The jeans that I wear almost every day don’t fit anymore. I was in denial for a while, but I’m past even discretely unbuttoning the top… now they need to be unzipped a bit to not hurt when I sit down.
Worse than the actual weight gain, though, is that I feel like a blob. I don’t feel healthy at all.
As a first step, about a week ago, I started keeping track of everything I eat. I write in what I call my “food log”—it’s a small, lined notebook, and until tonight I wasn’t really moderating the food itself—just documenting what was being eaten.
And because I was at a conference in DC again the past week, there was constant snacking:
1 mini Toblerone
1 piece Toblerone
1 slice of babke
1 mini carrot
1/2 bag cheese curls
2 Oreos
1 chocolate chip cookie
2 slices pizza (Chicago-style)
salad w/ Caesar salad dressing
a few grapes
some Mike and Ikes
1/2 plum
pretzels
And my favorite entry, after dinner:
a little more babke
It seems watching what I eat is not helpful on its own, as I gleefully recorded every bite.
I also refuse to buy new pants. That would be giving in.
And so… I’m going on a diet. There, I said it.
This blog is subtitled “becoming the person I might have been.” You know, sometimes it’s also good to be the person I used to be.
Sounds like me on a weekend. I tighten up during the week, though. Otherwise I’d have horrible stomachaches.
I’d add one more thing: Eat more protein (doesn’t have to be meat!) — it’ll make you feel fuller longer. If you plan your meals in advance, when you’re hungry you’ll most likely reach for that instead of snacking around your house. :)
Great suggestion. I usually eat a lot of beans and eggs (but not too many eggs), but need to get back into that….
Nuts have worked really well for me. I read somewhere that a study gave some people 500 more calories in nuts each day, and they didn’t gain any weight. Something about fiber and protein. They fill you up pretty decently, snack-wise.
That’s a good idea, too! First I need to tackle meals, though, I think. If I can regularly pack a lunch I probably wouldn’t need to snack as much.
I like to do 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Smart snacking is better than mindless grazing because you aren’t ravenous by your next meal. It doesn’t work for all people (lots of folks enjoy 3 square meals and no snacking — it keeps them from eating all day) but my body works best with snacks. Snack 1 is almonds, raisins, and a few pieces of dried pineapple. Snack 2 is a pear, though I know I should add protein to that snack. And sometimes I get hungry a few hours after dinner so I eat a peanut butter sandwich with local honey and banana. I love nuts. (No jokes, please!!)
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