The last 'new' diet. Ever.

It's a little cringeworthy, but I've probably done ever diet going - apart from the Atkins diet for some reason. That one never really appealed.  Slimming World, Weightwatchers, detox, distancedieters, 4 hours body, I've done the lot. I even did that hideous cabbage diet with my dad once. One word: gross. Oh, and one where you had to eat 3 eggs at every meal. The whole family did it and by the time it got to the evening we would literally sit down in a fug of noxious gases to watch the TV. Never again.


This time, I'm trying out something new, but I feel very positive that this could be the last time I start from scratch. Because it's all actually rather sensible, it's something I can tweak as I go and its something that I can do forever - it's not a short term fix, but a lifestyle adjustment. And it's based on geeky gadgets that will hopefully motivate me far more than anything else I've done. 


So here it is in a nutshell:


Diet - using gadgets (see below) I'm going to do good old fashioned calorie counting, but with a twist. Six days a week I'm cutting out wheat and bumping up my pulses, greens and meat/fish. For six days there's no crap, no pasta or rice/grains and everything will be lean and healthy. During that time, I can write down any food I'm craving. One day a week, I can have a cheat day. And then I can eat and drink whatever I want, be it gluttonous things from the cravings list (no doubt donuts, pizza and burgers), or something as simple as a bagel and an orange juice (both banned for the rest of the week). I've realised over the years that being strict and having structure are both important elements for success, at least in my case. But I also like socialising with my friends and enjoying food. I also like to drink. All these things I can do without having to decline anything, look enviously at someone else's plate, or have to go for the salad when I'm on a cheat day. Can't wait for the next one.


Exercise - Zumba twice a week, circuits at the gym on a Thursday, dance class on a Tuesday and gym visits as often as I can in between. Also, going to bed earlier and getting up in time to do an exercise DVD before work (yeep!). My husband has also bought an exercise bike, so that might also come in  handy when it arrives.


The gadgets:


Fitbit - a fairly expensive gadget that will monitor exactly what calories I'm expending and give me a daily goal that says how many steps I need to walk, what my sleep is like and whether I'm actually expending more calories than I'm eating. Mine should arrive tomorrow...
http://www.fitbit.com/ 


Myfitnesspal - I've been using www.weightlossresources.co.uk so far, which is an excellent way to log your daily food intake, but I'm sad to say I'm going to have to change my allegiance to www.myfitnesspal.com as the latter integrates with the fitbit, meaning I'll be able to look at diet and exercise on the same dashboard. I haven't use MFP much yet, but I can definitely recommend WLR - it's very easy to use and it has a very thorough database of both food and exercise. It also has some really good charts that show you where your calories have gone e.g. carbs, protein, fat etc so you can see the split. 

30 Day Shred - This is the wild card. I stumbled across this when I was checking out MFP - there are whole threads where people post their 'before and after' shots from doing this Jillian Michaels DVD. By all accounts, it's basically a hideous 20 minute workout that will make you want to cry, but if the photos are anything to go by, it looks like you definitely get results. MFP forum members are almost evangelical about it, so I'm going to give it a go. Apparently it'll arrive Tuesday, so I have until then to remember what it's like to be able to move my limbs without crippling pain.