This Is My Life My Diet

By Robert Bridgen
Preface
First and foremost, I would like to make it perfectly clear that I am not a weight loss
expert, and or a dietitian . This is a book from a guy who went to the Doctors office for
a routine check up and found I had a heart problem. My own doctor was so concerned
that a visit to the heart specialist was arranged. The results not so good I had to lose over
!lb or die. To keep it short I had to lose weight to save my life. The diet I am on is the
same diet for most overweight people.
That being said, I would encourage you to check out anything and everything with your
doctor, "I think I have to say that, but it#s true.$ %ou may have conditions that cannot
support what I am telling you here, so please make sure before you start this, "or any
other diet program,$ that it is safe for your particular body. There is nothing in here to
my knowledge that would harm anyone, but by all means, let#s be safe. I think I also
need to include that results may not be typical. &ur bodies are all different, so my results
may not be your results.
This Is My 'ife My Diet (
Table of Contents
In The )eginning........................................................................................................................................*
Dieting and +xercise..................................................................................................................................,
Drinking....................................................................................................................................................-
The .lan.....................................................................................................................................................
The Food..................................................................................................................................................(/
This Is My 'ife My Diet /
In The Beginning
"Mindset is +verything$
To start off, 0ust to let you know I am no spring chicken any more. 1t -*, 'ike most
people of my age we do slow down. It is a natural thing, but it doesn#t have to be that
way....or at least to the extent that we have taught our bodies to react as we grow older.
For many of us, it is an excuse. 'a2iness and inactivity creeps into our lives, so we must
do something to combat that very thing.
.lease keep in mind, that 13% weight loss begins with you...and ONLY you. If you
don#t decide right now to change your habits...then you are doomed to fail. %ou must
take action. ACTION being the key word here. &nly you can do this . %ou must decide
that you are going to change your eating habits. %ou must decide no one else it is up to
you. To take action.
I was told if I do not diet 3&45 I will die. It was easy for me. %ou have to start with a
positive mindset, and knowing that your are doing something that is life changing. I
have to tell you...being free from my blood pressure medication was a 678+ thing for
me. . 1ll of this has given me a new outlook on life, and yes, a new beginning.
Do not sell yourself short. %ou CAN do this5 )elieve in yourself, and have faith5 %ou are
choosing to do the right thing for your body. I am not going to go any further into it,
because you have probably already heard it all before. %ou have probably already beat
yourself up enough about it as well. I don#t have to tell you about the benefits of losing
weight...right9 1nd I don#t have to tell you what diseases are prevalent with people who
are obese. These are all common knowledge, unless you#ve been living under a rock.
%our choice is clear...and your minds are in a new place. Thinking thin is not going to be
enough, but it is half the battle. :nowing you are taking the steps to improve your life is
priceless.
This Is My 'ife My Diet *
Dieting and Exercise
"Two 4ords I 6ate$
Many, if not all of the weight loss expert#s 1lso my Diet 3utritionist told me will that
exercise and diet must go together. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason
is that muscle will burn the fat faster than fat burns fat. This 0ust make sense9 Many
people, like myself, really do not have the time, nor the energy "until you lose the
pounds,$ nor even the inclination to exercise, but because it helps by leaps and bounds to
keep your muscles toned, and burn fat, I started doing easy exercises walking even
purchased a bike and en0oy do my cycling round the park. )ut you have other exercises
you can do. ;umping rope skipping, I even purchased from the local store some elastic
rope cost <( if I purchase the elastic keep fit rope it would be over <=!. I 0ust hold
both ends of the rope and stand in the middle of the rope and pull my arms up >o easy to
do and it works. If I want to make it harder I 0ust open my legs and stand on more rope.
+ven doing Isometric exercising you can get a lot from the internet all free. 1n isometric
exercise, in a nutshell, is to tighten your muscles and hold the position for about (! to (=
seconds, and then let off. It is what is called a ?static@ exercise, which was all the rage in
the -!#s when I was growing up. %ou choose a group of muscles, let#s take for example
your stomach muscles, or abs. %ou can sit at your desk, and tighten those muscles for (=
to /! seconds, and then relax them for *! seconds. Do this * or , times...what we call a
?set.@ %ou want to make sure you are sitting up in your chair, but the biggest thing to
remember is to breathe. 1 lot of people tend to hold their breath as they are doing the
exercises, which can do you more harm than good. %our muscles need the oxygen
especially through the exercising stage, so please remember to breathe.
1s I said you can get a lot of information on Isometric exercising 0ust do a search on
yahoo. +ven %outube is a great please to find out more information
>tart some walking, or if you have a bike short rides, or some other cardio exercises.
)elieve me, It is great 0ust give it a try.
I am going to repeat this because it bears repeating. 4e do these exercises to help us
burn fat. It will speed your process by leaps and bounds. 6onestly, 1sk your doctor what
exercising is best for you. 4alking and bike riding is a safe bet but be on the safe side
ask your doctor.
This Is My 'ife My Diet ,
I had gained an incredible amount of weight, for me anyway...and I had to do something
about it. It was getting difficult for me to breathe, I had absolutely no energy, plus the
fact that I was getting tired of laying on the bed to fasten my pants. Does any of this
sound familiar to you9 It was time for a change of some sort, and so 0ust doing what my
Doctor and diet team said changed my life.
;ust small changes. I replaced my morning coffee with green tea. I immediately started
feeling better. I didn#t get my usual morning 0itters from too much caffeine, and I seemed
to have a bit more energy. I said wow 0ust a small change and things are getting better
.erhaps my team know a few things I do not.
The following pages will describe exactly what I did to lose this weight, and have been
able to keep it off, which has been a huge struggle for many people.
1side from drinking green tea, my eating habits changed as well, but only for the first (,
days. This may be the time that you may have problems also. I usually didn#t eat
breakfast because I felt I didn#t have time. I started to make time to fix myself a little
breakfast, which normally consisted of oatmealwith berries to sweeten "3& >781A$,
which filled me up perfectly until lunch. If it wasn#t oatmeal, it was a bowl of raisin bran
or shredded wheat again 3& >781A. I en0oy all *, and was happy to have a change of
scene once in awhile. +ating the same thing day in and day out gets monotonous, and I
really wanted to get those pounds off, so the variety was welcomed. The key here is to
not let yourself get bored with what you eat. +ggs or even better egg whites once or
twice a week isn#t a bad thing either, at least it wasn#t in my case. The importance of
breakfast should not be overlooked. %ou need to +1T to lose weight, believe it or not. If
I got hungry between lunch and dinner, I would grab an apple or a orange. I was not
willing to clog myself up with any other kinds of things for a snack. To keep it easy eat
something every four hours even a apple something. If you do not then your body builds
fat. The trick here is to NOT let yourself get hungry. %ou MUST eat to keep up your
metabolism. The diets where you starve yourself can do real damage to your body. %our
body will actually cannibali2e itself, by stealing essential nutrients from your organs
and muscles, to satisfy its reBuirements in less important areas. %ou may lose weight, but
most times you will gain it back in a very short period...13D it is bad for the rest of
your body, especially your organs like the heart and brain.
>nacks between meals are important, as long as it#s the right things to eat. 'ike I said,
fresh fruit, "not canned,$ and fresh vegetables are the best. I don#t think I have to say this,
but cookies, candy, and the like will only slow your progress.
.lease remember all the way through this guide, that this is exactly what I did to lose
This Is My 'ife My Diet =
-!C pounds and , inches off my waist. I am not pushing any one specific brand of
anything here. I buy the cheap stuff...whatever it is. )rand name#s are fine, if you can
afford them and it makes you feel better thinking you are buying a better product, but I
have found that the store brands work 0ust as well as the brand names. The only
exception to this is that I take the &ne vitamin pill with Dalcium each day, and the
reasoning behind this is that they have come out with an age specific supplement that is
blended to meet the reBuirements of us older folks. %our Doctor can help you on this one
if you need it.
Dommon >ense is the other factor 3& fast food. 3& diet has any chance at all if you
continue to stop by McDonalds or )urger :ing for a ?snack@. If you are serious about
losing weight, fast food 0oints should go away from your life. If I want a snack I go to
the sandwich bar and have a salad or salmon sandwich.
Drinking
I used to be a hard core tea drinker. 3obody could have possibly loved their tea more
than I. "I also loved alcohol, but that#s another story.$ I always thought that if I were to
give up anything in my life, it would be anything but my tea . Therefore, it was the law
of the land...or in my house anyway. I wanted to put it in the )ill of Aights, or maybe
even the ((th commandment...thou shalt not let me run out of tea. I was not a big coffee
drinker but en0oyed a cup of coffee now and again )ut in Danada 4hen you are outside
it is so easy to get a cup of coffee its sold on every streeet corner.
I had no idea that coffee was actually not good for my weight loss goals. Doffee plays havoc with your
blood sugar. .
The average cup of coffee can have anywhere from E!F(= mg of caffeine, depending on
the method of preparation. )y comparison, the average cup of green tea has about /=F
*!mg of caffeine.
I am not asking you to give in your coffee or tea 0ust cut down 6ow I do it is simple
In the morning I have a cup of normal tea 3o Milk 3o >ugar. I also Drink green or black
tea during the day. +ven lemon slices in boiling water. %es I have ( cup of coffee now
and again. I also have a glass of water at each meal The thing here is common sense.
8et your body used to eating healthy.
This Is My 'ife My Diet -
There is some controversy about women drinking green tea while pregnant, or wanting
to become pregnant. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR before you go off and do
this on your own. 6aving a healthy baby is, by far, more important than any diet. There
is time to lose the pounds after the baby is born5
&kay...here we go5 I am now going to explain exactly what my daily routine consists of
to lose -! C pounds and , inches off of my waistline 5
The Plan
For the first ( or / weeks, this may be difficult for you. 4e are essentially shrinking our
stomachs, and replacing bad habits with good habits. Do not skip breakfast5 Aemember,
our body needs the fuel to carry on through the day.
I wake up every morning at around - am. This is not necessary for you to do, it#s 0ust
what my body clock is used to. 4hen I get up, my I have my cup of tea . I use no sugar
or milk , but if you want to sweeten it, use a sugar substitute. I really dislike the
chemicals used for the sugar substitute, so I avoid them...again, personal preference.
I then go for a bike ride ;ust a easy ride for * miles 3ot going fast 0ust to get some
exercise. I stop in the park en0oy the view
4hen I get home its time for breakfast. 1s I explained before, a bowl of oatmeal, "heart
healthy,$ which the wife cooks with berries to sweeten . %7M5 I top it off with ( slice
of toast whole grain. 1ny kind of whole grain is great5 If you can#t handle the thought of
oatmeal, you can substitute cold cereal...but nothing with sugar.I even have +ggs with (
slice of toast on other days The point here is to start off your day right, and have some
kind of breakfast. If not, your body is in starvation mode, and therefore starts to store fat
because it thinks you are trying to starve it. The body is wonderful that way. It is selfF
preservation at its best.
&ne thing I would like to add to this. I use real butter only. &nly a scrapping on the
bread for taste Aemember Dommon >ense
This Is My 'ife My Diet
I know that you may think it cra2y that I am supporting dairy and bread for our
purposes, but this works. The trick is not to go overboard. &ne slice of bread per meal is
not going to hurt a thing.
/ to * hours after breakfast, grab yourself an apple, banana, a carrot, whatever you have
that is fresh and wholesome. This is to satisfy any craving you may have at this point. It
is not lunch...so don#t worry.
For lunch, I make myself a vegatable soup, a big pot of fresh vegatables willlast a couple
of days, or a salmon sandwich with a nice salad. I either have turkey, or chicken,
"white meat$. I want to be honest with you whole wheat bread is the best for any diet it
fills you up so you eat less. Don#t get stuck giving yourself something that you can#t
tolerate. If you prefer white bread, go for it. 1s I said I prefer the whole grain breads. I
sometimes treat myself with a peanut butter sandwich, but not often. There#s a lot of
sugar in peanut butter, but hey, again it is half a sandwich. ;ust don#t go overboard and
put half an inch of peanut butter on your bread. It defeats the whole purpose. 1gain
Dommon >ense If I get hungry again a couple of hours later, you guessed it, another
piece of fruit. 1 glass of green tea, hot or cold, is also in order.
Dinner time for my family is at about -pm. I have another cup of green tea about a half
hour before mealtime. This helps raise my metabolic rate to where I am not as hungry as
I had been in the past. "This is according to my research. I was curious to learn why I
was dropping so much weight.$ For the first / weeks I ate very little pasta, and no fried
foods or poataoes or red meat at all. ;ust for the record no 0unk food or any food outside
my home not even a cup of coffee Those are the only things I gave up over the / week
period. Instead, I would eat sensibly. I started off with a small salad on its own you can
put 0ust a small amount of dressing if you like, "0ust enough to flavor it slightly,$ and a
meat of some kind, like baked chicken turkey. It was satisfying for my taste buds, and I
felt full. I no longer heaped my plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, or whatever the
starch was that night. I 0ust held off, and reali2ed that it didn#t need that much food to
feel satisfied.
1fter / weeks of eating this way, I was feeling better than I had in years. I had lost about
(! pounds during this first / weeks, and I was wanted to lose more. I didn#t want to be
fat any more, and knew that I had stumbled upon the solution to get me back into shape.
This Is My 'ife My Diet E
I was ama2ed at how simple it actually was. I was losing weight, and not suffering. I was
eating pretty much what I had been before, only in smaller amounts, and I was happy. I
decided to take my ?experiment@ to the next level. My stomach either shrunk, or my
metabolism changed, or something...but I no longer needed, nor wanted, vast amounts of
food. I like the feeling of comfortable instead of 8&A8+D5
>ince all of this was making sense to me now, I continued down that same path. I had to
keep to my diet to lose a lot of weight and I did not do muchoutside my diet ordoctors
orders. I do understand if you are missing pasta or pi22a...so have some as well. "do not
eat a whole pi22a in one sitting$ I am very comfortable eating ( slice, and saving the
other for my lunch the next day. I am full...and that is what my body wants. My
stomach doesn#t want any more food, so why would I continue to stuff it9 It would only
make me feel miserable. In a very shot time my body has got used to eating half of what
I have been eating before Instead of a plate mounded with food, I chose to eat half that
amount. 1gain, because of the combination of green tea before dinner, and my smaller
stomach, I didn#t need any more than what I had dished up for myself. Many times I
didn#t even finish what I had in front of me. T61T is another problem. 4e are taught
from an early age to finish what is on our plates. If we follow that logic, we need to put
less food on there in the first place. Don#t let your taste buds tell you that you have to
have more, when your stomach is telling you otherwise. It is not healthy, and you will
eventually get back into the trap of forcing your stomach to grow again. 'ittle by little,
we will keep expanding our stomach to its former si2e...and we don#t want that to
happen...right9
That is the only thing I did in my weight loss strategy, and I am continuing to lose
weight as we speak. Dontinuing with my green tea, eating healthier without becoming
fanatical about it, and at this point, eating what I want...only in smaller portions.
%ou may have noticed that I have not said anything about calories so far, so let#s chat
about that for a bit.
1 calorie is a unit of energy. To keep it simple 6uman beings need energy to survive FF
to breathe, move, pump blood FF and they acBuire this energy from food. The number of
calories in a food is a measure of how much potential energy that food possesses. 1
gram of carbohydrates has , calories, a gram of protein has , calories and a gram of fat
has G calories. Foods are a compilation of these three building blocks. >o if you know
how many carbohydrates, fats and proteins are in any given food, you know how many
calories, or how much energy, that food contains.
It seems that every food in the grocery store has the amount of calories on the label. It
This Is My 'ife My Diet G
seems that the normal intake of calories they figure for a person is about /,!!! calories
per day. This varies from person to person, however. 1 lot depends on how active your
lifestyle is. 1 person like me, "relatively inactive because I spend most days planted in
front of a computer$ needs less calories than an active person who slings heavy boxes all
day long.
The chart below will give you a rough idea of how many calories you use in a day,
according to your lifestyle. %ou can get this chart and more information from the
internet.
Its simple maths lets say you need /,!!! calories a day If you lose over /,!!! calories
with exercise your weight will come down. If you only lose (,!!! calories your weight
will go up.
This Is My 'ife My Diet (!
The key here is, to take in less calories than we need in a given day, and use up the
calories stored as fat on our bodies. 4ith the green tea, this magnifies because our
metabolism is higher, so we will burn it more Buickly.
3ow...let#s get down and dirty and see what we are supposed to weigh, according to the
healthy heart people.

From the chart my ideal weight is (-, to (EE My team want me to be (E! to (E=.
This Is My 'ife My Diet ((
The Food
The foods to keep it simple again 3o need to purchase any special foods.
1gain any diet is common sense Dut out the 0unk food. +at breakfast and snack on healthy foods %our
body will get used to your change of eating in no time. %ou will start to en0oy a better life. I want to be
honest I am not asking you to not have a big steak. I am asking to you keep to a realistic diet. It works.
8o to the supermarket look at all the vegatables The more different colours the better.
)read if you can change to 4hole 4heat or 4hole 8rain. %es it costs a bit more then that white sliced
bread )ut you eat a lot less and your body is satisfied so in the long run you spend less on bread. ;ust
because you eat less. Makes a lot of sense. ;ust by changing to more vegatables and fruits with white
meat and fish more often "red meat now and again$ Dutting out the 0unk food you will lose the weight.
&ats with berries to sweeten
Derial no sugar
+ggs ( per day or whites of a egg
4hole 4heat or 4hole 8rain )read
4hite Meat
Fish
Fish In Tins >almon H >ardineH to be honest any in tins
Mixed Iegetables in soup as much as you want
Mixed >alad
This Is My 'ife My Diet (/
Fresh Fruit
%ogurt 3atural add your own fruit
>nacks This is a good one Fruits )ut you can have pop corn 3o butter
Do not stop red meat 0ust cut it down.
>alt no to salt that is a killer
I was given a big diet sheet with meals for every day but I decided to take the information and make
my own meals within the diet its self. I found I was more interested in the diet and the diet works
Aemember to see your Doctor before you decide to do any diet this is a must. I have given you the
guide lines 1s you can see it is very simple and easy to use. Its based on common sense.
I could have made this guide much longer, but it was not necessary. My methods worked
for me, and I believe they will work for you. I have made it short, and affordable so that
everyone can buy it.
'osing weight is common sense , although the weight loss guru#s may make you think it
is. That is their way of doing it so they can hike the price up. I do not purchase any fancy
foods I eat more fruit and vegatables and white meat and fish. I do exercise every day
and drink a variety of teas. I have given you all the information you need to lose
weight...and to lose it Buickly. I am now at (G* pounds, so that is -/ pounds in less than
, months, and I feel healthier and more energetic than I have in years.
If an inactive guy like me can lose that much weight, sitting in front of my computer
screen, 0ust think how much you could lose by following the methods outlined, and are a
bit more active than I am.
To %our >uccess5
Aobert )ridgen
This Is My 'ife My Diet (*