My New Plan

I've spent the last week searching for a healthy eating plan that will be just right for me. I've spent hours reading weight loss success stories on other blogs, perusing diet info on various other sites, skimming through diet books in the library, and looking through numerous recipes. All of these things, along with my history with Weight Watchers, has brought me to this conclusion -- I'm going to have to come up with a plan that works for me by taking the best of all of the other plans that are out there.

I told hubby today that even though the plans can be vastly different, there does seem to be some commonalities among them. I'm going to start with those things that most nutritionists, doctors, dieters, etc. seem to agree with. I'm going to incorporate those ideas into my new lifestyle and add other things that I may need specifically for me. Things that will meet my individual health needs of being diabetic, having high blood pressure, and being prone to kidney stones.

I know this is going to take me quite awhile to develop. I also told hubby that it will be a full-time job to make a plan and put it into action. Since, I already have a 'real' full-time job, this new lifestyle plan will have to be worked on in my spare time. I've decided, though, that I can't afford to wait till it is all finished and in place to use it. I need to start with the parts that I know will be in the plan now, then incorporate other components as I can. I may even need to change and tweak things that I start out with as I become more knowledgeable, and as I see what works for me.

For now, here is what I know :

*I need to drink at least 8 - 8 oz. glasses of water a day.
*I need to limit my carbs to 40-45 grams per meal and 15-30 carbs per snack.
*I need to eat a small meal or snack every 2-3 hours.
*I need to take a multivitamin daily.
*I need to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
*I need to have 2 servings of dairy daily.
*I need to limit animal protein to low-fat varieties and slowly decrease my daily amount consumed with the goal of eliminating meat all together.
*I need to use whole grain products and stay away from processed white flour items.
*I need to replace sugar with Splenda.
*I need to incorporate 2 tsp. of a healthy oil (olive, canola) into my meals daily.
*I need to be in bed by 11:00 each night.
*I need to keep a record of what I eat, whether I post it here or keep it private.
*I need to write about this whole process and the feelings I have along this journey. New challenge beginning this week is The Biggest Loser OFB Style.
*I need to participate in challenges to keep me motivated and to make this journey fun.
*I need to work up to walking for at least 30 minutes a day.
*I need to weigh-in on Saturday mornings. I tried doing it on Wednesdays for the Shrink for Good challenge I am participating in, but that day does not work with my mental motivation to stay on program throughout the week and weekend.

Wow! That really looks like a lot of stuff to work on already. But, I also know that I don't know everything yet, so some of those items will be developed further over time. For now, this is a good starting point. I will think of this list as my goals. I will not put a time limit on them as there will be no ending point to them. After all, this is about changing my lifestyle for ever, not just till I reach a certain weight.

As for a weight goal, I have in my head that I would like to weigh 150 pounds. The lightest I have ever been as an adult was 4 1/2 years ago when I weighed 158 pounds for all of a week. So, I don't know if 150 pounds is a realistic weight for me to maintain, but I think it might be. And, again, I'm not going to attach a date to when this goal will be reached. It will take as long as it takes, and then I will have to spend the rest of my life maintaining it.

I want to send a big thank you out to all of you who have been so supportive of me during this past week of unhealthy eating. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Also, a thank you goes out to Operation Fat Blaster for their challenges. This last week's challenge to make a plan and set some goals came at a time when I needed it the most.