Today is day 35 of my 20 lb. struggle. After 5 weeks I am pleased to report that I have lost 10.9 lbs, lowered my cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose blood levels and feel more energized than I have in years. My progress has amazed myself, my family and my doctor. Would you like to know how I did it?
Instead of following a “diet” I made the decision to make sensible eating choices. This means eating protein which helps me to control hunger. It also means eliminating sugars and starches as much as possible because, for me, they are the “forbidden fruit.” Once I start to indulge in these delicacies it is very difficult for me to stop.
It also means eating lots of veggies, drinking lots of water, , and reducing the amount and changing the type of fat in my diet. For example, I use olive oil instead of butter for cooking.
Protein is: fish, eggs, poultry, beef, and cheese. I allow myself poultry and fish whenever I feel like it, but I limit the amount of eggs, cheese and beef that I will consume in a week. I use all kinds of seasonings to perk up the taste, but I avoid sauces. I use ketchup and mustard, but I have avoided mayonnaise.
I look at the number of calories in what I eat but I do not set a particular goal for the amount of calories I should consume in a day. The reason for this is that I have learned from past diets that some days I feel the need to eat more than others. I ALWAYS strive to eat as little as possible. But honestly, with the high protein low carb regime described above my appetite has been waaay down. So I have not really had to struggle with portion control.
I cut out all candy, cake and bread, EXCEPT for small bits when I simply can’t resist. Last night, my daughter Laura, made a feast that made it difficult for me to say “no.” Yet, I was able to eat the turkey and avoid the stuffing. I ate the green beans and had just a small amount of sweet potato soufflé. I indulged in a small piece of home-made bread. I didn’t overeat, but it was much more sugar and starch than I am used to. The result? I loved every bite, savoring the deliciousness as much as possible and trying to implant the memory forever in my brain because I knew that food such as this was not likely to come my way again anytime soon. It did make me feel tired and a little bloated, though.
I was really scared to get on the scale for my official weigh-in this morning. I was already thinking about how I would write in this blog that it “was Laura’s fault” because she serves food that is just too delicious, when I heard her voice behind me saying, “You’d better not blame me if you haven’t lost any weight this week!”
So with great trepidation I stepped onto the scale. As you can see, I have now lost a total of 10.9 lbs! I’m sure that the meal last night has slowed down my weight loss, but as I have said before: I can do it fast or I can do it slow, as long as I do it!
A little indulgence can slow weight loss. In this case, I'm ok with that.
Am I sorry I broke protocol? Not at all. Enjoying a wonderful meal with family and friends is a pleasure I don’twant to have to deny myself. Maybe the important lesson here is that almost anything is ok as long as you are willing to do it in moderation and accept the consequences.
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