Update

 

It's been three weeks.  What have I been up to?

Honestly, I've been a little off in the food department.  I need a new challenge to get me back on track because I am losing momentum.  The week after my 10 week challenge ended, I felt pretty good.  It felt nice to not think about weight and just eat.  And for the first week I ate mostly well.  Then I sort of lost focus.

The last couple weeks reminded me that food and exercise choices are something that I always need to pay attention to, even if just on the periphery.

I just HATE counting things - points, fat, calories.  It's all so tedious and I swear it makes food less enjoyable.  So what are my options?  What am I to do that will be both effective and minimally miserable?

I'm toying with the same ideas I've toyed with forever, but here they are:

• There's low fat.  I can just pay attention to the food that I eat and make sure it's low fat in nature -- 3 grams of fat or less per serving.  I can make sure to include whole grains primarily but not exclusively.  

• Then there's the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique where I eat off a list of foods that is conducive to weight loss.  Fat free dairy, fruits, vegetables and lean meat make the cut.  High fat dairy, fatty meats and sugary sweets are out. 

• There is also the intuitive eating method.  This is where I pay attention to my level of hunger, only eating when I'm truly hungry and eating what I desire to only the level of satisfaction, not fullness.

• Then there is Trim Healthy Mama, separating fats and carbs and only eating whole foods, very little wheat and lots of fiber.

• Or, I could merely eliminate sweets.  

• Or, I could eat only real, whole foods, and forego all fake processed foods.  No counting, just eating the good stuff.

• Lastly, there is the method where the only thing I count is fiber, everything else is disregarded.  I make sure I get 30 grams a day and that's it.  Eating a high fiber diet, absent of any other changes, is supposed to lead to weight loss and decrease unhealthy symptoms the same as any other more restrictive diet.

That's seven ideas.  Seven.  Some are easier than others and some are more effective than others.  Some my family will not notice and others I would need to make them aware.

Looking at this list, this familiar list that runs through my head on the reg, I will now eliminate two off the bat.  Gone are Trim Healthy Mama and intuitive eating - the first because it's too much of an overhaul and a pain in the butt, the second because I actually enjoy food less when I pay that much attention.  It makes me anxious oddly enough.  

Ok, let's work through this.  Five left.  What else can I cross off?  The only whole foods idea sounds great on the surface but really, it's not realistic for me.  Eliminating sweets sounds good, and maybe I should, but I'm not quite there.  And even though it would be a definite boon to my health, I'm not sure how much weight I'd lose.  Also, the fiber idea sounds doable, besides the gassiness, but I think I may need a slightly different approach.  

That leaves me with Simply Filling and Low Fat.  

Here's what I think I'll do.  I'm going to do a version of the old Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique, only I'll add a few foods that I know I won't overdo it on and make it a little more sustainable.  I'm going to add whole wheat flour to the list so that I can make things like muffins or pancakes.  Dangerous?  Maybe.  But as I've heard it said: Let your weight loss be your guide.

I'll check back in next week and see where I am at!  Maybe I'll stick with this plan for the future or maybe I'll mix it up again.  You'll just have to wait and see.  In the meantime you can check out my weight loss charts and read my old posts to see the progress I've made over the years.  Though it's slow and steady and sometimes backwards, it's all good!