Food Journaling

I read an article in Good Housekeeping or some other old lady magazine about food journaling the other day. I found it pretty simplistic and easy to do. One woman had lost something like 150lbs using the method. The main idea is to write everything you eat, every meal, every lick, every drink or nibble. The lady that lost that huge amount of weight made it a habit of writing down everything before she ate it. Want a candy bar, ok. Just write it in the book first. The idea is that you will really start to examine what you are putting in your body. You will watch for the proper balance of meats vs. breads vs veggies. Of course, I could use a whole page of just candy. Ummm, Candy. Candy is my weakness. Sugar, sweets, yumminess. If the world's sugar supply evaporated today, I would lose 100 lbs in a snap. How do you quit a socially acceptable addiction? I wonder if the notebook method may be a way to help me become more aware, at least. Can't hurt to try for two weeks, I think. So. starting tomorrow, I journal. I can do it. I can discipline myself. Ja?

Step by step, oooh baby...

I need to manage myself in small, easily consumed bites. Here is my first goal set:

Goal: To button those jeans I bought on ebay but have never fit in
Date to Complete: March 6, 2008
Steps to Completion:

1. Limit portions of food I consume, stop the constant grazing all day long.
2. Continue eating meals on smaller plates, it has really cut the amount I eat during meals and I haven't noticed any extra hunger.
3. Purchase a treadmill within the next week. Start with 10 minutes at a time. Work up to 5 miles, three days a week.

ch-ch-ch-changes...

Today the tears are gone. My feelings are still hurt. But I am recovering. I have sort of developed a fuck you attitude. I'm not sure if that is due to a protective urge or if I feel that some of what was said was off base. I think probably a little of both.

I have decided it is time to make some healthy choices. Small, steady and do-able is my goal. Here is what I implemented today:

1. Eliminate one bad-for-me food every two weeks. This week's choice? French Fries. I don't even like fries that much, but I always eat them since they come with the chicken or burger or whatever. This is a change that should save me several hundred calories each week with little pain. Let's figure that I eat at McDonalds once per week, usually having a medium fry (382 calories, 20.1 grams of fat) and at our local bar and grill where I have a large side of curly fries once per week (631 calories, 37 grams fat!).
   
2. Second small change. Start using my salad plates instead of platter-sized dinner plates for at home meals. I found today that I served probably half the rice at dinner that I normally would and had only one roll because that is all that would fit on the plate. I am fully aware that portion size is a huge problem for me. I have read that this will help some.

I have a few more thoughts, but they can wait for tomorrow. As my hero Scarlett says, it is another day.