You may have already seen this photo on Instagram – yours truly on the beach one month short of my 62nd birthday, two months after tweaking my diet in an attempt to ‘kick it up’ and look more toned. A few of you have since asked me to share diet specifics, which I will gladly do in this post…keep in mind, however, that everyone is different and what works for me may not be what works for you. My advice is to explore different diet regimens until you find one that you can live with…also note that while I call it a “diet”, this is a daily habit, a routine, not intended to be temporary.

The basic premise of what I have been eating is what they call ‘lazy keto’. I have cut carbs drastically and increased fats.

Here are the diet details…

Breakfast: Before hitting the gym, a few chunks of melon, watermelon being my favorite. Some days it’s a small bowl of berries. After exercising – black coffee, 1-2 eggs with cheese, bacon or sausage, and some arugula. I sometimes add avocado, or spinach with the eggs. NO toast. NO juice.

Mid-morning snack: A handful of nuts OR a cup of full fat yogurt or cottage cheese (never more than 6g carbs) OR 1/2 cup of grain-free granola.

Lunch: A salad with protein. No skimping on the dressing, no ‘light’ dressings.  If convenient, fats on the salad such as bacon bits, avocado, blue cheese, etc…OR a burger with no bun, side salad. A scoop of tuna with mayo on a salad is another good option. NO bread. NO crackers.

Midday snack: Handful of nuts (Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts)

End of day snack: Raw veggies with 1/4 c hummus OR a few pieces of salami with cheese. NO crackers, NO popcorn.

Dinner: Small portion of steak, fish, or chicken; salad, lots of cooked veggies, sometimes with cheese (mashed cauliflower and cheese, yummy!). Often a glass or two of wine or a vodka drink, generally 4X/week. NO starchy vegetables (potatoes, squash, peas, beets). NO rice, grains, risotto, or bread.

After dinner: Sometimes a few slices of melon, some blueberries and/or a cup of green tea. (Cold, sweet watermelon has turned into my ice cream substitute.) NO other snacking.

That’s it ladies! The big secret: stick to it almost always, indulge very selectively. (For me it’s a little ice cream twice a month at most, then a bit more cheating on vacations…)

Now – speaking of vacations – in the past, the gym was not a place I saw much of, if at all. Not anymore! On our recent trip to Naples, Peter and I hit the gym every morning and it felt great. (Heck, the beach bar didn’t open till 11a, so why rush! Haha!)

A few final points:

• Not so sure if consuming the added fats and red meat is a healthy long term diet. Will be discussing with my physician in a few weeks…may need to make some dietary tweaks down the road…
• After drastically reducing carbs for 4-6weeks, I lost my cravings for sweets.
• There are rarely times in the day when I am ‘starving’, and a few nuts will usually satisfy me.
• Tabasco is a great substitution for ketchup which has lots of sugar.
• As much as I love sushi, all the rice in the rolls makes it a no-no.
• While I was never a fan before, suddenly I am obsessed with wedge salads!
• There’s no reason to go carb crazy at holiday parties – enjoy the crudité, the charcuterie platter and a glass of wine! Just because there is dessert doesn’t mean you have to eat it. (You will love yourself in the morning.)
• Someone on IG commented on how admirable it was that I was so committed to health and wellness. HA! It’s vanity baby.

A final final note:

Yes, I work hard to look my best, and I am proud of these photos. But believe me, for every one pic that I post, there are at least three BAD pics that you will never see. 😉H