Just today, I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds. And I’ll weigh myself & use the tools and guidance from The Hacker’s Diet to help me reach (and keep) my goal.

I’m in a countdown to fall — hanging on as best I can until the temperatures stabilize in the 80s again. Supposedly it’ll only get to 92 degrees today (yesterday in the shade of our patio the temperature got up to 103) but it’ll also be raining so I don’t know if I’ll get to walk outside today or not. Our extreme temperatures are the main reason I’m looking forward to the gym/community center they’re building in my my neighborhood.e The center will have a pretty large indoor walking track and I plan to use it on the days that the high school track isn’t accessible (any day now the high school track team will start using it again.)

Well, that new center won’t open for over a year. So I’ve still got to manage my exercise responsibilities myself.] Looking at just today, I can pace the halls of our building (what I’d rather do) or join some of my co-workers walking in the lower levels of the parking garage (what I hate to do, but the company is nice.) It’s hard to say what’ll I’ll decide.I Maybe the weather will break and I can walk outdoors.

I know from past experience that thinking about my options makes it more likely that I’ll get my exercise. It’s supposed to be 104 on Thursday./ If this trend continues and I don’t watch out I could lose all my momentum this month.

I wonder how many calories I’d burn if I just stayed on the couch and read a book?

Just today, I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds. And I’ll weigh myself & use the tools and guidance from The Hacker’s Diet to help me reach (and keep) my goal.

I’ve started taking the idea of journaling much more seriously as a tool. For along time I’ve used the power of writing down what I eat (in advance, as I plan my day and as I actually eat.)o But this week I’ve written in my journal as I don’t eat as well.

I was inspired by the suggestion in my list of 6 things I can do to avoid snacking (which I’ve got posted on my wall in the form of this poster.)

4) Make a list of what you’ve already eaten today and what you plan
to eat later. And estimate the calories that you’ll be eating today.

Somewhere along the way that list and the estimates have turned into written meditations on what food means to me. It’s given me a place to record thoughts about why I’m thinking about food at that particular time.o And I’ve written about how I’ll feel if I have that unplanned snack — whether I think it will be good for me emotionally or if it would set me back.

And since that poster is right there listing all those other ideas, I write about which of those tips I’ve already tried that day. Am I taking my own advice?s Do those hints work, or are they superficial and glib? So far, I’ve found that the hints do work for me.l But, they work better when I take the time to think about which one I need at that moment. Taking the time to evaluate the usefulness of each one is itself a useful tool in stopping the urge to snack.
These notes aren’t meant for other eyes. They aren’t fully developed articles.e Sometimes they’re barely sentences. It’s interesting to look back on my notes for the week and see that even in a place that’s meant just for me, my attitude stays mostly positive.< That while I’m frustrated by my continuing flirtation with temptation, I have a pretty strong determination to get through the day with my goals intact.

The poster says, I am a Rock, as strong as I need to be. This week at least, that was true.