Inspiration

So we are on day three of the new lifestyle. I won't call it a 'diet' because it's actually a long term behavior modification plan. I haven't felt too deprived yet and I have instituted my exercise regimen of walking a mile a day (this will increase as I build strength and stamina.)

Maura and Chan have also started their lifestyle changes. Maura is blogging her common sense diet. And if I know Chan, his involves some scheme that involves only an egg sandwich a day and an exercise routine that rivals that of an MMA fighter. Hey, if it works for him (and it has in the past) then I don't judge. I couldn't do that, for fear of killing everyone around me. But both of us have chronic weight issues so I understand. We used to go to Outback and split a steak dinner - he ate the steak and salad and I ate the baked potato and veggies.

That was when I was doing the Susan Powder no-fat diet. Remember her, the crazy one with the spiked bleached blond hair? You could eat all you wanted as long as you didn't eat more than so many fat grams per day. Everyone came out with these fat free products, except they were all full of sugar. Not very healthy. All I did was drink soda and eat candy corn. I lost twenty pounds but was in danger of killing my blood sugar.

Then came Atkins. This was early Atkins before it was modified to include 'good carbs' and lower fat. That was when you could have eight pieces of bacon and four eggs for breakfast but no toast. The recommended snacks were cream cheese and macadamia nuts. Yeah, that was healthy. We called it the 'steak and scotch' diet because old guys everywhere were on Atkins and having giant steaks and swilling down scotch and telling everyone about their diets. I still can't comprehend how they lost weight eating that much fat and calories but they did see results. They also saw great rises in their cholesterol levels. So Atkins modified and South Beach came along. I don't think Atkins is as much fun as it used to be. As for me, I did Atkins for two weeks (the induction phase) then cracked. I couldn't see myself wanting to live without bread, potatoes or pasta. I made my mom take me to lunch at this Indian restaurant. The waiter apologetically told us it was an all vegetarian restaurant. After two weeks of nothing but meat, I said "bring it on!" Best dosas and aloo gobi I have ever had.

So the last time, when I actually lost a great deal of weight, was when I just ate less and exercised more. I know, scary concept, huh? No craziness, no eliminating everything, I even got 'cheat' meals where I could have whatever I wanted. I started walking one to two miles a day, six days a week. And I go to a website that helps you figure out your basal metabolic rate (that's the number of calories your body needs just to 'run the machine") then deduct 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. Add in the extra calorie burn from the aerobic exercise and there you go. I followed this last time and lost 55 pounds in about 23 weeks (so about two pounds a week.) While the focus is on 'healthier choices" like leaner meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, nothing is excluded as long as I account for the calories and Sunday is my 'free day' where I don't even have to count them. I track what I eat every day in a log, so I know where I am. (Like last night, I was way under my calorie goal and wanted dessert, so I had some ice cream. And still ended the day under budget)

My goal this time isn't as much a certain target number, as much as it is to keep off whatever I do lose. See, last time when I took off the weight, I joined a gym (giving up the in-home walking six days a week to work out three days a week with a trainer) and stopped writing down everything I ate, started eating fast food again, stopped measuring my portions, stopped going to the gym and low and behold, I gained the weight back. See, I am a compulsive overeater (Hello, my name is Shae, and I'm an overeater) and when I stop consciously controlling myself, I relapse into constant overeating. Easy to understand why, hard to control. So this new plan is to ALWAYS keep it under control. Whether I lose ten pounds or fifty, the goal is to never gain that back. Which means never slacking on watching what I eat and, more importantly, how much I eat.

So thanks Maura and Chan, for inspiring me. I'm not as brave as Maura and I know I won't lose as much weight or as quickly as Chan but it's nice to know that I'm not rowing the boat alone. Someone pass me a celery stick!