Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: The Pre Event Diet

By: Finance Foodie

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is less than a month away! And for loyal followers of this blog, you know what that means – it’s diet-so-I-can-fit-into-cute-dress time. This year, since I started early, I am DETERMINED to lose the pounds the healthy way. After doing some research, if I follow a 1,400 a day calorie diet (along with exercise), I can lose about 1 pound a week – which is exactly want I need to fit into my “goal” dress.

As a fan of innovative and tasty food products, I decided to incorporate a few of the awesome (and healthy) items that I was recently sent to taste test into my diet. This way, I get to have my (low fat) cake and eat it too – as my tastebuds are constantly challenged and I’m apt to stay on the diet wagon.

Finance Foodie’s Sample Daily Diet

The Before

Current Weight: 130lbs

Goal Weight: 125lbs (sorry fashionistas, but I’ll never be Rachel Zoe-bot like)

Exercise: 30min cardio 3 times a week; 30min light weight training 2 times a week

Breakfast: ~400 calories
One bowl of Kellogg’s Berry Yogurt Crunch cereal, one cup of organic soy milk, one organic medium apple (to keep the doctor away), 1 glass of water.

The Berry Yogurt Crunch cereal was super filling (with 40% of my daily fiber intake needs) and the berry flavor wasn’t overwhelming (i.e. didn’t turn my milk pink). I also loved the little yogurt bites.

Midmorning snack: ~100calories
One bag of Sensible Portions Salt and Pepper Potato Straws, one glass water

Sensible Portions Potato Straws are seriously the quilted Chanel bag of diet foods – tasty and only 130 calories per “sensible portion” - I wished all healthy foods tasted like this! It's a great substitution for chips – since there is no greasy headache after consumption. It can get a bit messy/crumbly to eat - so make sure to wear a bib.

Lunch: ~400 calories
one bowl of Campbell’s Chunky Chicken and Rice Soup, one bottle of New Leaf Peach Blue tea, one cup water.

I usually eat enjoy big lunches with large bowls of pasta, but a Liquid Lunch it is for the time being (plus, the constant running to the bathroom burns more calories). The chicken and rice soup was really hearty – with big chunks of chicken and enough kernels of rice to satiate the carb lover in me. The Peach Blue tea, which is really Oolong Tea but called blue due to the bluish reflections of the dried Oolong Tea leaf tasted like a much cleaner and natural version of the Snapple teas (and without all the gunky high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients found in the latter)

Afternoon snack: ~100calories
A handful of Sensible Portions Pita Crisps topped with one 35 calorie cheese wedges, one cup Kusmi Detox Green tea, one cup water

Nothing like a bit of cheese (protein) and crackers (carbs) to get me though the mid afternoon slump! Note that I’ve been switching out my usual Diet Coke for a healthier tea (to offset the Diet Coke IV drip I’ll be living off during Fashion Week)

Dinner: ~400 calories
Spinach salad topped with dried fruits and a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, one mini bottle of Moet Chandon Champagne (to celebrate making through the day!), one cup water, one bottle of New Leaf Unsweetened Black tea, multivitamins

Do you guys think I can do it?

***Giveaway***

Congrats #11! - SolDucky

Alison Brod PR (you might have seen them on The City) sent me all the Sensible Portions snacks that have been keeping me satisfied and un-cranky during this diet and they want to send one lucky financefoodie.com reader their very own giftbox of Sensible Portion treats too! Treats include a variety of products such as Veggie Straws, various flavored Potato Sticks, and Pita Crisps in a variety of sizes.

You can enter up to FOUR times:
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what Sensible Portion snack you are most excited to try - or if you are already familiar with the brand - what treat is your favorite. (Mine are the Salt and Pepper Potato Straws – YUM!)
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave a separate comment telling me this)
3. Follow Sensible Portions on Twitter (leave a separate comment telling me this)
4. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave a separate comment telling me this)

Contest ended Tuesday, August 24 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards that night!

Disclosure: I received complementary samples of the Kellogg's cereal, New Leaf tea, Kusmi tea, and Sensible Portions snacks to help me achieve my healthy weight loss goal