Feeling strong

It's no secret that I'm struggling.  I'm looking at the last few months as a victory. I've maintained.  I stopped the slide of weight gain that occurred after my own personal D-day on July 11.  That is a victory in itself because stopping weight gain can be as difficult (near impossible seemingly) as losing the weight.  So I'm going to accept that victory. 

Now it's time for me to start the scales moving downward.  I'm tracking, religiously!  If I eat a cracker TRACK it.  And i'm keeping my calories in my set zone...no matter what exercise I have.  The trick is this...if I'm really active, that means I better choose my food carefully so I'm getting the quantity and quality it that I need to satisfy my body.  And yes, it is TOTALLY possible....I just can't have the junk.  I need to have the filling foods that are low calories. (don't I sound like a Weight Watchers Commercial....if they even still push filling foods).  

It's called CHOICES!  I made choices yesterday.  I planned out my meals for the day and I was set.  And then I came home and my train derailed. How?  A change of plans with dinner.  Uhhhhh....  I didn't rush myself to the kitchen to gorge on food.  I sat and thought about my options.  I thought and came up with a plan.  I followed my plan and I even had the calories left over for a wonderful little treat at the end of the night.  (A cherry candy cane...I bought a bunch of boxes after Christmas for like 10 cents a piece....cherry candy canes are the ultimate treat....50 calories of sweet treat!)  I didn't let the change of plans (basically my planned dinner got canecelled)  derail me.  Normally I would have said "well if I'm eating on my own I'll just go into the kitchen and get something to eat. What in reality happens when I get to the kitchen is that I'm standing there without a clear defined plan of what to eat.  So I eat some cheese while I think about what I want. Then I eat some chips while I make what I decide to eat.  Then I actually eat what I decide to eat, but it wasn't what I really wanted so I have some ice cream afterward.   It's like a eat fest!   Without a plan I fail!  Last night I wouldn't let myself go into the kitchen until I had a plan.  And it worked!  

We have choices.  This morning I woke up and I laid out my eating for today.  My dinner plans may fall through, but I have an alternate plan in case it does (and the alternate plan is a LOT less calories, so I would be able to have a little scoop of ice cream as a treat!).  I made my breakfast plans before I left the house.  We went to  Waffle House for breakfast.  I had enough calories for a waffle, butter and sugar free syrup.  Todd asked if I wanted hashbrowns.  I said "No, I don't have the calories."  He offered some of his hashbrowns.  I answered, no...I don't have the calories.  He asked if I wanted some of his raisin cinnamon toast.  I answered...no, I don't have the calories.  (because see, I have to expect that we will have the planned dinner.. and if we eat that dinner I won't have the calories!).  It's a choice and today I felt strong!  

I know that this weeks weigh in my not show my efforts due to the wonderful cycle of my body.  But I'm ok with that.  I'm going to push through and see what the next TWO weeks bring me!

So yes..........I love nutella.  I buy it on occasion as a treat.....and then struggle because I want to eat the whole dang jar of it in one fell swoop!!!  It's so well known that at Sam's club the other week my husband put a whole case of the honkin' big jars of nutella in the cart as a joke!  (no, we took everyone of those jars out!)   So I thought that this cat was hystarical!

And last but not least I leave you with a picture of my nephew and I.  Not the clearest and greatest picture, but I just like it.  This little guy is absolutely awesome. (all of my niece and nephews are).