Well, I’ve decided to try something different.  After months and months of hard work, dedication, and frustration, I am ready to take a different track on my weight loss journey.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that my body does not want to budge from it’s current weight and that I need to make a change from what I’m doing. 

That being said, I am going on a diet.  Yep, an actual diet to get this weight off.  I’m already living my lifestyle change.  I already eat healthy, exercise, and am living a much healthier lifestyle than I ever have before… I’ve been doing really good with it.  My food portions are good, my caloric intake is right on target, and I do cardio four days a week and am training for my two 5k runs this summer.  Doesn’t it seem like the weight should be coming off? 

So yes, back to this diet.  I found a diet that I am going to try because I think it has some good potential without doing anything too crazy.  It’s called the Upday Downday Diet.  Very simply put, you alternate between low calorie days and higher calorie days.  Apparently the jumping back and forth between the days helps kick the metabolism into gear.  Sounds easy enough, right?

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Do you have a hard time getting in your suggested water intake each day? 

I know that a lot of people do but for some reason, I was blessed with a love of the stuff.  I’m a drinker.  As in, I must have at all times something to drink.  For many many years it was iced white mochas (and I’m talking 32 oz. white mochas, yep they actually make ‘em!).  But ever since I first got pregnant, I have been drinking water on a very regular basis. 

I thought I would give you a run-down of how I manage to drink approximately 96 ounces of the good stuff a day.  Besides the obvious, chug-a-lug all day long, I start out with a water bottle and a goal.  My water bottle is in the picture there (and yes there is more than one… it’s not the same one every day!).  It’s a 32 oz. water bottle.  And my goal?  Drink at least three full bottles a day.

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For you runners or aspiring runners out there, I found a wonderful article on Runners World about the type of diet we should be eating to continue to run and still lose weight.  Now that I am really starting to be able to run for longer distances (got up to 3 miles yesterday!), I have been wondering if I should be making changes in my diet to accommodate the running.  Apparently, I should be! 

The article discusses what they call the “The Runner’s Diet”.  It talks about selecting the right types of carbs and proteins and distributing them at the right times throughout the day (relative to your running).  Apparently it is the carb distribution that is so important because the majority of the carbs need to eaten before and after the run takes place.  The lean proteins and healthy fats need to be at different times of the day. 

What I also found to be particularly helpful was the breakdown of what carbs we should choose to eat often versus the carbs that should be eaten sparingly, along with the proper portion and calorie count for each. 

I’ve bookmarked this article and will probably be referring to it often.  Hope you find some use in it too!