Like the Leaves of September

My body is changing shape and so is my attitude. My stomach shrinking is great and so is my positive outlook.

I'm sure that this is just me being moody, stressed, and tired but I'm getting bored with dieting. That being said, I am determined not to give up! I should write that ten times just to reiterate it to myself. I do fine with lunch. I am usually skipping breakfast and then I am tending to eat waaaayyy too much for dinner. I'm going to go re-read My Diet Plan (see archives... too tired to put in the link) and hopefully I will revive. My title has to do with the fact that in August I was rapidly racking up red days. Many days were green, some days were yellow, and more often than I would like, red days appeared. My Food Log (see LINX) looks like the leaves of a tree, changing in September. I need to hold on to the green of July and if I have to stumble, my log should then look like a tree in March or April... mostly green but with hints of immature yellowish green.
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Free, Tailor Made, Designed Just For You, Diets Available Now

I have just a couple of hours before bed time and I feel confident in saying that I accomplished my Mini-Goal. Now I need to make another one. So what will it be???
Also, I want to help you! I will personally make a new lifestyle eating plan for you, for free. All you have to do is ask.

Three cheers for me on accomplishing my three day Mini Goal! If you didn't want to scroll down I will summarize... three days green. For me, that means three days eating no more than 1200 calories (with a 50 calorie grace area). So really I could have eaten 1250 and still had green days. As it was, only yesterday did I actually go over the 1200 mark.
The new Mini-Goal will be to go 2 more days at or under 1200. This is supposed to be my goal all of the time, but, if you have read my other posts then you know I have been on vacation. I am also feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Over at The Middle Aged Shed, there is a great article, Losing A Large Amount of Weight - 5 Tips. In that article they discuss the importance of setting small goals. I think this is a great way to combat that feeling of being ovewhelmed that I am experiencing.
Now I know some of you may say, "eee gads, 1200 calories is not enough." But I will refer you to My Diet Plan and my Mission Statement Explanation. Please read these before you deem my diet unreasonable. I will also point out that there are several professionally marketed diets that promote the same low calorie premise, at least in the beginning. And for those of you who don't have time to read both of those articles, let me reiterate that this is My Diet Plan, a plan designed specifically for me.
I will be glad to help you specifically design and tailor your own new lifestyle diet. This is basically the same kind of service offered by many marketed diet centers, but mine does not cost anything but your time. I would also ask that you stay in touch after the plan is created so we can harbor good group energy and motivation.
Hope this post finds you in a happy, healthy, and progressive weight loss mode! We can do it!

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Incorporating Mini-Goals

Over at the MiddleAgeShed there is a great article written to inspire and assist a fellow weight loss blogger. The article lists 5 tips for successful, sustained, and dramatic weight loss. I would like to mention one of those tips in particular and officially state my intentions to incorporate this principle into My Diet Plan.

The tip from the article Losing a Large Amount of Weight - 5 Tips is #2, "Break down the weight loss into small goals." I think this is an excellent idea. In My Diet Plan I originally broke it down into 2 large goals. After reading this article and having had time to experience this long-term weight loss battle, I have decided to revise my goals. That being said, I have already met one smaller goal... to get below the 200 pound mark. Though I am just barely there, it is a significant accomplishment. I am already able to fit back into some clothes that had become too tight. That's a double reward as I don't have to go buy all new clothes and having too tight clothes was the reason I started this new lifestyle to begin with.
I'm going to take this smaller goal idea in a different direction for the time being. Instead of focusing on pounds lost as a small goal, I'm going to focus on re-commitment to my principles. My first mini-goal is to have 3 days of "green" according to My Food Log. This may seem like a wimpy first mini-goal but I have just returned from a week long vacation. During the last 7 days (OK 8) I have not been logging my calories. I was unable to log while on vacation and the first day back just got away from me. I need to revitalize my commitment and I think a mini-goal of three days green is a great place to start. Wish me luck!
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Why 1200? Because It's Working.

I have received a few comments about my goal of only eating 1200 calories per day. In answer to those comments I would like to explain why I feel this is an important premise of My Diet Plan. I will also explain how I intend to fend off "starvation mode".

Let me begin by stating the truth, I am an underachiever. I always fall short of my goals by rationalizing to myself why it is OK to fudge. This is across the board in my life with everything from dieting to laundry and banking. This is a known personality flaw. Therefore, if I set my goal to a higher calorie mark and I revert into my classic behavior, I will fall far short of my goal.

Late this winter I participated in a series of free healthy lifestyle seminars where I discovered to my amazement that I was regularly consuming over 3000 calories per day... and I wondered why I was gaining (insert sarcasm mark here). I also learned that I could easily reduce my intake to 2100 without feeling deprived or working very hard. Then I took that mark one step further and reduced my calories to 1800. I stayed at 1800 calories per day with lots of exercise (3-5 times per week both muscle building and fat burning) for 7 weeks. In 7 weeks time I lost 1/2 of ONE pound. I realize that I may have added muscle which is good. I also realize that weight loss takes time. But really now, I have to say that project ended in failure and of course led me to gain 10 extra pounds after I stopped.

I now fend off starvation mode by eating 4 meals per day. On a perfect day, I eat 300 calories at each meal and space those meals 4 hours apart. This is more than enough stimulation of my metabolism to keep my body from entering starvation mode.

More importantly, THIS IS WORKING! As you can see from My Food Log, I have been doing this since June 4, 2007. It has been almost two months. I have lost about 15 pounds by the scale and about 11 pounds by the log. My weight loss is constant but not too rapid. I am also making a lifestyle change. This is not just a diet. This is a way to retrain myself into healthy and achievable habits.

I have set my weight loss goal to 140 pounds. I am 5'6". That goal is in the acceptable and healthy range for a person of my height. The range is 115 to 154. I am even shooting for a goal that is on the higher end of that healthy range. When I reach my goal at my current level of activity I will be able to eat about 1400 calories per day to maintain that weight. Based on my current weight loss rate, it will take me until June 2008 to reach my goal. I think this entire reasonable and achievable.

I appreciate all of the comments I have received about this premise of my diet plan. I welcome further comments and would be happy to help outline a personal diet plan for anyone out there who is need of free but unlicensed help. Read more!

This Really Works (My Diet Plan)

The Long and Short of My Diet Plan (Short First). I am down 14 pounds since June 4, 2007!

The Short

1. 1200 calories daily
2. no more than 500 calories in 4 hours
3. 60 or less grams of fat daily
   
4. use the Food Pyramid
5. eat normal foods
6. eat recommended portions (or less)
7. stay hydrated
8. exercise
9. log calories, track progress
10. DO NOT GIVE UP!

The Long

My starting weight is 214 pounds. My goal weight is 140 pounds. I want to loose 74 pounds. I divided that goal into 2 major parts. I initially want to loose 34 pounds. This will put me at 180 pounds. Upon achieving this goal I will have to reevaluate my methodology as my body will no longer be burning the same amount of calories. The heavier you are, the more calories your body burns. The first premise of my diet is to reduce my daily caloric intake to 1200 per day. I also want to divide these calories into 4 meals. Ideally I would consume 300 calories at each meal. This is not always possible, especially when eating on-the-go or at a gathering. The second premise of my diet is to consume no more than 500 calories in any given 4 hour period. Any calories consumed over 500 at the same time are stored in the body as fat. Allowing up to 500 calories in one meal will give me flexibility when eating out or in a group. I will still remain at a daily total of 1200 calories. The third premise of my diet is to limit fat intake to 60 grams in one day. Eating more than 60 grams of fat in a day means that I have not eaten sufficient servings from all of the basic food groups or have neglected to eat from one or more of the groups altogether. Premise four of my diet is to be guided by the USDA Food Pyramid. I want to eat at least one serving from each of the basic food groups daily. I also want to allow for some treats (sugar) and consume some fats to ensure proper digestion. The fifth premise of my diet is to eat normal foods. I want to eat the same foods that I serve my family. I am sure to slowly incorporate healthier, more calorie conscious, and lower fat meals into menus for my family. The idea here is to not have to cook one meal for my family and a separate meal for myself. Premise six of my diet is that I want to eat the recommended serving size of the foods I eat. Eating less than the recommended serving size is also acceptable as often the nutrition label on a food package and the USDA Food Pyramid have different measurements for one serving of a particular food. Eating less than the recommended serving size is also useful when quelling a craving or considering what extra flavor punches to incorporate into a meal. The seventh premise of my diet is stay hydrated. This will be especially important after the first 10 pounds come off as poor hydration can lead to baggy, hanging skin. Consuming the proper amount of liquid daily will aid digestion and help keep the excretory system functioning properly. Premise eight of my diet is to incorporate exercise. Exercise burns calories and build muscle. Muscle burns more calories. This is essential in order for the second part of my weight loss goal to be achieved. Premise nine of my diet is to not rely on the scale as the sole progress indicator. The way my clothing fits and the notches on my belt will also be good indicators of success. Using My Food Log and the calculations for calories burned should be the main indicator of progress. The weight scale should only be used as a reminder of previous success and as a final marker for goal completion. The tenth premise of my diet is to not give up, no matter what! Should I discover that my stated plan is not effective then I will reevaluate and modify the plan. I will not be satisfied until my goal weight is achieved. I will not revert into bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle upon reaching my goal. Read more!