This goofy plan works. It's so stupidly simple, I am just flabbergasted that I never put these little individual pieces together before. I'm seeing steady results, very s-l-o-w-l-y, but for once the scale is going continuously DOWN, rather than UP and DOWN. This is HUGE, people!!! I've been yo-yo-ing for so many months now that I'm in a fair amount of shock that the yo-yo has all but stopped "yo-ing" now.
It's been a month since my "re-vamp / re-boot," but really only about 3 weeks since a measure of consistency kicked in for me. The most earth-shattering, life-changing part in all of this is that 99% of my hunger pangs have disappeared. Prior to February 7th, my biggest gripe and lament was that I was hungry to the point of pain, 24-7. A minute didn't go by in my day that I wasn't hungry, thinking about when I'd get my next bite of whatever. It completely consumed my mind and my life.
Enter - my "New Plan." February 7th will forever be known as "Turnaround Day" for me. On that day, I switched it up and something just clicked. I combined a whole bunch of little tips and strategies from a bunch of different diets and plans - and for whatever goofy reason, it ended up being My Magic Formula. It's a weird formula. I've already droned on about it at length, so I'll give the quickie re-cap here:
1. I eat 1100 calories per day - AND NOT A SINGLE CALORIE MORE!!!
How do I manage this? By spreading out my calories between the time I get up, which is usually around 6:30 a.m., until suppertime, which by my rule must occur BEFORE 7:00 p.m. for optimum success. How do I do this??? I count EVERY CALORIE. That includes sugarless gum, Tums, a single almond (7 calories), a single Dorito (14 calories), or a single fresh cherry (5 calories). Obsessive? Most definitely. Producing the desired results? YEP.
2. I ONLY eat when I'm TRULY HUNGRY!!!
Again, how do I make this happen? I spread everything out, and change it up. I start my day with a cup of coffee or tea, and then WAIT until I'm good and hungry before deciding what to put in my mouth next. Then, I'll eat a serving of a protein - often Greek yogurt or smoked almonds - and then I WAIT again, until I'm hungry again. next, I'll have a low-calorie beverage, like a cup of tea, a cup of chicken broth, or a can of diet 7-up. Then - I WAIT AGAIN, until I'm hungry again. Next, I'll eat a food, and since I had protein first, I'll often pick a fruit (apple, banana, etc.) or a serving of veggies (pile of carrots - NO DIP! - or a can of French Onion or low-sodium vegetable soup). Then... I WAIT AGAIN! A beverage will be next, etc. etc. etc. I simply alternate foods and beverages, and in this way, I always have volume in my stomach, I don't get dehydrated, and I'm not eating a single speck of white flour carbs or sweets or grease or fast foods or basically anything bad for my diet.
3. I am trying to fit exercise in whenever possible. Right now, I'm alternating the following, for variety, to keep it interesting:
* 60-minute walk on the treadmill
* 60-minutes on the elliptical machine
* 20-minute Tae Bo "Basic" routine
* Wii Zumba workouts (haven't tried this yet)
* "Yoga for Weight-Loss" DVD (haven't tried this yet, either)
* Agility Ball ab workouts / crunches (still have to buy the ball...LOL)
So in other words, I've been alternating the top three choices the past few weeks. I don't hate them. They're fine. The elliptical and treadmill are totally tolerable when I pop in an episode of True Blood; FUN! I actually enjoy it when I can zone out to something visual.
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| I've decided I want to look like Liz Hurley in a swimsuit this summer. She'll be 46 in June! |
S-L-O-W-L-Y. I know if I figured in even MORE exercise, or figured out a way to get a tighter handle on my weekend eating, I'd see even faster results. The weekends are my weak point right now. They ALWAYS kill me. My willpower, which is so much better now during the week and at work, dissolves on Saturday and Sunday. THIS SUCKS.
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| I'd be OK with Aishwarya Rai's figure, too, but I'd settle for her eyeballs. |
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| I'd kill to have eyes this color. |
How Can My Diet & My Week-end Co-exist?
I used to LOVE Fridays. (That was before I decided to get rid of my F-A-T.) Now, weekends SUCK ASS. It has taken about a month of fine-tuning, but I finally have the calorie-counting and carb-avoidance and little bits of exercising here and there falling into place Monday through Thursday. I'm so proud of myself, I could eat a half dozen Cadbury Creme Eggs just thinking about this shaky accomplishment. (I didn't say that I've figured out how to not think about my favorite treats every waking moment; that will never happen. I accept this.)
My gripe is about Friday through Sunday. At the office, it's easier. I can leave the food at home; just not bring it to work with me. I can plan my meals at home, pack only the necessary stuff into a bag for eating at work, and then if I'm starving while working, all I have to avoid is picking up the phone and calling Erberts & Gerberts or Zhong Hua.
But at HOME... it's a very different story. My oven is there. My baking cupboard is there. I can SMELL the muffin mixes and chocolate-peanut butter chip cookie ingredients waiting to be mixed and baked. There are over-ripe bananas waiting to be molded into gooey loaves of banana bread. There is a fridge chock-full of not only my diet-friendly foods, but real, hard cheddar cheese(!), whole milk(!), butter(!), real bread(!), and Top the Tater(!!!)! (Paige, may Mommy steal a 4-serving-sized "bite" of your cheese for breakfast? Hmmm? PLEASE, Paige???) There are frozen waffles, adorable little packets of "fruit" snacks, and the teenager's after-school granola bars. There are frozen pizzas and boxes of movie candy and corn chips and picante sauce. (6 Doritos dipped in a little picante is 150 calories?! Are you friggin' KIDDING ME?!)
You see my boggle. I used to LOVE Fridays, and I used to so look forward to being home on the weekend... I couldn't wait! Now, Friday evening approaches and I feel nauseous. I do OK at the office - the temptations aren't available, plain and simple. But even though I've cleared out as much as I feel I possibly can from the fridge and cupboards at home to keep myself on-track, it's still not enough. Friday night is often "movie night" with the family. My other three family members will be sitting inches from me, scarfing my favorite food (buttered, salted popcorn...), and chomping boxes of movie candy (one treat we've always looked forward to at the end of a busy week...), and I'm supposed to sip a diet pop and nibble my RyKrisp???
I pride myself on having developed a bit of self-restraint of late, and I feel better-equipped to deal with cravings in general now, but even I - newly crowned Queen of Restriction - cannot resist when those next to me are reveling in their popcorn and other treats. I. Just. Can't.
So, the week-end is here. Most definitely a movie night for us tonight, as we are coming off the Week From Utter Hell. Saturday & Sunday will be the usual torture; trying (usually in vain) NOT to bake, NOT to cook something too diet-unfriendly, and trying to find time to exercise in between loads of laundry, sinks of dishes, house cleaning, house projects, bathing the toddler, getting the teenager caught up on school projects, entertaining out-of-town guests, and the list goes on.
I SO want to love my weekends again.
Any suggestions out there? (Other than the painfully obvious, that is... "Don't buy the treats if you don't want to be tempted by them, etc., etc. etc.")
Yep, got that memo. If I was single and lived alone, it would be a DONE DEAL!!!
Soldier on, chicas!!!
P.S. I've been holding steady at 9 pounds lost. I want to hit the 10-pound mark SO BADLY I can TASTE IT. And right now, it tastes like a humongous glass of sangria.
- YAY, the dreaded weekend is over. Got my sangria, homemade cookies, chocolate cake, popcorn, and movie candy. A typical weekend at our house. And yes, my scale says I gained 2 pounds. I know it could have been worse, but... it could have also been a LOT BETTER!!! BLAH. :oP
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