Diet Plans

[Karma007]

More than anything I guess I'm struggling with staying within points (I'm now down to 21 per day) and with the point values of some homemade recipes. (Now that I'm cooking everything from scratch and not relying on frozen foods, etc.)

Maybe I'm just burned out on it. I don't know.

It is 'that' time of year, and I've been quite slack in both my fitness training and my diet. Maybe I just need to find a way to shake things up a bit...I don't know.

Regardless, thanks for your help!

[Veronica]

Yep, winter is hard. I like comfort foods - lots of fats. And there are so many sweets around at the holidays. I just really focus on not getting overfull. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. I may have eaten too much fudge, so I don't eat dinner. It's not a special plan, but it works for me.

Veronica

[Karma007]

I think the hootch is throwing my game off, too. It's cold I'm tired...It's much more appealing to come home and have a glass of wine, vs going to the gym.

I think what I'm going to do is mix up my goals a little, both fitness and dietary. Cut myself a little slack, but then misist that I meet the modified standards. And save the hootch for Saturday nights. I'm just feeling uninspired (even with the new bike. ) and am having trouble finding my motivation...

[Veronica]

Yep booze is a diet killer. I'm happy that I never found any that I really like. But if you just factor in those calories, skip dessert or eat smaller portions...

And hey, maintaining through the holidays is a victory itself.

Veronica

[Miranda]

I have The South Beach Diet book. DH was to follow it for his cholesterol. It's too much recipe cooking for me. But, the principles in it make a lot of sense. Good short read.

I used to drink alcohol, but don't now for a few reasons. Health and weight are a couple. Your liver plays a big part in your bodies ability to metabilize fat. Alcohol affects that. People may think that means you gotta be consuming enough to be on skid road for it to effect your liver. Not true. The empty calories are mind blowing if you ever measured it, or the size of drinks going out to dinner etc.

The lack of light in the winter really bums me out. I think it's called SAAD? or SADD? Even though I had a nice uplifting spin class today I'm still sitting here self-medicating my lack fo light with some chips now... dammit.

[tpb]

I've been on WW on and off for a while. The message is to change your lifestyle. So, even if you have been successful shedding pounds, if you are doing it in a way that you cannot continue long-term, then I think that means you need to think about how you can change the foods you eat while staying within your points. Do you go to meetings? Or are you following the plan on-line?

I've found the WW forums on-line to be helpful. I've never done meetings, but I've heard lots of folks say they were very valuable.

What do you eat? Our family does not eat meat, so we get lots of our protein from beans, nuts, cheese, soy products (e.g. tofu) and eggs. Rather than eating low/no fat versions of things, we try to highlight the flavors. For example: toasted nuts are much more flavorful, sharp and extra-sharp cheese has more flavor. When we use something with more flavor, we can use less.

Also, I've noticed how I use my points changes by the season. In summer, fresh fruit and veggies are plentiful, so we fill up on them. In winter, I find that I use more of my points on low-calorie protein foods. For example, I snack on hummus on whole-wheat pita or splurge on a bag of cocktail shrimp. Both are low calorie and filling.

I've also found that sometimes I just need to take a day off. Not counting points for a day helps me be in control when I go back to counting.

Good luck - keeping weight under control is a tough journey but you can do it!

-TPB