One reason I write every day is that I need an outlet for all this paying attention. The way I have set up my weight control lifestyle, I pay a lot of attention to how I am feeling and what I am eating and how the two are related! Instead of trying to force myself to eat less using my willpower, I put all the burden on my conscious will. Its job is to make it easy and rewarding for the rest of me to eat a measured portion of food. That way, my lifestyle is attractive and I want to live it.
What are you talking about, your will…and the rest of you? Isn’t that all you?
Well, I am a complicated person. So are we all. What is the part of you that says You Will Eat Less Food? That’s the will. What’s the part of you standing in front of the refrigerator at 2AM eating leftover pizza? That’s the rest of you. I’ve decided that is the part that should be in charge. You will is good at being bossy, but I am making it do all the work instead. It’s like a negotiation between different parts of myself that want different things. My will can serve the others, instead of bossing them all around and getting nowhere. This is much more productive.
While losing weight, I make sure to eat foods I find special and rewarding. Losing weight is hard enough already. Make it easy and satisfying by planning ahead. That way you will look forward to it.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – Jimmy Dean sausage, egg, and cheese croissantwich (400); with an extra fried egg (80);
- 480 calories
Lunch – Bratwrust (280); 1/4 whole wheat wrap (25); cheese crackers (190); Snickers ice cream bar (180);
- 675 calories
Dinner – 6x pizza slices (100);
- 600 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80);
- 80 calories
Total for the day: 1835 calories (limit 1800 + 500 bonus from swimming, total 2300)
Complaining can be fun
One thing I have found about myself is, if I have time and energy to complain, things are going well.
During the last couple of weeks I have had to do a lot of travel and I have had family obligations – which I am not complaining about. I didn’t get to exercise (I swim) for a week, and I don’t want to complain about that either. That happens, sometimes. Today was my third workout following that break, though. I will complain about that! My body was fine for the first workout, and ok for the second. But now I am really feeling it. I feel creaky. Normally I feel energized, and a little sore in a positive way – stretching feels good. But now I feel like if I stretch, something might drop off. The next workout will be much better though, based on past experience.
If you decide to exercise as part of your lifestyle, make sure you pick something that you really like doing. Otherwise you will eventually run out of willpower. I like to swim, so I don’t have to force myself to go.
Back to food. I always look forward to certain foods. Everyone will be different, but I always look forward to Friday pizza night, and Wednesday gyro lunch, no matter what else is going on. For breakfast, I am really into my improved breakfast sandwich. These have the potential to be terrible. The package instructions for the Jimmy Dean breakfast croissantwich say to microwave it, which is a sure way to get a soggy and bland sandwich. Where’s the texture? I bake it in my toaster oven in foil instead, though it takes a while (20 minutes). During part of that time, I fry an extra egg and season it with salt and pepper. Between the fresh egg and the toasted, crispy sandwich, I feel happy and satisfied with breakfast.
What food would make your morning?
-The Doctor