Mantra

I am starting in on my 4^th week of “dieting” this week.  I don’t like to call it dieting necessarily, because I am still eating regular food.  I’m just paying more attention to what I eat and the portions of what I am eating, and I guess cutting back some.  Here is what I have found to work so far:

·         Weight Watchers!!  My points have been my bible.  I’ve tracked calories and other things in the past, but it is obvious why Weight Watcher has been around for so long.  I trust my plan 100%.

·         Eat a light breakfast and lunch.  This way I can eat what everyone else is having for dinner and not worry about it too much.

·         A snack is ok in the afternoon, but I need to think about it, and make sure that I am actually hungry and not bored.

·         Pay attention to my body’s queues.  Just because it is noon, does not mean that I have to eat lunch?  How hungry am I, really?  I’ve also found that eating a later lunch holds me over until dinner and I am less likely to snack.

·         Rather than a bedtime snack, I fill up on water before I go to bed.  This also works wonders for my early morning gym time because I am already somewhat hydrated, and my muscles don’t feel tight.

·         I do my best to save my extra points for the weekend.  This is the most likely time for splurging on desserts to occur.  It’s nice that I can eat them somewhat guilt free. I also do not “spend” my activity points.

And here are a couple of things that I have observed:

·         I fill up faster now than I did before.  What was a normal portion for me 2 weeks ago might make me feel stuffed now.

·         A day a “bad eating” not only makes me feel guilty, but my stomach doesn’t feel right for the whole day either.  Knowing that I will pay for eating those chocolate chip pancakes may help me to *not* eat them the next time the opportunity arises. (Although, when you can’t eat eggs in their natural form, your out to breakfast options are somewhat limited).

·         The longer I am sticking to it, the easier it is to stick to it.

And I am sticking to it in spite of the fact that I have only lost 4lbs (and that 4lbs fluctuates, even) to date.  This is frustrating, because I feel like for the sacrifice I’ve made, I should have lost 15lbs by now. But I know it doesn’t work that way as much as I know that I should not be focused on the number.  The number is not as relevant as the health benefits.  This is maybe the hardest concept to grasp but I am working on it. 

I think I need a mantra or something.