A new start.  Isn't that always the way?
I always commit and then lapse.
I am not sure why.
But it is a journey, not a destination.
A process, not an ending.
So I will try again.  And hope again.
Any results that I see will move me forward because that is all that I can do, in life and in my health journey: move forward.
But this time, I am trying something different.
I am doing the Keto Diet.
Today, Tuesday is Day 12. 
The first week, I just lowered the carbohydrates that I ate.
And I did well.
Considering I LOVE carbs, I didn’t and still don’t have many carb cravings- which makes everything so much easier!!
The past five days, I have followed the basics of the Keto Diet. 
Not too hard.  That thought is the first point of my last post
I can do anything that I put my mind to.
Is so true!!  
I just have to remember it!!!
And live it!
Here’s to a new start.
Again.
And heavier than when I started last time!!
 
Onward.

(There are so many on-line resources that describe the Keto diet.  I knew a lot about it but am learning more this week as I read and read!)

Things I Have Learned After Years and Years of Dieting
 
*I can do anything that I put my mind to.
*I will never be skinny and that is okay.
*I want to be healthy.
*Fast food is of the devil.
*I NEED to have a scale with me FOREVER.  It is so easy for me to let things get out of hand.
*With every diet start and stop, when I start again, I am 20 pounds heavier than when I stopped dieting.
*I do NOT need to eat “just a little bit” because someone made/bought me cake/pie/chips/dessert/a meal.
*One cheat day or item is okay for me but if that cheat day goes over into the next day, then it would be so easy for it to become a habit.  And all would be lost.  Again.

You have to have a plan.  With just about anything, a plan makes things run smoothly!

Here is my Weight Loss and Fitness Plan (subject to change and modification!)  Hereby shall be know as The Plan.

Exercise (which I really hate!):
Walk
Bike
Resistance band for toning
Yoga to build strength
Keep track of exercise on SparkPeople.com

Food and Nutrition:
No junk food!!!  (this is major for me)
Portion control (as opposed to a deprivation diet.  I think this will work better for me, at least in the beginning)
Low carbohydrates  (I am a carboholic!)
Less wheat (I may revise this to no wheat, I am not sure!)
Drink more water

Weigh-In Wednesday:
Check weight on Wednesday, for no other reason than they both start with W.

Spark People is a great site for weight loss.  You can keep track of calories in and calories burned with exercises.  There are lots of motivational articles and recipes.  Plus it is free.

I am ready.

Ready to lose the weight and get healthy.

Let me backtrack a bit.

I have been chubby or fat most of my life. It started when I hit puberty- not that it was a big deal back then.  But even when I wasn't overweight, I always thought I was.  At the beginning of high school, I weighed 117 lbs. One hundred and seventeen pounds!!!  And I thought I was fat.  That comes from having a best friend who was 98 lbs at the most!!  I slowly gained weight through high school.

During the three years that I was in college, I gained weight.  The two years after college, I lost about 45 lbs without even trying.

It wasn't until I moved away, that things went downhill.  When a person's habits change or one is hit with a major lifestyle change, it is hard to keep on track.  My downfall was getting on the scale after a few months.  I had gained 5 lbs!   Instead of saying: "Oh shit, I gained 5 lbs," my thoughts were "I only gained 5 lbs!"

I didn't get on a scale much after that.  I fooled myself into thinking I was okay.  I got married and gained weight.  I had a baby and gained more weight.  Having a baby changed my metabolism- for the worse.  I slowly gained more weight, lost a bit, gained even more.  That all depended on what was happening in my life.

I was not a slug through all this by any means.  I am not lazy.  I walked a lot.   That was the single thing I did to lose weight after college- walking everywhere.  For the past 10 years I have ridden my bike any where from 1 km to 10 km a day- depending on what was happening.  I ride slowly but I ride.  I just need to fine-tune the eating and exercise so it is balance at the same time.

I have been on a slew of different diets. Some have worked-- for a while.  I have purchased exercise programs off infomercials with the complete intent of really doing it!!  And, again, I did them for a while.  And they worked-- for a while.  I have spent countless hours counting the caloric value of the food I have eaten. 

I eat far too many carbohydrates.  I love chocolate.  I drink too much diet Coke.  Chips and cheese- my best friends.  I know what I do wrong.  I just have to correct these things.

Why now? 

Because I am approaching 50 and although I am still very healthy, feel that if I don't do something now, it will be too late.  I don't want to have crippled knees and hips.  Or suffer a heart attack too young.

Why here, on-line?

I think it will give me a bit of a check to myself- a bit of accountability, which for me will be a good thing.  A diary of the journey.  My journey.

Will you join me??