorite, tomatoes, carrot shavings, etc. and you absolutely can have a few croutons if you'd like - go easy on them though, the high salt content will get you if you go overboard. You can even add spices if you'd like to the salad. Basil, thyme, parsley, and even a bit of chives! They all give great accent to an otherwise plain salad.
As far as the dressings go, you might consider sticking to the vinegar & oil, just a bit of apple vinegar, Italian, Greek, maybe a few sprinkles of orange, grapefruit, lemon or lime juice, or simply a bit of the spice(s) immersed in a small dish of water. The Ranch dressings and other creamy types are higher in fat and will make you feel a little sluggish, but used sparingly, they are not forbidden if you simply can not live without them.

Basically you want to eat as much salad as you can for dinner, and when that huge, wonderful collage of freshness is finished, you really get to splurge! This is one of the great part of your day ( food wise ). Now you can have a piece of fish, a steak, a buttered baked potato, whatever you would normally like to eat for dinner. The secret here is that you have mainly filled yourself up on that great salad and you will be far less likely to go overboard with the danger foods! Sure, you want to generally stick with the leaner meats, and avoid the deep fried, but seriously, even pizza is allowed here!

Dessert -

YES! We DO allow desserts!!!! YAY!!!!! Best part of the day!!!!! Now that you have lived through the main part of the diet, you need to really, honestly assess how strict you've been. If you have not gone the strict route, you are going to want to go with a nice fruit salad, some fresh fruit, or maybe skip this step all together. However, if you have "been good" all day long, now is your time to really let loose! You can have a small bag of those greasy chips, or you can have a thin slice of that rich chocolate cake, or a small dish of your favorite ice cream - and even a tiny dollop of whipped cream!!! Honestly, you don't want to go completely crazy here, but you have been snacking all day long and most likely after all of that salad and the dinner meal you've chosen, you might just be ready to skip dessert completely!

Late Evening Snack -

You really want to avoid eating the last hour or two that you are awake, as the food barely has time to settle and won't properly digest while you sleep. However, if you plan on calling it a late night, you need to switch gears and go back to the fresh fruits. As much as you need, but remember the cut off time.

Throughout the whole day, make sure you drink as much unflavored water as you can handle. This helps to cleanse your system and it really does cut down on the amount of food that you will want. It is o.k. to add a little lemon to your water though. You want to avoid the coffee, but tea is a GREAT replacement! It has many antioxidants and some even have that caffeine that you are most likely addicted to. I personally HATE those diets that tell you to quit the caffeine cold turkey and leave you with a throbbing headache - who can successfully work like that!?!?