I shot the scale

This sounds much worse than it is... it is another way to say that "I got on the scale" and it said:
166.1.

I am PLEASED to see this number as I have been struggling in the high 160's and, as I said yesterday in my first post of this new blog, I finally have come up with a working plan for me.
I am NOT dieting, but I am actively working to lose weight.
Huh?

I will explain that in a moment-- I just want to explain "shoot the scale."
Years ago, I mean in the mid-1990's, I read a book by Ad*ele P*uh*n called The 5 Day*Miracle Diet. (Asterisks inserted to prevent google searches from accidentally landing here...)

In this book, the author talks about just getting on the scale and facing the bad news: "shooting the scale."  By just 'shooting' the scale, as in, 'take a shot, get on and get over it if it is crap...' you allow yourself to remember that it is just a number and a marker of where you might be that day and then you can move on to fixing it.  I realize my weight can fluctuate 100 ways to Sunday, but I also know when I've been playing games and when I haven't been.  My weight this morning is my true weight, no playing.  It's a 'good' weight right now, in that I feel that I've gotten things in control and my consumption of salt and unnecessary fats is way down- so it is not artificially inflated by salt or other crap.  I also know that it will take a week to 10 days to see any more results, because I've been logging my food (and calories) and have been eating around 1500--1600 calories per day.

I had a feeling that I would get myself onto the scale soon enough, even as I wrote yesterday, because if you know me at all-- or are about to get to know me in this new blog incarnation-- I like to weigh in frequently.

As a matter of fact, I am certain that my frequent weighing has kept this episode of weight regain-- which I've been struggling about for quite some time in fact-- to its barest minimum. I'm learning great things with my band-- and I think I am even learning how to re SET myself! I'm learning my personal limits and my person trigger foods and what I can eat to make my eating lifestyle healthy and enjoyable, without a big struggle.

Amazing!

So, to reiterate what I've been limiting in the past several days (and even including my vacation in large part):
1) I've cut out bread almost entirely-- I can't tell you the last piece of bread or cracker I ate.
2) I've cut out pasta almost entirely-- ditto to the pasta as above.
3) I'm limiting rice to very infrequently-- I'll eat some (sparingly) along with sushi, if and when I eat sushi.
4) I'm limiting all concentrated sweets-- and especially limiting any sweets during the day time.  There are exceptions to this rule as follows:
a. I am allowing myself UP TO 1 oz (essentially 2 individual Ghiradelli 72% dark chocolate squares-- 120 calories for the 2) of quality dark chocolate per day.
b. I am allowing myself UP TO 1 drink per day, favoring a small glass of red wine.
c. I am typically eating the wine/ chocolate or both at the tail end of the day-- this decreases the risk that I will eat more of it as the day wears on.
5) I'm limiting diet sodas-- not like I was drinking a lot of them, but I was starting to drink more, and I think they make me crave sweets and also give me a gassy stomach ache with the band.

What am I eating?
A. Lean proteins
B. Fruits
C. Vegetables
D. Fats (olives, oils, dressings)
E. Lower fat dairy (Fage 2% Greek yogurt, egg whites, fat free half and half)
F. Eggs are allowed- but egg whites are preferred
G. Sparingly: as above, dark chocolate, red wine, clear liquor drinks)

There you have it.

I hope to be reporting back more weight loss over time-- but I think this may be a slow and consistent process change, rather than a precipitous weight drop.
I am feeling SO MUCH more confident because I am not dieting, there is no gimmick here.  It is just me, the foods that are healthy for me, and the foods I'm rejecting because they are too toxic for me to even start up with.
Fini!