Anyhow, I got a comment this morning from Big Daddy D so I went right over and checked out his site. It looks like it will be a wonderful resource and motivation for continuing on my diet. And I appreciated his comments.
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Postscript: I went back and delved further into his site plus went to some of the links of those who commented there and it looks like I have been provided with a positive "gold mine" of information.
This is really going to help me because I've been thinking ahead to how I am going to maintain my weight loss and I'm convinced that I will HAVE TO watch what I eat MOST days. That means I need a good supply of alternative eating than what I usually indulge in.
Back in 2004 I lost the weight I am trying to lose again. I used what I called a "modified South Beach" approach. (I watched my carbs but not my fats. I worked to keep my carbs at around 100 a day.)
It worked.
Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.
I lost around 25 pounds.
The problem was that I went back to eating like I had always eaten after I lost it and I went back with "gusto" I guess because I ended up heavier than I was before.
All this weight stuff has been a problem for me because up until I was in my mid forties, I was very satisfied with my weight. (I was about 155 in 1992. And I liked being that size. It was 15 pounds less than what I'm going for now--as seen in my goal weight picture.) I could eat like I wanted to and not worry about weight.
When I started gaining (at the rate of 3/4 a pound a month), I had this misconception in my mind that-- since I'd never had a problem with my weight before-- I would reach a plateau and stop. That didn't happen. I just kept going up to the tune of about 8 pounds a year.
Up until then I had done a lot of walking but I began to have problems with my feet and had to stop that. No doubt that was one of the reasons I had been able to keep my weight down. Without the walking to offset my eating, I kept on gaining. By 1999 I had gained over fifty pounds!!!
In 2004, using that "modified South Beach" approach, I lost down to 170.
That may sound like a lot (and it still throws me into the "overweight" range) but it is really as far as I care anything about going down to. (It is the weight I was in my goal picture). I doubt I'll change my mind about that.
If I can get back to the size I am here, I will be happy regardless of the fact that 170 SOUNDS big.
But after I got the weight off, I had a birthday and a number of my friends -- at different times-- took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant. And I ate everything I wanted to eat.
I could not bring myself to go back to limiting my carbs. It was such a radical change from what I wanted to eat. I like Mexican food. I like corn. I like buttered bread. I like popcorn. I like cornbread and pintos. I like baked potatoes--loaded. And from time to time I like a big ol' piece of chocolate cake with plenty of icing. Or cobbler.
So when I'd think of losing my weight, the thought of not enjoying my carbs held me back. That is why I ended up taking the calorie counting approach.
Silly.
Because when you start counting calories, it doesn't take long to realize that a whole lot of what is high in calories is high in carbs. So if you are going to be successful, guess what?! You have to cut carbs. The cakes, cookies, doughnuts, and cobblers have to go. You can't just eat all the corn on the cob you'd like to eat heaped with butter. You have to pass on the loaded baked potato (not the potato, just the load).
The thing I liked about my "modified South Beach" diet was that I didn't have to count calories. I was watching WHAT I ate, not how much. I don't remember getting hungry when I did that diet.
But I learned a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON that I'm trying hard to keep in mind now. I cannot just diet and then be done with it. If I really want to keep my weight down, I will have to be careful about what I eat MOST OF THE TIME for the rest of my life. (LA-Lifestyle Adjustment)
And that is one reason I am thrilled to have been given this resource, and this one, and this one, and this one to find good recipes that will satisfy my taste buds and not blow my diet and also the motivation to keep on watching what I am eating.
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