day 26.5 ...

another morning posting because i want to get some stuff down while i still remember and because today is a good day ...

morning weigh-in 198.5. nice to see progress. looking forward to the day that i notice my pants are getting loose.

woke up with a headache, undoubtedly due to me finishing off the container of yogurt that was NOT lactose-free. it's such a relief to finally identify what has been causing these headaches that have plagued me for well over a year and have become more and more frequent.

got through the evening/night without any late night eating ...HUGE win there; AND i slept soundly, morning headache aside, reeeeally hoping that my body is adjusting to the new eating pattern.

day 27 ..

allowed myself to get bored in the first half of the day and that increased the snacking (fruit) but got myself busy in the afternoon/evening which took my mind off food, so all in all a good day.

thinking of re-intoducing oatmeal into my diet because 1) i love the stuff, 2) it contains a lot of iron and fibre and 3) it would add some much needed variety in my diet. there are downsides ... 1) it is one of the suspects that was causing me to have morning headaches, although it's quite possible that it was the milk that i had with it; would like to find out and 2) it is a high calorie food. for that reason, it may have to wait until i am in maintenance mode.

going to try my best to not engage in night-time eating tonight. if successful, that would make 2 nights in a row, and that would be HUGE !

night-time eating ...WIN;
water intake ...WIN;
clean eating ...WIN.

day 28 ...

a good day. no late night eating last night so that makes 2 in a row ...HUGE WIN !!!

night-time eating ...WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 29 ...

no late night eating again last night ... 3 nights in a row !

while i was out driving i got hungry and had to stop at a gas station to use the restroom. while i was there i picked up what seemed to be the "cleanest" food that i was likely to find in a gas station; a small bag of salted peanuts. was actually quite satisfying but the calorie load was pretty intense .... a whopping 360 calories for a handful !

water ... water is my friend. i am getting more and more into the habit of pouring a glass when i think i am hungry. as often as not, i was really just thirsty. in the bad old days i would have eaten something, unneccesarily taking in calories; usually not the best kind of calories either.

the kitchen is closing in 5 minutes. if i succeed in making it through the rest of the night without eating that will make 4 nights in a row ... something that i probably haven't done in over 2 decades, if not longer.

night-time eating ...WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 30 ...

was not successful in going through the whole night without eating. had trouble falling asleep and finally gave in around 3AM. brushing myself off and getting right back at it. even though i am having trouble making that particular change, clean eating and adequate water consumption are going well enough that i am encouraged and motivated. i have re-introduced oatmeal into my eating plan and since i dont keep evaporated milk around the house, i am not nearly so inclined to overdo it on the oatmeal.

the usual december rain/drizzle/showers/downpour here has been so relentless that there have been few opportunities to enjoy being outside which can lead to boredom which can lead to thoughts of snacking. for the most part i have been able to resist, and when i do give in, i only have healthy stuff in the house to eat; plus i am getting in the habit of pouring a glass of water which helps a bit. when the rain does let up, i make a point of getting out to do a bit of work or just a short walk.

night-time eating ...FAIL;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 31 ...

had some sushi for dinner last night and had a headache in the morning. must be gluten sensitive. on the positive side, i managed to NOT engage in any late night eating. i will call that day 1 with many more to come.

we had a break in the rain today so i got outside for over an hour. later in the day i got bored but kept the snacking down to a minimum. water IS my friend.

today i re-introduced garlic into the eating regime. haven't bought any in quite a while and for no particular reason. it will be a welcome addition to the kitchen.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 32 ...

no late night-eating last night. that makes 2 in a row. was tempted, as always, but it seemed less intense last night. also slept quite a bit better; hoping my body/mind is adjusting to the new reality.

was out for lunch today and really took in too many calories ... soup, salad, garlic bread and of course i had to help my grandson finish his pizza. really used up a huge chunk of the days calorie allottment so i only had a salad for dinner and snacked on fruit. have to get used to the fact that there is going to be high-calorie foods within arms reach sometimes and really try to stick to the plan.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... FAIL.

day 33 ...

no night-time eating last night so that makes 3 in a row ! this is the hardest part for me so it's also the part that i take the most pride in when i am successful.

had a busy morning but allowed myself to get bored in the afternoon/evening which always turns the temptation up a few notches. kept the snacking in check, but i am really making things harder for myself this way; i need an indoors hobby that i can immerse myself in when it is dismal outside.

had a faint headache this morning; nothing serious, but since i am not eating wheat and am strictly lactose-free with dairy, i am somewhat puzzled as to it's source. i am going to lower my computer screen to exactly eye level and see what happens.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 34 ...

no night time eating last night ... 4 in a row !!! couldn't be happier about that.

didn't sleep that well though. kept busy throughout the day which is always super helpful in keeping the temptation to snack down to a minimum.

i noticed that after breakfast, and again after finishing dinner/dessert tonight that i actually felt full. a good feeling and one that, in recent years, i haven't experience until i was PAINFULLY full. also, while i am not actually counting calories, i am definitely aware of how calorie-rich, or calorie-lean, the foods are that i am eating. i must be maintaining an adequate calorie deficit because the scale is telling me that i am.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

day 35 ...

no night-time eating last night ... 5 in a row !

was yanked out of my routine today due to xmas shopping with the grandkids. didn't have time to make breakfast at home so i had a high calorie/high fat/high salt fast food breakfast and followed that up by a peanut butter sandwich (white bread) for lunch. in the past i have noticed that anytime i "indulge" it makes clean eating difficult the rest of the day, but i made it through reasonably well, only snacking on fruit, oatmeal and 4 slices of turkey bacon. not sure if i scored a calorie deficit today; maybe a small one. will call the day a draw if i can get through the evening without snacking.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... FAIL.

day36 ...

didn't quite make it through the night without eating; got up around 430am to go to the bathroom and couldn't resist having a small snack. it would have been nice to report 6 in a row but i didn't succeed. starting over in that regard.

on the plus side of the ledger, i kept busy, ate clean, drank water, and almost certainly achieved an adequate calorie deficit for the day. i am finding that i need more fibre though. i may try peas ... high in calories but also high in fibre. going to do a search to see if there is a lower calorie alternative.

night-time eating ... FAIL;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... WIN.

edit ... a quick search shows that raspberries and spinach both contain goodly amounts of fibre and both are foods that i enjoy eating ... problem solved !

day 37 ...

although hungry and very tempted, i got through the night without eating ...1 day in a row !

on the negative side of the ledger ... started the day with a high calorie/high salt/high fat, fast-food breakfast again; on top of that, my neighbour gave me some xmas cookies which she has done for the last few years now, and on top of that, my brother is visiting for xmas and there was eating to be done. i expected all this, of course, so no surprise that there will be no calorie deficit for today. i did drink my water and if i get through the night without eating i can salvage the day a little.

night-time eating ...WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ...FAIL.

day 38 ...

couldn't resist going after the souvlaki leftovers last night so got a fail on the late night eating. detemine to win tonight so as to salvage something from the day ...

christmas sweets are hitting hard ... got a small box of chocolates and just had to inhale it. went out for chinese food so no win there either. tomorrow being christmas there will be munching snacks and dessert. it will be hard to get back on track when the holidays are over, but i am still determined to do so.

night-time eating ... FAIL;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... FAIL.

day 39 ...

xmas eve and xmas day ...

didn't make it through the night without eating and the day itself went about as i expected. too many chocolates, chips, pies, etc. to resist. i thought that i could at least maintain my water intake but, sadly, that was replaced by coffee and beer. i expected this, planned on it even, but still, it's tough to see the scale erase a good weeks work overnight.
there is a lot of leftovers; so i don't see myself maintaining a calorie deficit today, but going to do my best to get water into me and stop eating at 9:00pm.

night-time eating ...FAIL;
water intake ... FAIL;
clean eating ... FAIL.

day 40 ...

actually scored a win on the late-night eating, in part because i went to bed at 930 !

did ok on water intake too, but calorie deficit went out the window again ... and then some.

will be glad when all this high-calorie food is gone.

night-time eating ... WIN;
water intake ... WIN;
clean eating ... FAIL.