urban:masala

My WL Approach

urban masala on 06 7, 2008

Rather than follow a commercial program as I had thought of doing for 2004, I’ve decided to return to the strategy that worked for me in 2003. My approach is pretty simple and straightforward. Healthy eating, making better food choices, and controlling my daily calorie intake (1,500 to 2,000). For now, the breakdown I’m aiming for is a 40-30-30 ratio; 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. The keys for me are to reduce my portions, stop being greedy with food and eat only the amount my body needs. To my amazement, it has become undeniably clear that I can survive, and actually feel full and satisfied, on an astonishingly small (by comparison) amount of food. I am also increasing my complex carbs and beneficial fats (such as olive oil and avocados), reducing my intake of unhealthy fats, simple carbs, carbs that have a high glycemic index, drinking plenty of water (64 to 96 oz. per day), and exercising. That’s pretty much it. Yep, the old “common sense” approach.

I anticipate it will take approximately 12 months, at a loss of roughly 2 pounds per week, to reach my goal. I intentionally guesstimated a conservative timeframe to allow for plateaus and occasional setbacks. My initial exercise regimen includes walking five days a week (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sat), alternating weight training (Tue/Thu/Sat) and yoga (Mon/Wed/Fri) three days each. As I progress, I will adjust my routine and activities as needed. I am using a few aids to monitor my progress, including my journal, daily/weekly calorie statistics, exercise log, and my goals/reward system. Since being aware of exactly how much I eat is key to losing the weight and keeping it off, I have made a commitment to track my daily calorie intake. I plan to regularly post summaries of my calories and exercise on my blog, but will track my food details at SparkPeople. I may also set up a training log to record details of my workouts.

Eventually, I will create a “Before & After” section that will include photos of me at various stages along my journey. I haven’t yet mustered up the courage to post my full-body before photos, but they will come. My promise is that as I begin to make noticeable progress and move closer to my goal weight, I will reveal my before & after shots, starting weight, clothes sizes, total number of pounds lost…the whole nine.

On December 6, 2008, I decided to join Weight Watchers (WW). It was the best move I made all year. Unlike many other weight loss programs, WW is not a diet, per se, but more of a lifestyle and behaviour modification programme that teaches you healthy eating principles, portion control and smart food choices. While I am well informed about healthy eating, portion control became a huge problem for me and the WW Momentum Plan is just what the doctor ordered. It has truly helped me gain control in this area and it is the perfect complement to my healthy eating philosophy, especially since I enjoy cooking.

Here is a list of the basic things I do to make WW work for me:

1. Plan My Meals. I usually plan my meals (including snacks) on a weekly basis. I almost always have some idea of what I am going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The way I see it, if I fail to plan, I plan to fail! Sure, it take a bit of effort, but it’s well worth it when you see the results on the scale and measuring tape.

2. Cook My Own Food. I believe cooking/preparing my own meals is one of the most important things I can do to ensure my success and I am committed to it. When I joined WW, I decided that it would be a good idea to stop eating out since I am never really sure of the ingredients, particularly hidden sugar and fat. By preparing my own meals I have complete control over what I’m eating and since I enjoy cooking, this is not a problem for me. I eat regular food just as I always have, but I’ve begun “slimming down” some of my old recipes. On the infrequent occasions that I must eat out I make healthy choices (most of the time).

3. Pack My Bag. I have what I call my “War Bag” that I use to pack my lunch and snacks for work (or other extended periods from home). This strategy has proven to be vital to my success. No more going out for lunch (eating God knows what) or hitting the vending machines for morning and afternoon snacks. I fill my back with healthy, nutritious goodies so that I have everything I need available to me when I need it and won’t be tempted.

4. Eat Clean & Often. As often as possible, I eat whole foods with lots of fiber and I eat 5 or 6 times a day (about every 3 hours). I eat lots of fruit, veggies, lean meats (usually), beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains, in the form of salads, dips, soups, stews, curries, smoothies, fresh juice, green tea and other delicious meals and drinks. I avoid processed foods and frozen meals whenever possible, as they contain, preservative, hydrogenated oils, other unhealthy ingredients and way more sodium that I would like to ingest (including WW Smarts Ones, Lean Cuisine, etc.). The rule for me is this: If it come in a box, bag, can, carton or other container, I avoid it (except for certain prepackaged healthy items.)

5. Water & Vitamins. I drink a minimum of 56 to 64 ounces of water per day and even though WW allows you to include other liquids in that total, I do not. I do drink additional liquids, like tea, almond milk and juice during the day, but I don’t count them as water. Why? Because they are NOT water, regardless of what WW allows. I also take multivitamins, extra calcium, CoQ10 and other nutrients twice a day and I cleanse my system about every 3 months or so (including fresh juice cleansing and herbal cleansing).

6. Exercise. It’s crucial! Anyone who thinks that they can win the weight-loss game and successfully maintain a normal weight without some form of meaningful, significant exercise is fooling themselves, not to mention doing themselves a huge disservice. The benefits of regular exercise go far beyond the physical. Getting your motor revving also releases endorphins which give you a sense of peace and well being that you cannot acquire by any other means. I do cardio (walking, dancing and soon — running), strength training (weight lifting at the gym), and flexibility training (yoga and stretching).

7. Use My Points. I eat all of my Daily Points (DP) and usually all of my Weekly Allowance Points. I even eat my Activity Points (APs), when earned. I believe this is key to allowing your body to shed fat consistently over a long period of time. Otherwise, your body adjusts to functioning on fewer Points (calories) and that sets you up for diminished success in the later phases of weight-loss and decreases the number of calories it takes to maintain your weight, meaning you can’t eat as much before gaining.