Okapi Weight Loss Program

*Disclaimer: You should contact your physician before starting any new diet/exercise program*

This okapi is no expert at weight loss.  I also am not a serial dieter who has tried "everything."  I am somewhere in between.  Fancy and I started our quest for weight loss a few years ago when we were both at the highest weight we had ever been.  There are lots of reasons we got that way, but the top are: not cooking at home, no exercise, and beer or (diet) soda with just about every meal.  So, our first foray into weight loss, we went the Weight Watchers route.  We lost about 35 pounds each, and although we gained some of it back, we kept some of it off.  For "dieting", this is a success.

The reason that we kept some of it off is that certain lessons learned through this diet stuck with us: no more soda (except VERY rarely), no sugary creamer in Fancy's coffee, no more beer at every dinner, lighter lunches packed at home, and lighter breakfasts.  So, now with these things already ingrained, I have decided to take the lessons from other weight loss sources (nutrition class, web, etc.) and make an okapi plan for healthier living.

The first thing for me to do is to start paying attention to nutrition labels again.  This is a pain in the ass and super frustrating.  Nutrition labels are built to be misleading about calories and fat, so training yourself to first look at "serving size" and then "servings per container" will make this way easier to see through.  Okapis goddamn hate portion controlling, but it is a necessary component of weight loss.  So is logging what you eat. I use fatsecret.com for that because it is free and totally easy to use (there's an app, of course).  I'm also using my handy dandy kitchen scale to weigh my foods for accurate input.

Okay, so now that the logistics are out of the way, here's what makes this less of a diet and more of a healthy eating plan:  I'm not subverting calories/fat by eating super chemical laden low calorie/low fat/non-fat foods because they aren't all that great for you.  I learned all about this in nutrition class and was amazed that I could eat delicious foods and still lose weight.  For example, I used to eat 50-75% fat free cheddar cheese on my sandwiches, but now I eat extra sharp cheddar; I just cut it into thinner slices and 1/2 ounce fully covers my sandwich and is WAY tastier than a full ounce of the diet stuff.  It takes a little creativity, but totally pays off.  Also, I'm introducing more "superfoods" into my diet.

The point is that eating healthy doesn't have to taste like that up there.  It can be tasty.  My calorie intake quota is 1200-1500 calories per day (with an option to increase with exercise).  It isn't a diet, so I don't fail if I go over this number.  I also make sure that I eat 5 servings of fruits and/or veggies per day which fills me up and is awesomely good for me.  One way to do this is to bookend your intake: I have a half grapefruit for breakfast (which is a SUPER superfood) and (2 cups of) salad before dinner (which helps to eat less food because I'm less hungry).  More on the okapi weight loss plan to follow!  My results since Monday: 4 pounds lost.