The Plan

A few of my faithful readers (ok maybe just one of you) have asked the details of how I've lost weight.  I thought I would share my thoughts on how I am doing it and just some general guidelines.

1.  Commitment is key.  I think that really you need to find what works for you and really be committed to it. It doesn't matter if it's WW or if it's calories or something else. Just make sure you do it. I've done both now and can't say that I like one better than the other. The key is just discipline with snippets of grace in there. For example, the Cadburry egg I ate on Friday, but the other 3 in the pack are in my pantry waiting for me to get back from my cruise, and even then they will be spread out over time.

2.  Write it Down.  When I did WW and my current plan both require you to write down what you eat.  When I did WW, I thought it was silly at first.  Then I realized there's a real reason why.  You are much less likely to cheat if you have to write it down.  I am religious about this.  I write down everything, even that Cadburry egg.  If you go over your allowance, that's ok.  There are days that I skip writing stuff down but they are few.  Again, it's a grace thing. 

3.  A Typical Food Day.  I've been asked what I eat on a daily basis.  Here's my rundown.

• Breakfast - One egg scrambled and coffee. Measure your half and half. It can really get away from you.  I have found that eating protein in the morning is key for me.  It keeps me full so much longer. 
• Lunch - Some sort of frozen dinner. It's the easiest for me at work.
• Afternoon snack - 100 calorie snack pack
• Dinner - Usually something around 400 calories. Usually my biggest meal of the day. Again, the key is to measure. Actually measure what a cup of pasta is and you will be surprised. Ages ago when I did WW I bought serving spoons that measure 1/2 cup and 1 cup. I use them religiously.
• Wine - I like wine.  I usually drink between 5 - 7 ozs a night.  Again, I measure and I account for it in my calories.

4.  Keeping everyone happy.  I purposely don't make "low fat" or "diet" food for dinner. My husband would kill me. The key is really just watching portions. I haven't yet purchased a food scale but it's surely on my list of things I would like to own. You need to feed the family and making 2 different dinners really isn't an option.  You need to learn to cook to where everyone is happy.  It's also good to learn how to eat "normal" so you can maintain once the weight loss is done.

5.  A Word About Fat.  Another big thing that I believe in is not cutting fat out of your diet. So many people just say, I'm not going to eat fat. Well, that's not good either. Healthy fat is necessary and important. We use olive oil on veggies (After you cook your veggies. You really don't want olive oil at a really high temp). I also take 1/2 Tbsp of Fish oil a day. Really healthy fat and really good for your vitamin D.

6.  Plan on Exercise.  I do use my 30 Day Shred video 3 times a week. If it gets above 55 on a weekend, I'll go out for a run.  Some people have more time available to exercise.  I don't.  Both of my exercise options take me about 20 - 30 minutes.  That's it.  I am doing just enough to get my metabolism going and to tone some muscles.  When I was on WW and psycho, I used to run 5 miles a day.  That's definitely not feasible now nor enjoyable. 

So there it is.  My whole plan and all my diet/healthy lifestyle ideas.  Really what I would like to say most is that this "diet" or "weight loss journey" has brought me closer to the cross than ever before.  It's impossible to have success in our lives without first finding our way to the cross.  For me, it's the realization that I can't do it on my own.  I am going to fail.  I'm going to be offered grace.  There is humility in that.  And with the Gospel, it's freeing.

Happy Dieting.  And I promise my next post won't mention weight or diets.  It might include some pre-cruising thoughts though.  Maybe some thoughts on leaving my child for a week.  Or maybe just some teaser pictures of where we will be.  I guess it just depends on where the week leads me.