Day 20 ~ 1215 cal/48 fat/143 carbs

No matter how many calories I burn, my weight stays the same! I did a little research after breakfast to learn more about protein, carbs, sugar, & fat intake, as well as the recommended amount of calories to consume if you are trying to lose weight. I feel the need to be more educated on everything I am putting in my body.

According to www.lasting-weight-loss.com, the first goal is to get your daily intake of carbs between 50 to 75 grams & fat intake must not exceed 35 grams. I ate almost all of my recommended daily carb intake just at breakfast!

If you restrict carbs, your insulin, glucose, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers will all improve. You’ll lose body fat, particularly around your middle. Your triglycerides will go down, your good HDL cholesterol will increase, and your LDL will improve in quality. On the other hand, if you completely eliminate carbs, you may not feel well mentally and you may feel less energetic.

Some of the best low carb foods include spinach; asparagus; lettuce; broccoli; cauliflower; celery; cucumber; green, red, or Chinese cabbage; mushrooms; sweet or hot peppers; yellow summer squash; zucchini; carrots; red or yellow onions; and avocados.

* Eat more frequently, about once every 3 or 4 waking hours
* Never go more than 4 waking hours without a meal that has at least 15 grams of protein if you are female
* Drink plenty of water—at least 3 quarts daily

Weight: 131.0

Breakfast (335 cal/47 carbs/14 fat/13 protein): One package cream of wheat [two packages left, thank goodness - I am ready to get rid of it!] (100 cal/19 carbs/0 fat/3 pro), 1/2 cup fat-free milk (40 cal/6 carbs/0 fat/4 pro), 20 almonds (135 cal/6 carbs/14 fat/5 pro), & 1/2 grapefruit (60 cal/16 carbs/0 fat/1 pro).

Lunch (305 cal/27 carbs/12 fat/20 pro): Well darn...If I had thought thru this meal a little better, I would have wrapped it up in a lettuce leaf instead of the tortilla: Chicken, Cheese, and Olive Wrap from page 100 ~ One whole wheat tortilla (130 calories/25 carbs/2 fat/4 pro), 3 slices deli chicken (60 cal/1 carb/0 fat/11 pro), 4 tbsp shredded cheese (84 cal/0 carb/7 fat/5 pro) with 5 olives (31 cal/1 carb/3 fat/0 pro).

Snack (405 cal/45 carb/19 fat/10 pro): Nothing is filling me up - I should have had a salad for lunch...I had the snack from Day 2 ~ 15 whole wheat crackers (130 cal/22 carb/3 fat/3 pro) with 2 tbsp peanut butter (200 cal/6 carb/16 fat/7 pro) and one medium red apple (75 cal/17 carb/0 fat/0 pro).

Dinner (170 cal/23 carb/2 fat/10 pro): I made the family chicken noodle soup & am feeling under the weather so I had a bowl...This is a rough estimate: 10 cups water with 4 cups white egg noodles (1000 cal/200 carb/8 fat/24 pro), one large can chicken (300 cal/0 carb/10 fat/60 pro), 3 tbsp chicken granules (25 cal/1 carb/1 fat/0 pro) & 3 cups carrots (100 cal/27 carb/0 fat/3 pro) ~ OUCH! This makes a BIG pot after the noodles expand, so I am not sure how much is in one cup...I divided the total count by 10 (Total ~ 1425 cal/228 carb/19 fat/97 pro).

Activity: NONE - Totally lazy today...and it will show on the scales tomorrow!

53 grams of protein

Tip of the day from Health magazine (11/2009): Doing 20 minutes of heart-pounding cardio intervals three times a week burns more abdominal fat than spending twice as long doing slow-paced cardio.

This book was featured in the November '09 issue of Health magazine. It will help you "fill up on loads of low-cal veggies & fruit, and cut back on high-calorie foods to start shedding weight." It might be an interesting mix to the Flat Belly diet.

The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of … common-sense and perseverance. ~Owen Feltham