My goal is to lose about 10 pounds a month, every month, throughout 2011. I've gotten mixed responses when I share this with people. Some seem to think I don't understand that weight loss is difficult. I guess they assume I lack the drive to see it through. Some are nothing but supportive and encouraging. One friend seems worried that 10 pounds in a month isn't healthy. I did some research on it and it seems most nutritionists are fine with losing about 2 pounds a week. In order to meet my 10 pound a month goal I'd only need to trim 2.5 pounds a week, which doesn't seem unreasonable or unattainable to me. The hardest part will be sticking to my guns and following my plan. This is why I decided to split my year into four parts. Every three months I'm making graduated changes so I don't plateau or lose my mind and start binging. With no further adieu, here is my plan:
January-March:
*Sunday will be strictly vegetarian. This will be difficult for me because I love meat, but I managed to go a whole month without last year so I know I can do it.
*I will work out at the gym daily for a minimum of 30 minutes.
*Monday and Fridays will be "seafood days" where the only meat I'll eat will be fish. I like fish, so this should be pretty easy.
*I'm cutting way down on pre-prepare and processed foods. My new general rule will be "If I don't make it, I don't eat it." There will, of course, be exceptions, such as cheese, which I refuse to give up.
*I'm limiting the amount of meals I eat at restaurants to 3 a week. This may be the most challenging thing for me, as eating out has gone from a treat to a standard activity.
*I'm limiting my soda intake to 2 a week. I like soda, but I drink it irregularly, going through phases when I drink it with every meal and then alternatively not having any for weeks on end. Hopefully this will help curb the soda binges, and also work towards getting rid of the soda altogether.
*I will drink a minimum of 1 liter of water daily. My idea is to buy seven one liter bottles, each labeled for a day and refill them. This way, when the bottle is empty, be it during a meal or throughout the day, I know I've fulfilled my daily goal.
April-June:
*I'll be cutting my portion sizes by 1/4.
*Sunday and Tuesday will be strictly vegetarian.
*I will work out at the gym daily for a minimum of 30 minutes. Added to this will be a minimum of 30 minutes of weight training at least three days a week.
*Monday and Fridays will be "seafood days" where the only meat I'll eat will be fish.
*I'll continue to minimize pre-prepare and processed foods.
*I'll be switching to whole grains if I haven't. I eat a lot of whole grains already so this shouldn't require a lot of effort.
*I'm limiting the amount of meals I eat at restaurants to two a week.
*I'm limiting my soda intake to 1 a week.
*I will drink a minimum of 2 liters of water daily.
July-September:
*I'll be cutting my portion sizes by another 1/4.
*Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be strictly vegetarian.
*I will work out at the gym daily for a minimum of 1 hour. Added to this will be a minimum of 30 minutes of weight training daily.
*Monday and Fridays will be "seafood days" where the only meat I'll eat will be fish.
*I'll continue to minimize pre-prepare and processed foods.
*I'll continue eating whole grains.
*I'm limiting the amount of meals I eat at restaurants to once a week.
*I'm limiting my soda intake to 1 every other week.
*I will drink a minimum of 3 liters of water daily.
October-December:
*Depending upon my progress, I may be cutting my portion sizes by another 1/4.
*Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be strictly vegetarian.
*I will work out at the gym daily for a minimum of 1 hour. Added to this will be a minimum of 1 hour of weight training daily. (I'm not sure yet if I want to commit to one full hour of weights, as I'm not trying to get overly muscular.)
*Monday and Fridays will be "seafood days" where the only meat I'll eat will be fish.
*I'll continue to minimize pre-prepare and processed foods.
*I'll continue eating whole grains.
*I'm limiting the amount of meals I eat at restaurants to once a week. I considered limiting myself further, but I don't believe I'd stick to it in the long run, but once a week I think I can do consistently.
*I'm limiting my soda intake to 1 every month.
*I will drink a minimum of 4 liters of water daily.
And there you have it. My plan is in place. I bought a pricey scale...not so much because it is pricey as because it was pretty. It gives me not only my weight, but also my body fat percentage, my hydration level, and my BMI(which I pretty much disregard, but that is a different issue). I'm going to weigh weekly and also take photographs of myself to keep track of my progress. It's almost time. I'm kind of excited!
Excellent planning! You can do it. You WILL have setbacks, but they will all be minor if you get right back to your plan.
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