Really? Another Diet Blog?

Well, sorta.

My name is Megan, and I struggle with my weight. Why? I love food. Sweets are my downfall. And bread. And sodas. And pasta.

I'm essentially one of those people that want to lose weight but didn't really want to give up the things I like to eat.

And so, I'm not going to give anything up. I'm just going to change my idea of a "diet." I have no intention of munching on carrot sticks to lose weight. Heck no. Those plans always fail for me. I can't deprive myself of what I like to eat, or I will fail in losing weight.

There are a couple other reasons why dieting always fails for me. First, I like convenience. I want to be able to grab something out of my frig (or McDonald's) and head to work. This has led me to make some really bad food decisions (Donuts and coffee three mornings in a row? Yep. I've been there). Second, I have a really hard time eating vegetables. I'm not a vegetable person, and the ones I do like, are the ones I shouldn't eat as much, like white potatoes (because french fries totally counts as a vegetable), or corn with lots of butter.

Now that you know how I fail, I'm going to tell you how I plan to succeed.

1) FAIL: Sweets

Plan: Eat sweets that make me feel like I'm getting something really yummy.

I hate low calorie sweets that try to pass themselves off as a decadent dessert. IT'S NOT THE SAME. And you know it's not the same! We try to eat them to feel like we're getting something sweet, only to finish up the snack feeling let down that it wasn't as good as digging into a pint of Ben and Jerry's. I'm going to work really hard (aka, search Google) to find desserts that satisfy my need for something sweet without making me feel like I just had a low calorie dessert.

2) FAIL: Convenience Foods

Plan: Find healthier options for food that I can stock my frig with, and have for those grab-and-go days that happen every day for me.

I never get up early. It just doesn't happen. I sleep in until the last minute. That plan of making an egg-white omelette in the morning for breakfast never happens because I don't get up early enough to make it happen. Or I eat the pizza and fries of a school lunch because I forgot to pack my lunch. So my new plan is to make up healthy lunches and breakfasts on Sunday that are literally grab and go. Each serving will go in its own container (how many times have you let leftovers go to waste because you didn't feel like digging out another container and dishing it out? ::raises hand::).

3) FAIL: Vegetables

Plan: Hmmm. . .

I don't have a plan for this one yet. I've been reading blogs about pureeing veggies and sneaking them in food, but I just don't have time for that. I don't have kids, but on top of being a teacher (which, as teachers know, is definitely more than and 8-3 job), I attend grad school full time, work the after school program two days a week, and have a small side business where I make cricut crafts. I don't like broccoli unless it's covered in creamy cheese. I don't like carrots unless I douse them in ranch. So, this is my work in progress. Feel free to leave suggestions.

So what's this blog going to be about? Who knows really. Mostly about food that I'm eating to help me lose weight. Maybe about my exercise plan some (which is still a work in progress). Probably also some accountability about what I'm eating.

If you have any suggestions, lay them on me. Want me to try out a recipe, or find something specific to help a craving of your own? Bring it on. I love to cook, I love to grocery shop, so we'll figure this out.