The Plan

In my last post, I mentioned the extreme methods I went to in order to lose my "college 20".  With 6 months to go until the wedding, I am happy to say that no such methods will be required this time around.  I am at a healthy weight, and am fairly happy with the way I look.  Like most girls, I am continuously looking to lose that last 5 pounds, but I don't think that this should be a problem considering the amount of time I have left.

The MediFast plan was extreme, but it did teach me a practical lesson about loosing weight.  Many people swear that the only true and honest way to loose weight is by counting calories.  While I tend to agree with this method, I found that it did not work for me.  I just had a hard time figuring out how many calories were packed into the food that I was eating.  I tried using some of the many calorie counters that can be found on the web, but the truth is that most of the Polish-centric food that I eat on a day to day basis is just not listed.

An example of a Polish dish served at the two weddings Mr. P and I attended in Poland during the summer. I dare you to try figuring out how many calories this guy is packing!

MediFast works on a 5 + 1 system.  Basically, throughout the day you are allowed to eat 5 MediFast meals and one "lean and green" meal of your choice.  This works out to eating about once every 2 hours.

This is the golden ticket for me.  I do not count calories (not really) but I do count the time between eating.  I make note of the exact time that I have a meal, and tell myself that I will not eat for at least the next two hours.  I keep my "meals" between 150-200 calories, and don't eat until I am hungry again.  So, for instance, if I had breakfast at 8:00am, I will not eat again until 10:00am.  If at 10:00am I am ravenous, I eat another "under 200" snack.  If I am not hungry, I put off eating until I am; say at 10:30am.  In this case, I would not have my third meal until 12:30.  I have between 4 - 5 of such "meals" per day, and add one full meal - basically whatever the family happens to be eating, although I do try to opt for the healthier options, or eat the less healthy in moderation.

This works for me for several reasons:  First of all, I don't actually have to track anything.  I found that when I was counting calories, I spent a lot of time researching and documenting.  With this method, all of that time can be put to good use blogging instead.  Also, and perhaps most importantly, I CAN EAT ANYTHING I WANT!  If I want a granola bar, I eat it.  If I want a handful of M&M's, I can eat them, too.  Of course, I have to limit myself to only 200 calories worth of M&M's, but I can still indulge if I feel like it.  Having one "free" meal a day also helps, since I hate watching everyone else eat good food while I chew on some celery.  This way, I can enjoy dinner out with family and friends, and after a while your stomach gets so used to the small meals, that you end up eating a lot less during your "full meal" than you normally would.

I am pairing this method with at least 30 minutes of exercise (any exercise) per day.  I think that if I stick to this plan, I will be well on my way to looking my hottest on our wedding day.  After all, those pictures will follow me around for the rest of my life, and I want my grandchildren to comment on how smokin' their grandma was when they look at them!

What are you doing to get in shape for your big day?  Any big diet and/or exercise secrets you would like to share?