Fat Fighters, Here I Come
A friend of mind just posted on Facebook that she wouldn't be doing anything so cliche as going to the gym today. I guess that places me squarely in the cliche camp. I just returned from eighty minutes of hot yoga and stopped at Whole Foods so I could prepare my Weight Watchers fare for dinner. Truly, I am not much of a dieter. I hate depriving myself of food and would rather overcompensate in the gym than scrimp on calories. However, my once speedy metabolism seems to be slowing down, and I suppose I must face the music or be doomed to a life spent in elastic pants.
All of the time, money, and energy I put into my last diet/workout scheme failed to pay off. At the end of one month I had lost one pound. Yes, one freakin' pound. Then I went to Italy for three weeks, ate and drank to my hearts content and lost five pounds. Maybe my weight loss plan should entail permanently relocated to Europe?
Weight Watchers seems less extreme and more manageable than my raw food diet. I made a tasty dinner tonight for about $5 bucks (and that's Whole Foods bucks) of shrimp skewers from the fresh seafood counter, roasted broccoli, and mixed greens. And it took about five minutes of prep time. So far, so good. I see lots of grilling and broiler pans in my immediate future.
I figure if this is going to work, its going to take me until June to meet my goal at which point it will be time to reward myself with a fabulous beach vacation. But I shan't get ahead of myself. It's time to hunker down and get serious. And, dear readers, if you should happen see an errant post by yours truly extolling the virtues of a new pastry chef, for example, feel free to call me out on it.
Anyone else on a diet? Which one?
Photo credit, dinner: StellaCadente*
--StellaCadente*
For some insight on how I arrived at this unpleasant crossroads, check out 2010: My Year in Food.
DrGaellon on January 04, 2011 at 07:49 AM
I used to say that Weight Watchers was the best eating plan in the world; if we put all of America on a WW-style diet with appropriate weight-maintenance calorie levels, half our health problems would go away. Unfortunately, the shift to simplification in the program over the past 10-15 years has led to a loss of emphasis on balanced intake; it's entirely about calories, fat and fibre these days. It's still the weight-loss program I recommend over all others, but it is not the easy, perfectly balanced diet it used to be.
StellaCadente* on January 04, 2011 at 12:20 PM
@Dr. Gaellon: Duly noted. I am trying to stick to healthy non-packaged foods and good carbs. Not only counting the calories and portions. Hopefully this will work synergistically.
StellaCadente* on January 04, 2011 at 12:20 PM
@Dr. Gaellon: Duly noted. I am trying to stick to healthy non-packaged foods and good carbs. Not only counting the calories and portions. Hopefully this will work synergistically.
StellaCadente* on January 04, 2011 at 12:20 PM
@Dr. Gaellon: Duly noted. I am trying to stick to healthy non-packaged foods and good carbs. Not only counting the calories and portions. Hopefully this will work synergistically.
HopeSew on January 04, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Sorry your extreme diet a few months ago had lame results. Seems like a lot of people were worried about its soundness anyway. Did you feel any better (stronger, more energy) because of it?
If you ate all the same kind of foods that you ate while in Italy, would you continue to lose weight? I think Americans were healthier in the past when they followed the 4 food groups instead of the ridiculously lopsided food pyramid scheme. I guess that would track with Dr. Gaellon's comment regarding the old WW vs. new. The demonization of dietary fat has been detrimental to the US.
StellaCadente* on January 04, 2011 at 04:27 PM
@HopeSew: I can remember feeling anything but frustrated! And I got bored with the lack of variety. Eating raw vegetables all of the time...my attention waned. I am thinking I will be able to stick to something that allows for more moderation. We shall see.
Linda on January 04, 2011 at 08:12 PM
What a fulfilling year! Your pictures and experiences are too wonderful! Congratulations on a year well spent!
julietx on January 05, 2011 at 12:22 PM
I've been on this diet since Aug 2009 with great results:
http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-effortless-boundless/dp/0982207700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294257830&sr=8-1
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
It's a paleo lifestyle that allows some modern indulgences. The workout plan is simple, effective, and doesn't take a lot of time. I've lost and kept off 50 lbs., and I got myself out of Metabolic Syndrome.
I ate a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have over the holidays and gained a little weight, so this week I've gone back to cutting out the bad stuff, and I'm finding it easy to do so.
I enjoy your blog, although it costs me money occasionally. It's money well-spent.
jaymaster on January 05, 2011 at 03:17 PM
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this book, and I'm almost in a state of shock. IMO, this should be a must read for anyone pondering a new diet.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-Borzoi/dp/0307272702?&camp=212361&linkCode=wsw&tag=omnivoracious-20&creative=380797
Alicia Tunby on January 05, 2011 at 07:12 PM
To those of you that are sick of starving yourself and still want to lose weight, come check this out! www.Xyngular.com/ATunby I lost 35 pounds in less than a month with power walking and eating right and drinking lots of water and taking our all-natural supplements. I went from a size 16/18 respectively to a size 6 and I am still actively losing! This is after five miscarriages in the span of five years and one successful pregnancy at the age of 40! Totally awesome results!
StellaCadente* on January 05, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone. @Linda: Thanks for watching! It was a fun year, indeed. Here's hoping 2011 is just as good or even better!
StellaCadente* on January 05, 2011 at 10:08 PM
@julietx: Thanks for sharing. That book looks interesting...and 50 lbs! Congrats! @jaymaster: that looks like a good one, too.