Thoughts on a Long Term Plan

I've been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of days, about where I want to be in a year and how I want to get there. I've gotten a lot of good input from your comments, so thank you for that.

A couple of sure things:

I need to exercise. I need to move more. I have known this all along, but for some reason have been resistant. I keep hurting myself when I exercise. I think doing my PT exercises for my legs will help with that, but I am still not sure what's going on with my feet. I find myself having foot pain when I walk too far or bike too long. I may need to see a specialist about that if it continues. But regular exercise is part of improving my health long term... not just weight loss. Strength training is going to have to make a comeback, as well.

I need to eat lots of vegetables. Lots and lots of fresh, local, organic (when possible) vegetables, including leafy greens like kale and spinach. I found a lot of joy and success from weekly visits to the Farmer's Market. Learning how to prepare new vegetables was a source of pleasure for me as well. I want this to be a regular part of my life, always.

I want to include fruits, too, in moderation. I am not exactly sure how much fruit I can eat without having some kind of sugar-trigger, but I do not think cutting it out completely would be a good idea. Fresh fruits in season, in place of other sweets, is another source of joy for me.

I need to get enough protein. I think having some protein with every meal is a good idea. I want to base this around lean protein sources, local and free range when possible. I can get free range eggs and beef year-round for a reasonable price; wild salmon is another healthy thing I enjoy. I want to have fish once or twice a week, red meat no more than once a week, and a few vegetarian meals as well. I love cooking with beans, lentils, and split peas.

I need to cut out artificial sweeteners entirely. I just don't feel good about them. My long term plan does not include them. I have not bought any in quite some time and I won't be buying anymore at all. I do plan to use raw local honey in strict moderation. My allergist said 1 teaspoon per day helps control seasonal allergies and I do think that works.

I am going to have to count something. Probably calories, maybe carbs. I'm not sure. I also am not sure whether/how much whole grains to include; lots of conflicting information about that. Not sure about dairy either.

Low carb eating, whether South Beach or Medifast, has been the only thing that turns off the binge monster for me. If I eat under a certain number of carbs per day, food loses its massive draw and it is a lot easier to stay in control. It takes about a week of low carbs to get to that point, but it does happen. I think that is the answer to the binge eating issue.

Right now, my only focus is to NOT go off the deep end, eat tons of Christmas cookies, and gain weight by January 1. That is really my only focus. I am just trying to hang on through the holidays, and enjoy them without making food the focal point.