183.2!

...and I weighed myself before I had even nursed this morning!

Wow... I've realized that I put way more on my plate than I can actually eat if I stop when I'm hungry!

183.4!

It's nice to be making some solid, measurable progress!

We decided to go organic- for one week, at least! I can't believe how expensive the milk is- but it sure makes tasty yogurt! The fruit has been very flavorful, too!

The nice weather has really helped me exercise...we go for walks almost everyday. Not only does the exercise itself help keep my weight down, but it also supresses my appetite. If there's still 1 hour before a meal, I go get out, and I'm able to stave off that hunger just long enough.

This past week, I've felt really good listening to my body. Several times, I've noticed that I have a satiation cue... my brain tells me to stop eating. And SOMETIMES, I actually listen to my brain, rather than my tongue!=) It's strange, though. I serve myself what seems to be a diet-appropriate serving size, and I'm getting full before my plate is clean! I totally have to retrain myself to stop eating when I feel that cue. One way to assist in that is to realize- no bite ever tastes as good as the first bite! Even if I want just one more taste, I already know what it tastes like!

? Don't want to know?

Easter... ah! Thank the Lord for the Resurrection, and for the abundance of wonderful foods He blesses us with!

Ugh... those wonderful foods... traps for those of us watching weight! Here's the deal, though: Yes, I took in more calories than I needed, BUT- none of them were really empty calories. There was no jello salad to be found on our table: Ham, pineapple, sweet potatoes, broccoli and bean salad, and low-fat cheesecake (made from tofu, and home-made cream cheese) with fresh berries on top. So we still had plenty of good food and I didn't feel deprived, but at least it was nutritious!

Problem: When I'm cooking, I eat. Solution: drink soda, chew a toothpick, or eat popcorn instead. Also, if I have it in the house, I will eat it. Bad. I must control myself to not buy it! Something else that has been helpful: If I don't have "snacky" foods on hand, but rather have to cook/bake something, then I don't really snack. The exception to this is fruit, which isn't such a bad thing=) But, if I don't have chips or granola bars in the house, I can't just grab it and sit down to eat. If I actually have to whip up a smoothie or make a piece of toast, eating must be planned, and usually then, I can overcome the craving!

We started some new vitamin supplements this past week. Selenium, Vitamin E, and extra vitamin D (which blood reports showed that I was too low!)

I need to start writing down all of my foods again! I will weigh myself tomorrow morning and report back!

188.6!

I haven't written in a couple of days because my weight was back up in the 190s. I don't necessarily think it was from bad eating habits- more of natural fluctuation (especially if I nursed or not in the morning before I weigh myself). BUT, I did have a hard time over the weekend with keeping "bites" out of my mouth. I like to do a lot of my food prep for the week on the weekends. And boy, did I notice all the little bites and tastes adding up... or if something doesn't quite fit into a container, I'll just eat it. Or rearranging the fridge to get all of the milk to fit- Well, there's just a little bit of one of the children's leftovers. I'll eat it, and then we'll have more room! After figuring all of that out on Saturday, I opted to chew on a toothpick while I prepped on Sunday. It worked pretty well, because it is next to impossible to chew on a toothpick, and mindlessly eat at the same time!

Hooray for weight going down! It certainly isn't the two pounds a week I experienced while on the LA Weight Loss diet, but it's good enough- and a whole lot cheaper! I have to remind myself that just 200 extra calories a day that I don't need adds up to 2 pounds of weight gain each month! Not only do I want to not put it on, I want to lose!

189.4!

Wow! It sure feels nice to be back in the 80s! I think it's been since birth that I've been in the decade of the 90s! I'm pleased with my progress so far, but it's hard to think of it long-term. Really, I'd ideally be around 140, but that's nearly a year away at this pace! However, I'm trying to adopt habits for life, so in that case, it should seem a little easier.

Had two "trials" yesterday, and mastered both! Neighbor brought over cookies. Yummy! I had ONE! One, that was very good. And that's all. Each of the children had one, and the rest when in a container for Daddy's lunch today. I was done with them. They weren't a temptation anymore, and that felt good. (But, I did make myself some hot cocoa afterward!)

Also, there was a meal at church. And I chose one piece of dessert there, as well, but it was angel-food cake, which I believe is fat free. I had enough chips to not feel deprived, lots and lots of carrot sticks and a hot-dog and bun. And I didn't get hungry until nearly bedtime. Two-months ago, I could see myself eating two hot dogs, a couple of carrots , lots of chips, and 2-3 desserts. Totally gluttonous!

190.6...

The afternoons are probably the hardest. I think I like to munch when I have stuff to do, and I keep thinking, "Really... two more hours til snack time?" Which is hard when my tummy's growling. However, I have been having something to keep it calm. But, the trick is...something... not somethings!

I'm planning my menu for next week, and have some yummy and nutritious foods on the line-up. It's depressing to me when I have cheap/healthful foods on the menu that I don't really like! I feel like I'm only allowed so many calories, I want to use them on something yummy!

Having an internal debate about whether or not to buy pop this time around. I LOVE a good cold calorie free drink. But, some say artificial sweetners are unhealthy (though something I recently read begged to differ). I think the pop would help me during the afternoon when I want to munch... but it's hard to justify getting something for nothing.

Part of me thinks I should just save the pop for special occasions, like going out to eat... but it costs just as much to get one drink at a restaurant as it does to get a week's worth at t he grocery store!

190.4!

Maybe I should reward myself for each decade I go down, and then reward for every month that I maintain? I'm reading a good book about Thin for Life, which has maintenance advice from the masters, who have kept off over 20 pounds for over 3 years. Some really good thoughts in it: don't go anything to lose weight that you can't continue to do for the rest of your life. I need to keep that in mind! That means it's ok to have 1/2 a doughnut in Bible Class, as long as I don't have a whole one. Because that means I don't feel deprived, so I won't go home and eat the whole pan of Rice Krispie bars in the fridge. So, I had one this morning. I tried to savor every bite. And as I savored it, I realized it was OK, but that's all. It was not really that good. I'd rather have fresh strawberries! The more I think about the food, the better.

On Thursday, I injured my shoulder, oddly, turning over. So, probably a little less hard exercise for me in the future.