Weight Loss News--the Saga Continues...

My scale is stuck!

It has now been five weeks since I started on my weight loss program by combining several different plans that I have read about (see post dated August 25th for details).  So far I am down by about 11 pounds, which is a bit less than I had hoped for by now.  I seem to have hit another plateau for almost the last week, after losing three pounds the week before that.

My initial goal was to lose 20 pounds by mid-October.  It looks like it may take a few more weeks to get there, as I don't think it will be realistic to lose 9 pounds in the next two weeks.  I am going to do my best to ramp up my exercise schedule again, and reduce my fat intake a little bit more--bye bye peanut butter and nutty snacks, at least for now.

I am currently working out by walking outdoors a few times a week for about 30 minutes, and using my own elliptical trainer at home for 20-30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week.  I am not as enthusiastic about the latter as I used to be, so I have to encourage myself to do it with thoughts of fitting into some of my clothes that are still too snug.  My plan now will be to work out at least 30 minutes per day, with a combination of walking, cardio and light weight training.

The last time I was at my ideal weight was about five years ago.  Now I want to get back down to that level--and find a way to keep it there!  I will definitely need a solid exercise schedule in place once I begin to eat larger portions again.  The trick will be to stay with healthy whole foods as my basic eating lifestyle and not give in to too many temptations, especially when I am out and about with other people and having more restaurant meals.

Speaking of weight loss news, last week there was some buzz about former President Bill Clinton adopting a vegetarian diet for losing weight and helping to heal damaged arteries and heart muscle tissue.  There have been some promising studies with people who have partially or completely reversed their heart disease by following a healthy (mostly whole) plant food diet.  Here is a link to an article about Bill Clinton:

http://calorielab.com/news/2010/09/25/bill-clintons-vegan-weight-loss-secret-and-his-4-heart-disease-reversal-gurus/.

I have recently read that several weight loss doctors, Dr. John McDougall and Dr.Neal Barnard, are advocates of a low fat plant food diet, both for weight loss and for optimal health benefits.  Dr. Barnard is especially known for helping patients with Type 2 Diabetes, and Dr. McDougall coaches patients with many different health issues, helping them to either reduce or eliminate the need for prescription drugs.  Even though some fats can be healthy, we still need to carefully watch our intake of those fats in order to reach our weight loss goals. 

Here are links to some interesting books from these two doctors: