Back on the Diet Kick

Well, after a couple month hiatus, I’m dieting to shrink my waist line a bit.  I’m not really subscribing to a strict diet but I have drastically reduced my food intake and am counting calories through the Weight Watcher’s method.  To keep me honest I’m meeting my brother in law at his house to weigh in each Monday night.  So far so good.  If I don’t lose weight each week I have to pay my brother in law $10.  He’s doing it as well and he has yet to have to pay me.  I’m ashamed to admit I’ve paid him once (about 6 months ago when we were doing this).

A side effect of dropping weight is that we spend a ton less on food.  I don’t eat out because the restaurant foods are so packed with fat and calories that it’s impossible to have any self control.  That has reduced our overall food expenses significantly.

I’m also starting to reap the benefits of a smaller waistline when it comes to my clothes.  I’ve been sitting at my maximum weight and have pretty much worn out my “fat clothes”.  That was one of the reasons I finally decided it was time to get back on the wagon.  I’ve got a closet full of clothes that are a couple sizes too small.  I’m just starting to get back in to some of them so I don’t have to spend money to buy more “fat clothes”.  Besides the fact that I didn’t want to spend the money, I also didn’t want to buy big clothes again because I knew that would make me comfortable and I’d be a lot less inclined to drop weight and, in fact, would probably put on more.

I’ve found the best incentive for me to lose weight is to keep my wallet shut and force myself to be uncomfortable in clothes that I’m growing out of.  Of course it can’t look too ridiculous (in other words I don’t let myself wear pants that look painted on) but I do definitely feel the discomfort around my waistline when I’m reaching my peak weight.

What am I doing to drop the weight?

I drink absolutely no calories I stick to only tea, water and diet soda.  (My wife is trying to break me of the diet soda habit because I know it isn’t good for me).

I eat much smaller portions I’ve always cleaned my plate when I sit down for a meal.  Now I’m trying to train myself to eat a portion of what’s on my plate and then push away the rest.  A financial benefit of this is that our prepared meals last longer.

I choose foods that are light in fat and calories I used to eat heavily buttered microwave popcorn.  I loved the taste of it and could eat an entire 3.0 oz bag in one sitting with no trouble at all.  Now I eat the 94% fat free popcorn and have developed a liking to it.  It doesn’t feel so heavy and saturated.  I was buying the 100 calorie bags at our local grocery store but then realized Costco sells a case of popcorn that ends up being about 10% of the price of those 100 calorie bags so I started buying the case and then only eating half the bag.  I also eat more fruit than I ever have.  Fruit tastes great and when you put a bit of fat free whip cream on the top, it really makes a great snack.  You get the idea.  There are substitutes to high fat options for just about every kind of food.

In the rare moment that I do eat out I can now see the calorie content on the menu This was pure brilliance in my opinion.  Washington state passed a law that major restaurants have to post the calorie content of their foods right on the menu, or within an easily viewable area.  This has made it a TON easier to choose a reasonably healthy option when I’m forced to eat out.  It’s also kind of interesting because the lower calorie foods seem to be cheaper too.

We’ll see how things go over the next couple months.  I’m looking forward to getting back in to all of my old clothes.  Most of them are in “new” condition because I grew out of them so fast.  The fact that I already own all these clothes just makes it a sweeter victory when I hit my target weight.