I've been ignoring the scale..

...pretty much since I last wrote about breaking up with the scale. That was what, two weeks ago? I hopped on the scale this morning and I was up maybe one pound since I last weighed myself, which all in all is not too bad I think. The jeans I recently moved into the "wear" drawer are still fitting.

I've been paying attention to how my body actually looks when I go to my kickboxing class and I think I am still slimming to some extent. I've just been thinking that I'm really not that uncomfortable with the size I am at currently. My reasons stem more from the fact that I had put some of the initial 65 that I had lost back in the day and I am scared shitless of gaining it all back. And that I just kind of want my clothes to fit. That, I am getting closer to. But I feel happier when I'm not constantly thinking about everything I eat.

There are still things I need to do, however.

• Keep active. I can't slack on that shit. The more active I keep, the less I will have to think about food all the damn time.
• Keep cognizant of my reasons for eating. Make sure when I eat it's because I'm hungry, not because I'm bored or sad or pissed off.
• Recognize my hunger signals and recognize when I am full. Let go of the idea that I must clean my plate Every Time.
• Keep trying to make better choices. Don't neglect my fruits and veggies. Meal plan and such. 
• Make sure when I eat it's worth it.. As the line in Ratatouille goes "I don't like food, I love food and if I don't love it, I don't swallow." which essentially means if I'm going to have treats on occasion, make them good treats, not processed crap. 

These are things I can do to make sure I don't fall back into really bad old habits.

But as far as the weighing and the tracking and the self-flagellating every damn time I have a cookie (or a Lemon Poppyseed Muffin from Timmie's... Holy crap, crack in delicious fluffy yellow form) I'm just not sure I can do it anymore.

Straight outta the food diary. Part 1

A few weeks ago, I said that I was going to buy and keep up a food diary. I like my phone weight loss apps, but there are times when I get lazy and don't want to take 2 seconds to look at my phone. Not to mention that apps don't always have every single meal that I eat. Writing a food diary has been beneficial because it helps me keep track of all my meals and helps me search out nutrition facts later on when I have the time. Plus I can get more into the emotional side of why I eat what I eat.

Not only that, but handwriting just feels more official. I've been more successful going this route than I was with just my phone and my mind.

Now that I've gotten that part out of the way, my next couple of entries here will be straight from my food journal. You see, I get bored when I diet. I don't always want to eat oatmeal every morning and 1 piece of grilled fish every night. I like variety. Plus I like to experiment and see what's working for me and what isn't.

On this day in my food journal (March 3rd if you're curious), I decided to see if I could survive a whole day only eating fruit. I usually have a piece or two of fruit at work and that keeps me pretty full. I thought I could try switching things up for a day and see if fruit would keep me sustained through the whole day at home.

I know what you're thinking. Why at home?  Because I tend to behave myself at work. I can stick to my diet no problem there. At home I have all kinds of diet challenges. A husband who prefers chips and soda over salads and peas. A video game console that keeps my little bottom plopped in my recliner instead of out in the sunshine. You know, distractions.

Also, I'd just like to remind everyone that I'm not a doctor, nor am I a nutritionist. Feel free to try what I try, but you do so at your own risk!

Here's some quotes from that day:

"9:00am- The plan is to stick with only apples and naners (banana's) all day. Starting off with a piece of each."

"12:00pm- The fruit seems to keep me full for awhile, but I find myself more hungry without something more substantial. I think even a salad might do the trick."

"2:00pm- I had a piece of chicken along with the naners and apple. I don't think this is working!"

"5:00pm- I'm ending the experiment for the day. The fruit for a day is a good idea in concept, but I'm not happy with the way I'm ravenously hungry after a few hours."

So. my little strategy doesn't work so well for me. I learned that I need more than just fruit to survive during an average day. It might be helpful for me to have tiny snacks along with my meals.

I'll get more into that with the next entry.

Does anybody else out there keep a food journal? Did you find yourself more or less successful while keeping up one? Let me know.

Until next time.