The Best Of Eating Plan

The Gods have answered my prayers! At Week 1, I lamented that I felt like a fish out of water — uncomfortable about not having a specific program to use to lose my 100 lbs extra weight.

Over the years, I've tried just about all the diet programs and even though they weren't successful in getting me to a swimsuit body, I did gain a lot of knowledge.

So, when I found myself wandering aimlessly after more than a week on my weight loss journey, the idea came to harness that wisdom by designing my own Best Of Eating Plan. You notice, I didn't use the word "Diet" because this is a lifetime eating plan, not a one-month whim.

Perhaps the way to lose weight permanently is not to wholly conform to someone else's program or expectations of me like Valerie Bertinelli being on NutriSystem where she had to eat their food. My idea is to design a custom plan — based on the Best Of eating strategies on the market that work for me, and strive for the Best Of Suzan by paying attention to my MEPS health (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual).

My Best Of Eating Plan looks like this:

Eating Strategies

• Weight Watchers – portion size by having a piece of chicken equal to a deck cards and portion control of not taking second helpings, and eating every few hours when hungry to keep from experiencing food desperation.
• Biggest Loser – be serious about exercising regularly.
• The Reverse Diet – reverse the order of my meals by having a large protein meal in the morning to energize me throughout the day, and a smaller nutritious meal at dinner.

MEPS

• Pay attention to what my body and the universe tells me about food by slowing down and being aware of my actions, feelings, and health. Think whether I'm hungry or not? Whether I'm stress eating and not really hungry? Whether I want to finish the food in front of me?
• Be a good parent to myself not scolding me for making mistakes or putting me down for what I look like and encouraging Suzan to be the Best Of me.
• Choose exercise options I enjoy like aerobic swimming, biking, and walking; and know that I can push myself beyond what I normally would think are my physical limitations.
• Take care of my whole self by breaking the bonds of automatic living where all my energy is put into doing household chores, working the job, or running from here to there. Instead be mindful of my day: brush the teeth, comb the hair, get manicures or pedicures, have a massage, go to the doctor regularly, grow and learn by experiencing new things and educating myself, meet new people, and do enjoyable activities (like going to plays, wine tasting, sitting by a fire, and taking long drives).
• Face my fears, addictions, and mental limitations by seeking to understand and replace them with more positive viewpoints.
• Appreciate and care for my family and friends and know it's important for success in losing weight and in life to have a strong support group.

As I travel on this weight loss journey and gain new insights, I will revise my Best Of Eating Plan to modify for the ever changing me.

WHAT DOES YOUR "BEST OF EATING PLAN" LOOK LIKE? PLEASE COMMENT.