Mindless method continued

So it continues-- but I will need a better weekend plan so I don't get myself thrown off track.

The one thing I can say is that I've kept up my promise to myself to eschew all eating upstairs in my house and have not eaten one thing in bed.

Does eating in bed sound as disgusting and vile to you as it does to me now?  I guess I'm just associating eating in bed with all of the bad eating habits that I want to change and finding it really an abhorrent thing to do.  It is working for me to think like that.

I am struggling a bit with getting my water in- and that seems kind of dumb, just drink water! (But I guess I need a more solid plan and to be sure I HAVE water to drink....as in bottled, because I won't drink the water at my work.)

The other thing is that I've been so successful with the no eating in bed rule, I know that I could come up with another rule: drink a full glass of water before consuming anything.

But that is harder for me than you might think.  I guess if it is a bit difficult and uncomfortable, it may be the right change?

I will go back and check-- I have the method's web address guiding me, and the questions on there that I need to review daily are:

Am I following my solutions?

Did I drink my water?

Eating healthy?

Exercising?

My solutions are:

1) Serve yourself in style-- and this has had the big morph into 'don't eat in bed'-- so it is not completely fixed or finished.

Other aspects of serving in style are using great plates and utensils, smaller dishes etc.

NOT eating standing up, not eating at my desk.  Another habit I really have to change.

2) Share your mindless plan-- I promised myself to blog daily.  Not entirely there yet... but doing it most days.

3) Turn snack time into exercise time.  

I am not there yet either.  But I am working at it, first step is this blog and the recollection that I need to get back to this solution.

The idea is to break the cycle of snacking and take a little walk, fold the laundry, clean a sink or something for a few minutes INSTEAD of snacking.

Back to it!! These are all so good and simple, and as the others on this website say:

Do them as they are give, don't take on too much at a time.

And they are right-- I've been riffing on things and getting confused when the solutions are totally there for me...

Here they are, copied from the website:

Share Your Mindless Plan

Tell your friends and family that you have made a commitment to your Mindless Method plan, and let them know the Solutions you're working on. Wear a wristband or shirt or other reminder and declaration of your commitment. The simple act of telling people will make you far more likely to stick with your plan. You'll also be more likely to get the cooperation and support of the people around you, which can be a very big boost.

Serve Yourself in First-Class Style Whenever You Eat

Even if you're only eating a few crackers, feed yourself the way you'd serve an honored guest - good china, silverware, folded napkin, the works. Pay attention to "presentation" of the food on the dish. You are likely to eat less and enjoy it more because you made a fuss and because it looks good.

Turn Snack Time into Active Time

Exercise at a time when you usually snack. You don't need to do anything strenuous, you just have to move your body in ways that don't involve chewing and swallowing. Climb a flight of stairs or two, take a short but brisk walk, or do some light calisthenics and stretching. You'll feel better than if you ate, and you'll burn calories instead of adding them.

Many habits, much to fix...

 many habits... so much time

Cross post from Mindless eating method...

 

One of the things I am appreciating today is that I will be able to conquer many habits with this program over time.  I started out with the 3 month plan, but I have a feeling that if I stick with it and let the gentle 'mindless' program work with and for me-- I'll be sticking around.

For the 3 or 4th night in a row (since I began this) I have NOT brought food upstairs, have not eaten in bed and have thusly, cut way back on after dinner snacking.

I am noting that there are other bugaboos that I'll need to deal with-- for example: I'll say out loud to myself "I don't eat when I am standing up!!" and then stop what I am picking at.

In addition: I am struggling with some stress right now and was at work today, noshing much of the day (can you say -- 'all day grazer'?) So: while I'd say that 85% of the time, I am in control of what I'm eating at work-- there is that other percent of the time when I am eventually going to need to work on a rule of NOT eating at my desk and serving myself at my conference table (I am lucky to have one in my office.)

Bottom line: there are so many ways to take this-- but I am definitely handling a HUGE impact issue from the start.  The snacking post dinner time has been cut to the barest minimum (I did have a small and special little dessert 'bite' that I made for my son and me-- but we ate it at the table and on tiny little espresso cup saucers.  It was a square of ghiradelli 72% chocolate, about a teaspoon of peanut butter topped with a stove top roasted marshmallow... smore without the graham cracker. Mmmm.  But that's it!

Nothing more tonight.

In the past, I might have returned to the kitchen at least 1 or 2 more times, and I definitely would have put together a little 'snack bag' for my bedside table. Ugh!!! (it would have had a piece of cheese and some chips and then I would have eaten 3 Ghiradelli chocolate squares as well.  As you can see-- this was hundreds of calories each night and I don't think I am replacing those-- so I expect to peel off some pounds over time with a consistent approach.

The other super power of mindless eating for me is sitting at the table-- it has confronted eating for other reasons than food.  When you only eat at the table, and limit distractions at that table, low and behold, eating gets more focused and you eat less.  Crazy!!

Hi my name is dinnerland -and I create my own nail polish colors

I combined some black with pink and now I have a cool gray!

Re-post from Mindless eating blog

** Promised link to the site and disclaimer from me:

http://www.mmethodeating.com/

There you go-- I have to say, I did pay for a 3 month starting membership, because I've heard a lot about Wansink, and even had a nutritionist quote to me about his methods some time back.  I considered getting his book on Mindless Eating to guide me-- but I read reviews online and learned that the book is a bit more academic rather than a guide to applying his program in real life. So, instead: I bought the online program, which gave me an assessment and some key tools to apply the tools.
IF you are ready, willing and able to try to apply some psychological steam to your efforts (it is not an 'intuitive eating' program at all!!!) - I recommend it, but please know that I am not endorsing it, nor am I working for this site in any way. I will have no gain if you decide to go ahead and try it out with me EXCEPT that I'd love to know if anyone is doing it so we can support each other.

That said: since I am so into using the site, I am also posting a blog on there-- and rather than rewriting posts for this blog, I figure I'll just cross post when I do blog on that site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

I've just begun my mMethod eating program- but I have been a 'dieter' and weight watcher my whole life.

I can feel this program's efficacy in the discomfort that I am in based on the habit shift that I am working on.  Among my 3 identified eating issues to start with, I was noted to be a 'Snack Grazer'... and it was really dead on with a bit of a twist.

I don't nosh all day-- but I have come to be eating about 2/3rd's of my calories between the time I return home during the week and before I go to bed. And let me admit right here: even eating IN bed (almost nightly.) Bleh.  From the outside looking in, I really think that is a disgusting habit (sorry to those who struggle with it as well....I just really want to stop this altogether.)

Anyhow: I believe that the weekend will be another issue altogether- as I am less busy and confronted with food and food situations more often (another of my problems is that I am a celebrations eater, but following this method, I am working on the snacking first.)

The bottom line is that since I have stood firm on the one solution I made (though there are others too) to abstain from eating in bed and upstairs in my house: I have noticed my scale begin to drop and my confidence rise.  This method works, and I've only just begun.

Another thing I've noticed is how uncomfortable it makes me to NOT eat upstairs and in bed-- and it is taking some effort to avoid habitually doing it.  Even further: when I got frustrated with my 8 year old last evening (he is having some difficulty going to sleep at night that we are working on right now)-- I just wanted to have a snack afterwards.  But I knew that I'd have to go to the dark kitchen and sit at the table and eat it by myself.  I didn't want "THAT" snack-- I wanted the comfort of the snack where I am sitting in bed or in a chair, reading or vegging out and eating.  NOPE.  I avoided it.

So, I continue onward with the solutions that make me feel  bit uncomfortable and challenge my well worn habits-- and I see a definite, if small and significant shift. 

Mindless eating, some great lessons!

I went to the mindless eating site (by Brian Wansink) and am using a bunch of advice I have gotten from their membership tools.
Quite amazing-- and many things that might be intuitive for a lot of us.

I took their quiz and chose one 'priority' issue to deal with first: "All Day Grazing and Snacking."
The translation for me is truly "Grazing and Snacking AFTER dinnertime"-- but the solutions remain the same.

I committed to eating only a my table (not in my car, upstairs anywhere in my house, not the basement, not the couch and NOT in front of the TV!), talking to my husband about what I'm doing and blogging it, and doing something DIFFERENT than what I typically do during 'snack' time.

I am happy to report that after just 3 days, this 'mindless' approach (as in, dealing with the mindless eating that is one's undoing by focusing on 1 bad habit at a time) is working nicely.  I am feeling returning confidence, my clothes are feeling the slightest bit looser, and the scale, which had shot up a few scary pounds, is coming back down...

So, I move onward, as this updated approach is really helping me get my mojo back and it FEELS so right.  I can tell I've chosen a good habit to break because it is uncomfortable to NOT snack elsewhere in my house-- and frankly, I am tempted to eat a lot less when I have to face myself and my family at the kitchen table.
Translation: I now know for certain that I have been using food to entertain and soothe myself... and once I require myself to sit at a table and eat, it is less 'fun' and more eat for fuel (enjoy a nice meal, all the same, but so much less to it) than anything else.

I highly recommend reading up on Brian Wansink if you don't know about him... I will try to link some articles about him and his research-- he is NO gimmick, he is the real deal and has done tons of research on how to help mould your environment and your lifestyle to support ongoing healthy habits.

Note: his program is no magic bullet-- and he anticipates that a person following his program without a specific and set diet plan will lose a pound or two per month.... but if you know me well: You will know that I wouldn't ask for more than that.  I have always believed that slow and steady wins the race-- and I simply do not have it in me to crash diet anymore.
I am no long 27 years old and looking for approval of others by being one of the thinner girls-- now I am doing this for me, my health and my wardrobe!!  So, onward I go.

Yay!!

Been remiss and absent

I have to say, I miss my old blog-- and I have tried to get in touch with Blogger to get back into Dinnerland, but I really need to let that go already.

I've been struggling, struggling to find my groove-- and perhaps I've found it, but I am not seeing anything at the scales yet.  Strangely enough, several people asked me if I've lost weight when I am sure I haven't since my clothes are fitting the same.
WTF?

Whatever: I am not giving up, which is my favorite theme, as you know.
I am quite distressed that my thinnest clothes in my closet are super tight-- I could wear a lot of them, but I find it to be a punishing reminder of the backslide.

Nevertheless: I continue my work.

My newest theory, which is not a new theory, but an attempt to go with some of the basic knowledge that is 'proven', is to try to eat the same things (more or less) on a daily basis.  This takes a lot of the decision making and calorie counting out.

My plan is also based on me deciding when to eat, when hungry-- so it wouldn't be useful to call things breakfast, lunch or dinner...here goes with what I am considering:

coffee w/ milk, creamer through the day--
1/2 scooped out/ toasted bagel w/ lite cream cheese and jam or marmalade-- found a bagel that has 5.5 grams of protein per half with 150 calories before I scoop out the soft part of the bagel
egg/ veggie 'cup' (I am experimenting with making these with a combo of egg/ egg whites, lite cheese, spinach, tomato in cupcake pans-- then freezing them to be unfrozen for a protein snack sometime during the day)-- somewhere between 100-150 calories
fruit serving-- and any additional fruit if hungry
protein w/ veg for 'evening meal' (dressing allowed on salad)
option: glass of wine (this uses anywhere from 150 to 200 calories, so not every day)
dessert of protein bar or 2 pc's ghiradelli chocolate

Clearly: the calorie count could be variable based on the structured choices, but here would be a sample day (taken partially from where I am at in my day so far):

Coffee w/ tbs hazelnut creamer and splash of milk-(counting for whole day, in case I have more)
     100 calories
1/2 bagel w/ cc/ jam
     150
Egg/ veggie cup
     150
Fruit (watermelon)
     80
Protein w/ veg (Sushi dinner)
     600
Wine
     200
Protein bar
     200

~1500 calories

I would like to see how that rolls out and that counts on consistency on my part... so I can't say that I will be 100% on target all the time-- but I am going to do my very best.  I've filled the structured eating with foods I enjoy and choices, but not too many so as to confuse.  I've also filled the day with choices I can find ANYWHERE, when are you out and cannot find a bagel or a roll? Or a piece of fruit? Or at dinner where there isn't fish with vegetables ( my preference.)
As for dessert-- I'll keep that at home, so I can control it, and I don't need a 200 calorie protein bar each night, but it is there.  I can just as easily have a cup of tea with milk and honey and perhaps no sweet (we'll see) or 1 pc of dark chocolate.

I'll report back, but I want my pride in myself and my sense of self as a thin and proud of it person back-- I don't have that now because I have gone into that cycle of 'try/ fail/ be depressed/ try again'.  Urgh.
To end on a positive note: what I'm planning is doable with my band, all I need to do is DO IT.

I got behind in posting!!

Hey there, things are still status quo with me- working on solutions to always do better.
Going off on a weekend trip, excited!
Pictures to follow.
:-)