Monday, August 30, 2010

FEELING BETTER - A FRESH START

Last week I had a bad cold.  I joked that I went outside my usual little routine of home, gym and grocery shopping and ventured to the mall with my daughter and exposed myself to the big bad world of germs! 

I didn't go to the gym or the store or even to the mailbox for 5 days.  I was miserable.  I didn't concern myself with my diet plan and overate carbs and calories.  I will see the damage tomorrow when I go back to the gym.  I am not going to beat myself up over it.  I see today as a new start.  I have been struggling all summer trying to find my way, trying to find my "plan."

I lost the first 50 pounds or so using products from Lifestyle.  I was so determined and I stuck with it even though I was hungry most of the time.  Then I wanted to go off the products and maintain the calories at the same 1200 level on good foods.  I know I am triggered by carbs, so the plan was low carb ( whole grain only, no sugar, fruit ok.)  To stay in the 1200 range carbs are not a good choice, anyway.  As I said, this has been a struggle.  I have had trouble with foods I overate - like peanut butter and oatmeal/granola.  I have had trouble with my family being bored by my repetitive meals. 

And I don't like that it has been so 2 pounds off, 1 pound back, no loss for two weeks.  It is frustrating and I just don't care to always feel like I should be berating myself .  So - what to do?

I need a more specific plan.  Not back to the products, although I have some left and will use them as snacks and meal subs when appropriate.  No Atkins style low carb because that is not how I want to live the rest of my life, but I must be aware of how very sensitive I seem to be to bread/pasta/carbs (have some - want more, more, more!)

I like Cammy's plan of 5-7 fruits and veggies daily, low fat proteins and whole grains.  I will need more specifics, just winging it day by day has not been working for me - so I am going to work out a list of meal plans and calorie counts to keep myself in the 1200-1500 range.

Any other input?

6 comments:

Karen said...

I thought Cammy's post today was a great idea! Picture how you want to be eating when you have already lost the weight and go from there. For me, I am really struggling so can't offer any advice. I also think I am very carb sensitive and I seem to do very well when I limit them but I cannot handle moderation. Sigh. It has not been a great eating summer for me.

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

Thanks so much for the mention! I have 100% (maybe 110%) confidence that you can find a way of eating that provides the energy you need and doesn't leave you hungry!

Love that you're going to give yourself a break following your illness. It certainly does no good to feel miserable about it.

Jen on the Edge said...

Have you considered Weight Watchers? They have a great online program, so I don't have to go to meetings or weigh-ins. As for food, I cook real foods and just pay close attention to portion sizes, making sure I eat lots of fruits and veggies. I do eat carbs, but try to make sure that they're mostly whole grains. I also allow myself a few small treats a week so that I don't feel deprived. And by "small" I mean two squares of really good dark chocolate or something like that.

Sarah@LowStressWeightLoss said...

I think the WW option might be worth looking into as well. I haven't ready Cammy's post (will do that next) but I have often found that focusing on what I WANT to eat instead of what I want to AVOID really helps me- so servings of fruit & veg (up to 9!) was always a good challenge.

No matter what you pick, I think at this stage a solid plan will do you a world of good especially if you're coming from a product phase of loss - once you have a solid plan you can play with flexibility again

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

It is so hard when you are not a protein person. I could live the rest of my life on carbs--but I know it is much better for me to eat protein.

I have been doing okay with carbs by only doing whole grains and measuring them. Whole wheat bagel thins are a godsend.

Good luck in this continuing journey.

Walker said...

I have become a huge edamame eater--protein in an easy package. I get shelled when I'm lazy, but buying the ones in the pod are good for snacking because it takes more time/effort to eat. You can make the whole bag and just keep it in the fridge. With sea salt? Delicious.