My mother and I talked it over and agreed that we were going to start a new diet this weekend. She had initially wanted to try Atkins, to get an initial fast jump on weight loss, but when I said I just couldn't do that, she agreed to try a different approach that cobbles together her memories of the Weight Watchers plan, as well as my experience with various plans from eDiets.
This approach basically categorizes foods into milks, breads, proteins, vegetables, fruit, and fats, with room for some optional extra calories and personal selections spread over the week. Each day allows for:
- 2 milks
- minimally 3 servings of vegetables
- 3 fats
- 5 proteins
- 2 fruits
- 3 breads
The optional extras and personal selections should add up to 700 calories or less for the week (I still honestly can't figure out the difference between the two), and there is a daily minimum of 8 glasses of water. My mother printed out the chart pictured above, and then we spent a while bickering about what constitutes a serving of protein (because I know that 1 oz. of lean chicken is very different than 1 oz. of ground beef or say, salami). I guess I'll work out the details as we go.
In addition to losing weight and improving my nutrition and sleep, I have some other goals with this change.
First, I'm very concerned with my digestive health. A few years ago I was hospitalized with a very gross infection that they felt was exacerbated by anxiety. I was cautioned that I could develop a permanent condition like irritable bowel syndrome or colitis, and without getting into too much detail, let's say that our current diet of fatty meat and starches is bringing about a return of worrying symptoms (this is part of why I just couldn't do Atkins again). I've made an effort, in planning my meals, to include a lot of whole grains and vegetables, and I've also started taking fiber supplements again. This time it's Fiber Choice plus Antioxidants, a really delicious pomegranate and berry flavored chewable supplement. These are like candy to me, so I have no problem taking them, which is a nice change from those fiber capsules that used to feel stuck in my throat all day.
Second, I want to make cosmetic improvements to my skin and hair. I have naturally very fine hair, and at times depending on my diet and stress levels, it has seemed to be much thinner than I'd like. When I was with my ex, it hit an all-time thin, and I started really worrying that I would need Rogaine or something. I've found that getting my stress under control has helped a lot, and I read that wheat protein is a great way to stimulate hair re-growth. I'm planning to use some of my optional extras to stir in spoonfuls of wheat germ here and there, which is also high in dietary fiber, so double bonus.
For my skin, I'm going to concentrate on balanced nutrition (especially getting enough protein and healthy fats) and drinking enough water. I have a terrible habit of drinking Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper by the gallon, but almost never drink water. Replacing soda with more water will probably help with getting on a healthier sleep schedule (eliminating excessive caffeine), make it that I don't have to worry about burning out my kidneys, and generally provide all the expected health benefits of water.
Lastly, I want to develop the discipline that comes with a healthier lifestyle. I have some really ambitious educational and career goals (I'm planning a second bachelor's and PhD as soon as I finish my master's), some big life changes coming up (moving back to the city for the next degrees), and a lot of personal reasons for why I need to develop strong willpower and discipline. I think being in school as long as I have has made me accustomed to making excuses and shifting priorities to suit my whims, when in reality, I just need to change the way I live.
Reintroducing regular exercise into my life will have innumerable benefits, both health-wise and psychologically, and controlling my diet will help me feel capable of addressing the other issues in my life where I desperately need more rigor and efficiency.
Predictably, I forgot to weigh myself before starting this diet. As I recall, the last time I weighed myself I was about 185, creeping up toward 190 again (gaaah). I'll try to remember to weigh myself tomorrow for a baseline, and then I'll decide if I want Saturdays or Sundays to become my weekly weigh-in day.
I'm also going to keep track of my meals on this blog again, and try to take photos as much as possible. In going back through my archives looking for meal ideas, it was both inspiring and incredibly helpful to see what worked and what didn't, and if I essentially document everything I eat, I'm not likely to sneak in something awful. This is part of the control aspect, which I know could pretty easily become pathological for me, but if it works, it works, and I'm going to give it my best.
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