Well today is the official start of my plan for the New Year and I'm yet another one who doesn't follow a "commercial" diet. I just find that for me, its a little TOO much structure and it makes me get very discouraged.
I'm with the other calorie counters... I try to aim for about 1600-1800 calories a day while eating healthy. Try to minimize any white flour or sugar intake and eat more fruits, veggies and lean proteins. My biggest goal for the next couple weeks will be to cut out the bad foods like fried foods, and chips, etc. and just all around BE HEALTHY! Of course, I do also try to drink as much water as possible! I do also let myself have treats... I think that anything is fine in moderation. I aim to be on plan ALL week and if I have 1 or 2 treats (within limits of course) over the weekend, that's okay. One of my biggest realizations is that just because you have 2 pieces of pizza for lunch one day does NOT mean that you've blown everything. I used to allow this to blow my plan for a full day if I had something bad, but the key is to just get back on plan your very next snack or meal.
As for excersise, the last time I was on plan, I was going to the gym at least 5 times per week however now my membership has run out and I can't afford to renew it as we're in the process of building a house. So, I'm going to head out to Wal-Mart tonight or tomorrow and pick a workout video to start with that won't intimidate me (i'm thinking Walk Away the Pounds). In the past I've always bought more advanced workout videos and never used them as I just couldn't keep up (like Tae-Bo Cardio). However, they're sitting on my shelf waiting for me when I get in a little better shape to able to use them.
Good Luck! If you have any questions, just ask... Oh, and one more thing I do use is
www.fitday.com for tracking. Its super easy to use once you get used to it and it makes me be accountable for everything I put in my mouth. And of course, I'd be lost without 3FC.
Cheers,
Celina