So, in my last post, I mentioned that I’ve been losing weight with a site called The Daily Plate (TDP). I started dieting at the beginning of February, and started up with TDP on Feb.11. With one full month of dieting behind me, I have to report my excellent news:

I lost 12.6 pounds in the month of February!

One of my co-workers asked me if I’ve been starving myself, and the answer is NO. (I mean, have you SEEN me? I love food, clearly, so starving myself sounds utterly miserable!) What I HAVE been doing is eating SMARTER. I’m cutting down on the % of unhealthy fats, and trying to maintain a balance between carbs and protein. It’s been very eye-opening to track everything I eat and see where I have the most trouble. Turns out, I have to be really intentional about my protein intake because, when left to my own devices, I don’t eat nearly enough. The strange thing is, I think I ate lots more protein when I was a vegetarian! I’m actually going back and adding in some typically-vegetarian foods to help up my protein, and I’m looking forward to my teriyaki-soaked tofu sandwich for lunch tomorrow! (16g of protein per serving!)

I’m not a big proponent of fad diets (low-carb, no-carb, the Zone, etc.), and I take an approach similar to Weight Watchers: exercise your body, and exercise moderation in your food choices. It’s not the kind of plan that gives you immediate-gratification because it takes about a month or so before you can start to see and feel change. It can be really challenging to stick with something when you aren’t seeing any results, especially when you feel like you’re denying yourself something you want.

I titled this The Daily Plate vs. Weight Watchers, because I’ve done Weight Watchers before and it didn’t really work for me. I want to be clear: I think WW is an excellent program and it works really well for a LOT of people. I love their sane, balanced approach to weight loss. They want to change your habits so that making healthy choices becomes a lifestyle for you, and that’s really one of the very best ways to be successful on your weight-loss journey. So, if their goals are the same as mine, why didn’t it work for me?

Simple. Technology.

See, I’m a geek. A BIG geek. Ever since I got online at the tender age of 16, a large percentage of my life has been lived “virtually.” I’m sure some would find that depressing or strange. But for me? It just seems natural. Because of this, I LOVE online tools. I am the target market for Web 2.0 sites and tools. I love using the web as a way to connect with other people walking a similar path to my own, and I don’t have oodles of free time to do it face to face. That’s where WW didn’t work well for me; while I DO have the time to commit to being healthier, I didn’t have the time to commit to doing it through meetings. The great thing about The Daily Plate is that I can really do it when it’s convenient for me.

One of the things I’ve decided is that I need to see a nutritionist as soon as possible so that I can figure out how to meet all of my nutritional needs (high-protein and high-fiber), while also meeting my diet requirements (low-cal, low-fat), AND meeting my personal requirements of being tasty and relatively easy to prepare! Shoot, doesn’t seem like that should be asking too much.

I’ve been staying motivated by regularly looking up information on trips to the Galapagos Islands, which is the “reward” Holly and I are giving ourselves when we meet our fitness goals. I understand now why weight-loss programs suggest you have a goal in mind…when I am sweating, swearing and ready to give up while at the gym, thinking of myself in something like this, soaking up the Galapagos sun really helps keep me going.

Want to join me on my weight loss journey? Find me on The Daily Plate: