Dieting Doesn’t Have to Be Restrictive

Yesterday I wrote about how difficult it is to lose weight. After a couple of comments, I decided I’d do another blog about weight loss and try to explain some of the things that have worked for me. I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist or a Weight Watchers spokesperson, so please understand I’m not an authority. I just know what has worked for me in the past.

1. Count something, whether it be points using the Weight Watchers system or calories. In order for weight loss to be successful, you have to know how much you are eating. You also have to be smart about this. If you’re using the Weight Watchers points system, the program calculates how many points you can have daily based on your current weight and your desire to lose weight. As you lose weight, the system adjusts and lowers the number of points per day. Everybody gets 49 weekly points to use however and whenever he or she wishes. The Weight Watchers program has worked because it is not a fad diet; it adjusts your eating habits. It also is designed to make sure you lose weight in a healthy manner, which will help with keeping the weight off. I joined Weight Watchers online for three months, and while a member I bought a points calculator and a couple of their books which contain points for nearly all food items, most brand names, and many restaurant dishes. With these tools, I can now keep track of the points I’m allowed and the ones I’m using, and I don’t have to pay the monthly fee to use their online system to keep track of this.

If you don’t want to use the Weight Watchers system, you can count calories. However, be sure you do this responsibly. If you are eating 3,000 calories per day, it makes sense that if you start eating 2,500 calories per day, you will start losing weight. Common sense dictates that you don’t drop too many calories at once. If you are eating 3,000 calories per day and immediately drop to 1,200 calories per day, you’re going to have a hard time sticking to it. That would be a major shock to your system. So, be responsible when selecting the number of calories to be your daily goal. Nearly all recommendations I have seen suggest that you do not drop under 1,200 calories per day. You can easily find an abundance of resources online to help you calculate your goal weight and the number of calories required to help you achieve that goal weight. You can also find resources that help you calculate your ideal body mass index (BMI) and to help you make healthy choices regarding your weight loss.

2. Track your food and drink intake. The easiest way to count those points or calories is by tracking what you eat or drink. Many people forget to count their drinks, but many drinks have calories, and thus points. If you don’t track the drinks, you could easily end up going over your daily goal for points or calories. The best way to track this is to write it down. Keep a food journal. Don’t think you will be able to remember it all during the day. Get a spiral notebook or journal of some sort, and write down your food and drink every day. The additional benefit is that you can look back over the week and determine patterns of eating behavior, which can help you make decisions about changing your eating habits.

3. Eat fruits and vegetables. In the Weight Watchers points system, these are freebies. So rather than grab a chocolate chip cookie, grab some carrot sticks. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat a chocolate chip cookie, but rather than always snacking on cookies, you mix it up a little and have some fruits and veggies. There is a slight catch, though. Starchy vegetables – you know the best vegetables – do count. So while lettuce, carrots, and cauliflower are fine, and you can eat as many as you want, you can’t indulge in French fries and creamed corn all day.

4. Drink more water. Doing this will cut down on other beverages you might drink. Try to limit the pop intake, even though diet drinks have no calories, and thus wouldn’t count in your limit. One thing I do is to add Crystal Light flavor packets to my bottles of water. This gives me something else to drink, but the flavor packets don’t count in the limit because they only have five calories per packet. My favorites are the Sunrise Orange, which replaces my orange juice for breakfast, and pink lemonade. Cherry and fruit punch are also good, but there are many other options.

5. Eat smaller meals, but eat more frequently. Typically, we think breakfast, lunch, and supper. Three meals. I’ve found that if I eat when I’m hungry, I do better. Trying to force myself to wait until a “meal time” only makes things worse for me. I end up eating more at that meal, or I end up having a snack I don’t need to have. By eating something when I’m hungry, I find it easier to stay on track. With those free fruits and veggies, having a bowl of strawberries or some carrot sticks will usually hold me over. If it doesn’t, a light sandwich will. The key is to not get so hungry that you feel the need to eat and eat and eat.

6. Exercise. This is the one I don’t really follow. Perhaps one day I will, but right now I’m not. I know I should, but that’s not been enough to motivate me so far. The benefits of exercise are many, but in relation to counting your points and calories, exercise also provides the benefit of allowing more points or calories. In the Weight Watchers system, if you exercise, you can earn extra points to use for that day. Likewise, if you’re counting calories eaten, you can calculate calories burned and adjust your calorie intake for the day.

7. Be smart. Don’t jump in without doing some research. Talking to your doctor would also be a good idea. Understand the process will be slow. There will be plateaus. There will be days you are completely discouraged. But stay with it, and in the end you can achieve your desired results. And remember what works for one person might not work for you.

Weight Watchers Can Work for You

If losing weight was as easy as gaining weight, none of us would have a problem, would we? Unfortunately, gaining weight is very easy, and losing weight is very hard. For some of us, me included, sometimes I think I can just look at food and gain weight.

I saw today that a new drug was approved to assist with long-term weight loss. And we’re aware that there are several surgical options available for those who want to lose weight. For those who choose those options, I wish them success, but I have to wonder about those options. Many of the folks I know who have had surgeries done have had one of two things happen. These people have either ended up with other medical issues and other surgeries that may or may not be related to the original weight-loss surgery, though I find it too coincidental to not be related, or they ended up gaining the weight back.

Despite that, it’s still tempting to just go to the doctor and check into the weight-loss surgeries or the new drug. As humans, we do tend to look for the easy way to do things, and it appears that a miracle drug or a surgery might be the easiest route to go. However, one thing we learn through our experiences is that more often than not, the easy way is not the best way. We do better with the things we have to work for. It means more to us if we work for it.

And losing weight simply by modifying your lifestyle – changing your eating and exercise habits – is hard, and it is work. However, compared to the folks who opt for other methods, it seems that the ones who lose weight by modifying these habits end up being able to keep the weight off. I’m sure that doesn’t mean they miraculously stop struggling with weight issues, but they’ve adapted their lifestyle to be able to deal with the struggles.

One of my resolutions was related to weight loss, and when you read my resolution update on Saturday, you will find that this is one I’m still struggling with. I have lost a few pounds, but nowhere near what I should have by now. I know I would do better if I would add exercise to my routine, and eventually I may do that, but until then, I’m going to have to work harder at modifying my diet and how much I eat. I know I can see results using the Weight Watchers points system. Therefore, I’m recommitting myself to this goal.

I started counting my points again on Monday, the traditional start-your-diet day. And even though it is only Wednesday, I have managed to do well so far, and that includes having to eat lunch at a fast-food restaurant on Monday because I was in Hazard for a meeting and having to eat lunch out gain on Tuesday because I was in Lexington all day. Both days, I used my tools to calculate the points of what I was eating to make sure I stayed within the guidelines. Could I have eaten more? Sure, but I made it a point not to. Using the points system gives you a certain amount of points allowed each day, based on your starting weight and your goal to lose. Everybody gets 49 extra points to use throughout the week, whenever you choose. Because I know my husband and I like to cook together on weekends, I try to save as many of those 49 points as possible for the weekend.

To further help, I’ve bought more fruit this week, since fruit counts as zero points. When we left Lexington yesterday, after finishing shopping at Wal-Mart, instead of buying my usual bottle of Diet Mountain Dew and a candy bar for a snack on the way home, I bought a bottle of water and ate a banana from the bunch I’d just bought. Yesterday, I also bought a watermelon and some strawberries. When I want a snack, these are going to be my go-to choices this week. I know there aren’t any calories in the diet pop, but I’m also going to try to limit myself a little more there and drink more water instead. I’d worked my way back up to two or three Diet Dews a day, and I’m going back to one or none.

This weight-loss thing will not be easy; however, I do intend to lose not only the goal I set for the year as my resolution (which was 20 pounds), but I intend to be at least three dress sizes smaller when it’s time to go shopping for a dress to wear to my son’s wedding next summer. It will take work, but as I’m not getting any younger, I know it’s in my best interest to do this, and I know I can count on my friends and family for support when the going gets tough.

Marching on with My Resolutions

Another month has come and gone, so it’s time for my monthly update blog to let you know how well I’m doing with keeping my 2012 New Year’s resolutions.

You may remember I made five simple resolutions, because simple resolutions are much easier to keep. So, let’s see how I’m doing.

1. My writing resolution is working out about the same. I am managing to write something every day, and I am managing to post a blog every day. Sometimes I feel like it’s decent stuff, and other times I’m not as happy with it, but I think that goes with the territory of being a writer. Not everything will be a masterpiece. The third part of my writing resolution is still the part that needs the most work. I am making slow progress on my project, but it’s not getting the two days per week that I’d like it to. There’s only one month of school left, and I’m really hoping that during the three months I have off this summer that I can make up for what I’ve failed to do so far with the project.

2. My reading goal is progressing slowly. I’m up to having 12.5 books that I’ve read so far. That’s quite a bit under the 6.25 per month I’d hoped to do to stay on pace to hit 75 for the year. It puts me about a month behind. I’m not really worried, though, because with those three full months off this summer, I don’t anticipate having any trouble making up the difference, and even going ahead, of the monthly goal. I still believe 75 for the year is doable.

3. My weight loss goal has taken a step backward. As you may remember I gave up Diet Dew for Lent, and over the course of the last month, I’ve been drinking some Cherry 7-Up. I can’t find that in diet, so while Cherry 7-Up is a great-tasting drink, it was a bad choice. I managed to gain back what I’d lost so far, but that only strengthens my resolve. I’ve given up the Cherry 7-Up, and I’ve started tracking my foods using my Weight Watchers tools. The last time Nic and I signed up for Weight Watchers online, I bought both of us a set of the “tools” that were available – a tracker that calculates points values and tracks our daily usage and a set of books that include points values for a variety of foods and that includes point values for restaurant food items. I started using these tools again this week, and despite being in Pigeon Forge for my anniversary and eating out at some great restaurants, I think the week will turn out OK. If not, I only have an anniversary once a year, so I won’t worry about it too much, and I’ll be better with my tracking next week. Either way, I’m sure that once I start tracking regularly, then I’ll be fine, and I’ll see the weight start to drop off.

4. My recipe challenge is probably my favorite resolution, and one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while, though I do have to be careful to make sure it doesn’t interfere with my weight loss resolution. March was another good month for cooking in the Raines house. This month, we tried a variety of recipes. We tried two grilled cheese recipes, and both were successes: Grilled Apple, Bacon, and Cheddar Grilled Cheese with Roasted Red Onion Mayo and Tyler’s Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Jimmy created a turkey club sandwich that was also very good. We tried a couple of casserole-style dishes: Chicken and Dumpling Casserole and Green Onion Chicken with Linguine. Again, both of these were a success. I did one side dish recipe, Baked Herb and Parmesan Potatoes, and these potatoes were delicious. Finally, I did two different crock pot recipes: Dr. Pepper Roast and Cajun Pot Roast. The Dr. Pepper Roast was OK, but I preferred the Cajun Pot Roast which was exceptional. Once again, we’ve managed to average more than one new recipe, and regardless of what happens with the other resolutions, I see this as one that will stay with us, even after 2012 is over. And as always I’ll be happy to share my recipes with you.

5. My final resolution of keeping you updated is once again achieved. I really like this resolution as well because it gives me a chance to stop and periodically take stock of how I’m doing. In addition, knowing I have to report it to someone helps to keep me on track. I look forward to the April update, and I hope to see further improvement in those areas where I’m lacking.