Dieting and weight update

Dieting. . .  its a word people dread, especially just after Christmas.

It is almost 3 years since I started "dieting". . . or more correctly, changing the way I eat to a more healthy way of life. One that I can remain on forever. 

Along the way I have learnt a thing or two which I thought I would share with you (please note, I am not a trained doctor or dietician and if you are planning on loosing weight do discuss it with your GP):

• Facing disappointment will happen. The body is such a funny thing, you can sail long beautifully and then it all decides to stop . . . don't panic, because it will start up again. 

• Don't give up, take one day at a time.

• Dieting is hard work, but maintaining ones achieved weight is in fact much harder. Most people put more weight back on at the end of their diet (or within 5 years) because they don't realise how tough it is to stay "on weight". 

• For me CAKE = POUNDS/KILOGRAMS, therefore, stay away from CAKE! It really is that simple. However in saying this, there is no danger of having a slice of birthday cake.

• Make healthy foods your best friend. Reach for a raw carrot or snow pea rather than a lolly or chip (this becomes easier with time).

• If you are one of those people who eat whatever is in your house, e.g. chips or lollies - don't buy these things then the temptation will be gone. 

• Don't tie yourself to a "diet" book, use it as a guide, but don't let it rule your life.  At some stage you have to go off on your own and make your new way of eating your life-time way of eating. 

• Don't get sucked in by "low fat" commercial foods,  it often = high sugar.

• Read the ingredient list of pre-made foods, you might be surprised at the amount of sugar in food these days, this includes meat pies, frozen yoghurt (meant to be a healthy choice), cakes, breads etc.. 

• Don't give up everything, I love my mayonnaise and I still eat it.  Life it too short to give up everything you enjoy, just decide what that one thing will be. 

• Diet with a friend, it will give you emotional support.

• Become best buddy with your scales. Give your scales a name!! Each morning at 6:10am, my scales and I have a little chat. Sometimes I say quite nice things to my scales, others time, not so good. But never panic, there is always another day.

• Try new foods - I have become the brown rice queen, just love it, and it makes for the best summer salad.

• If you are a snacker, the sort that gets hungry at 10am, 3pm and 8pm, find healthy options such as nuts, fruit or vegetables (I love almonds in moderation).

• Don't panic if you fall off the wagon, so to speak - just get up and get back on. There is always another day.

• Say goodbye to fast food such as KFC, MacDonalds etc... not healthy for the body and no good for weight lose. Make your own pizzas and hamburgers as they are way nicer than anything you can buy.

• If you know that Friday will be a bad day (its your birthday!), then eat really well for the days leading up to Friday and then eat that birthday cake, but perhaps take a smaller slice. Don't deny yourself  - it isn't fun and it makes you more likely to stop eating healthy.

• Being on a diet doesn't mean no restaurants, of course you can eat out, but pick carefully from the menu.

• Eat breakfast. But not the stuff that comes out of boxes laden with sugar. I eat porridge with no sugar on top. 

• Go for a walk, no need to get completely covered in sweat, but exercise is important.

• Skip sugar laden fizzy drinks, they contain no goodness and a heap load of sugar (one can of coke contains 39grams of sugar).

• If you struggle with portion size reduce the size of your dinner plate - the smaller it is the less you can put on it. 

• And don't forget to reward yourself when you reach set goals - something special that you can look forward to. I bought a new skirt when I dropped my first dress size which I found very exciting. 

A few other things I didn't do during my diet (and still don't do) that I know other diets such as the Thin Healthy Mama diet (THM) does do: I didn't remove cows milk from my diet as I think it is important for healthy bones (and I don't all the milk substitutes such as almond milk).  I didn't stop eating butter (I won't eat margarine with all its chemicals), I didn't remove sugar or honey, I just cut back. I didn't substitute sugar for the other alternatives (e.g. Stevia) as I don't like them (however I do like coconut sugar). Its important that eating is still enjoyable, why substitute for things you don't like. Weight loose is still achievable with full-cream milk, butter and even cream. Its what you do with them and the amount you eat that is important. 

I still monitor what I eat, I am still very careful. If I get lazy, I will put weight back on. So I need to be vigilant always. I have accepted this and prepared to live like this as I know it is much better for my health as I approach my older years (well, some way off!). 

Just don't give up.
And never stop praying as with the Lord all things are possible.

Tomorrow: Why do you want to loose weight?