Hi,
Ms. Meri, Yes, I did take measurements. I took them again yesterday and I went down in my bust and hips by 1", my waist by 1.5", my thigh stayed the same, and my biceps went up by .5. I suspect my biceps actually stayed the same and it was bad measuring on my part because of how I held my arm. But, the good thing is I'm getting my waist back!! Us middle-aged ladies are not supposed to have waists, but apparently I'm not losing mine yet.
As for counting the croutons, changing habits is hard. It takes paying super attention to what you're doing. If people are so rude as to actually comment on your crouton counting, etc., I can think of two really good choices, neither of which involves apologizing for yourself as their opinion matters more than yours does. It's something we all struggle with--that peer pressure thing like we've been time-traveled back to high school. One thing you can do is just give them the "I can't believe you said that stare". It sometimes reminds people they're behaving rudely and they mumble an apology and shut up. Or you can sweetly explain that you're changing your habits and have to be extra vigilant while the new habit takes hold.
Lauren, it's great that you're maintaining through all your travels. That's really hard to do.
Glad you're back on track, Judy. You go!!
I'm doing well. I've been thinking a lot about some things and realized a frustrating, but important thing that will help me stay motivated. I noticed that when I'm tracking points, I eat differently from when I just eat. Smaller amounts are completely satisfying. Paul said that what seems to happen is that all those old "clean your plate" messages kick in and I make myself eat more than I really need. But if I'm tracking points, it gives me permission to stop. And it keeps the amounts in line. So, if I want to stay in control of portions, I must track points. Calories would work, too, but I think the point system, with its formula that takes fiber and fat into account works better for me.
Well, I started writing in my blog again. It started mainly as a writing about writing blog, but it's becoming mainly a writing about food & cooking blog. It will never be a one subject blog because I can't be a one subject person, but I noticed when I was writing about last night's dinner that the really small serving (by current standards) was too much. Next time I eat that meal, I want to cut the serving size down and add some fruit. (Weird!! I can't help but wonder whether getting rid of the hormone stuff has changed my body's needs a lot.) Anyway, my blog isn't a weight-loss blog, per se, but it's inevitable that my weight-loss efforts will be a part of it. I added a link to my signature.
The other thing I was thinking about re: portion sizes is that we often go nuts worrying about tiny amounts. But it isn't one small thing that's a problem. It's the overall pattern. I had restaurant leftovers and I split them into 3 portions. I counted them as 1/3 points for each portion. I realized that it doesn't matter whether the portions are
exactly 1/3 or not. The points come out the same, even if I actually ate a bit more than 1/3 at one meal and a bit less at the other meal. It's easier to do it that way than figuring out exact points for a bit more or less than 1/3 of the food eaten at a particular meal.
Keep on turtlin'!
