Hi Friends! So many of you have asked me to post the sugar-free, flour-free food plan I’ve been following so you can easily reference it.
Once you get familiar with all the foods you can choose from, you’ll realize how SIMPLE this plan is. Simple enough to write on a post-it note! ?
Below are 3 variations of the same plan.
I started with the Breastfeeding Plan and followed it until I hit my goal weight (about 5 months).
Then I transitioned to the Maintenance Plan and have been following that ever since.
The Weight-Loss Food Plan
Most people who join the 12-step program start on this plan. Depending on their sponsor, some begin adding grains to their lunch after 30-60 days, others don’t add grains until they’re closer to goal weight.
On both this plan and mine (the breastfeeding plan), you don’t add grains to dinner until you reach maintenance—aka, your goal weight.
The Weight Loss Food Plan for Breastfeeding
The main difference in this plan from the one above is highlighted in green. Because I needed the extra calories to keep my milk supply up, I always had grains and yogurt at lunch.
I wish I knew more about why those foods, specifically, were recommended for breastfeeding. Maybe I should have asked more questions. But I just trusted it would work and it did. I also kept an eye on my milk supply and talked with my sponsor about whenever I had concerns, which was pretty rare. I breastfed for 8 months and never felt like my milk supply was low from eating all this food.
The Maintenance Plan
I loved transitioning to maintenance because it made me truly appreciate how delicious sweet potatoes are! Having grains and fruit are a luxury. Probably no one has said that in the past 2,000 years ?, but it’s true. You will eat first-class food on these plans.
When I reached maintenance, I added corn tortillas (no more than 2) as my dinner grain on occasion. We love taco night at our house. I’ve also had corn tortillas and Skinny Pop popcorn on occasion (in place of my dinner grain). If I ever take it too far and eat too many—and sometimes I do—I cut my grain out for a day or two and then go back to maintenance. I’ll share more on this in a future post.
Since you’ll need a food scale for this plan, this is the one I use and LOVE. It’s lightweight but big enough to fit a large plate and still see the numbers.
Just a reminder, this food plan (and it’s variations) came from the free 12-step program I joined for food addiction recovery.
The science behind why this plan is so effective for weight loss (regardless of your current weight, height, age, etc.) and food addiction recovery is explained in detail in the book Bright Line Eating by Susan Peirce Thompson. I highly recommend it!
One final note on food addiction…
I could not have gotten this far or made this a lifestyle without support from the people I met and tools I learned in the 12-step program. They helped me build my relationship with God and He has changed my heart and my sight, making the foods I used to eat much less desirable to me now.
Without structure and accountability, these food plans can easily be mistaken for just another “diet.” Cutting out sugar and flour is not easy, but it’s easier if you do it with help. If you truly identify with food and/or sugar addiction, please read this post and consider all your options for finding the help you need that works best for you.
Ask me questions!
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. And please share with anyone you think might benefit from this info.
More blog posts are on the way, including the tools I use when I’m tempted to binge, my snacking philosophy, what it was like in my 12-step program, how my faith came alive, etc.
Thanks so much for reading. XO
Love this. Thanks for sharing! So motivating for me as I really try to kick my sugar habit. I have done W30 and trying to do more whole food, plant-based eating these days but need to kick my chocolate/sugar cravings. Did you find your had sugar withdrawals? I’d also be curious to hear more about your weekly shopping list, and how it works for your family (I have 2 boys so am trying to make it work for us all!)
So glad it helps! I definitely had withdrawals for the first few weeks. But as tastebuds adapt, the real food starts to taste better and the cravings fade. My next blog post will be my typical shopping list and I promise to share more on how it works with my family. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Can I substitute something else for the salad at dinner? I just don’t think I can eat salads every night!
I know what you mean! You can just add 6 oz of cooked veggies in place of the salad, or if you like raw veggies and dip, do that. The main goal of the salad is to add variety to your vegetable intake so you’re getting both cooked and raw.
I like veggies and dip and found that if I add 2 oz of lettuce with Litehouse bacon bleu cheese dressing it’s basically veggies + dip in salad form and tastes really good.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for this! I’m wondering if the veggies have to be cooked? Sometimes for lunch I like to do a big salad. Would the ounces still be the same for raw veggies?
Hi! Yes, the ounces would be the same for raw veggies and you can totally do that if you prefer. I think the main reason the plan recommends cooked is just because it gives you more options to choose from since most veggies taste better when cooked. 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing this! I think on instagram you have talked about the clean eating shakes. Where do meal replacement/ health/ protein shakes fit in? Thank you!
Hi! I never eat protein shakes as meal replacements but I do have them as a treat or dessert a few times a month. I didn’t start eating them until I reached my goal weight, though. So glad you asked bec I have a separate post coming to share more about how I fit CSE recipes (including treats) in this new lifestyle.
Hi ! Do you ever eat anything sweet or dessert options ??
Hi! Most of the time I just consider my fruit as my dessert. But I do eat dried mangos (the unsweetened kind from Costco where the only ingredient is “mangos”) I just have to be careful bec I’m always tempted to eat too much and then I feel sick.
My other favorite treat is the occasional protein shake and I get all those recipes from the Clean Simple Eats treats book: https://cleansimpleeats.com/collections/buy-treats/products/copy-of-clean-simple-treats-summer-edition-hardcover?ref=ty-8zjfumcc (my link will give you $15 off)
Also, I didn’t do protein shakes until I reached my goal weight and that took about 4 months on the breastfeeding plan.
hI! So Glald I found you! can you please tell me how to cook the vegetables? steamed? baked? use oil? I would like to start monday and want to get prepared.
Thanks!!
Maria
Hi Maria,
So sorry for the delayed reply. I’ve been taking time offline to build a coaching program. I almost always roast my vegetables in the oven (broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash). I spray with olive oil or coconut oil pam and sprinkle with pepper and Himalayan pink salt then cook for 25 min at 400 degrees. My other favorite way to cook veggies is to grill them — zuchinni and bell peppers are so good grilled! Hope this helps!
HI! thank you so much for this!
just to be sure…
so before you reached goal weight, you did not have grains for lunch or dinner; just with breakfast is that correct?
as far as oil goes, how much is considered one fat?
can I have nuts as my fat?
thank you!!
Hi Nita,
I followed the breastfeeding when I started so I had grains at lunch, but the typical weight loss plan calls for only grains at breakfast and then you begin to add grains as you approach goal weight.
I use coconut oil and olive oil sprays when cooking veggies and I don’t count or measure that. But for my healthy fat, I typically use 2 oz avocado. Sometimes I count nuts as my protein (usually 2 oz if it’s my only protein or 1 oz if combined with another protein, like 2 oz meat or 3 oz beans). When I count nuts as my fat I measure 1 oz.
Feel free to email me via my contact page if you have more questions!
Loved reading about your journey. I did this eating plan last year and it really helped a lot if things, but I got really constipated which I’ve heard is super common. I want to try it again, but I don’t know how to combat that. Did you learn anything in your journey that helped remedy the constipation issue?
Hi Lani,
How long did you follow the eating plan? I didn’t run into that issue myself, but did have some bloating early on that subsided as I adapted to the real foods overtime. I have since learned that cooked veggies are easier on sensitive digestive systems than raw veggies. Also, grains help bring a balance to digestion that I’ve noticed from the maintenance plan vs the weight loss plan. Hope this helps!
Hi ?
Very inspired yet daunted by the no flour bit.
I’m not sure what is considered flour! Is chickpea flour still something to avoid?
Hi! When I first followed this food plan, it was no processed sugar or flour of any kind. When I hit my goal weight and transitioned to the maintenance plan, I began adding corn tortillas (corn flour) and moderately introduced some other flours on occasion (almond flour, cassava flour, oat flour, etc.). I still believe whole, unprocessed foods are always best, but some flours on occasion have been ok for me and I’ve treated them as my “grain” in the food plan. Hope this helps! xo
How many calories is this meal plan, the breastfeeding version? You have inspired me with this lifestyle, because I struggle with PCOS. Sugar and flour are my enemies. Now that I’m a bit older, my body responds to sugar so negatively that at this point its not even worth it to eat. Thanks for taking the time out to do this. God has mysterious ways of bringing people together. Thanks!
Hi D’yonna! I don’t know the calorie count. My favorite part about this meal plan is that I don’t have to count calories anymore (thank goodness because I found it so time-consuming and anxiety-producing). I totally relate to our bodies responding negatively to sugar with age. With all this time off sugar, I’ve found that my body is even more sensitive and my gut tells me “no more” sooner than it ever did when I was eating it all the time. Hope this helps! Xo
OMGOODNESS!!! I’ve been following your plan for a month now, down 10 pounds and feeling amazing. Hoping to hit my goal weight by my birthday 4/21. I cannot thank you enough for taking your time to share this. You have helped me so much! I am into the simple things and the way the meals are broken down gives me motivation to keep going because its so simple and filling.
You’re amazing, D’yonna! Think about all the people you will help just by being an example of what’s possible!! I am so the same–the simplicity was a game-changer for me. I hope you’ll message me again when you hit your goal on your birthday! You got this!
What do you think of the intermittent fasting where you eat your meals during an 8 hour window only? Then fast from say 6:30pm until 10:30am.
I think it’s great. When I started following this food plan, it took time for my body to adjust to being off sugar/flour and start discerning between actual hunger cues and cravings. Whole foods made all the difference there. But after about 7-8 months, I began exercising more and sort of fell into an IF routine that I’m still following today. I eat dinner at 5pm and breakfast at 10am after my workout and it works great for me but early on I think it helped to have my meals spread out more between 7am-5pm.
Hope this helps!
Hi, With the food plan and intermittent fasting do you do 2 meals or 3 per day? Just wondering if you do a 4-6 hour gap between meals or not. Thanks
Hi! I usually go about 5 hours between meals. The biggest thing to watch for with intermittent fasting is eating your last meal several hours before bed. When our body is busy digesting food while trying to fall asleep it can interrupt circadian rhythms and affect sleep quality. Ideally, hunger is your guide for how to space your meals. Hope this helps!
Ezekiel breads are flourless. Is it okay to have this for a grain in place of the oats, cream of wheat, etc.?
Yes, absolutely! You know yourself best, so just practice awareness around whether you start to “depend” on the bread for coping with emotions. That way you’ll know if you need to take a break from it at any point.
What are some great yogurts to eat that does not contain sugar.
I’m starting the no sugar/flour program tomorrow. thanks
Hi! Sorry for the late reply. I love Oikos Triple Zero yogurts made with stevia.
I’m about to start this plan (excited) but my question is can I save some of the foods to eat between meals to snack on instead of only 3 meals? Like can I save my fruit from breakfast or lunch and eat it later after dinner as a snack? Does the timing of the food matter?
Also, if I hit my goal weight and slowly add in a few things with flour, is the weight going to pack back on?
Thank you for sharing all of this for the benefit of others!
I apologize for not responding sooner, but in case this is still relevant to you…
The timing of the food matters most at night. We want to finish eating several hours before bed because when our body is busy digesting food while trying to fall asleep it can disrupt circadian rhythms and affect sleep quality. That said, I think it’s fine to save your fruit and eat it after dinner. If you were going to eat anything later at night, fruit would be a great choice (compared to the alternative of processed sugary foods).
The weight will not pack back on unless flour has been a binge food for you and the behavior-side of the problem hasn’t been addressed. Ideally, in the time it takes to lose your weight, your body will adapt to what it feels like to be fully nourished. That helps increase our natural sensitivity to highly processed foods and you’d be likely to not desire the flour or sugar as much as you did before. However, as with all habits, they start small. So it’s important to practice awareness and have the behavioral (spiritual) tools for turning things around when we start to feel too emotional about food.
Hope this helps! xo