My girlfriend and I are known for tackling weird and crazy "fad" diets and cleanse plans...we've been doing it since we met 6 years ago...so when she mentioned doing the 5 day Cinch Fast Forward Plan designed by Shape Magazine's weight-loss coach Cynthia Sass I was instantly intrigued. She'd purchased the book after hearing about the plan on a morning talk show a while back and thought it would be a good way to transition back to solid food after doing the "Glow" juice/nutrient broth cleanse for 4 days (which I was too scared to participate in at this point in time I may add...).
I have recently regained 3lbs that I worked so hard through diet and exercise to lose and have been feeling very discouraged. I was 1lb away from my 1st "milestone" mark of 118lbs and then I lost it and binged on the weight in less than a week that had taken me over 2 weeks to lose. Needless to say I was willing to try anything to get rid of those pounds...especially since I have a wedding on Saturday. Not just any wedding either...the wedding of a friend who was inspired to lose her pregnancy weight and compete in a fitness competition after seeing me on stage...a friend who has not gained back the weight as I have...a friend who I feel embarrassed to be around knowing that she looks so great still and I don't.
The diet seemed easy enough...5 foods...really low calorie (it's a fad diet, it's too be expected!!)...and you eat the same thing every day for 5 days...but most importantly, the diet touts a possible 10lb weight loss in 5 days...impossible...maybe...but worth a shot! I did a little research online and found a great blog that listed the diet and amounts of each ingredient I'd need for the week - perfect! (Here I give credit to thebubblybean.blogspot.ca for the diet as listed below). My friend photocopied the required pages from her book and I was off to Costco and Superstore to buy my bulk Yogurt, Egg Whites, Slivered Almonds, Spinach and Raspberries. Being on a budget I needed to do this the cheapest way possible so it looked like frozen raspberries were a definite must for most meals.
Due to my high LDL cholesterol (which I believe is a combination of REALLY bad genetics and my recent crap eating) I'd discussed with my friend needing to maintain my 2tbsp daily of Chia - this ended up being a life saver today because those little seeds keep you full for hours...which is SO needed on a diet that's less that 1200 calories per day!!! I also have to thank The Bubbly Bean for her slight typo on the diet plan...I was instructed by my friend this morning that the extra serving of yogurt she has listed under the 1st meal of the day is in fact not supposed to be included. Without it, I don't think I would have survived. As it is, when I got home from a meeting at 8:30pm I ravenously devoured my final meal (in pieces because my ex hasn't retrieved my blender from his basement as requested), along with some extra spinach (which I madly stuffed into my mouth with my hands) and more than a tbsp extra almond butter.
I'm pretty sure this plan is NOT designed for someone who works out as hard as I do. My 1 hour 15 mins on the elliptical, where I worked up a good sweat and pooped myself out, probably burned 1/2 of the calories this diet indicates you are only allowed to eat per day - YIKES!! But, health means diet & exercise so I'm not giving up my gym time, even if that means I need to have that extra serving of yogurt and spinach. Luckily my friend is very accommodating and totally admitted to having more than a few extra berries and leaves of spinach then she should have as well!
SO...day one is down...only 4 to go...and another friend decided to join in the "diet party" after weighing in at her highest to date. It's only 9:30pm and I'm headed to bed or I'm going to end up getting famished again and needing more food! PLUS, these low calorie diets along with exercise are exhausting!! Below I've copied the post from The Bubbly Bean in case you want to try this 1st crazy plan on my road to being FitProud...
Cinch 5 Day Fast Forward Meal Plan
- The 5-Day Fast Forward that jumpstarts your results - up to an 8 pound loss in 5days. The Fast Forward calls for four simple meals a day, made from clean, delicious, detoxifying, filling, nutrient-rich foods shown to support weight loss. I’ve even included a grocery list that specifies all the ingredients you’ll need, (and recipes!) so preparing for the Fast Forward (which is vegan and vegetarian friendly) is a breeze!
- 15 cups of raw spinach
- 20 cups of raspberries
- 2 cups of sliced almonds
- 10 Tablespoons of natural RAW almond butter
- 60 ounces of non-fat PLAIN yogurt (you can use Greek for added protein if you like, which I do)
- 10 large eggs
- 4-5 tangerines (for flavor & salad dressing)
- Seasonings - herbs (salt-free) cinnamon and nutmeg (plain, without sugar), balsamic vinegar. NO SALT!
- Meal 1 (7:00 am) - scrambled egg with spinach; raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.
one egg plus one cup of spinach scrambled
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
pepper
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
pepper
- Meal 2 (11:00 am) – yogurt parfait with raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
dash of cinnamon
1 cup raspberries
2T almonds
dash of cinnamon
- Meal 3 (3:00 pm) – spinach salad with raspberries, almonds, boiled egg, homemade tangerine balsamic vinaigrette . 2 cups water.
2 cups spinach
1 cup raspberries
1 hard boiled egg
2T almonds
balsamic vinegar, squeeze of orange juice, pepper
1 cup raspberries
1 hard boiled egg
2T almonds
balsamic vinegar, squeeze of orange juice, pepper
- Meal 4 (7:00 pm) – smoothie with yogurt, raspberries, almond butter, ice. 2 cups water.
Meal Four
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almond butter
6 oz plain fat free yogurt
1 cup raspberries
2T almond butter
Hi quick question for you.. is there a chance that there is not suppose to have yogurt in meal 2.. ?..because as per your ingredients, you state 60oz of yogurt.. but 3times x 6 oz per day X 5 days = 90 oz... I'm getting ready to start the diet...
ReplyDeletethanks (I don't have the book)
Annie
Annie, sorry for the delayed reply, I don't check my gmail often enough and unfortunately have not had the time I'd like to update my blog recently. If I remember correctly there wasn't yogurt for breakfast in the book, but when I researched it myself, others had added it to this meal successfully. Without this extra food you aren't getting enough calories and would be way too hungry, which in my case causes overeating later in the day.
DeleteWhile searching the "cinch fast forward" plan, I came across your blog. Thank you so much for writing this up. I am looking to cleanse my system to switch up my routine and will be trying this next week. How did you fair after the 5 days?
ReplyDeleteThe 1st time I did it I felt great after and it was really easy to follow, I tried it again a few months after with not very good results. I was over hungry and bored of the food. I think if you do it again wait a while so your body forgets how monotonous it is lol
DeleteWhat happened to the vegan version?
ReplyDeleteAs the date approaches focus on muscle building. Don't be afraid of machines, personal trainers, best diet pills for men that work at supplements-factory.org
ReplyDeleteAre these your images, of the meals?
ReplyDelete