Progress and Pitfalls!

First, the positive, PROGRESS. I did start my commitment to healthier eating and limitations wholeheartedly a few days BEFORE New Year's Day. I planned this to avoid the big start day being so filled with pressure and such a sudden change, and I got the idea from another weight loss blog (a much more serious one!) called Roni's Weigh. Although I had a few times here and there where travel/holiday put me a tad over, it still had a positive starting effect. Combined with the 3 pounds I lost being sick, it helped me lose 2 more pounds for a total of 5, putting me back to my starting weight of 200! You could see that as depressing, but I see it as progress, because as I discussed previously, I am going to lose this weight 5 pounds at a time, and there's 5 down already! Plus, my "fat" clothes fit fine at this weight, but with 5 extra I was feeling and looking rather poorly. Also, the more days I have been logging food, the closer I am to having it become a true habit, and not something I am trying to make myself do.

Next, for a little bit of discussion on PITFALLS. My toughest time is hands down the week before my period. Some months are better than others, but my husband affectionately refers to this week as "shark week" (named after the one Discovery channel has on TV periodically) because my appetite can be so over the top. Earlier this year when I had some (temporary) weight loss success, I was able to do it like this: 3 weeks of earnest weight loss, 1 week of hang on and don't gain any back. Clearly this is going to continue to be a trend for me, because over the last two days I ate several extra things. Tuesday was a rough one. My trigger was a snowballing effect, as it turns out: not getting enough sleep, leading to not being as prepared to go to work in the morning, leading to not having any handy breakfast or lunch ready to go, leading to a stop at a grocery store first thing on an empty stomach, leading to buying foods I craved that are not chocolate, at least, but are not something I can apparently eat in small quantity! Baked cheddar and sour cream Ruffles (ate half the bag over the course of the day, even despite writing down the Weight Watchers Points for it each time,) and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal- a delicious sugar laden mess that I also ate half the box of over the course of the day. Small success, though, in that I walked up a ton of stairs at work (over 350!) in the afternoon, and then did a tough, 30 minute workout video in the eve. Then I felt good about watching the kickoff of Biggest Loser, although I fell asleep before finishing, but I was bummed for so many people not getting more than a week there! I did some crunches while I was watching at the beginning, too, after Jillian and Bob yelled at America not to sit there and watch while eating ice cream. That is what I used to do, but NOT THIS TIME!