MUD. My 10 step plan to look and feel my best.

MUD? Yeah, that stands for Made Up Diet.  'Cuz to be honest with you - I'm wingin' it and I don't even really have a purpose for getting fit, other than the fact that it's 'something to do'.  You see, I'm unemployed and my husband is in the United States of America (I always say that with a George W. Bush accent for some reason).  I spend my days sleeping in, making food and eating it, doing house work and hangin' out with my 2 year old.

So really, do I have any excuse NOT to be fit?  No.

I'll start by saying that by no means do I think I'm obese, or have a serious weight problem.  My goal is to lean up and just feel better about myself.  You know, pre-pregnancy style.  I miss grabbing something out of my closet and have it just fit right.  No pulling, no stretching, no "ew, what the heck is this?! *head tilt, poke poke, pinch pinch*"

Available for free in iBooks

Recently, I read a book that broke down the different 'diet types'.  Basically, depending on your DNA, you're either better suited as a 'low-carb dieter' or a 'low-fat' dieter.  There was a 20-question mini quiz that you had to go through and check all that applied.  Turns out, I'm a low-carb dieter and this makes sense 100%.  After confirming this fact, I have a bit more guidance with my meal-planning.  Substitute rice and bread with salad and veggies -- simple (okay, maybe not that 'simple' - I do love my carbs).  It's a small sacrifice with a big reward.
I am not following the meal plans that are provided in the book but I've skimmed over them to get some meal ideas.  I'm still eating food that I like, but I'm preparing everything myself so that I can control what goes in it.


Start date: September 10th, 2012
Start weight, Week 1: 125.4

So here's my MUD plan:
1) exercise 3-4 times a week
2) eat small meals, often (3 square meals, snacks in between - no meals after 730pm)
3) reduce/eliminate salt
4) drink up to 3 litres of water per day
5) have at least 1 cup of green tea per day
6) take a multivitamin daily with breakfast
7) take fish oil tablets with every main meal
8) reduce/eliminate carbs for at least 2 weeks (just started this in Week 2)
9) no alcohol, juice or pop
10) Sunday is CHEAT DAY, i.e. satisfy a craving, but don't go overboard!

Everything mentioned above, has worked for me in the past, so this is why I've decided to stick with this plan.


[My chubby history: Several years ago (2006), when I felt hopeless and frustrated with my weight (140 lbs.), I tried the South Beach Diet and lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks!  That's because I eliminated carbs from my diet completely from Day 1 to Day 14.  Wow right?  Talk about motivating!
From there, I went on to lose a total of 20 pounds over a course of 8 months, just from eating smaller and healthier meals.  Eventually, I began to exercise and got down to my thinnest - 110 pounds (2008).  For the couple years following, I floated in and around 115 comfortably until my crazy ass decided to have another baby (2010).  Gah. Needless to say, my body has never been the same since.
Fast forward, post baby (2011):
I didn't gain a TON of weight with my 2nd pregnancy, but after baby was born, I was still heavier than I felt comfortable.  I walked around at 130 for over a year and just got damn sick of it.  I made an effort to eat healthier for a few months (2012), and was able to lose 10 pounds.  Comfortable at 120, I continued to be mindful of what I was eating, but I certainly was not diligent.  I gained back 5 pounds over the stressful summer (plus a vacation in Toronto) and was back to feeling bad about 'letting myself go'.  Back up to 125, I decided to get the party started again -- the 'look good naked' party]

This is where I am today.  Taking on my MUD regimen in full force.
Stay tuned for my weekly meal plan and recipes!