First, for the weekly update.  I maintained my weight.  I am happy, because I know part of losing and keeping it off is to do it at a measured pace, and every time I have a week where I just stay the same helps the weight loss stick.  I have to be really good this week to make sure I lose, because whatever I do I do NOT want the scale to go up.

That said - I'm STARVING!  I ate cocoa pebbles for breakfast, which was fine, because I wrote it down.  But not all calories are created equal, and I was so hungry for lunch that I have already used up my points for the day.  Now I will have to stick to zero calorie items, and maybe a fruit until tomorrow.

Lesson learned:  If you want to treat yourself to cocoa pebbles, have it as a snack, later in the day.  Breakfast  should be healthy and filling.

En Guarde!

Last night I went to Sushi with my mother and husband (you can see my mom behind the yummy sushi).  I got dressed up and felt super thin, yahoo!  But not so yahoo, was that when you feel skinny you think you can eat as much sushi as you want - and you can't.

So today is Friday, and I will be having a few dinner meals with friends and family.  Since I will be hosting I plan on making as many salads and vegetable dishes as possible.  I will write down what I am going to eat before the meal, and stick to it.  I will enjoy each bite as I eat it so that I don't feel the need to eat more than what I plan ahead for.

Always try to remember how hard you worked to get where you are, and how good it will feel when you reach the final destination.

Woo Hoo!

Down another pound this week!  Just ran 7k last night (7.6 if you count the warm up and cool down), and I feel great... Need to be careful because on Monday I finished some of my kids supper and yesterday I ate all the leftover chicken instead of putting it in the fridge.

No time to post much, cuz I'm busy running Camp Mommy, and having fun with my mother who came to visit me from out of town.

So there's the quick update - till next time...

Beware The Weekend - Again?

I'm going away this weekend, and I'm quite nervous.  There will be some busy days, where food will be grabbed on the go, and some long lazy days, where you want to reach for food, but you don't have your usual stash of fruits and vegetables to rely on.

I am going to bring my food diary, to hold me accountable.  I will also bring some sliced veggies, that should get me through the first day.  For the rest of the trip I will need to be disciplined.  I don't know if I can, and that is why, as I mentioned before, I am quite nervous...

Treat Your Food Like A Date - You Want Them To Come Dressed Up And You Give Them Your Undivided Attention.

When you start keeping a food diary, you might notice something annoying.  While you were busy preparing your dietetic, possibly gourmet dinner, your snacking accumulated to almost as many (hopefully not more!) calories as your dinner - with more of those calories coming from sugar and fat.  You ask yourself - How was I able to sit down and eat an entire meal?  Why was I still so hungry?

For me, part of feeling satisfied is psychological.  My mind has to acknowledge and process the fact that I'm eating in order for it to know that I've had my fill.  Therefore mindless, absentminded eating will accomplish nothing but extra pounds on the scale.

The more attention I give to my food when I eat, the faster I feel satisfied, and the longer I feel full.  This means no reading the paper or checking my e-mails, no food on the go.

I sit down - even if I only have five minutes, and I really try to enjoy my food.  Part of the enjoyment for me is the food presentation (thanks to you Dad), as well.  A nicely set plate (china over plastic any day), filled with an appetizing meal can take me a long way.

And if I need some mindless snacking?  Plan ahead.  The night I made the dinner shown in the photo, I put some extra string beans in a bowl on the counter to crunch on while I finished up with the cous cous and tuna steaks.

I crunched away, my mind registered nothing, but I registered in my food diary with no guilt or disappointment.

Don't Break The Seal

A friend and I run a welcome wagon in the community I live in.  We send a package of cookies with a nice note and some general information about our area to the new families moving in.  Every once in a while I bake and freeze a few batches of chocolate chip cookies.  That way they are on hand when I need them.

I baked over two hundred cookies today, and didn't eat a single one.  Not a lick of batter, not a leftover crumb from the cookie sheet.

Before you applaud my superhuman will power, I need to tell you something.  I had to fast today.  It's actually one of the reasons I chose to bake.  I knew I had to fast, so resisting those cookies was a piece of cake! (No pun intended)

So what do I do when I need to bake the next batch, and I'm allowed to eat?  I've found a few tricks that work almost as well - but still require some level of discipline.

Rule Number One:  Don't Break The Seal

I don't know how many of you remember this from their beer drinking days, but it applies to food as well, albeit from a different angle...er, end.  If you don't let even a morsel pass through your lips, you have a better chance of success.  As soon as you break that seal, you will have ten more tastes before you know what hit you.

Rule Number Two:  Water

Keep a big glass of water on the counter and whenever you reach for a lick or bite, gulp the water instead.

Rule Number Three:  Gum

If you are worried that you might be distracted and absentmindedly lick some batter off you finger, have some sugar free gum in your mouth should help.

Rule Number Four:  Water, Again

This time for the bowl and spoon, and any other utensil that may have edible batter on it.  As soon as you are done, douse everything with soap and water.  That way you don't need to exercise control any longer than absolutely necessary.

All that work to avoid a few licks?  For those of you out there that think I sound extreme, know this - two small tastes of chocolate chip cookie dough is a fast 128 calories - and once you beak the seal, it tends to be more than three licks!

Week 2 - 2 Down, 13 To Go!

After I posted yesterday, my husband called me from work wondering why I hadn't mentioned how I had fared over the weekend after leaving him hanging with "Beware the Weekend" in Friday's post.

To be honest, I wasn't sure.  I had loaded up on fruits and vegetables, always piling my plate high with salads.  Still, I had my weekend splurges!  An extra piece of chicken, a taste of meat, and even a small portion of dessert.  I felt like I had been eating all weekend, but I knew a lot of those times had been an apple or plum, some vegetables... So I chose not to post about it because I didn't know if I was happy about it or not.

Well last night I had my weekly weigh in, and I was down 2.2 pounds!  I am thrilled and determined that I will continue with all my good dieting habits in the coming week.  I also realize that this does not mean I can relax over the weekend.

Sometimes success can be a downfall in disguise, and I don't want to fall into that trap.  Its part of the reason my weight hasn't moved much since January.  I would be really good one week, lose a nice amount of weight... people would notice and tell me how great I looked.  I felt thin, and thin people can eat dessert, right?  Thin people don't have to worry about portion control!  Well the next week I would register a gain on the scale.

If I want to reach my goal once and for all I have to remember that I'm not done losing.  Although I may get to eat a little more when I begin maintaining my goal weight, I will always have to be careful.  Some people think that sounds terrible.  Diet for life?  But its not, its about choice and control.  I am in control of what I eat, and I will no longer let food have control over me.  I choose when and what I will eat.  Meaning those nice people that tell you - "Live a little!  Eat a piece of cake."?  They can choose to eat it if they want, but if I choose not to, is my decision based on what's best for me.

This diet is about me, for me and what is best for me.  So keeping that in mind, I have to remind myself that "me" still wants to lose weight, and to remember that when making my choices.