First Slip

Well I had my first slip today.  I got home from school and I was so tired I didn't feel like cooking so I decided to take the kids out to eat.  Of course we went to an all you can eat buffet restaurant which led to me having a binge.  Honestly I don't even feel like I ate that much compared to what I normally do but I started feeling that same anxiety after eating to much as I use to.  I came home and purged for the first time in about 11 days, oh well I just got to move forward.  I'm going to slip every once in awhile but I'm getting stronger and thats all that counts.

Avoiding Temptation

Today was my family reunion that we have every year and I decided not to go.  The reason I decided not to go was because of all the food that would be there.  Even though this made people mad I didn't care because I have to do what is best for me.  I knew that if I went I wouldn't be able to avoid temptation.  This won't be the first time that I have had to say no and it probably won't be the last.  What kinds of situations do you have to avoid now that you are trying to lose weight?  Are you able to say no and not worry about hurting peoples feelings?  At some point you have to put yourself first and thats what I'm finally doing.

Another Great Day

I had another great day yesterday.  I started the morning by walking 1.5 miles then I cleaned house and ran errands.  My eating was really good and I ended the day by attending a local festival here to take pictures and probably walked at least 3 miles.  When I stepped on the scale last night I was down 6 lbs which I know is water weight but I'll take it.

Day 4 and Still Going Strong

Today is day four of my new weight loss journey and I am still going strong.  It's so weird because its almost like I get into the bad eating patterns and once I can break it for just one day its easy to eat right again. I'm enjoying the healthy food I'm eating and I'm actually getting to eat more times a day then if I was eating unhealthy.  When I eat unhealthy I binge one or two times a day and feel miserable.  The way I'm eating now I eat 3 small meals and 2 snacks and I never feel that awful bloated feeling.  And with just four days of healthy eating I've already dropped 9.4 lbs which I know is probably all water weight but hey I'll take whatever I can get.  I still haven't started exercising yet but I'll get there and I'm not going to tear myself down and make myself feel quilty for not doing it.  I'm just doing my best each and everyday and its paying off.

Slow and Steady

Today has been pretty hard.  My eating has been good but I can't say I haven't been tempted.  I have a half gallon of banana split ice cream in my freezer and thats been calling my name.  I also had to run some errands and I was so tempted to stop by a fastfood restaurant and get something to eat.  So far I have avoided both of these temptations because I know if I eat it then I'm going to have an episode of bulimia and I don't want that.  I'm just taking things slow and steady and trying to focus on how my body is feeling now that I don't feel bloated and stuffed from eating to much.  Here is what I've eaten so far:

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal with raisins and  1 cup skim milk

Snack- 1 cup of yogurt

Lunch- turkey and cheese sandwich and an apple

Snack- 1cup of jello

For dinner I'm having salmon, green beans, rice and broccoli

I haven't done any exercise so far today but I may start off slowly by doing my weight lifting later and some crunches.

Another Good Day

For breakfast I had 2 cups of Kashi cereal with 1 cup skim milk.  Then for a snack I had 1 handful of mixed nuts.

For lunch I had a salad and a banana.

I haven't done to much today besides cleaning up my house and mowing my grass.  Not sure what exercise I'm going to do today yet, may just do my weight lifting and crunches.

So far its been another good day and I'm trying really hard not to overeat but I'm so bored, depressed and lonely.

I ended up taking a nap earlier and when I woke up my son was wanting something to eat so we ended up going out to eat.  I do have to tell the truth I binged and purged.  I know it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it but I did and now I just have to move on.  I'm still going to do my weight training and crunches before bedtime so at least most of my day was positive.  Its just harder when I have these weekends without all my kids.  I don't have them to keep me busy.  Tomorrow I will be back to normal because I will be getting everything ready to start off the week.

A New Start

Well I weighed this morning and of course I didn't like what I saw.  The scale said 224.8 lbs but thats ok I'm making a new start.  I've already had my breakfast this morning which was 1 1/2 cups of Kellogg's FiberPlus Cinnamon Oat Crunch cereal and 1 cup skim milk.  Here is my schedule for the rest of the day.

Clean House
Take shower and get ready
Wash, dry and put away clothes
Pay bills
Make phone calls
Take off Trash
Grocery shopping
Walk (2 miles)
Fix Lunch
Put weight bench together
Clean up my car
Fix Dinner
Drink 50 oz water
Mow grass- can't do today has flat tire
Schoolwork
Get kids off to their dads
Do weight training
Do pushups
Drink 50 oz water
Have a relaxing, stress free evening

Seems like alot to do but I love staying busy, keeps my mind off food.  Well kids just got on the schoolbus so time for me to get to work.  I'll be updating throughout the day to let you know how I'm doing.  If I can just make it through this one day then that will get me back on track.

A short update about my eating.  I didn't really eat lunch I just kind of snacked when I got hungry and I ended up eating 1 banana, 38 veggie straws and a handful of mixed nuts.  Still working on getting all my work done so I can just relax and enjoy this weekend.

For dinner I had a salad and for a snack I had 4 lowfat cookies.

I'm bored out of my mind and got a killer headache so I'm having to fight the urge to eat plus I don't feel like doing my weight lifting right now.  I did have a couple snacks, 2 cups grapes, 2 lowfat cookies and 38 veggie straws, but not all at one time.  My eating has been pretty good today so I just want to make it to bedtime without eating anything else.

Well I ended up falling asleep and didn't do my weight training or finish my water but thats ok I still had a good day.

2011 Goals

Its going to be a New Year soon so I thought I would start working on my goals for this upcoming year.  Here is what I've come up with so far:

1.  Walking Goal- I figure there 52 weeks in a year and if I walk 2 miles a day 5 times a week then thats 520 miles a year but just to add in alittle challenge I'm going to say 600 miles.  So my new goal for this upcoming year is to walk 600 miles in 2011.

2.  Biking Goal- I haven't really been riding my bike that much but it is something that I want to start doing.  I'm not going to set this goal very high since its something new to me and I can always add to it later.  I figure 52 weeks in a year and if I ride my bike 3 times a week for at least 2 miles then thats 312 miles but I'm just going to round it off to 300 miles.  So my new goal for this upcoming year is to ride my bike 300 miles in 2011.

3.  YMCA Goal- I plan on hitting the gym at least 3 times a week to do strength training.

4.  Swimming Goal- I know the Y has a pool and I would love to add this to my workout.  I'm thinking I will try to swim at least 2 times a week.

5.  Crunches Goal- My stomach is a real problem area for me so I'm planning on doing crunches every other day.  Right now I'm at a 100 crunches but as I get stronger I will increase that.

I know this seems like alot of working out but this is what I need to do to get my body in shape.  We all know that when you lose alot of weight things don't spring back like they should and I can always alter these goals later if they don't seem to be working for me.

6.  Weight Loss Goal:  I'm still aiming for 2 lbs a week so here are my goals:

January 1, 2011- 211 lbs
January 25, 2011- 203 lbs
February 22, 2011- 195 lbs (under 200 for valentines how sweet that would be)
March 22, 2011- 187 lbs
April 19, 2011- 179 lbs
May 17, 2011- 171 lbs
June 14, 2011- 163 lbs
July 12, 2011- 155 lbs ( 2 days before my birthday what a wonderful birthday present to myself)
August 9, 2011- 147 lbs
September 6, 2011- 140 lbs ( this would be the smallest I've ever been)

At the rate of 2 lbs a week I should be at my goal weight in 9 months.  That may seem like a long time to some but as you get older time flies and 9 months is nothing. 

7.  Water Goal-  I had a goal in 2010 of drinking at least 128 oz of water a day but of course I never hit that goal so for 2011 I'm just going to work on drinking as much water as possible without setting a goal. 

8.  Eating Goals-  The following are my goals for my food intake daily:

Sugar- I have greatly reduced my sugar intake already but its still something I need to continue to work on.

Fruits- I love fruits especially sweet fruits like bananas, apples and grapes but I have learned that fruits have alot of natural sugar in them so you do need to watch how much you eat so my goal is to continue to keep my fruit intake to a maximum of 1-2 servings per day.

Vegetables- I have always been a vegetable eater but I have had to learn to replace some of my carbs like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes with vegetables instead. I am learning to try new vegetables that I've never had before to add some variety into my eating and vegetables really are good for you and help to fill you up. So I plan on continuing to try at least one new vegetable and make sure I get my daily servings of veggies in.

Carbohydrates- This is probably one of my favorite types of foods, I mean who doesn't love macaroni and cheese and pasta dishes and breads but if you aren't careful these types of food can put alot of weight on you. So I plan on continuing to really watch my intake of carbs.

Soda- I have mainly been drinking water but I have been sneaking in a couple diet sodas a week and I want to completely give up sodas again.

Fast Food- I try to pick the healthiest thing when I get fast food but like a friend pointed out to me no fast food is healthy. I'm only picking out the least unhealthy thing on the menu so this is definitely something I need to give up. So my last goal is to completely avoid fast food.

Recommended Daily Allowances:
(not really a challenge but something I need to keep an eye on)
Calories: 1760 to lose 2 lbs a week
Fat: 64 grams
Fiber: 25 grams
Carbohydrates: 300 grams
Sugar: 40 grams
Protein: 50 grams
Sodium: 2400 milligrams

I know it seems like alot but it all goes hand in hand with each other and I can always change up my goals later, I love a good challenge though.

What's Wrong With Me?

I'm so disappointed in myself right now because when I stepped on the scale this morning it read 217.6 lbs which is 6.8 lbs more than I was weighing a week and a half ago.  I know that part of this is probably because its my time of the month but not all of it.  I have to find a way to get back in control of my eating because it takes forever to get the weight off but it sure doesn't take long to put it on.  I'm trying to get in a more positive frame of mind because thinking like this can lead to a major backslide, I definitely don't want that.  My weigh in day isn't until Friday so I do have alittle time to do some damage control, I just want to get back on track.  I was doing so good, I was positive and in control.  I was eating right and exercising and it wasn't even that hard and then I seperated from my husband and winter came and everything just seems to be falling apart.  What's wrong with me that I can't get back in control?  I know what I need to do and I know what works because thats how I lost the last 36 lbs, I just have to do it.  I hate winter, I'm snowed in right now so no going to the YMCA and its so cold outside so its hard to exercise outside, which I do plan on doing later on today.  The kids are out of school so thats no help where my exercise is concerned.  I just hate when my normal routine is messed up, its just hard for me to readjust.  I guess thats something I'm going to have to work on.  Once the kids are back in school and I start school back I won't have as much time to eat and I'm planning on hitting the gym after class and walking while my kids are at school so things will be better then but thats still 10 days off.  I can't wait until then to get back on track.  I guess I'm just frustrated right now and hoping that typing this post will inspire me someway.  I do have my eating already planned out for today and this is what I'm going to have.

Breakfast- 1 cup raisin bran
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cup lowfat yogurt
            water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 1 slice turkey, 1 slice cheese and honey mustard
            on 2 slices double fiber whole wheat bread
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1/4 cup trail mix
             water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 sweet potato w/ brown sugar and cinnamon
             1 cup roasted broccoli
             1 cup green beans
             1/2 cup corn
             water (16.9 oz)

I think thats a pretty balanced diet plus I'll get in lots of water.  Then I'm thinking of fasting tomorrow because of how easy it was last time I did it.  I just can't have another gain this Friday.  I'm so close to weighing what I weighed a year ago I can't screw up now.  Plus I need to finish this year out with a loss not a gain.  Well I guess thats enough whining. 

Food + Bloating = FAT

This last week I have felt so bloated no matter what I eat.  This feeling equals one thing to me, "I'm FAT".  I'm not sure if this feeling is coming from Aunt Flo visiting or if its the food I"m eating but I hate it.  I've also noticed that after I eat ice cream or drink milk my stomachs starts hurting, can you become dairy intolerant even if you have never been before?  This last week has just really sucked because I've felt extremely FAT no matter what I've eaten.  I'm also taking a stool softener which my doctor recommended me doing because of how much fiber I was eating and I've started taking gas pills just to relief some of the bloating.  It seems like the more I do to try to fix the problem the worse it gets.  Even when I fasted a couple days ago I still felt bloated.  Should I just start drinking as much water as possible, will that help flush whatever the problem is out?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Fasting

I decided to fast today because for some reason my weight just shot up over the last few days.  When I weighed in last night I was up 6 lbs, thats insane.  I haven't been eating that much but it could be that my time of the month is almost here.  Whatever reason there is for this gain I'm going to do everything I can to try to see even a small loss on the scale tomorrow.  I thought I would use this post to post throughout the day on how my fast is going.  So far this morning all I have had is a glass of orange juice which I drank because I'm kind of sick right now and I was hoping the Vitamin C might help alittle.  I plan on drinking as much water as humanly possible today in the hopes of flushing my system out.  I did weigh in this morning when I got up and I was already down 3 lbs from my 6 lb gain last night so I'm halfway to being back at my weigh in weight last Friday.  I also plan on doing a good walk today, I would love to walk at least 5 miles but I will have to see how that goes, its hard finding free time without my kids to get in a walk like that.  I know that fasting isn't a healthy thing to do all the time but I don't believe its going to kill me to go 24 hours without eating every once in awhile and by posting about it on here I have a sense of accountability to do it.

12:00PM-  so far I'm doing really good, only thing I've had is 8 oz Orange Juice, 8 oz chocolate milk and 16.9 oz water, only 19 hours and I can eat again....lol

4:45PM- still haven't eatin anything yet and I'm feeling fine....been asleep for the last 4 hours but at least that kept me from eating, only 12 hours until I can eat again

So far this fast has been really easy, I'm not even hungry and I had to cook breakfast for my kids which consisted of livermush, eggs and biscuits and lunch which was chili with sour cream and cheese and garlic cheddar biscuits, so if that didn't tempt me to eat nothing will.  I did miss walking though, I took a nap and ended up sleeping through my walking time so I guess the fast will have to do.  Even if I have still gained in the morning it won't be as bad as it could be and this will be a great way to start off a new week and show myself that I'm not going to die without food.

8:00 PM- I still haven't eaten anything yet and I'm really starting to get hungry but its not long until bedtime so I will just sleep through the hunger.  I weighed just alittle while ago and I'm only up 1.6 lbs.  I don't know how much of that will come off before morning but if I can just maintain my weigh in weight from last week I will be happy.

7:00AM- I made it through my fast without eating but I weighed this morning and I'm still up 1 lb but at least I have an excuse, I woke up to Aunt Flo visiting this morning so I'm blaming it on her.  I hate that I gained weight this week but I guess it was only a matter of time until it was going to happen.

Time to get serious

Over the last month I've really lost sight of what I'm trying to accomplish by losing weight and exercising.  I just haven't been very focused on anything lately and that definitely needs to change.  I'm still losing weight but I'm not doing it in a healthy way and eventually its going to catch up with me.  I'm so proud of myself for what I've accomplished so far and I don't want to start going backwards.  Its time for me to get serious about my weight loss again. 

This past Monday was my last day of school for the semester and I don't go back until January 6, 2011.  When I return to school I really want people to notice a difference in me.  That might sound selfish but its nice to have your hardwork be recognized.  That means I have 22 days to work as hard as I can before I have to return to school.  I think it helps me to break my goals down into smaller challenges like this.  It gives me something to work towards.
I'm still working on my New Years goals right now.  I have 22 miles to walk before January 1, 2011 to hit my 160 miles walked goal.  I'm also working on weighing what I did a year ago by hitting 205 lbs, right now I have about 7 lbs to go to hit that goal.  I would love to hit 40 lbs lost by New Years so thats what I'm aiming for.  One of my Hot 100 challenge goals is to make it through the holidays without overeating and I'm not really concerned about that.  I have my sons birthday party this weekend and then Christmas but I think I will be fine at both of these events.  I'm still working on drinking all my water which is something I really need to focus on, also I need to get away from the fast food which I've been eating alot of lately.  I also need to lay off the sugar and carbs and get back to more fruits and veggies.  So I know what I need to do to succeed I just need to put my mind to it.  I know I can do this, I have no doubts in myself its just a matter of doing it. 
I am going to the YMCA today and getting my free membership because I'm tired of using the cold weather as an excuse for not exercising.  I was working to hard and seeing my work pay off to stop exercising now.  We only have 16 days left in this year and when January 1, 2011 gets here I want to know that I did everything possible to be at the lowest weight I could be by that date.  I want to start this New Years off right.  I've set alot of goals for myself I know but I know I can do it.  Goals are what keep me on track and give me something to strive for. 
I hope all of you are going to make these last 16 days in this year the best so far.  Your support has kept me going and I will always appreciate that.  I have gotten off track with my blogging and weight loss but I think I'm back in the right frame of mind to do what I need to do now.  I'm going to spend today visiting blogs and getting motivation from each and everyone of you.  Thanks for all your comments and support.

A Change in Plans

I've decided to change how I post and see how it works out.  Usually I post three or even four posts a day but I'm going to try combining all these into one daily post.  This will save not only me time but also my fellow bloggers who read my posts time.  I will start off today by telling you that this day was so much better than yesterday.  My eating was on track and I also feel alot better.  I've been very busy today going to school, running errands, taking pictures, cleaning and cooking.  I'm just glad that I don't have that same sense of hopelessness about my weight loss like I did yesterday.  Now on to what I had to eat today.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 banana

Lunch- 2 slices turkey, 1 slice of cheese and honey
           mustard on 2 slices white bread
           water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 bowl of black bean chili mac w/ mexican
             cheese and lite sour cream
             1 garlic cheddar biscuit
             water (16.9 oz)

I kept track of my nutritional info so I could see where I stand on my eating.  The first lists shows what I'm suppose to be eating a day and the second list is what I actually ate.

Calories      1760          1605
Fat              64 g            68 g
Fiber           25 g            41 g
Carbs          300 g         186 g
Sugar           40 g           36 g      
Protein         50 g           73 g
Sodium       2400 mg     1984 mg

I did have alittle to much fat and protein and I really ate alot of fiber so I better get on the ball drinking my water.  Other than that there are a few minor changes I need to make but it doesn't look to bad.

I haven't exercised yet and I'm not sure if I'm going to get to since I have noone to watch my kids tonight but I may try to get them to walk with me even if we can't walk as fast as I normally do.

Update:  I walked 1 mile with the kids before it started raining on us.  I guess thats better than nothing.

Now on to my photo challenge.  Today is day 10 of my challenge in which I take a picture everyday for a year.  Its getting harder and harder to find things that are interesting to take pictures of.  I hate living in such a small town, I guess I'm going to have to get more creative but anyway here is my picture for today.  I saw these right up the road from where I live so I pulled over and snapped a quick shot of them.  I promise I'll have something more interesting tomorrow.

In case you don't know what these are they are called guineas and they were just running around in the road.

Lastly I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that reads my blog.  Lately I haven't been feeling the blogging mojo and my posts have gotten pretty boring and still I keep getting support and that means so much to me.  I have no doubt that I will succeed at my weight loss this time thanks to all of my wonderful fellow bloggers.  Thanks and I hope I can be as much support to all of you as you have been for me.

Why can't I just stop eating?

Have you ever asked yourself the question......Why can't I just stop eating?  So many times I've had that exact conversation with myself..  Which led me to make promises which only led to failure.  There is one problem with that question.....it shouldn't be......."why can't I just stop eating", it should be......."why I can't just I eat healthy"?  Putting restrictions on your food or at least for me has led to failure time and time again.  My new approach to eating is not restriction but allowance.  Giving myself permission to eat what I want, when I want in moderation has kept me from feeling deprived.  When you feel deprived you rebel against what you are trying to accomplish, which is why I have always given up. 

For example if I want fast food I can have it but in moderation and I pick the healthiest thing they have on the menu.  Lately I have been craving a milkshake so I turned to my fellow bloggers and Charlotte from http://fathairday.blogspot.com/ gave me a wonderful low calorie, no fat shake recipe that you can find at this link http://nevertheskinnygirl.blogspot.com/2010/10/lets-shake-it-up-baby.html.  If I'm craving chocolate then I have a peppermint patty because I know that will satisfy my craving and is only 3 points on the weight watchers point system.  What things have you found to replace unhealthy foods with?  What changes have you made?

This approach isn't for everyone but so far its working for me.  Does anyone else use this technique in their weight loss?  Is it working for you?  Have you noticed that giving yourself permission to eat has helped or hurt? 

I'm open to hear what techniques others are using to so if you have an approach to weight loss that is successful for you please share.

Worried about boredom

Today has been the first time that I've experienced boredom in awhile and its kind of scary.  I knew that I was off school this week until Friday so I worked really hard this weekend to get everything done so I could enjoy some rest and relaxation during the week.  Well that stategy is backfiring on me.

I was fine today while everyone was at school and work but after they got home and my oldest son went to his dads and my two youngest went to my moms that just left me and my husband and we were pretty much just laying around here doing nothing.  Well I kept catching myself walking into the kitchen to see what there was to snack on.  I did end up eating a few more nuts and a baby banana but I don't want to start responding to boredom by eating. 

I was talking to my husband about how bored I was and how I was worried that after one of my classes ended this Friday that I wasn't going to have as much to keep me busy.  I said I guess I can walk a few laps around the neighborhood when I get bored and he said do you want me to go jog with you right now?  I said what?  He said go get ready and we will go jog a few laps so I hurried and got ready and we went.  I did jog alittle, maybe .3 of a mile but its still really hard for me to jog with this much weight on me.  We only did 1.5 miles but it felt so good to do something instead of sitting around here being bored thinking about food.

I really like routine and a schedule in my life and starting this Friday one of my classes will be ending so this is going to be a big change for me and I don't do well with change.  Any suggestions on how to deal with this?  What do you do when you are bored and want to eat?

Eating plan

I've been eating the same way for about 5 weeks now with not much weight loss so I have decided to make a few changes.

First off my breakfast, I've been eating 2 cups of cereal for breakfast and I've even tried cutting the sweetier cereal with another kind thats not so sweet to reduce the sugar content but now I've decided to just eat 1 cup instead of 2 cups because I still believe I am eating to many carbs.  I may add a piece of fruit or a cup of yogurt to my breakfast to keep me full. 

Secondly concerns my snacks, I've been eating alot of sweet fruits and cereal bars and I've already chosen to give up my favorite fruit, watermelon because I just believe I was eating to much of it and if its in the house I'm going to eat it.  I think I'm going to reduce my fruit intake to 1 1/2 cups which is what the food pyramid recommends.  This amounts to about 1 banana, 1 small apple and 1 large peach.  If you want to determine what is the appropriate amount for you then click on this link http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/fruits_amount.aspx

Next I've been eating a sandwich for lunch most of the time and I've already switch from mayo to mustard and from white bread to whole wheat bread.  I think the only improvement I can make would be adding veggies to my sandwiches such as lettuce and tomato.  The food pyramid recommends that I get 2 1/2 cups a day of vegetables which I can definitely get between lunch and dinner.  If you want to determine what is the appropriate amount for you then click on this link http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_amount.aspx#

The food pyramid recommends that I get 3 cups of dairy which I don't really get in on an average day so I will have to work on this.  I need to start replacing some of my snacks like granola bars and cereal bars with a cup of yogurt which would count toward my dairy.  If you want to determine what is the appropriate amount for you then click on this link http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/milk_amount.aspx

Now for my dinners; I have improved alot on my dinners from reducing my carb intake to increasing the amount of vegetables I try to get in.  I do need to start watching my serving sizes though because you can still over eat on something good for you.  I think I need to start using a measuring cup to determine the right portion size at least until I can eyeball it. 

As for what I drink, I only drink water and maybe once a week a diet soda but I do need to increase my water intake.  I have been trying to do this for awhile with not much success.  I think I need to make a daily chart where I can mark off my water as I drink it.  This may sound extreme to you but you have to understand that I plan out everything I'm going to do everyday of my life so this isn't really out of the usual for me.  My recommended daily intake of water for my weight is 120 oz.  If you want to determine what the appropriate amount of water to drink daily for you is click on this link http://espring.com/English/home.aspx

I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow and stock up on some foods that I want to try and I need in the house.  I have a list on my blog of low fat, low calorie, high fiber foods which you can find by clicking on this link http://nevertheskinnygirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/bored-with-my-eating.html  .  This is my grocery list for tomorrow:  water packed tuna, canned peaches and pineapples, pinto beans (I may throw them in the crockpot), bran cereal, raisins, mixed nuts, jello, applesauce, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, cucumbers, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, cantaloupe, low fat yogurt, broccoli, ground turkey and sunflower seeds.  By having lots of stuff to chose from I'm hoping to stick to my healthy eating plan.

If you have any suggestions to improve my eating or weight loss effort please feel free to comment.  I hope some of these links can help you determine the proper amounts of food to be eating daily.  Good luck with your eating plans.

My moods and eating

It seems like no matter what mood I'm in I can find a reason to eat.  Earlier today someone made me a little mad and I was on my way to the store to get a few things and the first thing that popped into my head was what could I get to make myself feel better?  Then it hit me eating something bad for me wasn't going to make me feel better it would actually make me feel worse.  Why should I give the person who upset me the satisfaction of knowing that they had that kind of effect on me?  Why should I punish myself for their insensitivity?  And that's exactly what it would have been was punishment.  At first it may have felt good but after I consumed a bag of candy or a gallon of ice cream who would be left to feel the pain, not the person who upset me, I would.  Now I will admit as you can see by my food journal that I did get me a peppermint patty but only one and I know from being in weight watchers that its only 3 points so that's not that bad.  It feels good to be able to step back from my feelings and look at why I'm wanting to binge and being able to say NO to myself.