My Own Way

I've spent the past month doing intense research on the currently popular diets.  Weight Watchers.  South Beach.  Primal.  Atkins. etc. etc. etc.  Then I did some soul-searching, gave a lot of thought to what works for me, both physically and emotionally, and what it will take to reach my goal weight.

If you've read my blog more than a couple of times, you won't be surprised by what I came up with. Here's what works:

*Journaling my food intake and exercise
*No white stuff. Period.
*Lean protein, fresh vegetables, good fats
*Moving my butt, aiming for at least 10,000 steps per day
*More water, less wine (this one hurts)

And here's what doesn't:

*Too much restriction (I'm rebellious)
*Eating out of boxes (I love to cook)
*High protein that consists mainly of meat (poor cows!)
*Weekly meetings (I can't be bothered)
*Alcohol abstinence (duh!)

So, I sat down and formulated my new plan.  First, I canceled my monthly Weight Watchers subscription. I'm not attending meetings or following the program so there are better uses for that $40 per month. I went back to Sparkspeople where I can keep track of my nutrition and exercise for free. I became a regular reader/poster at Low Carb Friends, made some connections and set up a support system. 

Then..I cleaned out my refrigerator and went shopping.  Realizing that right now, in this phase, I need more protein and fewer carbs, I'm going to integrate chicken back into my mostly-vegetarian diet.  I deeply apologize to my animal friends, but it's the quickest way to get protein into my body.  My refrigerator and freezer stocked with Greek yogurt, non-starchy vegetables, individual chicken breasts & bags of shrimp.  I then spent some time at Netrition, placed an order for a couple of low-carb products as well as my beloved PB2. 

What I didn't buy: my beloved wine.  As much as I enjoy unwinding with a glass of chardonnay each night, I realized that one sometimes leads to two, which often lowers my resistance and before you know it I'm standing in front of the refrigerator devouring cold pizza.  Now, never fear, dear readers, I'm not transforming from party girl to teetotaler, gasp! I've just decided to minimize my alcohol consumption in order to maximize my self-control which will hopefully result in better results at the scale.  If I don't imbibe all week, I will allow myself a small indulgence on the weekend.  What I've discovered is that I enjoyed the ritual of the wine almost as much as the affect, and that substituting a cup of hot herbal tea has satisfied that desire. 

With a plan in place, Sunday morning I tiptoed onto the scale: 174.8. Ouch. Apparently all of that engagement celebrating we did last weekend caught up with me. No worries, I've got this under control. I started my new Way of Eating Monday morning, faithfully logging calories consumed and burned, avoiding white stuff, keeping net carbs under 30, and after three days guess what? I'm already down 2 pounds! Not bad, eh? I also see a definite increase in my energy levels and am sleeping much better. Wow! How can it be that I'm seeing such positive changes in such a short period of time? I don't know, but I'm happy as hell and motivated to keep on truckin'!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,