Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The Rehab Diet


Drum role please...

Introducing The Rehab Diet, a 12-step program towards becoming less fat/unhealthy/whatever. Let me preface this by admitting I have no background in nutrition and I do not claim to be a weight loss guru. I am, however, medically obese and therefore believe that gives me the authority to speak on the subject matter. Keep in mind though, that this diet is brought to you by the same person who developed and tried the 3pm diet (eat anything you want, just nothing after 3pm).

So here's my new theory: you don't tell an alcoholic he has to drink to stop drinking. He just absolutely has to stop. That said, there are very few programs that advocate a gradual weaning off alcohol. Most employ a dramatic, cold turkey approach. I have tried in the past, with varying levels of success, to use a "cold-turkey" approach to weight loss. I cut virtually all consumption, as close to zero fat as possible and as few calories a day as I needed to remain upright. While I lost large amounts of weight very quickly, it's obviously not a lifestyle that can be stuck to and the weight slowly but surely crept back.

So my new idea is this - what if you took the concept of a cold turkey diet, but applied it over the course of 12 weeks?

Let me explain: First, pick 12 things you either do or don't do that contribute to your unhealthiness. These things can be obvious (I eat a slab of bacon every morning) or not so obvious (I always overeat at my sisters house). At the same time, some or all of the twelve things can also be positive (exercise 3 times a week), (drink more water), etc. Once you have your twelve negative or positive things figured out, you then put them in an order you think you can tackle, keeping in mind that some steps will naturally lead into another - exercising will more than likely lead to greater water consumption, for example.

Breaking up big things might also make sense. Obviously if you eat 3 fast food meals a day, you don't necessarily have to cut it all out at once. For instance, drop fast food dinner first, then breakfast, then lunch. Each time you drop or add something from or to your life, its considered a "step," and you tackle one step a week for twelve weeks.

My 12 steps:
  1. Coke
  2. Fast Food
  3. Exercise 3 Times/Week
  4. Drink 60 0z. Water/Day
  5. Fried Foods
  6. Soft Drinks
  7. Green Tea/Day
  8. Serving of Fish/Week
  9. Breakfast Every Morning
  10. Lean Protein over Red Meat
  11. Exercise 5 Times/Week
  12. Doctor's Appointment
What I've tried to do is gradually cut the truly horrible things I consume on a daily basis (Coke, Fast Food, Fried Food), then start adding in healthier things (Exercise, Water, etc.). Obviously this isn't rocket science - I'm doing less bad and adding more good. But by attacking it in this manner, I've given myself a tangible positive or negative to hang my hat on every week. My hope is that The Rehab Diet will trick me into adopting a healthier lifestyle.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You might try all the things you want to take away first, and then all the things that you want to add to your diet. May make it a little less of a "shock" to the system. Great blog!