I made it to Day 3 of my 90 day button challenge! Yesterday, I had two areas where I could make improvements.
First, shopping while hungry. I ate breakfast early, about 5:30 am. I went to Safeway around 9, to take advantage of the crab on sale. I was SO hungry while I waited for the crab to be cleaned, I decided to buy a chicken strip. I ate this in the store, and it was delicious. A better choice would have been to get some water or a low/no calorie drink.
The second area for improvement was dinner. We had a crab, artichoke, and garlic bread fest, which was delightful. I just kept eating, long past satisfied. Under my “always” category, I have “always drink plenty of water….always eat until simply satisfied.” I violated the “simply satisfied” criteria when I finished my artichoke and had two pieces of bread.
While these two issues or areas of improvement might require some to not count yesterday, I am choosing to count it, as I am learning. When to count and when to not count is always a personal decision. Documenting the process is part of my accountability.
My weight was up this morning, so I am now at +30.4 lbs. I believe I started the challenge at +29.4 lbs. The butter and salty cheese on the garlic bread are showing themselves on the scale. I am not worried about this gain, as it is part of life. I will always want to enjoy a crab fest with my family. This challenge is about sustainable change. Going without a crab fest is not a realistic sustainable change.
“The edge is in the inputs. The person who consumes from better sources, gets better thoughts. The person who asks better questions, gets better answers. The person who builds better habits, gets better results. It’s not the outcomes. It’s the inputs.” James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
Three Pro-Tips:
1. Ask yourself: Am I really hungry when I want to eat at a non-scheduled time? Why am I hungry? When was the last time I had a glass of water? Drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes.
2. Put a note on the “problem foods” in your home. These are the ones on your “restricted/conditional” list or on your “never” list. The note should say something like “You are not hungry. You are bored. Drink a glass of water.” This will interrupt the pattern of going to food when it is not mealtimes.
3. Eating when bored, angry, anxious, or tired: Go to Pro-tip One. After drinking a glass of water, consider what you can do that is fun and/or productive. Most likely you are seeing food to avoid doing a taxing project, like your taxes, and are procrastinating. Tell yourself you’ll get right back to it, in 10 minutes after you look up a recipe for dinner or text briefly with a friend. Maybe make a cup of tea or do 10 jumping jacks. You could dance for 5 minutes.
(Pro-tips are modified from a Facebook post from Deanna Brownlow)
Anne Ivans Home and Family 