So... you think my weight loss diet is unconventional and too liberal to be successful? Excellent! That sets my strategy aside from most others! I created this individual approach with the intent of being different than what most diet plans out there encourage. I've never been satisfied with bare minimum anything and that's probably why low-calorie diets never sat well with me.

I have experimented with and witnessed so many yo-yo, fads and unreasonable plans that I felt the need to create my own method of weight loss. While I respect and practice many of the knowledgeable recommendations by experts and the food industry alike, I'm a rebel and just had to take a little from here and there to form my own plan; a plan that I could live in perfect harmony with. A plan that I could stick to for the rest of my life and actually works for me!

Who am I? A doctor? Nutritionist? Dietitian? Nurse? Scientist? Mathematician? Ha! Nope! Not even close. I'm just a chunky monkey that decided to take control of my weight and overall health without giving up the foods that I love.

And isn't love all about devotion and compromise? Absolutely! That's why my relationship with food is undergoing some serious changes but we're definitely staying together! LOL

I'm a 28 year old (December 12th, 1979) very happily married web designer, Internet marketing strategist and computer-programmer-in training that lives in Atlanta, GA at the moment. My husband, mother, and our 7 cats (yes, 7!) moved here from Upstate, NY last year. We're eagerly moving back to Upstate, NY as soon as possible.

My husband is a computer software engineer that sets his own hours like I do, so we both have the luxury-curse of being self-employed and working at home. My husband is a freak of nature; he rarely gets hungry and has never had to deal with being overweight. Until he met me of course LOL. He was super skinny and lived mainly off of caffeinated beverages when we first met and now he's steadily gaining, but not in need of weight loss at this time. He's actually been maintaining a healthy weight gain for quite awhile now. *pouts*

Yes, I am terribly jealous. If only we could do a metabolism exchange... *plots* heh!

I, on the other hand, need to lose a considerable amount of weight. All the years of working at home on my computer hours, upon hours a day and poor eating habits has contributed greatly to my fluffiness.

I'm mostly Italian and grew up in a traditional Italian home with an overabundance of food. In fact, until I was 18 my family owned a farm market and ice cream stand that served all sorts of junk food and homemade Gelato. Although, we rarely had any type of store-bought junk food at home, we did have a lot of rich, delicious homemade foods. We grew a lot of our own vegetables, were surrounded by neighboring apple orchards, ate whole grain breads, and practiced many other healthy habits. In fact you'd never find Kraft anything or Little Debbie in our house, but for every healthy food you would find, you would find a devilishly decadent dish or dessert; such as rigatoni with meat sauce, eggplant parmesan, something overflowing with ricotta, etc.

So you can imagine the relentless temptation and lifestyle I have struggled with all my life. *sigh*

I adore food. It's a beautiful thing! It's a hobby, a passion, and an enemy all at the same time. It's all around us in the US and we need it to survive. You want to quit smoking? You can stop buying cigarettes. You want to quit drinking alcohol? You can stop buying a 6 pack of beer on the way home. You want to lose weight? It gets a bit trickier because you can't NOT buy or avoid food indefinitely. It's mandatory for survival, so it's not going away anytime soon. Thankfully!

For decades doctors and the diet industry made the whole weight loss gig seem like total deprivation. I grew up believing a diet meant salad, celery, and water. I have actually heard a doctor recommend: "No bread, no pasta, no cookies, no soda, no cake, no jams, no jellies... etc." WHAT? Are you kidding me? That's harsh! And why? I have seen "thin people" eat all of the above as long as I can remember, so why shouldn't someone with extra weight be able to do the same while losing weight? Most can and SHOULD! In my opinion anyway.

Before you think I'm completely out of my mind, no, I don't believe you should eat 1500 calories worth of cookies and soda per day to lose weight. I believe in moderation with healthy choices at least 90% of the time and 10% or so as a margin of error for the not-so-healthy options. It is unrealistic to believe that most people can do everything right 100% of the time; especially when it comes to food choices.

I'm sure millions of people remember Susan Powter and her "Stop The Insanity!" mantra in the 1990s. Her infomercials and time in the spotlight may have faded from our minds, but the catch-phrase still makes me nod in agreement.

Growing up in the '80s, liquid diets were all the rage. Then in the '90s, diet pills and weight loss surgery became more and more popular. Followed by the parade of boxed fad diets and 24 hour miracle juice concoctions. There's probably thousands of methods being marketed, but few work and many are dangerous and down right ridiculous. Some promise to lose 20 pounds in 20 days, but none tell you that you will gain 30 pounds back when you go off it and revert back to eating the way you were. In our pursuit of the "perfect body", we tend to neglect the basics of health, nutrition and sanity. I know I did for a long time. I didn't realize that a healthy mind and spirit is just as important as a healthy body.

For the longest time I believed that losing weight meant virtually starving yourself, lots of exercise, and abandoning all flavor and treats in your life. I often ignored sensible advice that said, "Just eat healthy and get some exercise." No, I wasn't willing to accept such an easy solution. I had all the answers. I thought I knew how to lose weight but I'd put it off until this day or that day. That "day" never came. The miracle potion that you take before bed and wake up thin was never invented.

As far back as I can remember, I was led to believe that it's feast or famine. I would fast for a few days in a row or reduce my calories down to almost nothing countless times in an attempt to be a string bean; believing that would make the weight come off a kazillion times faster. Little did I know how much worse I was making it. I had no idea that not eating enough can make you gain weight! I have never heard of such a thing and was stunned when I heard that. Obviously all of my deprivation tactics failed miserably. Of course I was never anorexic, being I would only attempt to do what I thought was a diet for a short amount of time before giving up, due to being hungry and whiney the entire time.

I have since learned that your body needs X amount of calories (energy) each day to survive depending on your height, weight, age, activity level, and gender. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and can be calculated by several formulas, one of the more popular being the Harris Benedict Formula. Harris J, Benedict F. A biometric study of basal metabolism in man. Washington D.C. Carnegie Institute of Washington. 1919

Commonly it's about 1200 for women and 1800 for men, just for your organs to function and your blood to flow! Those estimated figures only represent the calories needed for you to lay in bed all day and don't even include the calories you use getting up, walking, going up and down stairs, going to your car, checking the mail, chewing your food OR lean body mass. We sometimes forget that breathing, sleeping, thinking, walking to the bathroom, lifting bags of groceries, digesting food, and etc. all REQUIRE fuel, aka calories (kilocalorie).

(Children and teenagers go by an entirely different set of caloric needs as they are still growing. Anyone under the age of 18 should seek the advice of a doctor or registered dietitian before attempting any kind of diet.)

When we eat less than or burn more than our minimum requirement for several weeks/months or years, our bodies become super efficient fuel burning machines. Also referred to as "starvation mode", "famine response" or "conservation mode." Back in more primative times when we had to forage for our food or go without for long periods of time, the human body evolved to slow down our metabolism in an effort to keep us alive until we could eat again. So when we don't eat enough, our body acts as if it is being starved and isn't going to get food ever again, so it holds onto as much stored fat as it can. When you eat only say 800 calories a day, instead of your body using them exclusively, you will use those 800 calories plus your body will also utilize your muscles and possibly tissue from organs to compensate, which eventually leads to weight gain, muscle loss, internal damage, and/or weight plateaus as your body loses muscle and hangs on to your body fat for dear life. You might lose weight the first 2 to 4 weeks, maybe even months or a year, but eventually it will come to a screeching halt, especially if you are very active.

Analogy:

Your metabolism is a lot like a furnace. When you don't add fuel to the fire, it dwindles down to a slow simmer; still burning but producing much less heat and energy. If you add fuel to the fire, it roars and outputs much more heat. So just like you want to keep a fire burning hot, you want your metabolism to burn with optimal intensity by sufficiently feeding your body.

One thing I noticed is that people tend to throw around and fear "starvation mode" prematurely. It does NOT happen on Tuesday because you skipped lunch on Monday! It doesn't set in because you had an extremely busy week when 18 family members dropped in while your house was undergoing renovations and you only ate a salad and small bag of pretzels in between caring for your doggy that had a stomach virus in the midst of all the other chaos.

Nay nay! It's a slow, gradual process. Some people don't even believe the process happens because there aren't any published studies that show this specific result. But it is known that dipping too low slows down your metabolism, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean body mass (muscle). So just knowing the basic laws of energy balance and using a little common sense, it is safe to say that it does occur. Maybe not as easily as some believe, but it is real and highly logical.

Some ask, "Well, how do anorexics get so thin?" Simple. Extreme starvation, maybe 100 or 200 calories a day. Eventually their body starts eating itself. Muscles wear down, heart becomes weak etc. Very pleasant thought. *sarcasm* Not the right thing to do, ever, ever, EVER!

Surprisingly enough, anorexics might look thin but have very high body fat and little muscle. Why? Because the first things to go in 'starvation' are your muscles, then tissue from organs etc. Fat is often the last thing to go when habitually under-eating.

Realistically, I'm sure most of us have had days here and there when we simply forget or don't have time to eat everything that we should. Whatever the reason may be, a day or 2 of eating too little is unlikely to have a major impact on your metabolism. Our metabolism doesn't go off and on as easily as a light switch. If you want to go by a timeframe, pay attention to what happens over a week or more at a time. Luckily, our body doesn't recognize a 24 hour sequence of events with absolute precision. If it did... oh geez! *shudders*

Over the past few years I have been doing a lot of research; knowledge is a fantabulous thing! I've learned that nearly everything I knew about weight loss and physical fitness was all wrong! At the same time, a lot of things started to make sense. I see some people eat very little and not lose or even gain weight and now I understand why because I have a much better understanding of the human body and metabolism. While I don't know everything, I must say, I'm pretty well armed with a plethora of information on the subject.

Liquid diets, fat free diets, low carb diets, starvation, detox diets, fad diets, stomach surgeries, pills... blah, blah, blah. All the science, money, chemicals, research, and technology amounts to nothing because in the end it all boils down to simple math.

Calories in vs. Calories out -- ! There aren't any simple, effective, and healthy strategies to losing weight besides burning more calories than you consume. Does that mean giving up foods like bread, pasta, and cookies forever? Absolutely not! It just means, you have to create a deficit.

That deficit should look something like 500 less calories from your maintenance calories per day to lose 1lb per week (3,500 calories = 1lb). This deficit can be created by cutting down on what you eat and drink by 500 calories less, a mixture of diet and exercise, or even just more exercise.

(Consume 250 less calories a day + exercise equaling 250 calories a day or burn 500 calories more each day with exercise)

Example for a 5'3", moderately active (60 mins exercise 3 to 5 days/week), 30 year old female:

Current weight: 150lbs
Calories to maintain that weight: 2161/day
Calories to lose 1lb a week: 1661/day
(calculation source)

--

Example for a 5'3", moderately active (60 mins exercise 3 to 5 days/week), 30 year old female:

Current weight: 175lbs
Calories to maintain that weight: 2325/day
Calories to lose 1lb a week: 1825/day
(calculation source)

--

Example for a 5'3", moderately active (60 mins exercise 3 to 5 days/week), 30 year old female:

Current weight: 300lbs
Calories to maintain that weight: 3143/day
Calories to lose 1lb a week: 2643/day
(calculation source)

--

Example for a 5'10", moderately active (60 mins exercise 3 to 5 days/week), 30 year old male:

Current weight: 200lbs
Calories to maintain that weight: 2995/day
Calories to lose 1lb a week: 2495/day
(calculation source)

--

Example for a 5'10", moderately active (60 mins exercise 3 to 5 days/week), 30 year old male:

Current weight: 300lbs
Calories to maintain that weight: 3929/day
Calories to lose 1lb a week: 3429/day
(calculation source)

Your maintenance calories and calories to lose might need be adjusted with every 10lb to 15lb loss, to ensure the most accurate range for your height, age, gender, and activity level, but if it ain't broken, don't fix it! And if you add more exercise, your calories should increase to reflect that upgrade or if you twist your ankle and no longer jump rope for 7 hours a day, you might wanna kick it down a few.

Keep in mind that there is no miracle number. Each person is different and you might have to experiment and modify accordingly. Maybe you have more lean muscle mass than others, more house work, yard work, more sitting, less general movement, etc. etc -- it really is an individual formula but the general estimates typically aren't too far off. So I would use them as a guideline but include or exclude variables specific to you and your lifestyle.

Remember, the more you exercise, the more you need to eat. More exercise doesn't equal more weight loss if you don't eat enough to keep from entering "starvation mode" aka PLATEAU -- !! There IS a such thing as too much exercise and many people often make that mistake. They are eating 1200 calories a day AND doing intense cardio 5 or more days a week. Tsk tsk! Give your body and mind the fuel it needs and it will respond. I think the "1200 calorie minimum" is thrown out there way too often and many dieters get stuck on that number; as though it's the right one for everybody. Not so.

If you are lifting weights you might gain muscle and muscle weighs more than fat because of its density (see image below). You might look thinner, but weigh more than you did 2 or 3 months ago because you gained muscle. This is a good thing! Don't freak out about weight gain if you don't consider the possibility that it could be muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so it needs more calories to subsist. Which means you have to feed them well!

I notice that women tend to avoid lifting weights because they fear they will 'bulk up' and look like a man. That is a myth. It is nearly impossible for women to gain as much muscle as a man without altering their hormones with steroids. We simply aren't designed the same way men are and we will not naturally gain muscle the same way men do. Even men have a hard time gaining bodybuilder type of muscles without vigorous training and steroid enhancement.

So, girls... that means we can hit the weights without fear of turning into Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yay!

Losing "weight" can be a vague term as well, because there are different types of weight in your body; muscle weight, fat weight, and water weight. Fat loss is the ultimate way to go. Some water weight is good to get rid of, but not to the point of dehydration. Let's not forget that water retention can make our weight fluctuate from 1 to 10lbs at any given time! Ladies, we experience this all too often. *grumbles*

You will find millions of web sites on the Internet that all tell you one thing or another about losing weight. I've probably read most of them lol. Then there's many people with uneducated opinions, theories, and strategies *rolls eyes* all over forums and blogs. With so many different things out there, it's hard to decide which approach you want to take and what is right and wrong.

It seems that 'everybody' is an expert because they read an article on WebMD and so many of them will tell you why something is wrong, but at the same time they can't prove that it's not wrong or even give you a better solution. It seems that some people spend so much time trying to prove others wrong, that they don't even take the time to find out what makes them right.

Being argumentative is fine, when you have cause and effect to back up your argument. Otherwise, it's just a difference of opinion -- and even the most reputable scientists on the face of the Earth have conflicting opinions of certain matters.

Personally, I got to the point where I said, "I want to lose weight but I'm not going to make myself miserable in the process." I gave up on the notion that I can lose all the weight I want in a week or a month. I have come to accept that losing weight fast is not healthy, practical, nor is it effective in the long run.

I'm sure most people want to be slim and trim in the shortest amount of time and some can be, but at what expense? Being a prisoner in your own body? Losing lean muscle mass? Or losing it all only to gain it all back again? I know once I lose weight, I sure as heck don't want to find it again.

I think some people forget that once you lose weight, you actually have to keep working at it to keep it off. That's why there's no rush and why deprivation only works in the short-term. For weight loss to be truly successful, you have to do it in a way that you can live with for the rest of your life. I know for a long time I thought about getting to my goal weight but never gave a second thought to the maintenance afterwards. You cannot eat anything and everything you want when you get to your goal weight without gaining weight. Again, simple math. Now that I am more informed, I have present and future plans that I can live with.

Honestly, being fat does not bother me as far as being happy with myself. If people could be fat AND healthy, without it raising other health risks, I would be content being pleasantly plump! I never judged anyone based on their shape, size, color, or any other outer appearance. Just because a person is bigger than another does not mean they are a bad, lazy and/or an apathetic person. I believe that judging someone based on their size is as shallow as judging someone solely on the clothes they wear or car they drive. If someone is very thin but wears old clothes, that are "out of style" and drives an old broken down car, does that somehow make them a bad or lazy person? Certainly not. How superficial do you have to be to actually answer 'yes' to that? lol

Of course I'd like to be thinner for my own vanity, but what looks good to me or you may not look good to someone else. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder! I say all the time in my poutiest, most self-pitying voice, "I'm fat and yuck!", to which my husband replies, "You're fine!" (how sweet is he?) I could probably be 6000lbs and he'd still say the same thing. He's such an enabler! LOL Kidding, he supports whatever makes me happy. Fat, skinny, or somewhere in between... and that just goes to show you, what is gross and repulsive to me, isn't to someone else. I know I am really hard on myself (isn't everyone? lol) but at the same time, I know that I'm cuter than a million buttons!! LOL My husband came up with that one.

Society has led most of the world to believe that thin is in and that fat is unattractive. Again, matter of taste and everyone is entitled to their own preferences. To me, short, tall, fat, skinny, yellow, or purple... it doesn't matter. However, as I get older and wiser, health is becoming one of my top priorities. What's on the outside doesn't matter nearly as much as what is going on inside of my body.

Some say it's a lifestyle change and others simply call it a diet. Both terms are correct. You are changing your lifestyle and your diet is changing. A diet doesn't only mean weight loss. I know from experience my diet has included very poor food choices and habits. So the word diet is not taboo to me at all. I know when I arrive at the weight I want to be, I will continue to be on a diet to maintain that weight and healthy lifestyle.

I also believe in indulgence every once in a while. A birthday, a wedding, a vacation, a party, a celebration, the holidays or even a typical Wednesday! Millions of people live long, healthy lives and do you think most of them never ever have a Snickers or pizza or ice cream? You are seriously misguided if you think the occasional pigout or rich treat will alter your entire weight loss diet or health for the duration of your life.

Of course I want to be thinner and healthy, but I am human and believe in enjoying life and the food that's in it. One day of overeating doesn't matter nearly as much as what you eat over several days. If you eat everything in sight one day, it's ok! You can make up for it the next day and all the days after it! It's not the end of your weight loss journey. Your body isn't running an exact 24 hour clock. Even if you go on vacation for a week or so and totally abandon your weight loss mission, so what? Really. So what?! You gained 5 lbs. Oh, heavens... noooooo!! C'mon. That's life and you cannot feel guilty about living it. Just pick up right where you left off.

Just because you took a detour doesn't mean that you won't end up at your destination.

Realistically, you would have to eat about 17,500 calories above your maintence calories to gain 5lbs of fat. That can be easy to do, but guilt is counter-productive. You have to accept what is done and move forward from there. While I wouldn't suggest eating anything and everything every other day, I do think it's acceptable to indulge every few weeks. I think it's alright to go overboard on a vacation. I don't believe Thanksgiving or Christmas are meant for calorie counting. I don't think anyone should eat rice cakes at their child's birthday party! Going out to a restaurant shouldn't always include the small garden salad with a drop of dressing and water with lemon. Everything in moderation and even if moderation turns into an 18 hour feast, pick up the slack the next day and several days after that. Getting depressed or self-loathing will not take back the calories that you consumed. Eating balanced meals, snacks and exercise over the next days and weeks to follow will.

When I first started my weight loss diet in June 2007, I was interested in the Weight Watchers Flexpoints system. I did a lot of reading online about it and found myself fond of their fundamentals but decided to make my own version by simple calorie counting because I would probably be out of Points by lunchtime. So then I designed a diet plan based on calorie reduction and ate a lot of processed foods, like frozen dinners and "100 Calorie" packs of assorted portion controlled treats and snacks. A few weeks into it, I realized most of the food I was consuming was more like a science experiment instead of nourishment. There are so many products that are just ridden with sodium, fat, and refined carbohydrates.

I still have some of the junky processed stuff once in awhile, but I try to stick as close to nature as possible. I've fallen in love with many natural-state, organic, and/or unprocessed foods. I love to browse the 'health food' section at stores that I once thought were reserved for hippies, buy healthier, untainted foods online and even make my own healthy versions of their evil counterpart. I really enjoy cooking, baking, and being creative with real food. Don't get me wrong, I still have some of the unhealthy things, but the majority of the time I am staying with and sincerely enjoying the best things our wonderful planet has to offer. Sure, I might have a Big Mac again sometime down the road but I prefer real food the majority of the time. I'm not one of those "former smokers/bad eaters/alcoholics" that turns into an elitist and puts down certain behavior or choices. Life is too short to make petty judgements. Keep your judgements substantial LOL!

As you may or may not have noticed, I am obsessed with food. It's one of my greatest passions and hobbies. I love it in every way imaginable. I don't discriminate! LOL It's fun, it's relaxing, and it's even educational. I know, I know, a lot of people say "Food shouldn't be a luxury, it's a necessity." True, it is a necessity but just because it's our fuel, doesn't mean you can't take the time to savor the flavor, texture, and aroma. If food wasn't meant to be appealing to the senses, we wouldn't be able to taste a sweet, ripe peach or crunchy walnuts. If it was meant to be just a form of fuel, it might as well be tasteless.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. *giggles*

• I cycle my calories: 1829/day average (up, down, and back again).
• I eat every 2 to 3 hours (5 to 7 times a day) and sometimes switch up to 3/4 big meals.
• I eat almost everything from all food groups.
• I only drink water, seltzer (sodium free), milk, soy milk, tea, coffee, occasionally 100% fruit juice, and rarely alcohol (I avoid: artificially sweetened beverages, such as: diet sodas, 'fruit drinks', sports drinks, and flavored water).
• I don't try to bloat myself by drinking too much water. 8 cups a day is only a theory, not a rule. At some point too much water intake dilutes vitamins and minerals.
• I try to eat various types of food to keep it interesting!
• I prefer to eat as many natural, unprocessed foods as possible. When available, I choose the brand or product with the fewest additives, preservatives, and/or chemicals. Probably close to 90% of my food, drink, and ingredients are in natural form. The other 10% or so is a reasonable percentage for me to allow for junk and not-so-healthy choices.
• I aim for 5 to 8 servings of fruits and veggies per day.
• I often avoid drinking away my calories by limiting my juice and other calorie-dense beverage intake to moderate consumption.
• I try to avoid high sodium products and never add salt to anything. I also look for lower or sodium free versions of foods I eat or even make my own. Tuna, tomato sauce, ketchup, rice cakes, etc.
• I use a variety of spices to flavor food (from cinnamon to oregano).
• I use measuring spoons/cups and a food scale to accurately measure the serving size I want for foods that aren't pre-measured (fruit, pasta, sour cream, cereal, cheese, vegetables, jam, milk, dressings, etc.)
• I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners as much as possible. When I can, I substitute honey, fruit, or 100% juice to sweeten things. Regular white sugar and evaporated cane juice aren't the best choices either, but they're better than synthetic chemicals!
• I keep a food journal and blog of everything I eat, except 'no counting' days *grin*.
• I plan my daily food menu a week or so in advance.
• I consume more calories than the average weight loss plan suggests using simple math, exercise, and patience to get great results.
• I have a very high calorie day once a week (~2800 calories) that balances out with the other days of the week.
• I take a "free" or "no counting" day in place of my "2800 kcal day" every 2 weeks or so and get right back in the swing of things the next day because I know it will not be the last time I over-indulge.
• I try to weigh myself every 1 to 3 weeks instead of everyday. My weight can fluctuate from 1 to 8lbs in the same day from water, exercise, and undigested food.
• I don't feel guilty about eating too much, too little, or what I eat. I believe it's ok to take a break now and then. If I go off track, its alright! I know I'll get back on. I have confidence in myself and my plan.
• I hardly ever feel deprived or hungry; as long as I eat the right foods frequently.
• I exercise 3 days/week, eventually 5 or 6 days/week (cardio + weight lifting).
• I change up my exercises - elliptical, walking/running, going up and down stairs, jump roping, different weights, etc. Variety in exercises keeps my body guessing and my furnace burning. I also do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) exercises on and off throughout my routines to give my metabolism little surprises once in awhile.
• I believe it's good to take a rest once in awhile (think: every 3 to 4 months) by taking a week off from exercise and calorie counting.
• I may lose at a slow pace - marathon not a sprint! I'm thrilled to lose 1 to 8lbs a month. I'm no longer hung-up on the '30lbs in 30 days' mentality.
• I avoid idiotic, belittling, or ignorant advice, comments and suggestions as much as possible. There's too many "snake oil" salespeople and ridiculous opinions floating around to take most of it seriously. I trust myself and my experience more than I trust people that seem to be unhappy or deprived on their version of a diet.
• I like to read anything I can find on health, weight loss and/or fitness (research and knowledge helps immensely!) I think it's important to find things out for myself instead of believing everything I might come across online or in a magazine.
• I do what satisfies and works for ME! This is the diet and lifestyle that I choose because it makes me happy, healthier and keeps me interested. The only "right" weight loss approach is the one that you can stick to and results in overall better health.

I hope I have amused and maybe even inspired whomever may stumble upon this little blog of mine. Losing weight can be a great challenge that you can find fun in. Some people might say I am obsessed with this, but I see this as a game. I'm keeping score and trying to win by losing. Don't take it all too seriously, remember to live it up once in awhile! Do what works for you and your lifestyle. Always seek the advice of your doctor, dietitian, nutritionist, and/or other health care provider before starting any type of diet. I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to follow my philosophy if it somehow jeopardizes their well-being! Especially if they have a pre-existing condition or doctor prescribed plans to follow.

I'm sure as time goes by I will make minor adjustments here and there. If not, even better. What it all comes down to is treating yourself to the biggest cup of health you can!

Remember: you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight! Good luck and happy taste buds to all -- !

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