Step Easy Food Plan
“Step easy” into recovery—freedom from overeating and food obsession, clarity of mind, a life of sane and happy usefulness with the help of Jesus.
This is a base plan. The amount of food you need to lose, gain or maintain your weight depends on your individual metabolism and activity level. If you need less, use the minimum amounts. Increase as needed.
Breakfast:
4-6 oz. plain non-fat yogurt or another dairy or breakfast protein
1 egg or another breakfast protein
1 oz. oatmeal or another grain
1 small/medium sized fruit
Lunch:
3-4 oz. protein
optional: grain or fruit
6-8 oz. salad
6-8 oz. low-carbohydrate vegetables, cooked or raw
1 tablespoon olive oil or another fat exchange
Dinner:
3-4 oz. protein
4 oz. grain
6-8 oz. salad
6-8 oz. low-carbohydrate vegetables, cooked or raw
1-2 tablespoon olive oil or another fat exchange
Metabolic Adjustment:*
dairy or breakfast protein
1 small/medium fruit
*metabolic adjustment can be added to lunch or dinner or eaten in the afternoon.
Men: Use maximum amounts, increase the cereal grain at breakfast to 1.5 oz and double the grain at dinner.
Guidelines for Food Addicts Like Me
People who are addicted to sugar, flour and sweeteners, like me, need to pay close attention to the little extras—the things that seem like no big deals, but can make the difference between staying abstinent or succumbing to the disease one more time.
Eliminate all sugar products from your food plan
Check all food labels for hidden sugar, obviously anything with the word "sugar" falls into this category (like brown sugar or confectionary sugar). "syrup" too is a key word—corn syrup, maple syrup and the like, plus honey and molasses. Barley malt, dextrin, maltodextrin, sorbitol, stevia, xylitol, and most ingredients ending with “ose,” including—but not limited to—dextrose, fructose, sucrose, maltodextrose.
These are the more common names of sugar additives but there are others. If you are unsure of an ingredient check with the manufacturer or practice the rule, "if in doubt, leave it out."
Eliminate all sweeteners (natural and artificial):
Includes all diet drinks, mints, gum, packets added to anything, any sweetened foods.
click here for Pam's personal message about sweeteners.
Eliminate all flour products from your food plan. Check all labels for the words, "flour." Anything ground into flour counts (even nut flour). Foods in this category include breads, pastas, all sweets, most cold cereals—the list is extensive—bagels, doughnuts, muffins and the like. Chips and crackers, even without the word "flour" in the ingredients' list, are foods to avoid. Also note that flour is often used as a thickening agent in soups, sauces and gravies, and breadcrumbs are used as a binding agent in the preparation of meatloaf or meatballs. Check labels carefully. Click here for Pam's personal experiences with wheat.
Limit (or eliminate) caffeine:
Best to wean off coffee and tea gradually. In time, if addicted, eliminate caffeine altogether.
Eliminate all alcohol:
Some people say that alcohol is liquid sugar with a kick. It is not an option for a food addict.
Beverages:
Best to drink water (hot or cold) with optional wedge of lemon or lime, seltzer water, herb teas, decaffeinated black coffee or tea.
Never eat standing:
Always take the time to sit and eat your whole meal at one time (if at all possible). It is dangerous for a food addict to eat standing at the kitchen counter or to eat piece-meal, even if it is our weighed and measured food. It is much better to take a breather. Sit, relax and enjoy the meal and the time. It is a positive self-discipline that gives us an opportunity to say, “I need to replenish my energy—physically, emotionally and spiritually.” God blesses those decisions.
Pray before each meal or snack:
Before I put even one iota of food in my mouth, I pray. I take a moment to say, “Thank you, God, for my abstinence. Thank you for the food on my plate,” but I don’t stop there. I am sure to say, “Lord, is this guilt-free?” And then I listen. I really listen.
Restaurant dining can be a challenge, especially when I make the decision to use the eyeball method of measuring my food. Sometimes God tells me that my portions are too big. I then have the opportunity to fix it before I eat the meal. I simply put the excess food on my bread plate and ask again, “Lord, is it guilt-free now?”
This is a simple program, but it’s not always easy. As a food addict, I occasionally want to eat foods that are not mine (referring to anything—even sugar-free “abstinent” foods), but with the amazing love and grace of God, I practice my program one day at a time.
Step Three—turning my will and my life over to the care of God, which means I surrender all (even my food) over to His care each day. Step Ten—continued to take personal inventory, and when I was wrong, promptly admitted it.
As with any new food plan, it is best to consult with your physician regarding your individual dietary needs. The publisher and I disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the suggestions offered at fulloffaith.com.
Food Exchanges
Dairy: 4-6 oz. non-fat plain yogurt, 8 oz. low-fat or skim milk, 3 oz. cottage cheese, 1 oz hard cheese* (could substitute breakfast protein portion for dairy)
Breakfast proteins portions: 1 egg or 1/2 cup egg substitute, 2 egg whites, 3 oz. cottage cheese, 4 oz beans, 2 oz. chicken, beef, pork, 1 oz. hard cheese*
Breakfast cereals: 1 oz. unprocessed whole-grains (measured dry, then cooked with water): Oatmeal, oat bran, grits, Cream of Rice, Cream of Buckwheat, Cream of Barley, Cream of Rye (Always check cereal labels for sugar, flour and wheat.) Click here for Pam's personal experiences with wheat.
Grains: 4 oz..or 1/2 cup baked, boiled or mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, acorn squash, butternut squash or cooked green peas, beets, pumpkin, corn (or l ear corn on the cob), lentils, chick peas, lima beans, kidney beans, navy beans (or any cooked dried beans), prepared rice (brown preferred), Quinoa.
Avoid flour products—even “healthy” choices like whole-grain bread and pasta, and note that most gravies, soups and sauces are thickened with flour. Therefore, these foods are considered taboo for a food addict
Lunch and dinner protein portions: 3-4 oz. chicken, turkey, fish/seafood, tuna (canned in water), haddock, cod, salmon, halibut, bass, catfish, crab meat, shrimp, lobster, scallops, beef, pork, lamb, veal, 2 eggs, 6 oz. cottage cheese, 6 oz. beans/legumes, 1 veggie burger, 2 oz. hard cheese*.
*Hard cheese is high in fat and are best avoided or eaten in very limited amounts until the maintenance stage of recovery.
Prepare proteins by roasting, stewing, grilling, baking or pan-frying in your allotment of olive oil or butter. Avoid deep-fried fish, seafood or chicken.
Low-carbohydrate vegetables: 12-16 oz. (Prepared in a salad, cooked or eaten raw): Alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, beans (green or wax), Bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, green or red peppers, kale, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms, okra, onions, radishes, spaghetti squash, spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, turnip greens, yellow squash (summer), zucchini (6 oz of V8 juice or tomato juice can be substituted for a serving of vegetable.)
Fats: 1 tablespoon oil (healthy oils such as olive, coconut, walnut, flax, seseme), 1 tablespoon butter,1 tablespoon regular salad dressing (Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar is a recommended choice), 1 tablespoon real mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon tahini*, 1/2 oz. raw nuts*, 1/2 oz. raw seeds* , (healthy choices such as flax, chia, kemp, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds), 2 oz avocado
*Caution: best to wait until the maintenance phase of recovery before trying raw nuts, seeds, nut butters.
Condiments: (Acceptable addition to any meal) 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 tablespoons sugar-free salsa per meal, vinegar (best to avoid balsamic vinegar)*
*Even though during fermentation a lot of the sugar is converted to acid, balsamic vinegar contains more sugar than regular vinegar. Obvious in the fact that real aged balsamic vinegar has more calories (from the grape sugars.)
Fruits (fresh, frozen or canned in its own juice): 4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) fruit or a small-medium sized (approx. 4-5 oz) apple, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, plum, tangerine, 4 oz (or 1/2 cup) blackberries, blueberries, grapes*, honeydew melon, pineapple,* raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, applesauce, cantaloupe (or 1/4), grapefruit (or 1/2)
*Grapes and pineapple have been known to set up cravings in some food addicts. Consider your options carefully and listen to your body when introducing these foods.
An extra note of caution when considering bananas: Bananas are high in sugar. It is best to avoid them; however, if a banana is “doctor recommended,” the portion size is l/2 banana or 2 oz.
Beverages:
Wonderful, life-giving water (hot or cold) with optional wedge of lemon or lime, seltzer water, herb teas, decaffeinated black coffee or tea
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