Adding Up My Bites, Licks and Tastes

Five pounds down, five to go toward my 10-pounds-by-Halloween goal.

I've joined Weight Watchers Online, and I'm really impressed by the tools and resources available there. I started using it on Saturday (probably not the best day to start this kind of thing, but you gotta start somewhere), and I quickly realized how much I really eat. I tried to make healthy choices during the day, and when I got home at the end of the day and entered in what I ate, I realized that I hadn't made such good choices after all. But I still had some points to work with.

Then I remembered something that I learned from the Weight Watchers meetings that I used to attend. The meeting leader had a little saying that really stuck with me. She told us not to forget our "BLTs:" bites, licks and tastes. Those little in-between snacks that you absentmindedly eat and don't think about again. Those things can add up!

So I went back and thought about the other things I ate during the day. The samples at Costco. The leftover French fries off my daughter's plate. The handful of tortilla chips at the restaurant. Pretty soon I was out of points for the day and was dipping into the extra weekly points they give you.

The next day, I tried to make good choices again. But I did have a small piece of pumpkin pie. It's my favorite! How can I resist? I got home after lunch and entered my food in the website and realized that I had used all my points for the day already! Oops.

So I now realize the importance of planning ahead. And I'm doing better on that. Especially now that the weekend is over and I'm back to work. I can pack my breakfast and lunch the night before and be set for the next day. The real struggle comes with portion control at dinner and the after-dinner dilemma.

That after-dinner time is really tricky. It's almost Twilight Zone like. I'm sitting there reading or watching TV, but all I'm thinking about is what is in the kitchen. It's almost calling to me. Incidentally, that's also why I don't keep food in my desk at work. If I know it's there, it'll scream at me until I eat it.

How do I overcome it? Not sure yet, but I have found a few tricks. One is that I drink some water or iced tea. That seems to help for a little while. Another trick is to chew some gum. This one is tricky, as I tend to be a bit noisy when I chew gum. But it really to seems to distract me for a while. The other trick I haven't tried yet: Go to bed. I'm a bit of a night owl, and I'm not quite ready to give that up yet.

But so far, I'm doing pretty well with Weight Watchers Online. And pressing along to the 10-pound goal.

In other news, I've been bounced from the Biggest Loser at work contest. I gained one week and then missed the following week's weigh-in while on vacation, so I'm out of the contest. But that's OK. I'll try again next time.

I also saw that our community is trying for a world record of the most people working out at the same time on October 30. There's going to be a health fair and then the group workout. It should be fun, so I signed up. It actually sounds pretty exciting. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm staying the course, trying to adjust every day and not let those little slip-ups ruin my day. I have to make those adjustments stick, because the holidays are rapidly approaching and my routine gets out of whack and it's very easy to over do it.

Hang in there!

More on Tipping the Scales:
When the Weekend Derails Your Diet
Starting Over on My Halloween Weight Loss Challenge
Running and Random Acts of Kindness