Ready, Set, Lose Weight!

First. Good news that makes me happy: veggie burgers are taking the world by storm!

Okay, I don't expect to see them at McDonald's anytime soon (then again, who knows?), but the NY Times did a great article on how the veggie burger has evolved into more than just a hockey puck-like wannabe, into a delicious variation on the old standby, the traditional cow's meat burger.

Second. I'm glad someone is getting sleep around here, cause it's not me (or my husband)!

Salem is one month old. Night's are fragmented and I feel like I'm nursing around the clock. But the trade off is I get to snuggle with this little bundle of pink fluff. She loves to be in her wrap. I have a generic Moby-style wrap (my mom made it for me). I love it too, because I can keep her close and calm while still being able to do other things. It takes a little practice to get the hang of wrapping, but once you get it, it's a breeze.

Since Salem's hospital stay I've gotten into pumping extra, trying to build up a little stock, just in case. I'll nurse her if I'm around, but if I'm at work or have to run to some errands and she gets hungry, my husband can feed her. It makes life much more convenient.

So. I mentioned to my husband the other day, my new plan for weight loss.

"But you aren't THAT person," he said after I told him what I was doing to lose the weight.

"You've always lost the weight. You just live your life and the baby weight does come off," he reminded me.

Yes, this is true. I've always lost the weight (after I switched to a vegan, whole-foodish diet). But. It was work. I mean, I did have to practice active self-restraint, paying attention to what I was eating and how much. Over time, I do lose weight. But in the past, I've done a strict McDougall diet (Maximum Weight Loss), but after awhile, I go a little crazy because it's pretty restrictive. I love the food, but it makes no allowances for things like bread, most desserts, nuts, olives, veggie burgers, avocados, fruit (only 2 pieces allowed a day) ect. Foods that realistically, I'm just never going to give up. Since learning more about the role of calories, I've learned that higher calorie foods are not "evil." They just are more calorie dense, and you have to be aware of that. Especially when wanting to lose weight.

Also, I have to be realistic. Now that my kids are older, I eat what they eat, and I can't make very low calorie meals for my kids. The kids (especially my boys), who I'm always trying to think of ways to get more calories into them because they are so skinny (blame it on their father's metabolism and the fact that they never stop moving). It's very difficult to make a dinner of chili and cornbread with salad for my family and not have some cornbread. I don't have to eat the whole thing, I'd just like to have a slice, and on the MWL program, that's not allowed. When I'm nursing, I crave higher calorie foods--nuts, soy yogurt, tofu, seeds, breads, ect. Another thing is that I'm super active, sometimes teaching three exercise classes in one day.

This time around, I decided to take a slightly different approach. I eat A LOT of veggies and fruits (I stick with mostly apples and berries, which fill me up without being too sweet) with a healthy amount of beans, potatoes, whole grains and allow myself a small amount of bread, nuts/seeds, and/or dessert or other higher calorie foods. I also make myself a shake/smoothie (also not allowed on the MWL program) once a day for a snack.

Here's the thing my husband was giving me a hard time about. I've signed up for online Weight Watchers, which I can't believe I'm doing, because to be honest, I've always been a little judgmental and snobbish about their program. I've associated it with chronic dieters. However, Weight Watchers has come of age, and their new program reflects the research that shows that "power foods" (ie. mostly whole plant foods) are key to weight loss. The way it works, if you're not familiar with the program, is that you're assigned a personalized daily point value. Every food you eat has a number of points associated with it. Fruits and vegetables are zero points (hooray!). Everything else has a value. Processed foods have a higher value than whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice. There's more to the program, and I'll discuss more as I go along. So far I've been doing it for a week. The scale says I've lost 5 pounds, but I'm guessing not all of that was fat, since losing 5 pounds of pure fat in only a week is pretty impossible, even for someone as active as me. Point is, I've lost weight, I'm losing weight.

Here's a recent lunch: potatoes with salsa, leftover tofu scramble, and a large salad with lots of raw veggies.
So far, so good. I'm really liking the points system, it helps to keep me in check and aware of what I'm eating. Also, it's NOT counting calories (which I hate). It's easier than counting calories and feels more like a game. Since I'm competitive, this works well for me.

Lunchtime now, maybe I'll go have a veggie burger??