Weight-Loss Plan

I'm on day 5 of eating the proper number of calories.  The first couple of days it  was really easy, yesterday and today have required more self-talk.  Last night we went out to dinner and it was my son's turn to choose the restaurant.  So I had to find something for a reasonable amount of calories in a wing restaurant.  There was a part of me (the same part that caused me to get 20 pounds above my goal weight) that wanted to just throw caution to the wind and order what sounded good.  But I am determined to get back to a comfortable and healthy weight, so I ordered boneless, skinless wings and steamed broccoli.

Fridays have always been a challenge for me since I started my current job.  We work 9 hours (at least) Monday through Thursday, then the idea is to work 4 hours on Friday.  However, since I still get to the office at 6:30 and don't leave until it closes at noon, that's more than 4.  By that time I'm usually exhausted physically and emotionally (I work with some challenging people).  That's always been one of my worst days where I come home and indulge because "I deserve it."  But I had the lunch I had planned, and I've got dinner planned so I won't have any problems there either.  The rest of my family will be eating Qdoba while we watch a movie together tonight, and I will sit with them but enjoy a more sensible dinner.

I feel like I'm in the proper mental place for the next few months that it will take to return to my goal weight.  So that's good.  I've also started thinking about long-term maintenance.  Because I've been here before, where I worked so hard to take the weight off and kept it off for about 1 year, but then slowly started putting it back on until I got back to the place I'm at now.  Counting calories works really well for me when I'm losing weight.  I have a mathematical mind and it's almost like a budget, which I've always been very good at working within also.  But long-term it feels rigid and lacks spontaneity.

Right now my plan is to continue counting calories for about 1 month after I hit my goal weight.  Then to start using the principles in the Weigh Down diet.  The book about the diet is hyper religious, so isn't for everyone, but the principles behind it are very sound.  The author espouses eating regularly throughout the day, when you feel hungry.  Then, and this is the key, to stop eating when you feel satisfied, not full.  My brother's wife did this diet back when she was pretty heavy (before I knew her) and said she ended up eating pretty small portions about 6 times each day.  She's never gotten really heavy again, so I know it can work.  The other safeguard I'm planning on having in place is that I can't ever cross the 128 pound threshold.  If that happens, then I'll immediately go back into calorie counting until I get back down to 122 pounds.  My goal weight is 125 pounds, but I think having a range of 122 to 128 will make my mind feel like I have some flexibility.

Last night we got frozen rain, and then a light layer of snow on top of it.  Because of that, there were very clear animal tracks on the creek today.  When I was walking my son home from school, I got some pictures of the tracks.

This looks like a bird convention occurred here.

I believe these are raccoon tracks, but I could be wrong.  However, they look very different than the dog tracks I saw.

I think a squirrel stood here.

This hand print was put into the cement back in the early eighties.  It filled in nicely under the snow and ice today.

The creek dressed its winter finery.

After that walk I had to come home to a nice, hot cup of mint tea in my literary mug.