I've been "on plan" for about a week. I don't know the exact day. I had been doing well before but I had an emotional and busy day during which I didn't eat and getting too hungry is THE way to go off plan. I'm ethically vegan but my diet used to include a lot of junk!
Last time I worried about oatmeal because it is slightly higher in fat, and because I only ever ate it with a bunch of agave. One or the other was probably not great. This time I haven't been eating oatmeal at all and I miss it but because of the agave it's a pretty junky food. Maybe one day I'll be able to eat it without so much added sugar and just with fruits.
I've been feeling really good. I've been exercising--started couch to 5k.. again, did Yoga (that's hard work!), and went for a walk a couple times because I FELT like it! My legs were sore, that's a good feeling. I just generally have lots of energy. I wake up in the morning not feeling like a train wreck. In fact, today I woke up after about 7 hours of sleep when I often get 10, sometimes more. I've been struggling with the idea of restricting my sleep. I was depressed (that's lifting!) and have read about wake therapy, but to me it kinda seems like sleep is a bit like appetite. McDougall says appetite is only natural-- like breathing, it is only appropriate for survival. I don't see how sleep is any different. I think my body takes what it needs. I still wanted relief from the depression so I did it a couple of times but mostly I just felt tired. Now the depression is lifting without reducing my sleep (forcefully; it may be reducing on its own). I am happy about that.
I haven't been eating enough vegetables because they're a pain. I'm lazy and I don't like cooking. Right now I'm eating frozen green beans though and they weren't so hard to nuke. I'll buy some more frozen veggies today to increase my intake.
I feel like a normal person, not obsessive about food. I'm satisfied almost all of the time and when I'm not it's easy to reach for something healthy. My "quick" staple has been frozen brown rice with beans or corn (done in 5 minutes), and I've also been having about 10 medium potatoes daily. Mmm, Yukon golds! It's so much better to feel sane about food!
I did get obsessive about weight though. I weighed myself a few days in, in the evening, after a bunch of potatoes and water. I didn't like what I saw. I don't know what it was before I started this time, but when I weighed myself then it was the highest it's ever been. 307.8. (I'm not changing my counter until it goes down!) I was so upset that after a couple days I didn't feel like I'd made any progress. (Even though I was waking up without lower back/organ pain, had more energy, less depression....) In the past this would've led to a "screw it!" moment and a binge, but this time I was simply more determined. I went for a short walk instead.
I guess a lot of factors were at play, but the next day I started the worst menstrual period of my life (TMI? Sorry) and I was down 7 pounds. My scale sucked and I had to weigh myself over and over each time to get a rough estimate because it was seldom the same number. That's where it got obsessive, and not pretty.... Not to mention how horrible it was that my mood depended on the numbers. So I resolved not to weigh myself until January 1 so as to stop the obsession. It was a good resolution, but... It didn't last... I weighed myself 2 days later, when I was down another 3 pounds. Then I threw my scale away! I don't care if I don't know my progress in numbers, my whole life is much better when I don't have a scale around. (We still have the Wii Fit, but that's easier to resist, for now
) I just have to focus on eating more vegetables and keeping fit and the numbers will take care of themselves.So, this is long but it was nice to get it down. I'll try to make it a habit. Thanks for reading! you poor things!
Going to a movie soon then for a walk with my bestie.
