What Are the Obstacles to Success?

Throughout my dieting "career," I have tried many, many food plans, diets and programs; have taken inventory of my trigger foods; have joined gyms and participated in support groups, and have found that concentrating on protein has been the most sustainable program for me. Admittedly, an all-protein/no carbohydrate regimen is restrictive, and is not really recommended for the long term, but a few days of no carbohydrates at all does an extremely effective job in ridding the body of some excess fluid, and sets it up for further weight loss. There is something else in concentrating on protein: Appetite seems to diminish. There are scientific reasons for that, including the fact that protein takes a long time to digest, and is not turned to sugar immediately in the blood stream, thus not creating the so-called sugar high then rapid drop that is experienced with refined carbs.

In the past few days, I have been concentrating my diet on proteins and vegetables, even including some "starchy" vegetables, such as sweet potatoes. The reason I am not going all-protein is because the vegetables are essential for proper bowel function.

Here is what my lunch consisted of today:

Roast skinless chicken breast cut in pieces
One can of green beans
4 roasted Moroccan spiced carrots
4 steamed broccoli florets
1 slice (1/4") roasted sweet potato

I mixed all of it into a huge salad. Since the carrots were very well spiced and salted, and roasted with olive oil, there was no further need for any seasoning on the entire salad. The salad was fabulously filling, satisfying, and full of gorgeous flavors. It included essential fiber, lean protein, as well as complex carbs from the sweet potato and the roasted carrots.

I have a goal of weighing 10 lbs. less than I currently do by the end of two months' time, i.e., March 15, 2013. This is a reasonable and achievable goal. To that end, I must follow certain steps. One of my chosen steps is to avoid "white" food, such as white rice, potatoes, white bread. Also, I will upgrade my exercise program to include two walks per day, yoga and zumba classes once a week each.

What are the obstacles to such a program? I might resent my diet. If that happens, I can then calm down, reassess my reasons for starting it, keeping my eye on March 15, 2013 for a 10-pound goal.

What about my walks? Taking my walk in the morning is easy: I get up, have a cup of coffee and hit the road while it's cool and calm outdoors. Then I return and take my shower, slather lotion and put on makeup, so that the evening walk means getting sweaty again, and having to take another shower. That has proved to be a problem for me. Can I overcome it? Of course. I can simply decide to accept the second shower and enjoy it, since I have found that bathing is an especially lovely time for me.

Next is support, of which I have very little. My husband cheers me on, and congratulates me for small successes, and I am fortunate that he prepares very healthy Japanese dishes. My friends really do not care what I eat, or if I am 10 pounds lighter, so when I am with them, I must be my own sergeant.