THE SUMMER PLAN #4 The reward

LE PLAN ETE 

#4 La récompense 

After all the discipline and the measuring and the exercising , what do you get? among other very important improvements in your life like feeling fit and energized, you also look better. Everything you wear looks better. The choices are there and there are no more obstacles on the way to a great summer wardrobe. Including what else? the bathing suit, the cruel, unforgiving bathing suit. And there are fabulous styles on offer. Well, I do have to reduce my own choice to one piece suits, becoming-ness oblige.

So, let's see
The not quite basic Little Black Bathing Suit

Very flattering and feminine. Even better on the "hourglass" girls

the Lady Diana neckline. So classy

The tiny bit of gathers, just enough for interest, not too froufrou

If you are SUPERFIT, ( one in a million women, tops) the couture details

The necklines and front details

Interesting cuts and lacing

Simple sweet-but-not-too-sweet-bows

Low backs with surprises

The colors

Never mind the crazy cutouts, color always works in the summer, including some nudes and pale shades, but a bit of a tan will look better with these

I don't love prints on bathing suits but a crisp geometric is stunning in my book

Now, for those of us who still need a little cover-up if only for lunch at the beach restaurant, a pareo is the most flattering option, don't you agree?

I think it needs to be flowy, of light sheer fabrics and in colors that either compliment the suit or pep it up. Either way we better start toning those legs TODAY...

I cannot omit to include this oh-so-retro piece by Norma Kamali. Going down the steps of the Eden Roc Hotel on the Cap d'Antibes in France in this little number requires very long legs, lifestyle and looks à la Grace Kelly and a comfortable budget. That's all, none of which my PLAN D'ETE could deliver realistically, I am afraid.

images  beautyshop, calvin klein, eres, mikael kors, this next, maadji, herve leger, mikesearch, diane's beachwear, norma kamali, hotel eden roc


au revoir.

THE SUMMER PLAN #3 EXERCISE

LE PLAN ETE 

#3, LA GYM

Yes, to be on a serious summer shape-up program, exercise is a required class on the curriculum. And not just a little walk here and a few stairs there, no, SERIOUS exercise.

So, I do what the expert tell me to do. I now go to the gym about 6 times a week on average (my mari americain- husband- is a great motivator). I use machines, a lot of machines, in the hope of achieving my goal: to be in shape by summer. Not just slimmer, but more fit in every way. 

How do I go about it? very simple. Here are my usual routines: 


15 minutes rowing machine, 25/30 minutes elliptical machine or 10 minutes legs, arms, abs machine each every other day.

There you have it.

But what to wear? 

Our gym is very low key. No fashion competition or any of that kind of thing: just a few very fit young ladies (and men) showing off their toned bodies. 

Nothing annoying, and mostly no parading around in the latest couture outfits. People are there to exercise and it shows. 

So what do I wear?

We are years away from these sports looks

and I am not quite ready to pull off this one

This is my no-nonsense get-the-job-done outfit

I think gym clothes should be worn at the gym, but I guess if you look like this...

Aaah, the commitment and discipline you feel when the idea of a few summer days by the water...

au revoir.

THE SUMMER PLAN #2 The menus

LE PLAN ETE

#2: menus

What to make with the allowed ingredients (yesterday's post) to give a little glamour and appeal to the regime, as my friendly followers call it (and they are right).

May I make a first comment right off the start: there is a little measuring to do with this aventure, as quantities do have to be monitored. So, let's start.

Breakfast

 Super simple and satisfying. 

No fuss, no mess, no grande cuisine

-1/2 cup dry oat meal with 1 1/2 cups water cooked in the my microwave for 6 minutes.

-1 cup blueberries and 1 cup chopped strawberries

- 3 mini measures of Stevia extract (the powder form of the South American sweetening plant Stevia)

I have this EVERY Morning and I love it.

Snacks

Mid morning and mid afternoon when possible. 

A tofu smoothie

-1 cup tofu

-1 banana (the only one of the day, so when I would rather keep it for another snack time, I skip it here)

-1 cup raspberries or strawberries or blueberries or blackberries

- sweetener (as I said, I prefer natural Stevia)

  or a 2 cups fruit salad (just no pineapple)

or a stewed apple with Stevia and cinnamon with 2 tablespoons fat free sweetened Greek yogurt.  

Lunch

-egg salad or deviled eggs or canned (in water) tuna-fish salad or chicken salad on a bed of greens like baby arugula or baby spinach or lettuce and tomatoes, or with asparagus or green beans - any kind of green vegetables (no avocados) or tomatoes as long as they are raw, steamed or grilled or in soup form. One of my favorites: lettuce leaves wrapped around sliced ham or smoked salmon with herbs and a small amount of red onion and sliced fennel.

but!

To make all this low cal. the dressing and mayonnaise are very "controlled", i.e. one has to be very clever at keeping the calories down right? 

so!

For the vinaigrette: I mix the one teaspoon oil with 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar + 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard + 1/2 cup tomato juice( V8) and a lot of finely chopped herbs: cilantro, parsley, chives basil etc.

For the mayonnaise: I mix 1 tablespoon store bought low fat mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons fat free Greek yogurt and a pinch of cumin for the tuna salad, and and a million spices like Garam Marsala, and/or curry, cumin, ginger and my BELOVED capers, for the egg salad. (I LOVE them!)

Dinner

Poached salmon or grilled tuna or grilled chicken breast or egg/mushroom flan with green vegetables or, for example zucchini soup (1 zucchini steamed for one cup fat free chicken broth with cumin into a Cuisinart. Done. 

I also make a green sauce for the fish or chicken with all the herbs I like mixed in the Cuisinart with 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt, some lemon juice and cumin.

the rules:

- breakfast ALWAYS with sugar free cereal and fruit
and ONLY per day:

- 1 tsp of oil 

- 2 cups fat free yogurt 

- 2 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise

- 2 servings of meat or fish the size of a deck of cards a day or 2 eggs (3 times a week max)

- 1 cup of tofu a day (silky or soft is best for smoothies)

- 4 cups of berries, and one other fruit + one banana

- only sweetener like Stevia 

- all the green vegetables I want (including artichokes and fennel but not avocados) if steamed, grilled, or raw, or soup, plus tomatoes and carrots

- water-water-water

- all the spices and herbs I like and... capers, mustard and lemon juice

ALSO:

I drink green tea with unsweetened soy milk (but that's just my taste preference)

- I have oat meal because I love it but I could replace it with shredded wheat or cheerios or any unsweetened cereal I wish.

I believe I can survive this regimen* and I am, in fact, loving it.

* editor's note: This program is not intended as advice of any sort as I am not a nutritionist nor a doctor. It is a description of a "diet" that I have created for me. 

à demain.

THE SUMMER PLAN

LE PLAN ETE

#1: LE PLAN MINCEUR

(the slimness plan)

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK

I'll start with the obvious BIG NO NO's

no sugars, no fats (except a teaspoon a day of olive oil), of course

and

les quatre P, 

(the 4 P's, as we say in France)

Pain, Pates, Patisseries, Pommes de terre.

(bread, pasta,pastries,potatoes)

We have taken care of that, so let's move on to the YES column.

The other obvious items

and the necessary proteins

any fish , really

lean white meat

omega 3 eggs

Plus a little fat (olive oil is best) multi vitamins and lots of water.

a natural sweetener to replace the forbidden sugars

and spices and herbs to liven it all up.

I'll tell you tomorrow how I prepare these ingredients, since, as we all know this by this time, to make a diet work (yes, a D.I.E.T., lets call a cat a cat, as we also say in French) we need to eat less calories that we burn, we need to make it healthy, and we need to make it tasty. 

à demain.

IT'S HIGH TIME...

IL EST GRAND TEMPS...

If, like me, you want to do something like that this summer

You may (maybe not) have to do this...

In the next few days I will attempt to tell you all about MON PLAN ETE:

- my summer plan- to look the best I can considering all the various aspects of my life and my person.

Mon plan minceur 

-my slimness plan-

Mon plan exercice

-my exercise plan-

and the reward for all the hard work, 

Mon plan tenues 

-my pool/beachwear plan-

This time I really mean it...come hell or high water.

au revoir.