Checking in on Candy day

I had a nice workout last night and I have a plan for this evening to deal with candy. I consider myself vulnerable - it has not been very long since my unfortunate candy eating ended. I have a nice bag of frozen mixed fruit for snacking this evening and hope to turn in early and watch some classic scary movies while sipping my own lemon balm tea made from the leaves of my homegrown herb.

Salad!

I used my own home grown tomatoes and fresh basil in this tuna, tomato and artichoke heart salad. The basil leaves add so much flavor that I do not use any dressing, reducing fat and calories. My blahs are getting better. Had a lovely hike and swim in Sunday and a great session with weights on Saturday. Also making sure to get plenty of sleep and rest.

The blahs

I have been feeling a little down and lacking enthusiasm. I think I was used to carb highs and comfort eating. Now I am out here in reality without a crutch. I did not feel like exercising last week but I did it anyway. I am hanging in there though and believing the blahs will pass. Not quite blue enough to be the blues.

Portioning

I have been cutting in half what I want to eat. After I eat it I wait a little bit to see if I need to eat the rest, or if I am satisfied. I can then either eat the rest, or save for later.

This stretches the food budget and tunes me in to how much I actually need.

I am also eating slower, a huge milestone for me. Since I don't starve myself, I am not famished when it is time to eat, inhaling food in a state of emergency. I am hungry but still have my wits about me.

Showing up

Went to first support group weigh-in last night. Glad I joined. It was small, informative and friendly. The main thing I want right now is some accountability and stability. Showing up at the same place at the same time and having my weight recorded will provide some of that plus its only about four miles away!

Showing up is important to me. Hiding out keeps me on the same old patterns.

Handling situations

I wanted to go to pot luck dinner last night for a support group I attend. I was not interested in eating, mainly wanted to hear the speakers and say hi to people. At first I thought about having a food budget for the event and trying to find foods that fit my needs but quickly ruled that out. Past experience has proven potluck food to be outside my parameters. So here's what I did: I ate before arriving, brought a large bottled water and hot tea, plus one stick of gum. I arrived shortly before the speakers, at the tail end of the eating part. That gave me time for any hellos. I ignored the food tables, they were nonexistent in my experience of the event.

I enjoyed the evening very much. I sipped my water and tea, and took in the event food free. At home afterward I had my planned evening meal and went to bed relaxed, happy and satisfied. This was all very easy.

Tallying successes

This week I had two perfect days and two not so bad days. All days were a huge improvement on the past couple of months. Never have I been so conscious of a gain and how it happened. I joined a non profit weight loss support group and got out of the house on three week nights. I'm looking back on the positives. I have tracked every day without fail even when I had extra food, staying in reality and out of denial. I've lost a couple of pounds but not officially weighing in until Monday.