I don’t how but calorie counting became an obsession. It actually caused a fatigue crash. It was a busier day and I just didn’t have the headspace. Lesson learned. Any way I could, I made it easy for myself.
Here’s how I got by:
Divide a full meal’s calorie count equally – Even if I had a smaller portion: 3 people = 3 meals, add it all up and divide by 3 – easy!
Don’t worry about a bad day – If I have visitors, I’m on a good energy day so I want to relax and enjoy myself. Eating is part of the fun. Tomorrow is a new day to start again. Stay positive.
Limit unexpected nibbles – My partner sometimes came home with bags of sweets. If I couldn’t resist, I would have 1 or 2, just not a whole bag.
See some crisps in the cupboard – I eat 2 maybe 3 then, while I’m munching, rolled up the bag and put them back. Walked away and found a distraction.
By the end of the first month, I felt confident my technique was right. I had already lost 7lbs. I knew I was on to a good thing but I also knew I had a night out coming up, plus we had a take away planned.
Here’s how I coped:
Eating out – Hidden dressings on salads, sauces on burgers, even the best-intentioned veggie meals can be deep fried, plus the portions are usually huge. But a meal out is time to relax. I keep it simple and decide to have a starter or dessert, not both. A big pile of chips, rice or pasta and I share with my partner. I don’t order sides. If food arrives dressed in oil, I don’t fret, there’s always hidden extras. As we say in Psychology ‘’control the controllable’’, then relax and I enjoy my time being out of the house.
Take-aways – Most are high in calories. Chinese: I order boiled rice and just eat half of it. My main is something with more veggies. I eat just 2 or 3 prawn crackers and only order a starter if we’re sharing it. An Indian meal is the same. I try to limit creamy sauces and eat less rice. Apart from Onion Bhajis, I must ALWAYS have one! Pizza is a ‘try to share it out’ affair and we don’t eat other fast food, but the same would apply – control the controllable, so limit the extras and include more veggies and salad.
Social gathering – I enjoyed nibbles while being around others. It took the pressure off from being questioned and is less to think about. I was strict in the days running up to it and didn’t put a pound on!
Treats – Are exactly that, a treat. I love dark chocolate. I’d rather have 25g of dark chocolate on an afternoon with a brew than spread butter on my sandwich, so I made the switch. This way I got to eat chocolate every day too, win!
Desserts – Cake, ice-cream, hot puddings I left until the weekend or every other weekend. I got a smaller portion, poured on less custard, had one scoop not three and shared where I could. Of course, if I wanted a big treat and it had been a while then two scoops it will be, plus a flake…sssh.
Seeing my weight going down is what kept my motivation going. I wasn’t going to let my hard work go to waste. My determined, paid off.
Next week…How I keep the weight off, plus some psychology talk.
Jacqui x
40 and Fighting 