Bob Greene's Map for a Best Life Day

Borders Exclusive
A Best Life Day By Bob Greene

Transforming your body is accomplished by leading an active life, following a sound eating plan, and having the motivation and discipline to follow that plan of action. The comprehensive weight loss program I created in The Best Life Diet is easily tailored to an array of tastes, lifestyles and activity levels. Let's look at an ideal Best Life day for a woman in Phase Two of the three-phase plan. This person has been in Phase One of the Best Life Diet program for 4 weeks. She has increased her activity to Level One (active on a daily basis—walking, playing with their kids, using the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator—but has no structured exercise program; it's the equivalent of 60-90 minutes of light aerobic exercise a week or 3,500-5,999 steps a day) from Level Zero (drives to the store and parks as close as possible; stays close to her desk at work, doesn't make an effort to find ways to fit activity into her daily life). She eats three meals—including a nutritious breakfast, plus at least one snack a day, and stops eating at least two hours before she goes to sleep. She drinks at least six eight-ounce glasses of water a day, in addition to any other beverages, and has eliminated alcohol. She also takes daily supplements, including a daily multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium. She weighed herself at the beginning of Phase One, and stayed away from the scale while in that phase; now that she has integrated these lifestyle changes she has decided to proceed to Phase Two.

In Phase Two, she will weigh herself at the beginning of the phase and once a week thereafter. In addition to the changes she made in Phase One, has decided to increase her activity level to Level Two (in addition to conscious daily activity, there is a structured and consistent exercise schedule of at least three thirty-minute sessions a week, whether at home on a stationary bike, a kickboxing class at a local gym, or a walking program with a friend). She will eliminate six foods from her diet: soda, foods containing trans-fats, fried foods, white bread, regular pasta, and high-fat dairy products, and begin to practice portion control. She will also use my guidelines to understand and control her hunger. Here's what her Best Life day (including a weekly weigh-in) might look like. Included is a Best Life Diet menu plan for someone on 1700 calories daily. It's high fiber, calcium-rich, high in antioxidants, and low in sodium and saturated fat. Plus, meals are a cinch to make!  

6:30 AM Wake up and weekly weigh in. Drink an 8-ounce glass of water.

6:45 AM Work out to favorite exercise DVD

7:15 AM Get dressed, get the family organized, and the kids off to school. Grab a nutritious Breakfast on the Run and head off to work.

Breakfast on the Run High-fiber breakfast bar (130-160 calories, 5 or more grams fiber, such as Fiber One Chewy Bar or All Bran Bar) Skim latte (12 oz.) Grapes (1 cup)

8:45 AM Arrive at work, and park as far as possible from the entrance. Use the stairs instead of the elevator to get to her desk. Fill a 16 ounce glass with water to sip through the morning. Have breakfast at desk; take vitamins with breakfast.

12:30 PM Lunch with a co-worker and a 15-minute walk. Return and refill the 16-ounce glass with water to sip through the afternoon.

Sandwich and Soup Curried chicken salad sandwich: Combine 1/2 cup skinless chicken pieces (pulled from rotisserie chicken) with a tablespoon each: light mayo, raisins, chopped celery, and slivered almonds. Season with 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. Pile chicken curry between 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread, along with slices of tomato and some mixed greens. Cup of tomato soup* Kiwi * Check label for tomato soup with no more than 550 mg sodium per cup.

3:30 PM High-calcium snack

Snack 6 oz. (3/4 cup) plain, low fat yogurt mixed with a teaspoon honey and tablespoon walnuts.

5:00 PM Leave work. Pick up kids. Supervise homework, start preparing dinner. Have a glass of water handy to sip.

6:30 PM Dinner with the family

Dinner on the Grill Grill (or broil in oven) a 4-ounce piece of salmon and a large ear of corn. Serve salmon spritzed with lemon juice and dusted with fresh chopped parsley, basil, or dill. Salad: Combine 3 cups mixed greens (or arugula or spinach), 1/3 cup chopped red pepper, and a tablespoon chopped red onion. Toss with vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon olive oil, teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, splash of balsamic vinegar.

7:00 PM Clean up after dinner and play with the kids

7:45 PM Treat (about 150 calories)

Sundae Top 1/2 cup light ice cream with 2 teaspoon chocolate syrup

8:00 PM Record progress in The Best Life Daily Journal. Log on to www.thebestlife.com to check out some strength training exercises and new recipes. Download new personalized meal plan.

9:00 PM Settle the kids in for the night

10:00 PM Sleep 

Nutritional Information for the Day
1712 calories, 86g protein, 228g carbohydrates, 26g fiber, 56g fat, 12.5g saturated fat, 146mg cholesterol, 1093mg calcium, 1660mg sodium.