TapouT XT Diet

We reviewed the 10 day Slim Down and the Food Plan & Nutrition Guides that came with the TapouT XT program, not gonna happen. There are recipes we will probably try but overall they both consist of things we don't eat.  Being a couple that only eats poultry from the meat category and not any seafood there wasn't a snowballs chance their recommended diet would have been appropriate.  I'm sure we're voiding some program term or condition but who really follows the recommended diets anyway?  We'll do what we are used to and will try our best to always make the right choices.

I do think the Food Plan & Nutrition Guide is a good start for anyone who is considering the TapouT XT program.  I'm sure it helps in achieving the best possible results.  We already know this may be a 180 day program to get where we want to so optimizing our existing diet should keep us on the best path possible for the rest of our lives.

The take-aways I got from these guides are what we've been told our entire lives (Yeah Mom, I Know You Told Me So).

• Drink Water Not Sugar Laced Things
• Eat the Rainbow
• Don't Drown Your Food in Fatty Creamy Dressings or Sauces Like Ranch
• Don't Eat Just to Eat
• If You're Not Sure Then Don't Eat it
• Eat Well Balanced Meals
• Make Smart Choices
• Moderation
• Water, Water, Water

Why Don't You Eat Meat You Hippies?

Well, around the beginning of my 20's, red and the other white meat started making me sick.  Maybe I ate too many Bacon Double Cheese Burgers or something but whatever it was my body said hell no.  Today I can't eat that much poultry or I begin feeling heavy and nauseous. To top it all off, gout runs in my family and I've begun experiencing the symptoms, possibly some minor flare ups.  Through diet I intend to control my Uric acid so most meat and seafood are not on the menu.

Mandi has never liked seafood and hates the texture of meat altogether.  She tolerates shredded chicken and loves turkey bacon so those are our options when we do eat it.  Every now and then we find a chicken sausage she'll eat but that is usually short lived once she encounters a questionable bite.

Dinning Out Dilemma

Like a lot of Americans we once ate out several times a week for convenience and food variety.  That also happened to be the same time in our lives when we reached our highest weights.  It's wasn't that dinning out was necessarily bad, it was what and how much we were eating.  It's surprising how many restaurants have healthy alternatives such as balsamic vinaigrette dressing (not creamy), fresh vegetables, boneless skinless grilled chicken, etc., so smart choices are almost always available. We also find that dinning out only on special occasions keeps us following our meal plan and it saves a ton of money.

What Are You Gonna Eat?

Our diet will initially consist of Whole Grains, Plenty of Fruits & Vegetables, Beans, Nuts, Eggs, Low or No Fat Dairy, Shredded Chicken, Turkey Bacon and anything else we occasionally want.  Food is more than nutrition so sometimes we'll grab a small sweet treat to reward ourselves.

I think the Food & Nutrition recommendations the TapouT XT program make are good, it just doesn't fit our life.  If we found a 30 day food plan that fit us we'd be happy to follow it.  I can't imagine 30 days of never hearing "what do you want to eat" - "I don't know, what do you want to eat"

We'll try to document what we're eating as we go through the program, can't promise it though.