On the plane home, Iola Meadows reflected on her life. She had been on countless diets, but none of them stuck. Between a full-time job as a safety inspector, a packed volunteer schedule, and loved ones in need, she couldn’t find time to count calories and prepare meals. But she now she had diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Her doctor was urging her to make changes. And maybe God was urging her too. But where should she start? Lord, guide me to the help I need, Iola prayed.
A few days later, a Facebook post caught Iola’s attention. That’s a funny name, she thought, clicking through to the Eat Like a Bear diet page. She was quickly drawn to hundreds of success stories, mostly from women her age, many of whom had lost more than 100 pounds. And she had done it by eating only one big meal a day, then “hibernating” between meals and allowing their bodies to live on their own fat. The meals they ate were low in carbohydrates, but could be quickly prepared from common foods, and there was nothing to track or measure. Is this real? Sounds too easy, Iola thought. It’s even cheap! I’ll try for a week, she told herself.
Slimming Simplicity
Iola felt a little nervous when she skipped her usual breakfast sandwich the next morning. But it wasn’t hard to drink herbs tea until noon. Then she got into a salad with chicken, cheese, bacon and dressing. It was so big that she ate from a serving plate. “Is that all for the day?” asked her husband, Stephen. “That’s the idea,” she replied. “I’m full for Thanksgiving, so maybe it’ll work.” And she did! As Iola got ready for bed, she smiled. “I’m less hungry now than after a night of snacking!”
As the days passed, Iola was a little tired; however, to her surprise, she was not very hungry. And since food wasn’t the focus of the day, she suddenly had extra hours to do what she loved. With her pants loose, she bought a scale. In less than a week, she had lost over 10 pounds!
In the weeks that followed, Iola’s energy began to skyrocket. She often read posts on the Eat Like a Bear diet site and learned about the changes that were occurring within her. As she did her little mini fasts between meals, she was giving her body a chance to heal. Her skin, her joints and especially her metabolism were improving. Encouraged, Iola experimented with other “ridiculously large” meals, like a skillet of cauliflower beef loaded with so much cheese it seemed like cheating. The pounds continued to drop. “Eating one big meal a day is like magic. I’m done,” she shared with her friends.
‘Eat Like a Bear’ diet meals are filling and slimming
To use the Iola approach, set an eating window (one to four hours long) during which you will eat all of your daily food: unlimited vegetables, eight ounces of proteinand several servings of natural low-carb extras (such as nuts, berries, oil, dressing, and cheese). Enjoy natural drinks without calories whenever you want. Although Iola did not count or record, each of her “ridiculously large” meals contained between 1,200 and 2,000 calories. Learn more at EatLikeABear.com.
VEGETABLES IN PLENTY: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and 3 to 4 cups of vegetables, fresh or frozen; cook until crisp-tender.
TASTY SAUCE: Mix 1⁄4 cup to 1⁄2 cup broth, garlic and/or onion powder, desired spices, and soy sauce or salt to taste; add to skillet.
GOOD PROTEIN: When vegetables are tender, add 8 ounces of cooked protein. Stir until heated through. If desired, add 1⁄4 cup cream until lukewarm.
FUN EXTRAS: Add or mix in delicious low carb stuff like bacon, cheese, nuts, seeds, you name it!
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, women’s world.
