The power of infomercials

Over and over again I swear I am not going on another diet. But then I have a sleepless night, and bam, I'm on the phone ordering the diet du jour that will solve all my problems.

Right after we got back from vacation in July I had one of those sleepless nights. And I "met" Robert Ferguson -- certified nutritionist, fitness specialist and a doctoral candidate in sports psychology. The fact that he is also an inspirational lecturer might have been the real reason I bought his program, "The Food Lovers Fat Loss System."

He had me with these words: "This is not a diet." I was putty, and my credit card was whipped out before he even finished his 30-minute pitch. What he was saying made sense to me: Eat every two to three hours, and only eat the foods you love. His theory is if you eat foods you really don't like, as soon as you lose the weight, the pounds start rolling back on.

Been there. Done that far too many times.

When my box of goodies arrived, I was beyond intimidated. It is a huge box, filled with all sorts of books, CDs and DVDs to get you started shedding pounds. I did exactly what he instructed -- began with the instuctional DVD -- and put my binder together, which has now become my bible and journal. It goes everywhere with me.

Day 1 was Tuesday, and he only asked that I listen to the CD for Day 1, and include a snack between meals, so I am eating every two to three hours. Easy? No! I actually had to set my BlackBerry's alarm to remind me to eat my snack. And there were times I was not hungry, but I did what he instructed.

The really wild part: At meals, I was sated. I ate normal meals, and not once did I even think of going back for seconds.

Yesterday, I began to learn how to make a Food Lovers Plate, which when done correctly, combines a protein, a fast carb and a slow carb. I am by no means a pro at all this, but I like the message. There is science behind what he is saying, and I am eating it all up.

My direction for today: Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. Again, not easy, but I did it. And as I am writing my blog this morning, instead of thinking about how hungry I am, I am full and content.

Alone time

Last week was a whirlwind, partially because of the July 4th holiday, but mostly because my computer died. And when that happened, all was not well with the world.

I wish it didn't set my world on such a tilt, but it did, and I decided I needed to do something nice for myself, so I signed up for some yoga classes at Yoga 4 Everybody in Fairfield. My first class was a gentle yoga class last Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., a time I find it difficult not to overeat. Not sure why, but after dinner is when all my best intentions go out the window.

I swear that gentle yoga class was life changing. My dead computer became just that -- a dead computer that is annoying, but something I can work around. I breathed deeply and stretched like I haven't stretched in years, and before I knew it, 75 minutes had passed and I was on my way home, looking forward to the next class I had signed up for -- restorative yoga on Friday afternoon, another bad time for me. Friday at 5 I am usually rewarding myself with my first glass of weekend wine. Again, another 75 minutes passed, and again, I was at peace with the world. Saturday morning at 7 I was at the beach, taking a class in Qi Gong and Tai Chi, and ever since, at least five times a day, I have been practicing the one pose our teacher asked us to perfect.

So I was amused when today's "meditation for weight loss" that I subscribe to, suggested I need to spend some time alone each day to develop an internal friendship with myself -- an important component of any weight loss journey.

It is something I really have not thought about before. But since Wednesday -- OK it's only been four days -- I am making better food choices because I want to, not because I feel I have to. And I am calmer, more centered, and really liking myself a whole lot better.

All this proves that an old dog really can learn new tricks. You just have to find the tricks that work. And of course, stick with them.