Dieting, what is it?

I am all for healthy eating over dieting. However, what if you eat healthily and still put on weight? Then, the only solution is to pay attention to your balance of calories consumed versus calories expended and that, without any waffling, is dieting.

In our house we try to eat a very balanced and healthy diet. At this point I think part my problem is boredom. I think everyone can agree, that boredom leads to "the munchies" which is not friend of anyone who is dieting.

Most things that I claim to hate, like running and doing my taxes, I just hate the thought of. Once I’m into the thick of the activity I always find that I enjoy it despite my initial feelings. Dieting is the opposite. I love the idea of being in control and seeing results on the scale. Once I start however, I hate the whole boring thing.

I hate the amount of mental energy it takes to lose weight.

I hate the fussing over social engagements.

I hate saying, or even thinking, “I can’t eat that”.

However, I know there is no magic solution. The goal of fitting back into my spring wardrobe can only be achieved with a certain amount of sacrifice. My next step then is to find a way to do this hard work with the minimum of resentment and the maximum of joy.

• First step: no gimmicks. That means food from all the food groups and nothing between me and my calories. I just need to be able to think about what I’m eating and how much, how I’m moving and for how long. I know now that I cannot survive on a low carb diet so I won’t try. I also know that I can’t live without healthy oils. I can, however, temporarily do without alcohol and certainly without sugar and refined carbs.

• Second step: rhythm of life. How do I incorporate eating less and moving more into my life without it taking over my life? I don’t mind hard work but I refuse to be obsessional. I’m tentatively hopeful that this Intermittent Low Calorie plan will help me with that. I can work very hard for 3 days per week, moderately hard for 3 days per week,  then chill out a bit for the last day before starting all over again. The average eaten over a week should lead to a pound or so lost but the mental anguish should be fairly minimal.