Right now I'm o/l vegetarian & overweight by about 70lbs. I want to change a lot (how I exercise, how I eat, etc) so I can be healthy in a holistic way, but I'm not one of those people who can do anything cold-turkey. So I came up with my phased approach, where I add something to my program and get really comfortable with it before trying to add something new. So far I just started Phase II.

Phase I: Walk 1.4 miles around my "block" daily. That's it.

Phase II: Walk + weight watchers

Phase III: Weight watchers, walking, weight train 3x week

Phase IV: Add 30 minutes of yoga 3x week (basically alternating weight training and yoga every other day)

Phase V: Step up from walking to jogging (a little at a time)

Phase VI: Remove egg yolks and any non-nonfat dairy from diet

Phase VII: Remove simple carbs (as much as possible) & artificial sweeteners from diet (i.e. white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.)

Phase VIII: Remove eggs and dairy entirely from diet.

Phase IX: Increase to 4-7 fruits & vegetables per day

Phase X: Meditate 15 minutes / day

I figure I may stall on a phase, but at least I will be constantly progressing. And I won't be overwhelmed with feeling like there's too much that I need to change at once.

Wow! That's an awesome, well thought out plan!

Wow! Congrats for making a plan, it'll make it so much easier, I'm sure. How do you intend to decide when its time to move from one phase to another?

Thanks. I figure when I have 2 consistent weeks on a phase, I can move onto the next one. I chose 2 weeks because historically I can do pretty much anything for 7-10 days...and then I blow it. 2 full weeks usually means I've integrated it into my lifestyle.



We'll see, though!

Nice! 5 months or so to a brand new you! Congratulations on your plans!

that's a great plan

and i'm sure you'll even FEEL when you're ready to go to the next phase. who knows, you might start eating a lot of veggies a lot earlier than you think

well, good luck

What a terrific plan! I'm really impressed with the methodic way you've thought this out - it seems like a real path to change!



Take gentle care,



Jes

Hmm... That actually doesn't look bad at all. I might do something like that for myself.

wow, I just recently started a diet (lost 10 lbs already/about 80 lbs over weight) and am very concerned about changing my lifestyle in order to keep the weight off. maybe creating a plan like this is something I should look at. btw it is a very similar method when I stopped smoking out of college...



very cool, keep us posted... and if you don't mind, I might post a plan on here...

Where do you go to learn about yoga? I would love to learn how to do it too!

Thanks everyone!






Oh, absolutely!! I'd love to see what everyone else is doing!






I've got a videotape stuffed in a drawer somewhere. It's not a bad tape, I just haven't followed through with actually doing it (in fact, it's right next to my dumbbells, my Weight Watchers books, my pedometer, my swimsuit, my.... ) But I've also taken a class or two, and I like those better.

OK here is my own personal 10 step program to a healthy life...



Phase I: Reduce calories to less than 2500 each day (I am in week 2 of this and it is actually going very well, have reduced my meal sizes considerably, and I am less hungry. I have been really focusing on being mindful of my eating and listening to my body so that I can throw in the towel when I am full.)

Phase II: Walk at least 1 mile each day

Phase III: Increase walking to at least 2 miles each day

Phase IV: Begin a stretching program each morning before work

Phase V: Begin lifting weights at a gym 3 x each week

Phase VI: Slowly begin to introduce jogging into my 2 mile walk

Phase VII: Begin to increase my intake of fruits and veggies to the normally recommended amount, while further reducing the amount of junk food I consume

Phase VIII: Remove all cheese from my diet

Phase IX: Begin a meditative exercise class 1 x each week (e.g.: yoga or tai chi)

Phase X: Begin jogging completely, slowly increasing my 2 miles each day



I am fully involved in step one and am feeling really good. I have lost a total of 15 lbs., and have quite a long ways to go. Keep me posted on how you are doing!