Sept. 5: It Could Have Been Worse

Well, as promised, I am documenting my food intake, whether it's good, bad or ugly.  Yesterday ended up halfway between bad and ugly because I got caught out unprepared. 

My little one and I went apartment hunting yesterday.  We were running late for our first appointment, so we did not get a chance to eat lunch before we left.  We hit a drive thru and got a small snack to keep us from dying.  I selected a "McMini" grilled chicken sandwich and a bottle of water.  280 calories.  Okay, not so bad. 

We looked at 4 apartments.  We found our lucky winner, which was really exciting.  It's 3 blocks from my work and a block and a half from R's school, and in a nice family neighborhood.

At my daughter's request, we stopped to make an appointment for a haircut.  She was able to get in within a half an hour, so we got another "snack".  We shared a pretzel - my half : 185 calories.

The haircut took longer than expected.  By this time it was after 6.  We were absolutely ravenous.  I was shaking I was so hungry.  I hit the "don't really care" stage - you all know that stage, where you are so hungry that your diet means nothing.  Yeah, that stage.  Back to McDonald's, because it was the closest. 

So, my final tally for the day:

1,788 calories
186 carbs
76 fat
89 protein

You'd think with all of those calories I would have gotten a decent influx of protein.  Nope.

At least the caloric damage was not too awful.  Unfortunately, the only veggie I got all day was the wilted lettuce and tomato on my burger.

I feel good about tracking this, despite the unfortunate choices made.

Today is another day.  We have no place we have to be today - only church.  So there is no excuse for bad food today!

Feb. 24: Accountablity

"It is not only what we do, but what we do not do, for which we are accountable."

Moliere, 1622-1673, French playwright and actor

Of course, it's hard to know what you have been doing wrong (or right, for that matter) if you don't keep track of it. Most successful diet programs require a food journal. It's too easy to get off track if you don't. I've even said no to food because I cringed over the thought of writing it down!

The thing for me that is different about my weight loss this time is journaling. I have tracked both publicly and privately. I keep an online journal on a forum, which is great, because I get lots of input from a group of really kind, supportive people who are fighting the same battles. I keep this blog, in which I research different topics and share what I have learned. I keep a personal journal of my thoughts about my life, my nutrition program and my fitness program. All combined together, this introspection has brought my brain along for the ride this time!

Journaling and keeping track of food makes you accountable for what you are eating, or not eating, for that matter. Moliere had it right - the things you don't do can affect you just as much as the things you do. I skipped my 3 litres of water for a while and the weight loss stalled. I went out to eat to often one week and I gained. I have recorded my measurements and taken progress photos, and this has allowed me to see the difference when the scale hasn't moved quite to my satisfaction. I can go back and look at times when I have lost really well to see what I have slacked on.

I've also worked out a lot of my feelings about food in my various journals. I don't turn to food for comfort any more. It has lost the power to comfort me and make me "feel better" when I am down. Emotional eating is what made me fat to start with, and the fact that I just don't do it anymore means once I am rid of this I will never have a weight problem again. By writing about why I ate a particular junk food meal, I learned that it really did not improve the way I felt. So why do it? The aftermath of guilt should have been enough, but the understanding is what really slayed the dragon.

I strongly recommend a food journal and a supportive place to track your weight loss efforts. Find a forum with like-minded people and start today. Track religiously and you will find that your weight loss efforts will take on a new life!