Literally, stressed is desserts spelled backwards. I wondered what was going to happen when I went back to work. Would I slide back to my old ways? Overeating, because I was stressed, tired, sad, happy, etc? Rewarding myself with food, because that was just how I did it before?
So far this has not been the case. I have discovered that my appetite is still smaller than it has been in a very long time. The stress at work is present of course. I can't make that go away, but I can do something positive about it. I can swim. Exercise is helping me with my stress levels and I am getting fit in the process.
I still have a sweet tooth and a "salty tooth" in that I still want to eat sweet stuff and/or salty stuff, but I have been making better choices. I have not eaten ice cream in about a month. Instead I freeze Yoplait Whips and eat them. They are really good and portion controlled. Oh yeah, they are only 4 points! They have a chocolate flavor, thank goodness, and all of the other flavors are yummy, too. Also, Kashi has a protein bar that hits the spot for my afternoon snack. I have some fruit with it. Then there's Pirate's Booty. I love the stuff and usually buy the 1oz. bags. I usually eat two of those, because it is only 2 oz. It is way better than Cheetos and it's not that awful psychedelic orange color that gets all over everything. I think it's 7 points for the two bags. I should probably try to cut it down to one bag and eat it more slowly.
I am happy to report that I have lost 23 pounds since July 29. This is partly because I am not giving in to my cravings that I still get at night. I still want to eat the bad stuff. There really isn't much of that in my house these days.
My next hurdle will be the Labor Day barbecue I will be attending. I don't want to blow it. I want to eat sensibly. I will have my snack, before I go. I will drink diet soda or water. I might eat a veggie burger, but I can have a small hamburger without the bun along with some veggies. I can have fruit, if I want dessert, and I will try not to eat cookies or whatever they have for dessert. It isn't worth it! I still have 48 pounds to lose and I want to get there as soon as I can, while still being healthy.
Apparently, I should be eating protein at every meal. I did not think of that when I did my grocery shopping. I might have to go and get some veggie sausage or something like that. I could hard-boil some eggs, too. I will let you all know what happens in my next post.
