Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Two Topics - Accountability and Don't Go Hungry Questions - Revisited

Accountability 

Yesterday was a doozie when it comes to my eating.  I did everything like I did when I weighed 210 lbs.  I wanted to eat, I ate.   There are some exceptions:  I didn't hit the vending machine so I stuck to my boundary about not eating anything I didn't bring from home.  Another is that a much smaller quantity of food now makes me miserable.  That's it though.

I ate mindlessly.  I ate crap - real food, but not healthy food.  And by the time I went to bed last night, my stomach ACHED.   So not only did I have a sore back, I had an aching stomach.  Hmm - was I looking for balanced pain?   

No, I was looking for comfort in all the wrong places. By the time I got home from work, I was in real state of self-pity.   I indulged it big time.  Comfort food for dinner followed by cookie dough.   It expanded in my stomach and well....

Now for the big difference between now and 210 lbs.  I stepped on the scale this morning.  They were up 3 lbs.   I know I didn't eat enough to gain 3 lbs, but I probably did gain at least one.  The thing is - I held myself accountable for my actions.  Not stepping on the scales may have sent the message "I didn't weigh myself so what I ate last night doesn't count."   That is a very dangerous message and one that sends me on a slippery slide UP the scales.   My point is - pick at least one tool to use consistently that will give you feedback on your efforts.  Use that tool to hold yourself accountable.  It truly can make the difference between weighing 150 lbs or weighing 210 lbs.

Now for the Don't Go Hungry Questions.

I'm adding one:   Will this food still be with me 3 hours from now?   And if the answer is yes, I need to rethink eating it.   One thing I'm learning is that when I eat too much (even if only a little too  much) in one sitting, I will be  miserable for hours.   What I want to do is use that knowledge to stop the eating too much pattern.   I'd rather eat a little more often and have a happy tummy.

2 comments:

  1. It's amazing how quickly our bellies get used to less food and better food. Oy. I can overeat vegetables, too, and feel like crap for several hours. I love the questions you ask yourself about food. I'd not thought about applying them to "healthy" food, though. I need to rethink this...

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  2. Lynn, overall I eat a healthy diet. Sure it can stand some tweaks - the biggest one is how much I put on my plate. I'm a clean plate kind of gal and I do much better if I limit my portions as I plate my food rather than thinking I'll just stop when I'm full. I stop when the plate is empty. So... the trick is to ask myself those questions as I'm helping my plate.

    Tonight's dinner is barbeque chicken with the skin on, baked sweet potato and broccoli. I love crispy chicken skin -but it doesn't love me. If I ask myself the DGH questions before I eat it - and remove the skin from the plate, not just the chicken, then I'll be OK. It's a matter of forming new habits.

    I hear on you on over-eating veggies. I can go crazy with brussel sprouts and they do stick with me.

    Thanks for checking in!

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