173.0 Heart? Head?

Jeff and I have a new game that we play to make each other laugh as we try to make a decision. I call it the Heart? Head? game and it goes like this. You want something but you know it isn't really good for you to do or eat or drink, etc. So you ask what the other thinks and then start saying, "heart? head?" and keep repeating those words until you decide what you're going to do. It can go either way. I'm thinking that a goal in life might be to integrate your heart with you head (mind) so that the best solution is the one that you always go with. Hmmm...heart? head? No matter what, it makes us both laugh. That's a good outcome any day.

176.6 Breaking Away, First Night!

I did it! I didn't eat after dinner, but :) what I did do was eat a 100 calorie "ice cream bar" for dessert with my dinner. I thought a lot about doing that. It wasn't an impulse treat. This was actually a big deal for me because I rarely, very rarely, have been eating any dessert with my dinner. So last night I decided that if had that treat I could have a sense of completion and not feel deprived. Did it work? Did I experience the night hunger pains?

Well, I did feel a little hungry by about 9:30 PM, but my attitude was so what! I had had a great day food wise, a healthy day with a little treat, so I just let it go. I fell asleep without a problem and I'd love to write that I slept soundly through the night. Well, that wasn't the case. I actually had a rough night, but I never felt hungry, and when I got up this morning I didn't feel hungry. (And, I've had sleep issues over the years, no matter how much or how late at night I have eaten.)

And I lost a pound! What more could a gal on a mission to reach her goal want? I'm sticking with this new plan knowing I won't lose a pound a day, but also believing that this new strategy may serve me very well.

188.0 Tired or Hungry?

Oh, I'm tired! It's been a good day and a busy one so I'm not complaining. I am just tired.

One of the things I've come to recognize while losing weight is that when I am tired I'm much more tempted to eat, and it's not because I am hungry. I think that I think (there must be a better way to express this) if I eat, I won't be tired anymore. That works when your body really needs food, but I don't think it helps if fatigue is the problem, not hunger.

Stretching out for a while or getting involved in doing something is a much better option than heading to the pantry or refrigerator. This is all part of being aware that I write about frequently. When I go into a zone where I don't think first about what I'm doing is when I can really sabotage my efforts. And, I did that just before I sat down to write this blog. Obviously, I'm still learning.

188.2 Cruel and Unusual Motivation?

Looking at the title of this post makes me a little uneasy and so does what I have done. But maybe it will work. You see, I have really been stuck (not that that's a new situation for me as you know), and I am mad that I can't get more weight off. I love the compliments that I'm getting now, but actually think that is making it even harder to keep this weight loss going.

So what did I do? Well, this morning I took pictures of my thighs and pictures of my back from my neck to my waist. These areas look fine when I am wearing clothes, but not so great without clothes. In fact, both areas are horrible! I do realize that I'm 67 and I'm never going to have great thighs or a great looking back. Talk about crying out for improvement, these areas are screaming at me!

So, I'll hang the pictures in the pantry and in the fridge and see if they don't get my attention before I eat something I don't need and/or will regret. Now, I just have to remember to remove them when we have dinner guests! Oh, the challenges!

195.2 Salad Is Delicious Anytime! But...

Well, I kept waking up during the night, almost like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Was I really going to eat salad for breakfast? I got up feeling groggy from the missed sleep and asked myself that same question again. Of course I was because I blogged about it. And so I did. I cut up strawberries, threw in blueberries, pine nuts, and kidney beans. I sliced and diced a red pepper, chopped up romaine to add along with some exotic lettuce combo, drizzled on some salad dressing and sat down to eat salad with my coffee. Honestly, it was delicious. I didn't miss my usual breakfast food and I was pretty pleased with myself. However, within an hour I was starving! I'm going to add more kidney beans tomorrow morning.

198.4 Rain, Rain, Go Away

I am acting like a spoiled brat about the rain. We have had 4 days of off and on rain, and except for today, mostly off. But if you could read my mind you would think I lived in London and never saw the sun. Hello!!! I live in Arizona because of the good weather, and it seems that I just can't take rain anymore. Actually, I think weather played a big part in my eating too much and unconsciously when I lived in the midwest and in the Boston area. The gray does something to my emotions and in the past that meant a lunch of soup, grilled cheese sandwiches (yes, read sandwiches plural), or grilled ham and cheese, and of course, a sweet to finish off the meal because after all, the weather was so horrible. Also, when the weather is horrible unless you have to leave your house, don't you tend to stay home and cook or maybe bake? I definitely used to. I wonder if this is unique to me or if a lot of people find comfort in food on rainy days.

This time around I am working hard to stay away from those old habits triggered by the gray days. I have actually been busy helping Jeff set up a wine tasting event at our house. No, you're right, I don't drink wine anymore, but I may have a sip or two just to see what I think about a few of the choices. But so many things are different now and I just don't miss the food and wine of the past, or the frequent gray days.

Exercise update~I was going to do 10 minutes on the treadmill because, well, it's raining, but instead listened to my inner spirit and kept going until I had done 17 minutes. Setting higher goals for myself exercise-wise may be a new way to go!