This is kind of a useless thread, just personal accountability pledge kinda thing, hehe.
I haven't "fallen off the wagon" or anything. And I posted JUST last week that I was proud of myself for staying perfectly on plan since my fiance just came back from Iraq. This week is the week before my girly week, and that's when I get Bottomless Pit Stomach Syndrome. I get raging cravings for all things greasy and fried, but I feel the desire to eat ANYthing. I have always let myself drift a bit on my plan during this week because otherwise I'd go nuts. Even if it's just an unplanned 100 cal/day that I sneak in, it's the mental feeling of not being overly restricted. But with my guy home, it's easier and easier to sneak foods in and the foods that are available to be snuck in are not that great, hehe. A bite, or two, or three, or the rest of the carton of McDonald's french fries (in addition to my on plan dinner I made at home). Just one piece of candy...every few hours, lol. Stealing a chip with salsa. Point being, I'm finding myself sneaking in itty bitty bits of food that otherwise would never be in my apartment. And I'm absolutely not in denial of how quickly those extra bites add up.
So I'm not bingeing, not in crisis mode, haven't gone off the deep end or fallen off the proverbial wagon. I'm up a couple pounds, but still in maintenance range, and I'm so bloated I feel like a pufferfish, lol. I'm not panicking, I just need to refocus and remind myself why I don't need those extra bites. I'm full, satisfied, energetic, and completely guilt-free when I stick to my planned foods. Sneaking bites of garbage just makes me want more garbage, makes me feel guilty, and adds wasted calories. Nope, don't need that nonsense.
So, my dear 3FC friends, I am tightening the reins. I like these self pep talks. It's a new day and I feel that same motivation to do awesome just like when I first started. I'm looking forward to eating on plan, going for some long walks in the autumn weather, and saying "no thanks!" to any little temptations. I want to go to bed guilt free tonight
I second the "tightening of the reins" commitment. I've loosened the reins a lot lately since being out of the country for months (and losing weight thanks to the very restricted eating opportunities on these trips). Since I came back I've casually gained that loss right back and then a bit more, so I'm near 140 again.
Self pep talk!! Go go go!!
Thanks for the support, everyone And for those of you who also need to refocus, I know we can do it! Shoot, we've been doing it all along, huh?
Yesterday I said "no" to several things. Lunch at McDonalds, candy bars, cheesy quesadillas, hotdogs and leftover Chinese for dinner (my night off from cooking, lol), deviled eggs, beer, etc etc. I was saying "no thanks" all day, and it didn't bother me. I really honestly prefer to say no thanks. Even though the food looks amazing, and I'd love to snarf it all, my happy quotient is definitely higher when I say "no thanks," hehe. Sometimes I just need to remind myself that it's better when I decline. The empowerment and guilt-free relief far outweighs the pleasure of eating a few bites.
Tonight I'm making a baked pasta dish that I've created. The sauce is from scratch so I can control how much "junk" goes in it. It gets all its flavor from caramalized veggies, turkey italian sausage, and herbs. There's about as much big veggie chunks (zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, and onions) as there is whole wheat pasta. I'll cover his half with some mozzerella cheese, make a BIG caesar salad (I strangely prefer mine without dressing, so I can fill up on that), and make him two pieces of garlic bread.
Thanks, Eliana...and that's just my thing. I'm not used to ever having to say "no thanks." Suddenly I'm having to several times a day.
When my fiance was in Iraq, I was in complete control of what foods were in the house, when and where I went to eat out, if I wanted to eat a chicken breast and vegetables for dinner every night, I could. And that all changed over night. Now there's candy and chips and dip and other snacks around. He wants to go out for dinners, or like yesterday, we'd been shopping in town all morning and he wanted to get lunch at a fast food place. He watches football all Sunday afternoon and wants bacon wrapped weenies and other snacks.
He IS supportive, but when he left, I was at my highest weight and I was shameless about eating anything I wanted. A year later, and I "eat like a bird," as he says, and I am what he perceives as picky. My new healthy eating habits are just that, they're habits. He missed the transformation phase when I was struggling and adjusting and learning how to control portions and say no. He's a very in-shape soldier who can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound because of how active he is. He's also the type who can simply quit eating the moment he feels full no matter how yummy the food is. He has no concept of the addict compulsive behaviors that I have with food. He just doesn't get it. His advice is to eat what I want and quit when I'm full. Yea...that doesn't work with me.
So, we're having to learn how to compromise about it all. I'm quickly learning that I can no longer control what foods are in my immediate environment, but I'm still just as capable of what foods go in my mouth. He's starting to realize that I'm not "on a diet," but this is just the way I eat now. We're still working on finding our happy comfort zone where both of us are happy with it, but we're getting there
I have seen several threads like this, and in fact just started one myself! I wonder if some part of it has to do with the changing of the seasons and the oncoming holidays. "That time of year" has us all indoctrinated into believing that a couple pieces of Halloween candy or whatever can't hurt too much, and even though we know, rationally, that yes it can, the power of every other holiday season before this one holds sway in our minds! Good for you for recognizing it and keeping your head on straight - I'm working on doing the same.
Gotta tighten up the reins
