Steve, in my comments to this post, asked what kind of diet I was on. So, I thought it would be a good time to spell out what I’ve done and what has been working for me.
First off, I’m not saying that what I’ve done will necessarily work for everyone. It won’t. I think it’s important to take the time and think about your lifestyle, try different things, and find out what’s going to work for you too. It may be very different than what works for me, or for anyone else.
Here are some things that have been working for me, and why I think they’re working.
Think healthy
I’ve begun thinking more about whether I’m healthy and less about the weight. Paradoxically, that has helped me to lose weight.
I’m ashamed to admit that in the past I’ve tried some really awful things to lose weight. I’ve gone on diets that I knew were unhealthy, thinking that it would be all right to do that for a while if they helped me lose weight. You know what? Even if I did lose a little weight, I couldn’t stick with it very long. When I went off those diets, the weight came right back.
Now, I’m focusing on eating healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables, light on meat, very little junk. That has helped me to feel better, more energetic, and to lose weight. Regardless of what you try for weight loss, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being sure it’s healthy.
You should also talk to your doctor about diet changes, how many calories are appropriate for you, and whether any of your health conditions require you to make specific changes to your diet. Many doctors won’t open up a conversation about weight and nutrition with you until you make the first move.
To help judge whether you’re on the right track, ask yourself these questions. If the answer is no to any of them, you need to rethink your weight loss plan.
- Would my doctor approve what I’m doing?
- Would it be safe to eat this way long-term?
- Could I eat this way for the rest of my life?
Weigh Daily
I know this goes against what most diets recommend, but it has been an important change for me. Weighing every day allows me to be aware of any trends in my weight and make changes to what I’m doing before things get out of hand. For example, if I gain weight for two or three days in a row, then I know to be more careful and tweak my diet a bit. If I were weighing once a week like many recommend, then I might gain several pounds before I know that something is not going well.
What I don’t mean here is being hyper-vigilant about your weight. If you see you’ve gained half a pound, that’s not the time to panic. Fluctuations in weight are normal, and day to day changes aren’t anything to be concerned about. What I watch for are upward trends, like gaining three days in a row. That tells me to pay more attention to what I’m doing.
It’s o.k. to be hungry
This is another one that flies in the face of all the diet ads. When everything is telling you that you can lose weight and never be hungry, it can be hard to stick with a diet that makes you hungry!
This is one that I really had to think about. If you’re used to eating enough to gain weight, or to maintain your too-high weight, then doesn’t it make sense that eating less will cause you to feel hungry?
I’m not saying to starve yourself. Remember the first principle of doing what’s healthy at all times! It’s perfectiy all right to feel hungry between meals; it’s not all right to skip meals or starve yourself to lose weight.
Don’t eat between meals
I know the current weight loss science recommends five or six smaller meals a day. That may work for many people, but it doesn’t work for me. The fact is, I simply eat too much at each of those “smaller” meals to lose weight.
Instead, I do the traditional three meals a day, no snacks. That seems to work better for me.
No seconds helpings
This, combined with common sense portion control, has really helped me to control the amount I eat. If you’re used to seconds, then this may be a tough one to do. I’d suggest starting out allowing yourself a second-helping of the lowest calorie food on the plate, which is probably the vegetables.
(You DO have vegetables on your plate, right?!)
After a while, you’ll get used to one helping of everything.
Divide and conquer
Now, let’s think about what’s on your plate. I’ve really been working on eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat. I try to make each meal about 2/3 vegetables and fruit, leaving the other 1/3 for meat and grains.
I don’t count potatoes as a vegetable! They’re simply too starchy and too high in calories. I count those as grains instead.
As for grains, I eat whole grains, not white. So, that means no white bread, white rice or white pasta. I eat the whole grain versions of those. If you’re not used to it, it might be difficult, but I honestly like them better. I don’t think the plain white versions have any taste at all.
Nothing is forbidden
I eat anything I want, and that has also been a huge factor in my success. Here again, I have to emphasize the difference between what I do and what many diets promise.
I eat any THING I want. I do not eat any AMOUNT I want. Many diets promise that you can lose weight while continuing to eat anything, when what they are implying is that you can eat whatever you want, in whatever amounts you want. That’s not true, and anyone willing to admit it knows that it defies common sense.
I’m the type of person who wants whatever is forbidden. If you told me I couldn’t have a bowl of brussel sprouts, that’s what I’d instantly develop a craving for. So, eliminating a food from my diet is a great way to make me eat more of it. This one is largely a psychological trick for me. Since I know I can have what I want, if I really have a craving for it, I’m able to better resist it.
So, those are the big changes I’ve made. Again, they may not work for you or fit in with your lifestyle or health goals. If you’re also looking to lose weight, then I’d encourage you to make healthy changes to your eating and be willing to try different things until you find what works for you. See a doctor, so you know if there’s anything special about your situation that would change your diet.
I can’t say it enough; your first concern should be eating healthy and being healthy. That’s more important than anything, including losing weight!
