What are you doing? Part II (Time for Pragmatism)

While I resolutely believe making a lifestyle change stick requires flexibility, there are a few things that I have found work for me.  No hard & fast rules, just better choices.  In a departure from my prosey self, a pragmatic list of things I'm DOING to get the job done.

• Exorcise the demons (figuring out why I eat, particularly when I'm not hungry, & getting at all of the junk that has gotten me to this point is the single most important thing I have done.  I  think 80% of the process is getting my head right & only 20% is getting my food right.  this time I'm not letting anything fester & lurk in my mind, if I figure something out, it's going in the blog.  thank you for helping me slay the dragon rather than merely muzzling the beast)
• Weight Watchers (doesn't address WHAT I eat, merely helps me rethink how much)
• Curves (no hard core gym for me, the intimidation factor was too great)
• Measure everything (my food scale, measuring cups & measuring spoons are essential)
• Log everything (most credible diet plans & nutritionists agree that food journaling is critical to not only shedding pounds, but also to breaking habits & learning how to make healthy choices)
• Plan ahead (I make bad choices on the fly, so I make meal plans on Sunday for the rest of the week)
• Cook one meal for the whole family (I do most of the cooking & I refuse to eat rice cakes & celery while my family eats a real meal)
• Cook & freeze (my freezer is full of individual portions of supper leftovers that can serve as a quick, healthy meal later)
• Analyze favorite recipes (can I use less oil? would this be just as tasty with half of the cheese? can I add extra veggies to boost nutrients & volume? can I substitute turkey bacon? can I cut the sugar in half? the answer is nearly always yes & it rarely affects taste or satisfaction)
• Snack on real food (preferably something that grew out of the ground or had a mother.  this helps me assess if I'm actually hungry or if I'm eating for another reason...it's a lot more work to eat real food)
• Fiber (not in supplements, in real food. I'm a volume eater, so without fiber I'd be toast!)
• whole wheat bread, pasta & tortillas
• whole grain brown rice
• old fashioned oats (I eat oatmeal w/bananas or raisins every day for breakfast)
• whole wheat flour
• lots of greens, whole vegetables & whole fruits (vegetables at every lunch & dinner are a must for the whole family)
•  Dairy (the ONLY food group if you ask me)
• skim milk
• Greek yogurt (I like the Yoplait Vanilla Honey & the Stonyfield Farms Caramel the best for straight eating & plain varieties as an excellent sub for sour cream in cooking, baking & on tacos!)
• 2% milk cheese (fat free tastes like rubber & full fat just isn't worth the calories for everyday use)
• Sweets & Treats (yup, I still eat sweets, but not every day & certainly not in the quantity that I used to.  I am mindful of "budgeting" my treats for something that I really love rather than a bunch of somethings that I like--even if those other things are low-cal.  if I'm not enjoying my food or I'm feeling deprived, I won't stick with it for a lifetime.  since this is a forever commitment, I sure better find a way to make treats fit--because there's no way I can banish chocolate forever!)