The Weight Loss Plan

What am I doing to achieve this weight loss? Well, after I had Alora Weight Watchers helped me to lose about 40 lbs, so I highly recommend it. This time, however, I am not using a program only applying the principles from Weight Watchers that I know (I do use my little Weight Watchers point calculator if I am not sure about a food). I started journaling what I was eating at first, and that really does help to actually see what you are putting in your mouth all day long, but I forget to do it and so it was quickly tossed aside. Now, I am pretty sure that my stomach has changed its size a little because I fill up a whole lot quicker than I did a month ago. Okay, back to what I am doing:

1) I am drinking lots of water. (This is a biggie) I don't drink any calories; why waste them sliding down when you can chomp them. I gave up sweet tea and cokes but I do drink Diet Cokes when I am feeling a sugar attack. I have found that coffee with creamer in it is very satisfying to a sugar attack as well.

2) I ignore my stomach's growling. I distract myself with other things. I have affectionately termed my stomach, Mrs. Doubtfire, and I have come to realize that she is a liar. Mrs. Doubtfire can growl one minute and then if I ignore her, she will stop soon enough and I discover that I am not really hungry after all. Or, I discover that I was really thristy, not hungry. No, I am not starving her, but I am retraining her to quit jumping to the conclusion she is hungry so quickly.

3) Balance, Balance, Balance. This is a Weight Watcher' principle. The points system is great because of the flexibility to eat different kinds of food, not just rice cakes. But many people can't figure out why they are losing the war, when Weight Watcher's specifically tells you that if you use all of your points for cheese curls it ain't gonna work! So it's about balance. If I have a muffin for breakfast I aim to have fruits and veggies for lunch, my meat for supper and so on. If I know we are going to have a huge beastly dinner, I have a small lunch and breakfast. Balance, Balance, Balance!

4) After dinner that is it. I don't snack after dinner, even slightly. I have found, after a week or so of discipline, that I can make it til morning. Mrs. Doubtfire used to tell me otherwise, but again, she was weak and now much more enduring. Also, dinner is at or before 6:30 pm. So 7, at the latest, is my cutoff.

5) Don't let it master you. This is a weakness for me. Food has mastered me for many years. I told myself in the beginning, "I can do anything for a week." Now it is becoming so second nature that I don't have to play mind games with myself. Think about it, everything we do revolves around food. When we invite company over, its for dinner. Fellowships at church are food related. We think about food all the time. I am just finding other things to busy my time with rather than thinking about when my next meal will be. I can't tell you how crazy this is for me to even be saying that I am changing because food is a serious stronghold in my life. I should really weigh about 500lbs as much as I love it. Just the other day, maybe for the first time in my life, I forgot to eat. Many times through the years, Joey would come in and say to me after a long day, "I was so busy that I forgot to eat lunch." and I would think, "How is it possible to forget to eat!" Well, when it isn't your master, you can forget it!

Okay, basically that is my big "diet" or "live it" or whatever you want to call it. I call it: a different mindset. And who knows how long it will last, but for now it is nice to have the victory over food and the evil Mrs. Doubtfire!