Thanks for the kind words,
PineappleTraci, greentea, &
Kathy!
~~~
To answer some of PineappleTraci’s questions…I started out slowly, still eating a lot of fruit smoothies (as I was coming from a mostly fruit-based raw plan), but I began to add in starch-based meals each day. These were so satisfying that I began adding in even more and it kind of snowballed from there. It seemed like before I knew it, I was sold on eating this way.
I generally had rice with steamed veggies and the occasional sweet potato at first and then started branching into potatoes. I love the food on this plan. It seems like the more I keep at it, the more fun it gets and the tastier simple meals seem. It smells like a holiday to me in the kitchen every time I cook (even if just microwaving a russet!).
The longer I’m at this, the less oil I’m letting in. (I generally don’t eat avocados and nuts because I don’t crave them and at this point, really don’t need them.) Conversely, while I was avoiding them before, I’m eating a bit more salt and sugar lately for added flavor.
I have weighed myself daily for several years. Recently, though, I’ve been skipping days and that’s been nice. It helps to feel like you have a plan that’s working! I’ve also counted calories for years; using the calorie density tool instead is something I’m only really starting to feel intuitive about. It’s taken practice, but I love when I hit the sweet spot of feeling satiated yet not eating more calories than I need, by feel. My weight loss hasn’t been a completely straightforward process. But as long as my food choices are consistently healthy, I try to be patient and not overthink things. If my progress seems stalled, I do start paying closer attention to calorie density and exercise.
I’m still doing a lot of learning and unlearning. This forum has been incredibly helpful in showing me that if you tend to work on the big picture, the smaller details will generally work themselves out. The books, newsletters, expert forums, and Star McDougallers’ stories are a tremendous, consistently trustworthy source of information and so many forum members have offered invaluable tips, reassurance, guidance, and humor. Beyond the plan itself, this forum has been my greatest resource. My personal resolve is probably my greatest ally ~ and matching that up with a plan that appeals to me and works for me is what’s helped me get closer to my goals.
Posted: Sun May 12, 2013 8:32 am
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