A New Eating Plan Taking Shape

Overwhelming? For me, you bet!

As you know, there are a plethora of dieting books and diet recipes out there to use when you are in maintenance. So many different things are suggested that me personally, I'm absolutely overwhelmed. And I'm guessing you are too. Where do we start? What do we need to control? Fat? Sodium? Sugar? Carbs? All of the above? How do we incorporate the required foods from the food pyramid? How do we make them palatable so we actually like to eat them? Do we simply eat the same thing every day, for convenience sake, or design different menus for every day of the week? What if we hate cooking? Is it Lean Cuisines for the rest of our lives? Do we subscribe to magazines? Buy books? Wing it on our own? So many questions. Where are the answers?

What I am doing is stepping back and taking a moment to examine, in a very general way, what I like about the food I eat. First, I like texture. Crunchy or creamy. Combination of both? Even better. Sometimes in the day I like salty things. Other times, I like sweet things. I like lots of things mixed together in a hodge podge, so I taste lots of different flavors at once.I now like eating smaller servings of things throughout the day. And I flat out admit it: I like a "sweet treat" every night. When Optifasting, it was absolutely critical that I have my sugar-free Jello in the evening. That got me through, I dare say. Don't know if I'll ever be able to eat it again, but it was great while it lasted!

What I am beginning to realize is if I get "bulky" combinations going for my meals, I am satisfied because my tummy is full and I don't feel hungry for hours. A good example of this is having a mixture of no-fat plain yogurt (or non-fat plain Greek yogurt if you really want density), Fiber One cereal, almonds, blueberries and Splenda for breakfast. Creamy, crunchy, not too sweet. That fiber really fills you up. Oatmeal made with water with a small amount of nuts, blueberries, some skim milk, and 2 tsp. maple syrup works well too. This is going to tide you over for quite some time.

At dinner time, I rely on a a good, reliable salad (lettuce base: choose anything but iceberg. Not as fiber-rich as other lettuces.) chocked full with all kinds of interesting, varied things, like legumes (beans), chopped vegetables, artichoke hearts, capers, and then my fish or chicken on top. It's a dinner "power" salad, and each bite I try to get a little of everything on my fork. Bulky, tasty. Again, my stomach is full. This could be a good strategy for those who aren't big fans of vegetables -- pair them with beans (pinto, black, cannellini, chick peas, etc.) in a salad and toss with 1-2 tbsp. Lite salad dressing, then layer your protein on top. Mix it up, and when you eat your salad, get different things on your fork. Combinations really help.

When you start adding in the herb blends, it's off to the races. I like that part quite a bit. I'm just plunging into this, so it's all fairly new right now. But over the years I've amassed everything from saffron strands to table salt, so I've got a heck of a lot of things to work with, which is exciting.

To recap: For me, I'm gravitating to:

a.) Bulk -- and reliance on fiber
b.) Combinations in one dish, versus 1 meat, 1 salad, 1 vegetable, 1 starch on plate
c.) "Power" salads
d.) Emphasis on high protein/lower carb diet (yogurt, skim milk, chicken, fish, turkey, eggs for protein; whole grain, low-carb breads, oatmeal, whole grain pasta and Fiber One for carbs).

So this is my beginning. It's a good start, I think. Holding steady just below goal (I "swing" between 154-157 lbs. (morning weigh-in), depending on the day). Welcome to your new eating routine Melissa!