Old Clothes

Today I have been going through my closet and pulling out all my clothes that I haven't worn in the last several months. I have pulled stuff from this summer, last school year, and even from before that. I grabbed things that are too bright to wear now, dresses that I dont even know why I bought. Some of the clothes I wore probably on a weekly basis. Some of the items I hardly wore at all.

While searching for more and more to get rid of, I was thinking about how much of a relief it was to see some of my larger sized items, and to just get rid of them. I had been holding onto a lot of things that at the time were great finds, like my shorts, and not wanting to get rid of them for the sake of their initial cost, and just in case I stayed the size I am.

But the reality of it is, I never want to be that size again. There is no going back up. It simply is not an option. So with this stack of lovely items in my hand, I tossed them into my giant "going away" back. It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Now, the main reason I am writing this post is because during my clothing purge, I came across a pair of old jeans that I bought probably 2 years ago. I haven't actually worn them in over a year. Curious, I decided to try them on, and what a surprise I recieved! They fit!! Not only did they fit, but there was a little extra room in the waist, and they are actually comfortable on my thighs.

This is especially significant because I honestly have been having a really difficult time with my journey these past few weeks. I have been eating terribly, not exercising nearly as much as I ought to, and not drinking as much water as I should. I felt like I was getting fatter, despite the fact that the scale says I'm maintaining. It is just frustrating to feel so gross with myself because of my poor eating habits, and to feel like I'm failing.

Being able to put on these jeans today was proof to myself that I'm not failing, and that I'm still doing better than I was 3 months ago. Its been a long journey so far, and a tough one, but I weigh 20 pounds less than I did at the beginning of August, and I can't wait to see more weight fall off, and to see myself become a healthy person.

I really hope that each of you, even if you aren't struggling with weight, takes the time to go through your closet when you have a spare moment. Get rid of the things you don't wear anymore. Get rid of the things that are rugged and worn out. And especially get rid of anything that doesn't fit because if its too big, you don't ever want to have to wear it again, and if its too small, you are going to want new things once you get that size again. Just get rid of it! You will feel so much better, and who knows, you might find some treasures like I did.

Happy weekend everyone!

The Stress of Food

Well, to start with, I have finally made it to my 20 lb mark! Hooray! I am down to 210. It feels wonderful to make it so far! And even better to finally get off that 212-213 plateau I was stuck on for so long.

Lately there has been a lot of stress on my mind... mostly about my job, and problems I'm dealing with there. Also about school with the midterms this week. But in addition to that, food has been causing me a large amount of stress. I get so frustrated sometimes trying to figure out what to eat. Half the time I just want to forget about watching my weight, and the other half my time I get so frustrated trying to figure out what to eat that will be filling and good for me, that I either don't eat right then, or eat something I shouldn't be eating.

Of course, the other issue with the food and stress is that stress makes me want to eat even more. It makes me want to eat everything in sight and not stop eating. Obviously that is not the best idea at all. Not for anyone, whether watching weight or not. I keep wondering, when is it going to stop? When will I stop having to think so hard about what I'm eating? When will it all just come naturally?

I don't actually think that point in time will ever come, or at least not for a very long time. So in the meantime, I'm faced with making extremely conscious efforts to try my best to make healthy decisions regarding my food and exercise. The healthier I feel mentally, the healthy my actions are.

That is another reason why this is so frustrating is because being stressed, means I eat worse, which makes me feel worse about myself, then I feel depressed, and then I can't focus on my school work. Stress is probably one of the biggest problems in my life really. I am terrible at managing it.

I guess for now though, I can at least be happy that I'm losing again. Maybe I'll celebrate with a carrot salad for lunch :)

Overcoming the On-The-Go Dilema: Snacking

The challenges I am going to talk about today concern snacktime. I LOVE to snack. If I could eat food all day long I would. Unhealthy junk food, of course! lol. Being in school just adds to the temptation of eating. I eat so irregularly, and end up eating often. I also get stressed, and bored, and whatever else I'm feeling at the moment, and tend to use those feelings as excuses to splurge and eat whatever I feel like.

#3: Boredom Snacking
I am the kind of person who likes to eat pretty much no matter what I'm doing. If I am driving to or from work, I like to eat. If I'm off work and watching tv, or on my computer, I like to eat. During the school year, however, I like to eat in class, on my way to class, in between class, etc.
Moral of the story: I like to eat!

Solution
What I started to do in order to combat this unhealthy snacking obsession, was to stock up on snacks that were healthier for me. Or at least not completely bad ;)
I love to keep apples on hand. They are so tasty, take a while to eat, and are fullfilling.
I also like to keep a variety of pre-packaged type snacks, (Those 100 calorie snack packs are 3 pts each!) as well of fruit bars like Kashi ones.

Another thing that I do since I inevitably will end up snacking, if I take this into consideration when planning and eating my other meals during the day. I opt for smaller portions of things to keep the points for those weak moments that I have where I just have to have something to munch on. Pre-planning what I'm going to eat that day also significantly helps make sure I don't exceed my daily points allocated.

#4 Evening Snacking
So nighttime snacking is also a huge weakness. Mostly because I love to relax in the evening. But also partly because I am still new to the whole idea of focusing on my food.
Before now, part of relaxing and enjoying my evening, or any time during the day for that matter, was to take part in some kind of super yummy snack.

Solution
SO, the biggest part of this solution is simply redefining things. I have had to completely rework my behaviors related to snacking. Part of this is simply just learning self control. Its a tough one though. So, once again, my solution for this, is the same as before, by having pre-portioned snacks available, and saving points for the evening.

Of course with any type of snacking, the best advice is to find an alternate activity. So what better to do than to exercise! Did you know an hour of light walking gains you back 5 points? How cool is that! I know it makes me excited!


Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow I will be talking about meal planning, and what I've learned so far that has helped me these last two months!
Healthy snacking!

School Is Starting!

Hope everyone's weight watching is going well this week! This is the last weekend before college classes resume again. The biggest challenge for me and my weight-watching while being a student, has been coming up with ideas of what I will eat, and how I can prepare my food in advance and have it still be delicious.

I know personally, being in school is probably the single most challenging thing for me because I use lack of time as an excuse to just buy food to-go constantly.
This behavior is not only a waste of money, but it makes it all too easy to forget to watch what I'm eating, and ensure that I'm eating a balanced diet.

Tomorrow I will be posting some common challenges I face during the school year regarding food, and how I have learned to overcome them!