The Best Life Diet

Some people have asked to see some pictures of my weight loss efforts thus far, so here I am in all my glory!! I still have a bit to go to get to my goal weight (I haven't been there since high school, so we'll see!!) but I'm pretty happy with the results thus far. A lot of people have asked me how I have done it and I have to say that it comes down to eating right and exercising more (duh, right?)

Doing my "tough-guy" poses. I think the smile ruins the "fear-inducing" quality of these photos!!

Anybody who knows me at all knows that I love to workout. It's like a drug to me. I'm definitely addicted to it and my husband can testify that I am a much happier person to be around if I have gotten in my workout for the day. I have a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from BYU and I love to read magazines and books on fitness and find ways to improve my workouts. I am not a casual exerciser either. I workout for about 2 hours every day except for Sunday (usually 90 minutes at the gym and another 30 minutes after the kids go to bed at night.) I work hard and I love the way that exercise makes me feel. As much as I exercise, you would think that I should be super-model thin. I am definitely not that skinny however, as I have another passion in my life....EATING! I love food (maybe even more than working out!!) I have a huge sweet tooth and my biggest downfall is by far cheese and ice cream. I know moderation in all things goes a long way, but I am such a dairy addict (and a carb addict for that matter too.) My voracious appetite also explains why I don't where a size 2. I come from a family of big eaters. I remember being shocked when I went to a friend's house for dinner when I was younger and they only had five hamburgers for five people. When my family would go to McDonald's, we could easily down 15-20 burgers between the six of us!! I'm kind of scared at times at how much food I could consume if given the chance. And unfortunately, it is a rare occasion when I crave broccoli or carrots!!

Therefore it is quite a blessing that I love to exercise or I think I could easily be over 200 pounds (especially after two pregnancies.) I have worked hard each time to get the baby weight off and then some, but I felt like I still needed to battle my food addiction. I didn't want to pass on my same bad habits of overeating to my children and I wanted to start setting a good example of healthy eating for them. I knew that I didn't want to go on a diet per se (to me a diet is something you go on and off of), but I really wanted to change my eating habits so that I would learn to tune into what my body was really needing to eat and how much of it would suffice to satisfy my hunger without overdoing it.

I found what I was looking for in Bob Greene's book "The Best Life Diet." He goes through a three phase process to change the way people eat and control portion sizes. Everything in the book makes sense to me and after seven weeks of following the program I have lost almost 12 pounds. But more important than the numbers on the scale, I have gained enormous amounts of energy and my running speed has improved tremendously (I have dropped over 8 minutes from my 5K (3.1 miles) time from 33:00 minutes just after Landon was born to just over 24:00 minutes today!) I am running farther and faster than ever before and I feel like I finally have the energy to keep up with a very active 3-year-old and 8-month-old! I also feel like I am making much better food choices that serve to fuel my body rather than just bloat it up!!

I would encourage anybody who wants to learn to eat better to look at reading this book, regardless of if you want to lose a few pounds or not. Here are some of the main points that he encourages people to follow during phase one of the plan:

1. Increase your activity level -- He has a fitness scale that he uses from 0 (coach potato) to 5 (Lance Armstrong-like). You find your current level of activity and strive to increase it by one level.

2. Stop eating at least two hours before bed. (This was a big one for me that I think has made a world of difference.)

3. Eat at least three meals and one snack each day, including a nutritious breakfast (I actually snack 2-3 times per day because of my activity level and the fact that I am still nursing. Basically I eat 5-6 times a day so I never feel hungry and I keep my metabolism going throughout the day with lots of small meals rather than two or three large ones.)

4. Eliminate six problem foods from your diet (These foods can be worked back into your diet after phase one, but he encourages everyone to eat these foods moderately. These six foods are: alcohol, soda (regular & diet), fried foods, foods with trans fats, high-fat milk & dairy, and white bread.)

5. Stay hydrated.

6. Take a daily supplement.

As you can see, none of these objectives is too over the top, its all about making small, healthy changes in your life. I am now in phase two of the plan which focuses more on portion sizes and hunger levels to determine when to start eating and when to stop. I have also kept a food journal which I think has helped greatly. It's always a good idea to stay accountable for how much you're eating, even it it is just to a piece of paper in a book. (It has also helped me to avoid eating Abby's leftovers from her plate since I know I will have to write it down!!)

Anyway, I am a big fan of Bob Greene and his book. I love the fact that I am starting to live my "best life" and I feel really good. I hope this will help other people who may be trying to eat and live better, but just need a place to start.