The weight creep starts in October with Halloween candies. Then continues through Thanksgiving with Aunt Edna's special cake. And comes to a blinding finish at Christmas with sweet potatoes galore.
The Average Person, that fabled creature of song and study, only gains 1.3 pounds, according to a 2016 Cornel Food study.
But suppose you aren't Average. Suppose you've always been Above Average? Here is a one-week, no-cook quickie weight loss plan that has the advantage of being effective, easy, and uses leftovers. Stick to it and you'll once again be Above Average.
From the main course:
Turkey or turkey salad.
Chicken or chicken salad.
Beef slices.
Ham slices or ham salad.
Tuna salad.
From the relish tray:
1 jar dill pickle spears from the relish tray. NOT sweet.
2 can black olives. 1 jar green.
12 hard boiled eggs. Deviled eggs are great.
Cheese, your choice. At least a pound.
Cream cheese, plain. Four small tubs or one big one.
8 celery spears.
From the salad:
Lettuce bags, 2 to 4.
Vinegar-based salad dressing. Try Balsamic.
Tomato slices – You'll need about 6 medium tomatoes.
Green peppers, as many as you like.
Mushrooms, as many as you like.
Avocado, as many as you like.
From the side dishes:
Forget the potatoes. NONE.
Asparagus, fresh or canned as you like.
Green beans.
Mixed vegetables.
From the bread basket.
Nothing. Throw. That. Away.
From the dessert table.
Nothing.
Buy 7 sugar-free puddings.
From the breakfast table:
A pound of cooked bacon.
Now, mix and match for every meal for seven days.
One tip: In the morning, put uncooked meats in the crock pot for a slow-cook dinner. Make turkey and tuna salad ahead. Divide into one-meal containers.
Some meal ideas:
Breakfast:
2 hard boiled eggs
2 slices tomato topped with turkey, chicken or tuna salad. You can liberally mix in bacon.
Lunch:
Ham and cheese rollups. No bread.
and/or
Salad with boiled eggs, avocado, bacon, cheese and meat.
Snack
4 big celery spears with a thinish layer of cream cheese. Top with olives. Pickles on the side. Maybe throw in something leftover from the main course, if you are using this for lunch.
A cup of mixed nuts
Dinner
Your favorite meat course. Throw in a cup of mixed veggies, green beans or asparagus, a whole can or grill a bunch. Salad if you wish.
Pudding for dessert.
You may add a cocktail with sugar free mixer.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.