Just4Today, I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds. I’m also going to walk at least 3 miles, take my fiber supplement and drink 2 liters of water. And I’m going to think about my Commitment . . . .
New Commitment, Day 1
The sweet thing about that list is that each of those elements translate into broader goals without making things complicated. For example :
I happen to be very good at portion control with my meals. I know what servings are and I’ve got serving spoons in 1-cup & 1/2-cup sizes that make it easy to stay in control as I serve my meals. But it’s sooo tempting to take another little bite from the leftovers on the stove after dinner. Or (this is horrible) to rummage through the fridge and make a cheese sandwich in the mid-afternoon.
Those are my greatest weaknesses.
One of the great things about Eat4Today as a discussion group for Health Issues is that the discussion bursts out of the blog and into my real and virtual life all over the place. These issues are important to all of us — not just struggling fatties (believe me – I AM a struggling fattie) like me.
Yesterday I was chatting with one of my friends and, of course, I HAD to tell her what I’ve been doing here. And that brought up the topic of setting & keeping daily goals. She mentioned that she got in trouble by finishing her children’s food — which TOTALLY is either taking seconds or eating between meals. And she reminded me of my great breakthrough — I’m not a garbage can.
You see, it’s easy to wrap up a leftover serving or two & store it in the refrigerator. But, (for some of us) it goes against every instinct to throw way the dribs & drabs in the bottom of a pot — something that’s just going to go to waste if you don’t eat it now. And eating those last bites from a child’s plate is just as hard — just as tempting. (And it doesn’t help that very often parents have to eat from a child’s plate BEFORE they’ll eat, just to prove it’s good.)
This world is a complicated place full of conflicting temptations. The trick is for us to develop methods that help us negotiate those traps.
7 Comments
Katie, you should’ve posted this on Facebook a little earlier in the morning. I already gobbled up the kids leftover toast crusts! DOH!
But starting from now and inspired by you … I will try and follow my “Flat Belly Diet” plan for the rest of the day. We’re snowbound so no hope of getting outside, but my kids will love it if I do Jillian Michael’s 30-day shred DVD with them. They have energy to burn! Bring it, Jillian!
Is that the Jillian from America’s Biggest Losers? She’s tough! I’ll see what I can find about the “Flat Belly Plan” — but, it sounds like that might be a goal that’s out of reach for me!
30 Days sounds like a HUGE goal. What can you do today?
Oy! That’s just the DVD title. I would be crippled if I did it every day. That’s a seriously tough workout!
As for the Flat Belly Diet, it’s based on a mediterranean-type diet. Focuses on healthy fats, so you don’t feel too hungry. Even chocolate is allowed. I can follow this for life rather than just as a diet.
It sounds interesting. I’ve gotta run off for a little while (to check on my parents and take my walk) but, I’ll be back this afternoon to talk more.
I’m good with not eating between meals when I’m at the office. But at night, my worst time is BEFORE I eat dinner when I’m hungry and I’m picking at things while I fix them.
Me too, Mary — and we used to eat REALLY late at night…. When I invented this idea of not eating between meals we finally started eating dinner at a more reasonable time. There was no way I could go from noon till 10pm without eating!!
Hi Katiebird, glad to see you’ve gotten the site going.
I’ve fought a weight problem all my life, and I’ve done all the self defeating things any human can do.
Right now, I’m concentrating on eating healthy, and not worrying about the calories. The pounds are coming off–more slowly than they did when I “dieted”, but I never let myself get hungry. That way, I don’t have to deal with cravings. Which have caused me to regain from big weight losses TWICE in the last ten years.
Carolyn Kay
http://www.ManyYearsYoung.com