A Life Plan.... Loss to date 8 lbs

Dr. Lawrence and I sat for over 2 hrs last week and discussed food choices, eating habits, exercise, portion size, everything one would expect to talk about when talking about weight loss. And the biggest thing that I came out of that meeting with... well, surprised me.

A Life Plan!

All the times in my life that I have tried and failed to get control over my weight, I never once had a SOLID, SUSTAINABLE plan. It was always just a stab in the dark really. Attempts that had really no basis in reality for long term success. For one reason or another there was always an unsustainable behavior pattern involved, whether it was running 7 miles a day in High School, banning FAT completely in my 20s, Banning CARBS completely in my 30s, or going to the gym religiously, 7 days a week at 40. All of these things came with short term success. 40 lbs here 60 lbs there, even 80 lbs lost at one time, but NONE of them taught me HOW TO EAT properly so once I stopped being on a "diet" I returned to my old eating habits and rapidly gained all the weight back, and then some. They were short term solutions to what I realize now is a LIFE LONG goal, plain and simple. And educating myself looks to be the long term solution. Knowledge is power and the more I know and understand about my body's needs and the food I put into it, the better off I will be.

I need to strike a realistic balance and create a path that can become a long term, sustainable journey.... A LIFE PLAN.

So.... What is the plan? It's different for everyone. What works for one person is torture for another. What is right for one body is wrong for another. Over the next few months we will be working to hone the plan especially for me. I am starting with changing my daily eating habits. From one or two HUGE meals late in the day to eating breakfast, a mid morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, Dinner and finally an evening snack. All keeping my total calories to between 1200 and 1400 a day. The plan was to be 1800 but honestly, now that I have been doing this this for a week, my body just is not that hungry and the cravings are NOT there. I actually find myself, at the end of the day, usually below my target calorie intake and feeling quite satisfied. We will see Tuesday. My second appointment and my second weigh-in. I may be told to raise my calories.... That is a strange thought.

Lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. You would be surprised to know just how much of these foods it takes to eat 1400 calories in a day. And Dr Lawrence has directed me to a wonderful software that helps me not only keep track of what I eat, but enables me to find out ahead of time just how much of something I can eat. www.calorieking.com You really want to look at something scary, look up your favorite restaurant and see how many calories your favorite dish has.

With this software, I am in control because I have the knowledge, and knowledge is.... say it with me.... POWER!