The Plan

I took into account my successes and failures at losing weight over the last 20 odd years, my weaknesses and strengths. I combined that with my real needs not my imaginary ones. I mixed it with a bit of common sense, a smidgen of science and a dash of current health reports. What I got is a plan I can actually do for a very, very long time. A plan that, if I need to, I can use to maintain my weight well after I lose the extra fat. It's flexible, versatile. I like it. But enough hype, here is my plan to lose 50+ pounds...and keep it off!

The Food Part:

I am "on" the plan 5 days a week. 1600 calories - 4 meals of 400 calories . I am "off the plan 2 days a week (48 hours).

The Exercise Part:

Gradually building up exercise time, intensity and frequency. Starting with simply walking the dog and finishing with marathon training.

Incredibly simple right? Your thinking too simple? Maybe some background will put it into context...

To diet or not to diet, that was the question. Just the word diet can cause me to actually eat more, binge, get fat. Yet in my many years of attempts, and success, I did know these two facts to be true.

• Diets do not work
• Diets do work

Huh? Yes,  a complexity that has befuddled millions of us! I know they are bad, I know they do not last, I also know that when you stick to one...you lose weight. In fact, you simply can not lose weight unless you cut back on how much you eat, burn more calories than you eat, or some combination of the two. There has to be a deficit to overcome the surplus. Its just physics folks. So, I was faced with a dilemma, how to get around these two facts, how to be successful in-spite of them. The only thing I could think of was to split the difference.

My diets always failed right around Friday night. There was always someplace to go, something to do, some social event, some game, whatever. I wanted to relax, I did not want to be "on" a diet. I wanted to be FREE of the confines of a traditional diet. I would stray, I would snack. I would feel guilty, so I would binge, and binge. Then I would start all over again with another plan, another book. It would take me weeks, maybe months to get back on track, and once I did, the same cycle again. Then it finally occurred to me, If I can't beat it... join it! If taking the weekends off are built into the plan, then I won't feel guilty. It won't take me months of planning and pre-diet binging to get back on track, it will only take me until Sunday night.

Now this idea is probably not unique, for all I know there is probably already a diet book out there about it, but if there is I never read it. I came to this by my own trial and error. I have thought about doing this before, and others have commented about it before, but It never registered, I never wanted to do it because it seemed like cheating and it was going to take me a very long time to lose the weight. After blogging about being fat for a year, I figured it was time. If I would have started it last year, I would have been maintaining a healthy weight for five months now.

"On the plan" I eat 1600 calories a day. 4 meals of 400 calories. I arrived at this specific total, and the amount of meals and calories of each meal, by all the experimenting I did. I found that 300 calories or less per meal did not satisfy at all, and left me looking for more. When this happened I often would stray off the reservation, snacking here and there until I ate too much. 600 calories it turned out was too much for one meal, I was actually too full. So 400 was the magic number for each meal. At 400 I have more options, can use more "extras" like mayonnaise on a sandwich. There are many meals I can eat at 400 calories, that fit my habits. For example, A vegetarian patty with cheese on whole wheat bread, with a small bag of chips, a diet soda and a piece of fruit, all for 400 calories, is quite filling and takes a long time to eat.

I have my three squares a day, plus an extra meal for the evening munchies that drive me mad. I have experimented with 400 calorie late night snacks too, like a Sam Adams and a handful of nuts, frozen yogurt or even ice cream, oranges and chocolate. There are many choices. The important thing is knowing that I have an outlet after dinner if I need it.

When Friday night rolls around, I can go "off" the plan. Lets call it a "weekend pass" for good behavior! Even if I eat at the same level I have been, around 2500 calories, I will still lose fat. I have even calculated the occasional binge, but I am thinking that psychologically I will not feel the need to do that anymore. I know I have the weekend, and I know I have the weekend after that, so the pull to go off the deep-end, and into a huge bag of Lays, loses its appeal. Just eat what I want, be mindful, make good choices.

Taking the weekends off really bothered me at first, there was this feeling that I would just go ballistic and chow like a maniac. Deep down I did not trust myself. But that is something I have to work on along with fat loss. I have to build up trust in myself, to stop, to exert self control. It will come back to me if I allow it to, and then maintaining my weight loss will be within reach. Knowing what was ultimately at stake, I opted to not count calories on the "off" times, and decided instead to learn to trust myself again. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

As I lose weight and fat, the total amount of calories needed to maintain that frame goes down as well. This is why so many of us have hit plateaus and find it harder to lose after a while. To counter that, and maintain a 1,000 calorie loss each day I am "on" the plan, I am going to gradually increase my exercise and activity.

I have established a rather regular active routine. Building up the routine took me about three months, but now I think nothing of walking the dog each evening. In fact I have been feeling the urge to do more, and today went for a bike ride on my Life Cycle, I even lifted a few weights. I found that if I force myself to exercise, or schedule it, it becomes a chore. If I leave it up to my sense of self competition, I actually look forward to doing more and more! On the weekends I do a lot of projects, cleaning, yard work and that can help to off-set any extra calories I might eat too.

So, I am going to gradually increase the exercise as I lose fat and to that end I can see three parts or steps in my activity. The first part is what I would call a "warm-up", continue walking the dog, get in the occasional bike or treadmill exercise. Nothing to stressful, emphasis is on getting the hang of the new diet. The second part is what I would call "conditioning", where I add another 20-30 minute work-out 6 days a week, aerobics, weights. The third part I would call "training", I would like to start running again, in fact I would like to train for the marathon again. After all that I will set new goals to keep me interested, active and able to maintain my new healthy weight.

I think that about sums it all up! In the coming days I will share some of the foods and recipes that I will be using, and other ideas I have for incentives and rewards for smaller goals. I will weigh myself and give you regular up-dates about every two weeks or so. Beginning today and staying with it, I am confident that I will lose 1-1/2 pounds a week and lose the 50 pounds of fat by Thanksgiving! I can do this!

Some possible names for "The Plan" -

Reductionist Theory Revisited

The 70/30 Plan

Plan D

WTF (Whip That Fat!)

Well, I am still working on a name! Lets call it what it is for now...a chance. A damn good chance at lasting success.

Comments

[Krista]

When I did the Body-for-Life it had a program where you had a day off and exercise and wieght lifting were a big part of it. Sounds like a great deal of thought and planning went into this. I will be rooting for you! By the way, I, too, ran a marathon once and would like to get back into shape to run a few races again!

[Felicity]

I think this sounds like a good plan and I have no doubt that you can achieve whatever you decide to do, C. Good for you.
I myself went to the gym 3x this week! Woohoo! I didn't work as hard as I *could have* but neither was home on the couch eating ice cream. My mom's issues are forcing the health concerns for me. So tomorrow it's church AND gym.

[Kelly]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I think that's the key - finding something that enables you to change your patterns for good, something that you can realistically live with. For me, I know I have sugar craving issues, so limiting myself to one sugar day a month works for me.

[Tonya]

It really comes down to moderation, when you think about it. Be moderate throughout the week, and then be OK with whatever over the weekend. It makes good sense to me. I think that's why I like going to Curves for exercise. It's only a half hour, three times per week. I know I can stick with that, because it's reasonable. Anything more than that and I know for a fact I wouldn't stick with it because of boredom!

[FB]

Thanks Margaret! I knew if I did not allow for my pal Sam, it just would not work!

[Margaret]

It sounds like a very realistic and healthy plan--one you CAN stick to over the long haul, without feeling cheated. I like the Sam Adams part too!