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In any journey, you need a way to get from Point A to Point B. Let's say you wanted to get from New York to Los Angeles. Would you just start driving in any direction, hoping that someday you might actually make it to your destination? Of course not! You would look at a map to see what roads you should take. You would take the map with you so you can refer to it if you need to. You would also ask directions if you happened to get lost. Also, there are several different routes. It's up to you which one you take.

So why should a weight loss journey be any different? Below I have outlined the steps that I am taking every day in order to get closer to my destination. This is my weight loss plan - the map to my weight loss journey. Other people may have a plan that looks a little different.

Food

You may ask, "Don't you feel like you're depriving yourself of the foods you love?" And my answer is, "No!" I don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all. I eat healthy most of the time, but I make deals with myself. For example:

"If I can eat healthy all week, then next Sunday I will allow myself to have one piece of chocolate."

"If I can eat healthy all week, then this Friday I will allow myself to have two slices of pizza."

Of course, I have to make sure that I limit myself to that one piece of chocolate or two slices of pizza. I don't let it get out of control or I could go on a binge that lasts for days. Or even worse, give up on my plan completely. And I don't do it more often than once a week. But knowing that I have a special "treat" coming up really helps me stick to my plan the rest of the time.

UPDATE: As of May 2002, I am now following the Weight Watchers Winning POINTS plan.  At this point, I felt that I needed a more structured plan.  I am still doing what I've always done, but instead of counting calories, I am counting points.

Exercise

I do Tae-Bo, 3-4 times per week. It's not easy - far from it! But even when I was at 330 pounds (when I started exercising) I could do about 90% of the Basic Tae-Bo tape. It got easier from there. The Advanced Tae-Bo tape, on the other hand, is another story! This is a TOUGH workout, but it is a lot of fun. I first tried it at 308 pounds, and could do about half of it!

These days, I'm into the Tae-Bo Basic Live series. I have tapes #1 through #9, plus a set of four Basic Live Tae-Bo tapes that I bought through QVC.

UPDATE: I have added walking to my exercise plan.

Water

Water is so important to weight loss. When I started out on this journey, I could barely choke down one quart of water per day. Now I drink over a gallon of water per day. With the exception of some orange juice for breakfast, all I drink is WATER, WATER, WATER!!

Metabolife

I take Metabolife as a way to help me make good food choices, curb my appetite, and give me more energy. I won't stay on it forever. But because I am making a permanent lifestyle change in addition to taking the Metabolife, I will not gain the weight back when I stop taking it.

UPDATE: I am no longer taking Metabolife.  I figured three years was long enough. :-)

Support Group

Remember what I said about asking directions? Everyone needs support when they are on a weight loss journey, and I have found the best support group I have ever seen! These guys are the best! :-)

UPDATE: As of May 2002, I also receive support at Weight Watchers meetings.

Other Internet Resources

Here are some other sites that have helped me with my journey:

Check back often because I will be adding more sites from time to time!

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