This Ain't No Diet

So, if I'm going to diet and lose weight, I have some requirements:

1. This must be a lifestyle change and not a temporary fix.
2. No food groups can be eliminated. One or two elements of a food group can be eliminated or reduced, but not the entire food group.
3. I will not count calories. Ever.
4. I will not give myself points for food eaten. Ever.
5. I will not suffer from debilitating hunger. If I am hungry, I can eat without guilt or reservation until I am not hungry anymore.
6. I will not follow a rigid eating plan, menu, or ideology for the rest of my days unless I want to.
7. And I don't want to.
8. Nothing I do will require my limited stores of will-power to be used up unless I first understand that the situation is temporary, such as in a detox program, or if I am going through withdrawals from eliminating something I know is bad for me.
9. I get to enjoy the food I eat and not have to think and stress about it constantly.

Impossible? I thought it might be, but I wasn't willing to compromise. Because I know myself well enough, I now know that any compromise with any of the above points will spell failure, and I'm done with failure and regret and self-recrimination just as much as I am done being fat and tired and brain-fogged.

So I set out on a journey some years ago, some of which I have blogged about. I have read, I have experimented, and I have observed the results. I have conducted my own very unscientific empirical study of lots of available data--some of it contradictory and confusing--and have figured out what seems to work for me. What really works for me is knowledge and education. After cobbling together things I've learned from various resources and experimenting on myself to see how useful or valid it is for me, here is what I'm doing now:

1. I have not replaced the batteries in my scale in nearly a year because I tend to judge my self-worth based on a number. Since I haven't been able to stop doing that, I've eliminated the temptation altogether.
2. I use coconut oil, butter, and EVOO for all my fats (unless I cook bacon, in which case, I save and use the bacon grease because it's so tasty). Nuts are also perfectly fine. I also eat a tablespoon of coconut oil before each meal (or just a tablespoon three times a day if I forget to take it before a meal).
3. I pull oil twice a day using organic, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil.
4. I use coconut oil on my neck and face as a moisturizer and microbial deterrent.
5. I am reducing the amount of wheat products in my diet, working on eliminating them altogether. This has led to some fun and interesting solutions to things I normally eat with bread or wheat flour. I'm not trying to eliminate gluten or all grains, but I am done with modern wheat.
6. I am taking a magnesium supplement and will also start a B complex and multivitamin.
7. I get gentle exercise, but I never force myself to exercise for hours at a time or work out to the point of exhaustion and/or nausea. Sorry, P90X enthusiasts, but you guys are nuts.
8. I am working to reduce sugar in my diet, although my main focus for now has been to eliminate wheat and wheat products.
9. I consciously include more veggies in my meals, sneaking them in whenever I can. In order to eat pizza (which I love) without the traditional crust (which has wheat), I used thinly sliced, baked eggplant as the crust. It was delicious! And I didn't get the tired, achy, sluggish feeling that I now know wheat produces in me.
10. I do not berate myself or call myself names for not being immediately perfect. In fact, this whole experiment has been kept very loose and flexible. I'm generally easy-going, but I will almost immediately rebel if told to do a lot of things I don't want to do, even by myself.

Results: good. Overall, I've seen improvement in my energy levels. I did go through the Herxheimer Reaction with the oil pulling (which was interesting), but I never did get more than a couple hours of the sniffles even while several of my children suffered through influenza, pneumonia, and sinus infections after Christmas. I am sleeping more soundly, my mind and thoughts are more calm, and I think my mood is more even. Also, I noticed today that when I put on a pair of freshly laundered denim jeans, I didn't have to suck anything in to zip them up. That's new.

Added bonus: after using coconut oil to moisturize my face at night, I smell like a tropical vacation.

I know some people love having meal plans and do-and-don't lists which provide a lot of comforting structure and a solid  foundation on which to build. I have nothing against that sort of thing, except that it doesn't work for me at all. We'll see if my way works or not. I'd love to have my younger shapely, svelte figure back, even if the stretch marks and certain flabby bits are permanent now; but almost as much, I also want to feel energetic, clear-headed, and powerful. So I'll keep you informed of the progress I'm making. I might review some of the books and studies that have led me to these conclusions, but that's just because I love an excuse to read.