New diet plan

This past week I started on my new weight loss plan. I know some time back I mentioned my desire to lose weight, then pretty much didn't bring it up again. That's about how it is for me. I want to be a healthier weight, but my willpower stinks. I love food so much it's hard.

So I've started a new plan based on EatingWell.com's 1500 calorie per day menus. I picked and chose the recipes I liked and reworked their menus into ones I would eat. So far, after week 1, I like most of their recipes and suggestions. I cheated terribly though. And at the end of week 1, I'm at the exact same weight I was at the start of week 1. *sigh* Oh well. My fault for cheating. As always, I was full of excuses. It's Staff Appreciation Week, I can't skip out on the lunch the parents' club provided. And then there were the leftovers. And the two batches of cookies I made. Evenings are my toughest time for temptation. I am definitely addicted to desserts at the end of my dinner. Eating Well allows for dessert options, but my cravings are for butter and sugar and chocolate. Not very conducive to a 1500 calorie meal plan.

There were some highlights for the week, though. 1) I ate a TON of fruits and vegetables. When I went grocery shopping last weekend, both of the produce bins in my frig were overfull. I had extra fruits and veggies in the door shelves. But I am pleased, that here at the end of the week, all the produce is practically gone. A few little random leftovers. Still really good. 2) I did reduce my diet soda and chocolate consumption significantly. I have been working on the diet soda thing for a few weeks. However, the chocolate thing is really hard and I set my mind to that this week. Despite making the mocha cookies and the vanilla sugar cookies this week, I ate WAY less desserts and chocolate than I normally do. That's impressive to me. 3) There were several new recipes I tried this week that were really very good. The best of which were the cabbage rolls. I've never made or even eaten cabbage rolls before. Without having a higher fat frame of reference to judge by, EatingWell.com's recipe is excellent.

So now on to Week 2. My goals for this week. 1) Less cheating. Maybe one occasion's worth. After all, it is Mother's Day tomorrow. But that still cuts back on the cheating at work and by making desserts that don't conform to my menu plan. 2) Actually prepare an try some of the Eating Well desserts. I might find that they do satisfy the addiction. 3) Continue with the crazy amounts of fruits and vegetables. If nothing else, I'm sure that part is good for me, and something I find easy enough to do. At least while the weather is beautiful and there are lots of fresh produce choices around. Winter is a whole different story, but that's six months away. Maybe I'll have the fruits and vegetable habit well established by then.