Thursday, January 5, 2012

Getting back on track

Every since the beginning of December I've been a little too lax in the eating department. Some Indian food, some pizza, some wine (ok who am I kidding - a ton of wine and beer!) and with the holidays, well... I've gained some weight. The damage is only 5 or 6 lbs according to my scale but I notice a big change. When I was bigger, 5 lbs was nothing - I couldn't tell any difference. But now I really notice it - my hip bones have gone into hiding, my pants are too snug, and it's even harder to zip up my knee-high boots! But, this is all part of learning maintenance and I have a plan to get back on track.

I am committing to track my food until I am back at my goal weight. For me, tracking really is the key. If I know I have to write it down, I will not put it in my mouth. Also, I get a kick out of seeing how wisely I can choose foods to satisfy me and fill me up without being a lot of points. (Getting pleasure from accomplishing a goal rather than from food itself). I know that I *have* to be back at goal (i.e. down at least 6 lbs) by Jan 31 because that is the last day I can weigh in at my WW meeting for the month of January (lucky for me it's the 31st - talk about pushing it to the end!). I think this is a reasonable goal since some of it is probably salt and water weight. Also, don't worry I'm just going to follow the WW plan, not do any kind of crazy restrictive diet.

But even though I *know* exactly what I need to do, it's easier said than done this time. I've been struggling these past couple days getting my head in the game. Once I'm back "on plan" for a while the cravings go away and the whole thing seems much easier. I really do think there's something to finding and staying in the groove. But the first couple of days...man. I want that wine, I want (fill in the blank!), I don't want to have to say no to myself. But I also know that if I push through this tough spot, these next few days, it will be easier. Instead of thinking about what I can't have I need to focus on the foods I CAN eat. Tonight I am going to have an omelette for dinner (1 egg + egg whites) filled with tons of veggies and some fat-free cheese with some fruit on the side. It's going to be tasty and filling. And maybe I'll have some popcorn for a snack later. But no matter what, I'm going to write everything down and hopefully the scale will start to move... in a downwards direction this time!


4 comments:

  1. Hi Melissa - so glad to meet you in blog world! You look amazing - congrats on your weight loss. You are smart to watch your food intake right now when you have only gained a few pounds. That's what makes maintenance easier in my mind - a few pounds is a lot easier to lose than 50 or more!!

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  2. I don't imagine anyone who has ever lost 70lb is going to magically be forever slim and never gain. The thing to do is to nip a gain in very soon and losing 5lb is very manageable in a short time. I feel confident you will have that extra gone quickly. Not letting a 5lb gain turn into a 10lb, 20lb, 30lb gain is what matters and you are already back looking at that 5lb. I think you look absolutely amazing and are a real inspiration to me to get to goal

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  3. Yay for tracking!!!! (and what time should I be over for omelettes?? :) ) Have a great day!!!

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  4. I have not posted this on my own blog, but I too, have gained more than I care to admit over the holidays. The funny thing is, I was fine up until Christmas Day. After that, I had some emotional things to deal with and voila! Enter reckless eating.
    My head is not yet in the game, either. Once it is, my willpower will fall in line and I'll get my groove back, but I know exactly how you are feeling and wish you well. We can do this. We just have to remember that we are not fighting for just a few pounds but rather to maintain an entire lifestyle. Puts things into a better perspective. Good luck!!

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