esrosedotblog

PROGRESS

I started my half-way measures diet three weeks ago. Maybe four.

Since then I have lost over 10 pounds and have broken through the dread plateau every dieter reaches.

The plan is simple. I just eat a half of everything that I would normally eat on a rather well planned diet. My normal diet isn't too complicated but there is a rigorous consistency to it.

For example, breakfast.

I have an two eggs and bread and a dish of apple sauce every other morning or a cup of low fat yogurt and fruit the other days. Every day, I have cereal (6 kinds in rotation) and some peanuts.

I have similar plans for lunch--four kinds of sandwiches, two types of fruit.

Evening meals are similar. About 15 different menus.

I gain just a little weight on it and eventually have to take it off.

Hence, the halfway measures. One egg, half the fruit, yogurt, cereal and nuts. Half a sandwich for lunch and half the normal fruit.

Since I still have the same food, the balanced nutrition, I am not deprived. I just take half of it.

I hit the wall or plateau after I had lost about 8-9 pounds. Days of no weight loss.

The body 'gets' that it is starving and so it ratchets down on the metabolism.

There are several ways around this effect.

One is to quit the routine for a day or two and just eat 'normally'. The body relaxes and lets go of the metabolism.

Another approach is to increase the exercise.

I did the one day of 'normal' eating.

That did the trick.

I also am taking a less dramatic approach to the half way thing and eating a normal portion of dinner. No starvation there.

This week I am starting a routine that will give me one hour more of bike time. I will go on the longest route every day. That is about 15 minutes more than any other route. At the end of the week I will have added 75 minutes of exercise.

My goal is to lose at least another five pounds and get back to my normal eating in a couple of weeks.

Don't want to go too fast because the body will take back control again. And I don't want to get all woofy and weak from not eating.

Labels: bicycle, health