Yes, it’s the big girl in the corner again. Have you missed me? LOL You know 2 years ago when I started this journey to better health, I couldn’t have said that and laughed afterwords. I would have been in tears! But today…I can because these last 2 years have been full of trials, errors, and much learning! All was not lost neither literally, nor figuratively. I lost about 50lbs total in the first year, went through a pregnancy and gained 13lbs during in the 2nd year, lost that right away but I seem to have found 20lbs between then and now going into my 3rd year. So here I am “today” at 237. Still 30lbs less than my highest weight that I hope to never see again (PTL!) but still not where I want to be.
Now though it’s time to get back to the business at hand which is me, getting healthy with the Lord’s help! I have new goals…some of which I’ll share, and some will likely change as I go along as always. I’m a perfectionist tweaker. I tweak things until I get them right…which never happens, so I keep tweaking. I guess if nothing else it keeps me busy and thinking. 
So my goals (health wise, although I have many otherwise) for 2009 are…drumroll please!
I plan to eat according to the plate method constructed by the University Of Idaho. It’s very similar to the American Diabetes Association’s Create Your Plate method. Both methods are geared towards helping one learn proper portion sizes while getting in an appropriate number of minimum calories in an easy and manageable way.
You simply visually divide your dinner plate… an 8-9 inch plate though that we were intended to eat from, not a huge 10-12 inch dinner plate. Then 1/2 your plate is non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 of your plate is protein, and 1/4 of your plate is a starch. Add a cup of milk or milk equivalent and 1/2 a cup of fruit and you are ready to eat! You can also “interchange” your fruit, milk, and starch because they have approximately the same carbohydrate content. If it’s more carbohydrates than you like or can tollerate, simply substitute something else in it’s place that is lower in carbs.
It’s similar to the exchange diet I had been following for my diabetic concerns, but without as much brainwork! That’s always great to not have to use your brain so much. I hate to think about eating…what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat, how much to not eat. So while diets I’ve followed were healthy I was constantly having to think about FOOD and my next meal! This is much better! The plate method or create your plate method “as is” from some research online I have found, provides about 1400 calories by itself, but I’ve found I need about 1800 since I’m nursing, so I’ll be adding about 400-500 additional calories via 2-3 healthy snacks per day between meals.
I also plan to walk 1 mile every day…YES every single day! Whether it takes me 15 minutes or 50 minutes it doesn’t matter. I have to start up again somewhere. Eventually I’ll add additional miles but 1 for starters is a nice number I think and something I know I can do. My gym membership expired and I didn’t renew it although I would have liked to. There’s just more important things to be putting those funds towards right now especially since I have a very nice treadmill that was given to us awhile back, and a couple of Walk About The Pounds DVD’s I can use! Walking with Leslie Sanson is so much fun!
And it’s that simple…2 little goals. Who can’t succeed with 2 goals? With the plate method and walking I should be able to loose about 1lb-2lbs a week. I am NOT setting a weight loss goal though as I have in the past, meaning I’m not going to say I want to weigh X number of pounds by X date. I simply want to exercise, eat right, and loose weight until I am at a weight where I feel physically good, I’m healthy and active, and my blood sugar is back under control. I would like to see a #1 at the beginning of my weight number, but aside from that I have no number in mind.
Here’s to a GREAT 2009! I’ll see y’all in January with a monthly photo, current weight, and my measurements. I also thought about “maybe” the occasional video blog that I thought might be fun, but don’t hold me to it!
Now who’s going to join me?
Blessings, Dawn
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