Rules for Desert Diet Survival

When beginning my new nutrition and health plan, I knew I would need support. So, I held my husband hostage at the kitchen table while I made him listen to my weight loss goals. Poor guy, he tried to offer advise, but puhlease! I realized taking advise on nutrition and weight loss from a guy who can eat a baker's dozen of Krispie Kreme doughnuts in one sitting and actually lose weight the next day would be like taking medical advise from Dr. Kevorkian. My plan would be dead in its tracks. So, bless his willing heart, I released him from diet custody and he happily left with his potato chips and micro-brew in tow. At that point, I realized I needed to take full responsibility for how I would accomplish my goals. Here are my rules for Diet Desert survival.

Rule#1: Have a Plan

• Weigh yourself! You have to know where point "A" is if you want to get to point "B", and see measurable progress. I chose not to do body measurements, but this can be a great tool for measuring progress, especially when the scale doesn't seem to budge!


• Consume less calories. No brainer here folks. For me, the Weight Watchers points system was the easiest way to count calories. So I use it to keep track of my food intake. I use the Ultimate Diet Log for journaling my daily food points, exercise, and successes of the day notes. There are a lot of on-line calculators that will help you figure out your calories needs in order to lose weight.


• Exercise. Do whatever you can....Right Now! I get on my eliptical 5x per week while listening to music, reading my devotionals, and meditating on what God's word for me is. I make my exercise time an enjoyable time too. You may have a million excuses why you don't have time, or physical limitations, or time constraints, or or or......if a fit healthy body is your goal, you must be willing to do what it takes to reach it. When your willing to do whatever it takes, you're ready to receive whatever you want.


• Attitude. Never Give Up! I am a confessed professional quitter. Confronting myself with this character issue was not easy. I realized though, it was the source of most of my failures. I have started meditating on scripture that deals directly with those issues as well as reading Joyce Meyer's, Never Give Up & The Power of Determination. I also highly recommend the only "diet" book I own that deals mainly with the emotional side of dieting. It's called The Body Fat Solution (5 principles for burning fat, building lean muscle, ending emotional eating, and maintaining your perfect weight).

Rule #2: Bring Water!

• No one survives in the desert without water, unless of course you happen to be hangin with Moses who can tap some rocks and voile, water! I tend to rebel when it comes to drinking water, so my trick....I add a little juice, or powdered drink mix, just enough to give it some taste. Target has a great 32oz plastic bottle (BPA free if your worried about that sort of thing) . I call it my water keg. It's pretty huge, but in one bottle, I get in my daily water intake. They come in pink, purple, and blue

Rule #3: Don't Panic!

• If the scale doesn't budge or those doughnuts in the office kitchen are calling your name....don't sweat it! A good practice I use is called re-framing. Because I already know from past experience what makes me panic, I play those situations over in my mind and visualize myself choosing a better solution that will keep me on track. I also allow myself a "free-day" one day a week to enjoy a favorite food or dessert. Then, when I'm tempted with that doughnut, I tell myself, "Mary, you can have one of those on Saturday." Remember, it's not what you eat 10 percent of the time that gets you in trouble. It's what you ate with the other 90 percent!


• God may keep us in the desert until we understand that He is our provision for EVERYTHING. Believe me, God won't desert you, especially in the desert.