getting control and confidence back

Different things work for different people. For me, when I have gone wayward, here is what I do to get back on track.

1. Track my last three meals and any snacks between them, to the best of my ability. Just track it, no judgement.

2. Plan my next three meals, and go shopping for the ingredients (also shop to stock house with healthy foods - see #4 below).

3. Remove my food triggers from home/work. This means identifying which foods you have a hard time avoiding, or find yourself eating too much of when they are present. I really can't have sliced bread, cookies, candy, cereals, pretzels, chips, raisins/dried fruit, or anything like that around. Typically, I don't buy these things, and DH knows that if he wants it, he'll have to keep it and eat it outside our house. If I do end up with it in the house, I offload it as quickly as I can by asking DH to take it to work, take it to work myself and drop it in the break room for others, take it to a firehouse, food shelter, etc. At work, if there is a candy dish I am unable to avoid or resist, I chew cinnamon or mint gum and put a bag of cuties/halos (those little tangerines) next to it.

4. Stock my house with healthy foods. Here are my go-tos:

• nuts - single serve packs are best, but I'm ok having a big bag, too
• string cheese and mini babybels
• veggies (cut and prep when you bring them in)
•    - cucumbers
•    - celery
•    - baby carrots
•    - bell peppers
• olives
• individual Wholly Guacamole packets
• beef jerky in single-serving packets
• watermelon
• bananas
• eggs
• raw spinach / salad greens
• greek yogurt
• berries
• frozen veggie burgers, turkey burgers, salmon burgers
• frozen broccoli
• frozen chicken breast, cooked (Tyson makes some, or you can make your own - cook it up one day, chop it and freeze for later use or to add to veggie stir-fry, soups, salads, etc.)

5. Make time to plan/work on a weight loss action plan. This is different for everyone.

• I attend Weight Watchers meetings regularly - I get food ideas, talk through things with others who understand, share what has worked, etc. That may not be for you - but I like the interaction. 1/2 hour per week.
• I also create some structured environment for planning my actions for the next week. I set aside 1/2 hour per week (usually right after my WW meeting) to plan out how the upcoming week will look; I loosely write down plans for exercise (AM Weights, PM walk dog, etc.) and what meals might look like. Note any social events or work lunches, things that could trip me up... this really helps, and it also provides grocery store shopping guidelines! This takes me about 1/2 hour per week to do, including making the shopping list. 
• Finally, each night before I go to bed, I take about 10 minutes to plan out my next day's food in my tracker (I have been using myfitnesspal.com). I generally stick to the plan, but if a friend asks me to meet for dinner, I go, and do my best to order something close to what I had planned. 

So I'm pretty much dedicating two hours per week, total, to planning. This is time WELL spent.

6. Follow your plan. If you are having a hard time following it, no mental flogging!! Be kind to yourself as you explore the reasons behind your deviation. Do not say anything to yourself that you would not say to a friend. And if you start realizing you are beating yourself up, gently remind yourself to be nice, and move forward by making the next decision a good one. Adjust your plan, and move on.

And that's it. The first step is the hardest, but then, once you get momentum it's easy to keep it going.

distinct change - 169.8

So when I stared the N2F plans laid out for me, I pretty much dropped 5 pounds without thinking about it. I have basically stalled out there, as far as the scale is concerned. I will own that I consumed a LOT more alcohol in the ATL over Memorial Day weekend, so that definitely had something to do with it. But lately I am realizing that my clothes are all getting loose and I look really frumpy in them. My body makeup is definitely changing, whether or not the number on the scale is.

Here are a few recent highlights:

• I spent an afternoon with some foodie friends, and we went to lunch at a great little pizza place. I didn't order pizza for myself. I had a large salad, and a bite of their pizza. And it was awesome.
• This past weekend DH and I rode up Lookout Mountain, a 2100 foot climb, and went to the pancake breakfast fundraiser at the fire station on top of the mountain. I had two pancakes of the three I was given, the third went to DH.
• I went to a bbq and did not eat all of the things. I DID have a delicious root beer float - it was glorious and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I moved on.
• I got several "Oh my GOD! You look AMAZING!" compliments and questions about what I was doing. I even said it to myself one morning, looking in the mirror. :)
• My new black work pants from Ann Taylor Loft are kind of big in the waist. I really like these pants and they weren't exactly cheap... so... I will probably need to alter them. I realize this is a good problem to have!
• I went shopping in this adorable clothing boutique. I bought myself $200 worth of new clothes to go with my new body. I haven't spent a lot of money on clothes lately, other than those AT pants, so this felt oddly special. 💖💖💖

So that's how it's going. I am on my bike a lot more. I am sticking to my recommended calories and macros, regardless of how much time I spend on the bike. I still feel great. I still look great. I LOVE the "OMG you look amazing!" comments. Seriously - I can't wait to get more of them in July when I go see friends and family in Florida. But the best part is, for maybe the first time ever, I really feel like I look amazing. I feel amazing. I am happy. I am healthy. I thank God.

it's a new month

So I didn't make it to WW goal weight last month. That's OK, it will happen. Would love to be down 5 pounds before June 24 so that I don't have to carry that with me on my big BikeMS ride... so, working at making that happen. I did drop 2.2 pounds in May, I'll take it! :)

I am really loving the whole "eat more fat and less sugar/carby things" approach to weight loss. I am not hungry. It is not difficult. I still eat sugar and carby things, but a lot less of them. I don't feel deprived. I don't feel hungry - pretty much ever. It's nice. I'll take it. I also look great - skin is great, body composition is coming around. I see it working, even if the scale is not moving quickly, my clothes fit better.

And that's all I have for now. I am just going to keep on keepin' on. Bought another round of training sessions because, well, I need them. They help me stay on track, and I really do need to do this for me. :)