The Art of Snacking

The snack. It sneaks up on you and, I know for me, it's hard to keep track of how much you're actually eating. The snack is a sly guy, but it will no longer outsmart me. 

Recently, my amazing mom won a fairly prestigious award. It was commanded by the Queen! So, she had a party. And, as any good party should go, there were snacks, and cake, and alcohol. All good things. I had determined that I wasn't going to gorge myself. I was going to attack that food with a well laid out plan. The quiche, shrimp, bread, dips and cake would not win this battle. And, it didn't! 

Here's how I did it: I honed in on my top items. The things I was not going to leave behind. There was lots to choose from, leek and brie quiche, veggie quiche, salad rolls, fresh bread with hummus, tapenade, shrimp, pizza, and cake, and more I'm sure. I tried not to think about it. I gave myself a number (Now I hadn't had dinner, so I was generous here). I grabbed my small little plate, grabbed a couple pieces, and ate one at a time, rinse, and repeat, until I hit my quota. I got to go back to the food table quite a few times. I felt like I had eaten a ton! But, the next part was the hardest. 

You're at a party, you're socializing. Food and drink are par for the course in these kinds of situations. You almost look out of place if you don't have one or the other in hand. But there I was; I had hit my self imposed limit. I wasn't going to eat any more. But how was I going to overcome that temptation? Easy. Put the plate down, Porky! And that's just what I did. Threw my plate in the sink, and called it a day. Now clearly, this step seems kind of obvious. But for those that struggle with snacking, you know what I'm talking about. It's hard to stop unless the temptation is taken away. Now, there was still a table full of food, and I couldn't exactly clear it away. So I just avoided it. Got myself into a conversation and BOOM! It was time to go home and there was no more food temptation. And I felt really good about what I had accomplished. Point: Maren.

I have talked about it before. This whole thing is mind over matter. Tricking yourself into thinking that you're eating more than you are, and that you actually want less, until your body finally figures it out. Now, I'm not perfect. Almost, but not quite. The Chicken on the Way I had for lunch today was to die for. Just so greasy and good. And the corn fritters...Oh.My.God. I regret nothing. But it's the understanding that it's okay to have a treat like that every once in a while. There is no shame in having a cheat day, because there is no good reason to deprive myself of delicious food, whether it's good for me or not. I have my whole life ahead of me. And not enjoying it just isn't an option. Especially, since I can snack and eat Chicken on the Way and still lose 7.5 pounds! 

And.....I'm Back!

Okay I'm back. And shit's about to get real. 

Since we last spoke, I went through some life changing, heart breaking things. It made it difficult to focus on my health and all the things I was speaking about. Sometimes it's really hard to take your own advice. Sometimes its really hard to remember what's important and how to live your life again. But, slowly but surely, the sun starts shining, the birds start chirping (well not literally, it's January...seriously), and things start getting a little better and you can start to remember that there is a goal and no one else is going to do it for you so put down the chocolate Santa and get your ass off the couch. 

Prior to starting this adventure, any time I had fallen off the bandwagon, I had this huge sense of guilt, a little bit of self loathing and a big urge for more ice cream. This time was different and that's how I knew it would be better. I have no guilt about taking a hiatus from my journey. I had huge personal obstacles to overcome. That is what needed my attention, and that's what got it. I needed to give myself a little comfort and permission to heal on my own terms and that's what I did. The result? 8 pounds, a new (larger) dress size and a healthy mind. Worth it? Absolutely. 

So here I am. New Year, New Me. I'm a cliche. I'm comfortable with that. 

So, I know you're dying to know how things are going! Well, since January 1, I've lost 6 pounds. That's almost all of my "healing weight". That will be my first milestone. My first gold star. I can't weight...er...wait! 

I was told about a great online tool: www.myfitnesspal.com . It allows you to track all of your food, sets out what your daily caloric intake should be based on age, fitness level and all the science-y stuff. When I first started with it, it felt a lot like weight watchers. Tracking, measuring, counting, I wasn't sold. But, a co-worker had used it and lost 50 pounds in 7 months or something ridiculous like that. He looks amazing, so what the hell. It's not going to hurt anything to just give it a try. 

6 pounds in 3 weeks. I'm sold. I will say, it's not the fastest 6 pounds I've ever lost. Last time I did weight watchers, I did that in a week. This is what is convincing me that I'm now doing something right. Slow and steady, the weight is more likely to stay off and my body will change at a better rate and hopefully I won't have to get anything tucked in at the end of the day! 

So here we are, my fresh start on my fresh start. Leaving the last 6 months behind me and moving forward and into some smaller pants!