Mom's on a Diet

When I hit 40 I found my eye sight was not quite what it used to be but bifocals took care of this slight imposition. Now in my early 50's I found that my weight is slowly creeping upward, despite my 6 day a week work-out routine. I want to loose 15-18 pounds. Ten pounds of post baby weight I never lost after my second child and another 5-8 pounds that has snuck up on me. So what is a mother of two young and impressionable children to do, especially when that mom is a Dietitian?

A parent on a "diet" will impact a child (mine are 7 and 12)and I don't believe in diets. Children can take in the wrong message from a parent making too much of their diet. I believe in making changes that can be made without adding any stress, tension or feelings of hunger or deprivation. Changes need to be life long.

So I decided to eat less, one portion of food (i.e. 1/2 cup to 1 cup portions mostly). I put myself on a 1500 calories plan as I am only 5"4". I eat 6 times a day with 400 calories at breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus three 100 calorie snacks. I eat what I want, both healthy foods that I enjoy and potato chips, nuts, cookies and ice cream which I also enjoy. I am just eating less, 1/2 cup of ice cream is 120 calories (Dryers Slow Churn) and Trader Joes reduced fat potato chips, 1ounce, is also about 120 calories. So a lunch of 2 scrambled eggs, 1 oz. chips, 1 large apple and 1 square of dark chocolate is 367 calories. No special foods, shakes, bars or recipes. My kids see me eating. I tell my husband that I don't want my body to think it is being starved, so I always eat all of my calories. I eat any "left over" calories in addition to the 100 snack calories dedicated for evening snack, as dessert.

I am loosing about 1 pound a week, 10 pounds down so far. What will I do when I reach my goal? I may not make it to my goal as at some point my body may stop loosing weight. At that point I will just keep the same eating pattern and be the way I am. If I do reach my goal and am still loosing weight I will add a few more calories until I neither gain nor loose weight.