Reigning It In

Just a few weeks ago I was at an all time low on the scale.  It felt great!  I think I let it get to my head, however, and things sort of spiraled out of control.  I'm not saying I'm quitting or all is lost.  Today the number on the scale (173 lbs) was a wake up call.  It was a shout out and it said, "Jill, you are not going back. This is where you turn it around."  And so that's the plan for today.  I will not let a few bad days (or weeks) derail the progress I've made.  I will review the obvious triggers and adjust accordingly.

Here are the triggers:

Trigger one: Ice cream in the house - Every single time I bring ice cream in my house I gain weight.  This is without exception.  I can handle the fat free frozen yogurt because it's not that tempting.  The halo top stuff is fine because I can't overindulge due to gastrointestinal upset.  But when I have light ice cream or regular ice cream in the freezer, it calls my name.  And I often answer the call a couple times a day (sometimes three if I'm honest!).  I can go out for ice cream no problem.  That's a one and done.  Even if it's a couple times a week it's better on the waistline.  So I will go back to what works: no ice cream in the house.

Trigger two:  Not enough variety of healthy/lower calorie food stocked in the house - If I don't have a good variety of foods to choose from, I end up overeating stuff I don't really want.  It's a tough balance between leaving a lot of the junk out while still having a good amount of things to choose from.  Some things that have helped me in the past with this are the single serve Mott's fruit snacks.  They are basically candy, but with 3 grams of fiber and not too many calories, they help tame a sweet tooth without doing too much damage.  A variety of fresh, canned and frozen fruit is also very helpful.  Popcorn helps with crunch and flavored decaf coffees help when I want some flavor but I'm not actually hungry.

Trigger three: Screen time - I know a ton of research has been done on this but sometimes I don't let the reality of it sink in.  If I'm sitting and staring at a screen my natural inclination is to reach for food.  It's ok if I'm working on something like this blog, but if I'm doing a mindless activity like scrolling through Facebook or watching television, I want food.  Things that help are my coloring books, scrapbooking, various other crafts or crochet.  If I turn to those before the false hunger arises I think I can nip this trigger in the bud!

So the takeaway here?  I have done well by keeping track of my weight.  It has left me in a place where I am able to take back control if it sneaks away from me.  Also, I WILL NOT KEEP ICE CREAM IN THE HOUSE.