Diet Shmiet

My dinner last evening.

I realize it doesn’t look like a lot.  I was not of the mind to prep, clean, and cook up and fabo meal.  I punted and came up with this “snaky” meal.  Small but good though.  I did get another protein snack and an apple a bit later on in the evening.  I could have had a touch more veggies, but I was just not in the mood.

Ok … back to the title … diet shmiet.  Well, I am sick of diets.  I am sick of restricted calories.  I know some folks can lose weight without extreme measures, but I cannot.  So, here I am for the holidays limiting my calories and making a LIFESTYLE change …. yet again.  Why wait for January?  No time like the present.

Why did I choose now?  Uh … my clothes were getting SO tight that I was about to have to buy Fatter, fat clothes and that just wasn’t happening.  Girl can deal with one clothes size to work through a problem, but not a second.  So, it was time for strict eating rules for a while.  It stinks, because I feel tired and grumpy.  I know it will shift and I will feel better by next week, but I seriously hate working through the shift phase.

I think the reason I have such severe shifts in mood where food changes are concerned is two fold.  1.  I am diabetic and well food effects my moods.  2. I have autistic personality features — I don’t like shifts in my life or schedule it takes a lot of work to shift my routine and it makes me a GRUMP–a seriously bad Grump–probably psycho is more accurate (in my defense, it is probably the combo of the two of these factors that make this so yummy fun)!

Whats the plan?  Let me see how to structure this.

• The Food
  • No refined foods — nothing processed with sugar or in a box.  Not even the healthy stuff.
  • No Added Sugar — no table sugar, honey, NO Sugar sups except stevia, and most fruits
  • No Starches — no potatoes, no-root veggies, no breads–almost none (bread sticks occasionally)
  • Limited Fats — just what comes in the meat and cottage cheese naturally
  • I eat protein — lean beef, fish (no-salmon or fatty fish-for right now), chicken breast, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese (only once or twice a week), and shrimp–and other seafood
  • I eat — Apples, Oranges, berries–like strawberries, but only twice a day.
  • I eat veggies — quite a LOT of them, steamed, broiled, baked, and sautéed in veggie broth.
  • I eat herbs — LOTS of these too.  They make the food YUMMY.  Most of mine are fresh–cuz that’s how I like it.
  • I drink — Lots of water, several cups of coffee, and Lots, and Lots of herbal tea with lemon.
• The Exercise
  • Limited-light weights with high reps (SO NOT my fav. –I prefer to lift heavy, but that can’t happen now.)  I have too many injuries that keep flaring up so I am keeping fit while they heal.  This is also another reason for the super restricted diet and calories–with the reduced activity I have to WATCH my food intake.
  • For December I am doing Squats with my facebook buddies Join if you dare!  Click here.
  • Walks – 2/3 mile walks.  May try to run, but it will probably take several weeks before I feel strong enough to try that.
  • Pilates Reformer classes.
  • Limited-easy bike rides for the first few weeks.
• The Weigh Ins:  I didn’t want to be discouraged.  So what did I do?
  • First Problem: I didn’t want to know what I weighed.
  • Second Problem:  I needed to track progress or lack of progress
  • Problem Solution: I enlisted Mike’s help–every morning I jump on the scale and he looks and records the info.

I decided that I would do better if I just focused on the positive results of my work instead of the scale, but I felt like I needed to have it recorded.  So far all this is working in my favor.  I can fit back into a pair of my skinny jeans (that this time last year were baggy–still I can fit back in them)  I have to say that fitting back into the old-baggy-skinny jeans is GREAT!  I’ll take it.

I’ve been struggling with what food plan will work for me most of this year.  I have mostly failed. Why did I fail?  That’s a great question.  I am not completely 100% sure I know the answer, but I have a good idea that the hormones and experiementing with food plans are responsible.  I seriously HATE that I have to eat such a strict selection of foods in order to maintain health and stay slim.  I have resisted accepting this.  I have chased after every claim I found that I could eat some sort of different plan that includes a wider array of options.  Sadly, if I wanna lose I have to limit fat intake, calorie intake, and I have to limit my exercise.   This is NOT my choice, but what works.  So I chose to do what works.

WARNNG:  Do Not come here telling me that my plan isn’t healthy, wise, or that I should try X, Y, Z plan–I’m liable to get UGLY!  Don’t say I didn’t warn you, because I am going to stick with what’s working and I have doctors monitoring my health — SO BACK OFF.  Your generic advice is not required.  I am doing what works for ME.  Get on with what works for you.  I am excited your plan works for you–but I don’t want to hear it.

That is why I called this diet shmiet, because I have to accept that I will have to eat this way for most of my life, albeit a slightly more generous version of this plan, but still this type of diet (as in the food I eat–not as a weight loss plan) for the rest of my life.  SIGH.

I have tried eating a lot of different ways.  I am not against any food groups–in fact I love them all.  I am not into making any food a “Villian” all though I feel like “fake food” is pretty much a chemical poison dump for the body–that could be a real villian.  There is a great post about this at GoKaleo–click the link to read.  I can maintain, but I cannot lose without all these restrictions.  I think it stinks.  My body is my body, and I have to accept it for what it is, and give it what it needs.  I will find a way to make it yummy and fun.  I will learn to love this way of life, because I love me and I want to live and live well.

My body likes eating this way.  I haven’t had diabetic meds in a week.  AT ALL.  Blood pressure meds have had to be cut down as well.

I guess that is a long enough update … Hugs and wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season … Check y’all Later

🙂