What Diet Program Are You Following? This is a question I’m asked at least once a week so I’ve decided to blog about it. The short answer is NONE. I don’t follow a “diet” program at all. The long answer?
Beginning the week of December 20th – 17 weeks ago – I decided to change my lifestyle. You’ve read about my old routine. Since then, I’ve made small, consistent changes. As a result, I’ve lost 30 lbs and intend to lose another 27 lbs before the end of this year. Here’s what I’ve done to get where I am today and will continue for the rest of my life:
1) Mental Preparation: I had to admit that I was overweight and then make peace with myself. This was probably the hardest thing for me to do because I have a healthy dose of confidence, but it was a double edged sword. I was genuinely happy and you couldn’t tell me that I wasn’t FABULOUS, yet I was in denial. Despite having low energy almost daily, I thought I looked good just the way I was and I carried my “assets” very well. I liked it; men loved it! However, as I became more aware of my environment and the people surrounding me, I began to question myself. You see, I live in a neighborhood where you will find health food stores and fitness centers on every other block. I pass runners every morning/evening on my way to/from work and I was intrigued with their commitment. My immediate environment was enough to plant a seed, but I continued life as I’ve always lived it – eating whatever whenever, working, being mommy, socializing with more eating , and then sleeping. That was pretty much the bane of my existence.
But one day, something clicked. There was no life altering event. I was looking at a picture of myself on vacation, which prompted a look at myself in the mirror. *sigh* I was NOT happy with what I saw. When I finally decided that *I* was not happy, I admitted to myself that being overweight obese is not what’s hot in the streets. I began writing about my feelings in a journal, praying to God about my desire to change, and seeking information related to health and fitness. There were a series of other related events that followed, but most importantly, this was a decision that I made on my own. I didn’t listen to anyone telling me that I needed to change, what to do, or how to do it. After many years of (self imposed) abuse, the fire was ignited within me and I decided to change…for the better. It also helps that I surround myself with like-minded people and have an amazing support system (online and in real life).
This entire process took between 6 months to a year.
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2) Exercise: I began exercising 3x per week for 20-30 minutes each session. At the time, my exercise of choice was walking/running on the treadmill. I didn’t care about the intensity of my workout or how many calories I burned, I just wanted to get through it. Hell, simply making myself go to the gym was a chore and I hated it. But I was motivated to continue because I challenged myself to complete the C25K program, which took 11 weeks. Since then, I’ve incorporated other forms of exercise – Wii fitness games for strength training and the elliptical to give my body a break from the physical stress of running. Regardless of what exercise I choose, I now commit to exercising at least 4x per week for 30-45 minutes each session. Because I still hate working out, I now make sure every workout counts. I push myself HARD during those few minutes. If I’m not sweating, I’m not working. I also track calories burned, miles, pace, etc.
Eventually, I’d like to workout 5x per week for one hour each session, but I’m not there…yet.
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3) Nutrition: This is probably THE most important change I’ve made in my life. I don’t follow a diet plan or count points or calories. I still eat whatever I want, but I make healthier choices and prepare almost every meal at home. I began with simple modifications and added to them gradually.
- I stopped drinking juice and soda – cold turkey. My fluids were limited to water or fresh brewed green tea only. I was never a big soda drinker so this was an easy change.
- Then I began replacing my regular foods with healthier substitutes (e.g. white rice and pasta for brown, white bread for whole wheat, vegetable oil for olive oil, ground beef for ground turkey, frosted flakes for cheerios, sweet snacks for fruit, 2% for no fat milk, etc.). These were easy changes that required a conscious decision but had little or no impact.
- The hardest part of this change was cutting back on junk food that I was accustomed to eating – Twix, Oreos, Doritos, McDonald’s, pizza, fried chicken, etc. I eliminated all of this junk food from my diet because there is no such thing as moderation in the early stages. Think about it, a recovering alcoholic in AA can’t have just one drink. I needed to recondition my mind (and body) before I reintroduced those things, if ever.
- To tackle this problem, I learned that preparation is key. I forced myself to create meal plans in advance for the entire week – including breakfast, lunch, dinner, AND snacks. When I shop, I buy only what is on my list. When I cook, I make enough for lunch or dinner the next day so that I’m not scrambling to cook every day. I make sure there is always a healthy option available if I want a snack or have a craving. It is hard, damn hard, and I’ve slipped a few times. But I don’t consider it a failure. It’s part of the process. I still have cravings for junk food but they are few and far between.
- Now when I want pizza, I make it myself with whole wheat dough and vegetable toppings or buy a Kashi vegetable pizza with a thin whole wheat crust. When I want fried chicken, I remove the skin and bake it in seasoned bread crumbs. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Twix, Oreos, Doritos or McDonald’s but it doesn’t mean I don’t think about them.
- Recently, I’ve begun to eliminate some processed foods and certain meats.
- I also buy more organic and try to introduce more fruits and vegetables that I’ve never tried before. In fact, my weekly groceries are now 80-85% fresh produce.
- For other things, I’m more selective than I used to be. I don’t necessarily focus on things that are advertised as “low fat,” “low sugar,” “low sodium,” “low carb,” etc. because the “low whatever” is usually made up with a “high” something in one of the other areas. I take the time to read and compare labels with a focus on the calories, fat, sugar, sodium, and the first 5 items listed in the ingredients. If I doesn’t meet my ‘not to exceed %’ or if I don’t understand the ingredients, I don’t buy it.
- I dine out 2-3x per month (max), either a special occasion or to maintain my social life.
When I began changing my eating habits, I tracked everything that went into my mouth on SparkPeople and focused on limiting my calories to 1500 per day. Now that I have a pretty good handle on how to create well balanced meals, I don’t track calories anymore. Instead, I listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry. I begin my day with breakfast every morning and drink lots of water. At the end of the day, I usually eat 5-6x per day with meals that include a mix of whole grains, lean meats, fruits, and/or vegetables. I also take vitamins to make up for specific nutrients that I can’t get from food for various reasons.
I still eat some junk food but in moderation. For example, I make a trail mix that includes pretzels, raisins, peanuts, cheerios, and chocolate chips. If BabyGirl brings something home, I may have a small taste that satisfies me. Occasionally, I buy new snacks (e.g. Vita-top brownies) that have been a flop so far. I also eat Kashi granola bars, graham crackers, flavored yogurt, zucchini bread, banana muffins, etc. – not every day or even every week, but it satisfies my sugar craving or need to feel rebellious.
Lately, I’ve been reading and learning more about nutrition from healthy food/eating blogs – Kath Eats Real Food, Healthy Tipping Point, and The Front Burner, just to name a few. Eventually, I’d like to be a 100% “clean” eater – a person who only eats all natural food that is fresh from the earth without processing. I have no desire to become a vegetarian, but I’d like all of my meat, eggs, and dairy to come from grass fed cows or live stock that is raised naturally and in a healthy environment. Obviously, I’m not there…yet, but it’s all just a matter of time.
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4) Doing the Math: They say 3500 calories equal 1 lb of (mostly) fat. So to lose 1 lb, you must create a 3500 caloric deficit. I’ve learned to do this through the gradual process described above and summarized below:
- Mental (the hardest) – You have to be mentally ready and committed to overcome challenges and achieve long term results.
- Exercise – We all know the importance of exercise; it builds muscle, makes our heart/lungs strong, increases our metabolism, and helps to prevent some diseases.
- Nutrition – If you are what you eat, I want to be clean and healthy. In my opinion, no matter what you do, if you don’t change what you put IN your body, you’re fighting a losing battle with yourself. What’s the point of exercising 5+ hrs per week and eating crap almost every day? You may get results, but it’s like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back – a whole lot of energy expended for nothing. After a while, you will either get tired of dancing the 2 step, burn out from exhaustion, or get pissed with the small, inconsistent results.
I estimate that I previously ate at least 2000 calories per day but now I eat approximately 1500 calories per day. This is a -500 caloric deficit per day or a -3500 caloric deficit for the week. Just by changing my eating habits, I can lose -1 lb per week (-3500/3500) from food alone.
But my focus isn’t only on weight loss. I want to be healthy and physically fit. So I exercise 4x per week and burn approximately 400-500 calories each session. This is a -1600 to -2000 caloric deficit for the week. Do you see how all of that effort from exercise results in only a -0.4 to -0.6 lb weight loss per week (-2000/3500)? I’d be mad too!
With a combination of healthy nutrition AND exercise, I create a total caloric deficit of -5100 to -5500 per week (-3500+-2000), which equates to approximately -1.4 to -1.6 lbs per week (-5500/3500). This is a more respectable number that I can live with, but I need the mental commitment to maintain it consistently. See how all three elements are connected? :-)
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As my body adjusts to the changes, I will have to adjust the strategy to avoid a plateau. But the point is, there are no shortcuts or easy solutions for a permanent, healthy lifestyle change.
I understand the fascination with diets because they are easy to follow and provide immediate results, for most people. However, instead of teaching you how to correct poor behavior and establish/maintain new habits, they are a temporary fix to a long term problem.
Similar to my personal finance approach, the path I chose is simple but not easy because it requires discipline and consistency. Also, the results may be slow, but the true reward is a healthy body that will treat me well for the rest of my life. I still have a long way to go, but I know that I’m well on my way.
