Summer 2014 / Diet and Weight Loss

With all that is going on, I hardly want to mention it.  But I will soon  have lost 20 pounds.

This is a major triumph.

I have never binged and put on much at a time, but weight just kept on creeping up year after year, half pound by half pound, over the decades, and I could never get it off.  By now the BMI was quite out of line and the weight was making me very miserable.   I went back on a diet that has worked for me once before, that the staff had once introduced to our business, and all we girls were on, since nothing else seems to work.  It was the "Lean For Life" diet.  The books can be found on Amazon (see below).  There is a book for the weight-loss period, and there is a book for the maintenance afterward.  The latter is quite important as people have a tendency to return to old habits and put the weight back on.  The plan for maintenance is just as strict.  And I think this is what I need.

The most important part, aside from following all the rules and regulations of "Lean for Life" was to use the My Fitness Pal app.  I am probably the last person to find out about this, but it has been a revolutionary aid to me, as tracking becomes very accurate, easy, and really a snap.  The statistics provide the much-needed feedback which can fuel a full commitment to the goals.  I would say that the first step is to become thoroughly acquainted with the app. and to start tracking.  From there on, many things just fall into place.

What also helped was finding good and easy sources of protein for snacks.  I have eaten more cans of sardines, and found a decent protein bar at Costco that is not overloaded with carbohydrates.

My goal has been to stay under 1200 calories and under 100 carbs, a day.  I need to supplement several things including fibre.  At the moment I am in "metabolic adjustment" which means that for a period of time I try to eat more, in a very controlled way, and keep the weight the same.  So far so good.

http://www.amazon.com/Lean-For-Life-Phase-Weight/dp/1580000886