I thought I'd give you an update on how things are going on the food front. It's been about 85 days since I started to try eating more mindfully by recording my food and incorporating some new ideas about what I eat.
I've lost 14 pounds and have taken 8 inches off my total inches (waist + hips + both biceps + both thighs). Has it been easy? No. Is it a daily struggle? No and yes. Not most days. Some days I just want to give up. Did this happen because of the "The Four Hour Body"? No.
I quickly found that adding beans to almost every meal made me want to vomit at the sight of beans -- especially at breakfast. I got tired of so. many. vegetables. I missed fruit. So I quickly scaled back. I still eat beans. Still eat veggies. I do eat a few more eggs a week than I used to.
My mom asked me what I am eating differently to make this work. Honestly, what I eat has not changed all that much. I've always been a fairly healthy eater, but I have problems with portion control, sniggles while cooking (or cleaning up after my children eat -- or don't eat), and cravings. Recording my food every day has simply made me more mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth. Frankly, it is a pain to record every stray Goldfish cracker, so I don't bother eating them when I see a few at the bottom of a child's snack cup. Also, I try to make each meal truly enjoyable. What is the sense of wasting food and energy on something I don't love? So if I want a really good homemade cookie, I'll make cookies. I won't drive myself crazy wanting a good cookie and end up with a crappy package of store cookies. I get what I want and do my best to control my portions. I take Saturdays off, and sometimes my diet is really, really bad on those days. But somehow it resets me for the week.
Really, it's the recording of the food that has been the best for me. It's also what is the most difficult. It's the thing that gets me annoyed on disappointing weigh-in days. But it's the only way I can be truly mindful. I used to talk myself into the idea that I was already mindful of what I ate. Saying that I loved food so much and savored every bite. But that was really just an excuse. I hate recording, but it is what works for me.
I'm still working on this. I did gift myself with a belt, as I did not own one and my pants were falling down. Maybe in June or July I can get a new summer dress in a new size... Another goal of mine is to incorporate more vegetarian and vegan dishes into my meal plans -- partially for my health, but mainly for environmental reasons. I like variety when I'm cooking and eating, especially at dinner, so I'm trying to keep things fun. I hope I can stay on track.
