Journaling is crucial. Gross, but crucial

That said, I can’t stand to have to write down every bite.  I’m a rebel.  But when I finally became serious about losing weight, I realized that was the first thing I had to do. I really couldn’t be eating that much, could I?  I had to see exactly what I was eating.  I had to see what I was up against.  It looked something like this:

Breakfast – One venti white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, one piece of gingerbread loaf (or muffin, or similar bread).

Mid morning:  crackers and cheese, or graham crackers, cookies or chips – whatever was close and easy to get to.  Maybe a Coke.

Lunch:  leftovers from the night before – spaghetti, ravioli, or a casserole.  Often, I’d meet my husband for lunch and I’d have a big sandwich from a deli or a lunch portion of a pasta dish or a steak.  Coke, one or two. 

Afternoon snack – graham crackers or cookies with another white chocolate mocha.  Or a Super sized Coke.

Dinner:  I’d eat whatever I made for the kids.  Maybe chicken tenders, a pasta side dish, canned green beans.  Maybe hamburgers, deep fried French fries, and canned peas.  Maybe hamburger helper with homemade rolls. Homemade lasagna or eggplant parmesan.   One or two cokes.

Dessert:  (Usually eaten while watching a movie.)  A large brownie, topped with ice cream and whipped cream.  Or ice cream topped with magic shell – is there anything more yummy that that stuff?  Chocolate cake with whipped cream, chocolate chip cookies with whole milk to dip, candy. 

And that was just ONE day.  I ate like this every single day.  Geez, no wonder I was over 200 pounds.

But seeing it in print makes it real, makes it “in your face wrong”.  There is no hiding from the written word.  Write down anything that goes in your mouth, be it a banana or a bite of your daughter’s sandwich.  If you taste the cake batter, write it down.  If you absent mindedly eat five crackers while packing your kid’s lunch, it gets written down.  Pass the fridge and succumb to the urge to spray the whipped cream directly into your mouth?  Guilty as charged – write it down. 

See where the weight is coming from.  Own up to it.  Stop deluding yourself that you must have a metabolic problem, or a thyroid problem – maybe it’s just that you eat too much, like I did. 

Comments

[mothergoosemouse]

I'm scared to do that. I know I ought to do it, but I already know I eat a lot.

For you, I'll give it a try.

[MJ]

I journal faithfully because seeing it in black and white wakes me up. I realized after about a month that my bad habits happened after 8pm once the kids were in bed. Now that I've stopped eating after 8, my caloric intake is MUCH lower and I fell MUCH better the next morning.

[Daisy]

I do that now, and it is still, almost 4 years after I started the weight loss evolution, the absolute hardest thing to do. I don't want to eat things I don't want to write down, and I feel like I don't enjoy food if I do write it down. Ugh. The best things for us are so often the hardest to do. I have been faithful about it for a few good weeks (I do slip up for an entire week every now and then, unfortunately), and the pounds are coming off almost without me realizing it, even over Easter!

[OMSH]

One word. FINE.

Oh wait, that was three words.
WHATEVAH!

[OMSH]

Okay, back here again and thrilled out of my mind that I can bookmark it now so I can get back easier!!! Weeeee!

Tomorrow I journal.
So.embarassing!