Why I am doing my weight loss plan wrong, and how I lost 40 lbs doing it.

I am not going to reveal what I used to weigh and what I weigh now. Let's let it rest at I was very heavy, and now I am a bit overweight.

Nutrionists have many rules that should be followed. And they really should. But sometimes I think not only are they incorrect, but they are based on the "average" person. I am not an average person. I am me. I carry all my weight related baggage, I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know what has worked in the past and what has not. So while every suggestion is great, it doesn't necessarily apply to me. I warn you, don't follow my path. Talk to your own doctor about what you need to do.

Eat breakfast. This is a great idea. How are you supposed to get energy for your day if you do not give your body fuel? The only problem is, I am not hungry some mornings. Other mornings I eat a lot. My problem comes when I feel forced to eat meals that I do not want. After all, they tell us to wait 20 minutes after eating before we decide to have seconds, because your body won't know before that whether it is hungry or not. Well, if I'm supposed to trust it then, why not at breakfast as well? Today was a hungry day. Yesterday was not. If I were skipping meals to lose weight, this is a rule that should be followed. I am not. I am skipping meals because I honestly am not hungry, and I am training my body to realize what hunger feels like so I can make more competent choices in the future.

Exercise at least 20 minutes at a time. Sorry. This will not happen, at least not for a while. There are other reasons behind this, but the main, ruling problem is that I get bored. If I get bored, what reason do I have to continue? None. For now, as important and helpful as it would be to get my heart rate up for at least twenty minutes, I am doing what I can. With two small children at home, I can usually manage five minutes before someone needs something. That is five minutes more than I got yesterday. If I can do ten minutes later, that is fifteen minutes. Add another few minutes here and there, and I am up to thirty minutes or an hour. No, it's not as good as doing thirty minutes or an hour all at once. But the alternative is sitting on my butt.

Also, related to the exercise, I find there is often a program I want to watch on tv. But I cannot hear the tv over the elliptical. So, I do both. I let myself watch the program, and I get on the elliptical during commercials. As soon as the commercial is over, I get back on. I worked in an easy 45 minutes last night when I would have been sitting still, and probably eating something. Furthermore, I am not eating while I'm doing this, because the exercise makes me forget about eating for the sake of eating.

Diet- there are too many diet plans to discuss. Let's leave it at this- I do not follow any of them. If I want carbs, I eat them. If I want red meat, I eat it. If I want a pecan praline pumpkin cheesecake with cool whip, I eat it. There is no secret here. I eat what I want, I try to eat healthier, and I eat less than I did. And despite the cheesecake, I do eat healthier. I recently discovered that steamed broccoli/cauliflower/carrots with the tiniest amount of butter and maybe some lemon is the most wonderful thing there is. I try to fill at least half my plate with veggies, and it is easy with this. Because I'm not denying myself, I am happy, and because I am eating less and healthier, it is showing on the scale.

If anything would be my point, it's this- you do not need someone else telling you what you can and cannot put in your mouth. You don't need them to show you which exercises you have to do and when. You may need their help getting your weight loss program jumpstarted, but do not be afraid to figure out what is working and not working for you. It is YOUR body, and you know when it needs something.