(I'm writing this out as sort of a mission statement for myself.)
My own special diet is basically calorie counting. I love cooking and lots of variety, so I'm not interested in following something prescribed or limited. I want to eat good food, real food, along the lines of
KERF (although we have a our food preferences differ sometimes). I want my diet to conform to my lifestyle, rather than the other way around. I realize this probably means I'll lost weight slowly, but I'm ok with that. (For now--I reserve the right to change my mind and move to swifter weight loss, of course!)
My general food philosophy is that food is to be enjoyed. That means eating cheese, butter, chocolate, meat, and so on. Instead of cutting foods out, I seek to (1) eat smaller portions of rich food, and (2) balance it out over the day. So, if I want to have a nice brunch out, balance it with a light, veggie-intensive dinner. I am also ok with going over my recommended calories on one day if I know I'll make it up the next (or the day before, if I can help it!).
Other things about me: I have an insatiable, seemingly hereditary sweet tooth. I want to try to sate this with healthier options (mostly fruit, though I'll do whole-grain cookies once in a while if I can manage). I prefer food as unprocessed as possible. I choose organic for milk (tastes better) and whenever I can afford it--affordability is a major concern for me (see: poor law student). I don't drink a lot, but when I do I prefer beer and wine. I live with my boyfriend, and convincing him to participate in my healthy-eating plans can be difficult. But I'm sneaky.
So, here are my goals:
-eat mostly whole food
-increase my veggie intake
-consume the bulk of my allotted calories in fruit, veggies, and legumes
-reduce my carb intake somewhat, and stick to whole grains when I do eat them
-reduce my intake of sweets
-cut out the crap: processed foods and sweets I don't enjoy but eat out of boredom/depression/anxiety
I guess I'll edit as necessary. Here goes!