My Action Plan

My initial thought was that I'd order NutriSystem for about three months... just enough to kick start my loss and get me headed toward my goal.

Then I decided against it for several reasons:
1. I want to handle my own breakfast and snacks.
2. I want a larger choice of meals, but I don't want the company to preselect choices for me.
3. Price, ouch!
4. Nutritional content. 
4. I'm confident that I can do just as well on my own.

So, what I'm doing instead is eating one of the freezer meals available at the supermarket (Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, on sale the cost is $1.55-$2.55 each) for lunch and dinner along with lots and lots of veggies.  Right now, I'm on a kick of enjoying zucchini, mushrooms, and asparagus little grilled with fat free olive oil pan spray, Celtic sea salt and pepper.  I also add a fairly large portion of mixed organic salad greens with a drizzle of my favorite dressing, full fat ranch. :)

For breakfast, I'm enjoying proper serving sizes of whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole grain cereal, kefir smoothies, whole wheat bread), along with a fruit.

Snacks, if needed are fruits, veggies,  a serving of whole grains, or a lower fat/calorie treat (such as 100 calorie pack, small fudge bar, Smart Ones Dessert).

I'm aiming to keep calories between 1200-1400/day and fat grams under 45.  The fat I add is nourishing fat.  I'm not a fan of all these margarines and oils that have been created to make us more healthy.  I am a follower of Nourishing Traditions and believe that when consuming fat, we should consume natural fats.

Yes, the freezer meals go against all my dietary rules... luckily, many are now more natural and free of preservatives.  They are a long way from organic, grass fed, free range or sustainably produced.  Use of them is a short bridge to get me across this first hurdle.  I feel strongly that regaining a healthy for me weight reaps many more health rewards than the short term use of processed foods.  I stress short term... my plan is three months, which I will evaluate as we go.

Yesterday I also started taking Alli again.  I waited 4 days into my reduced calorie/fat diet to start to reduce the risk of treatment effects (I've only had those effects one time when I first used Alli over a year ago and that's because I ate out without restricting fat intake).

Alli is a reduced strength of the prescription drug, Orlistat.  It binds with fat to prevent the body from absorbing all of the fat consumed and flushes it out of the body (via the bowels).   I used it previously for all of two weeks.  I don't know why I quit, lazy I guess.  That round I was recording all my food intake and spent a lot of planning time between shopping and determining proper portion size.  I was losing weight at a good rate... but gained it back once I returned to my old habits.

Because of this, I know that developing a healthy attitude about food is important.  Just because my Grandma made me pour on the gravy (I hated gravy until around age 10) as a child doesn't mean I have to now.  By altering my entire way of eating and my beliefs about food, I will be successful in losing weight and keeping it off.

The time is now.  If I don't do something, I know that I will gain more weight and end up in a much worse situation than I am now... my family has a ridiculous history with Type II Diabetes... I don't want it, thank you very much.

I'm six days in and feeling good. 4.8 lbs gone, sweet cravings drastically reduced.