Looking for candy in all the wrong places

Luckily.

Almost 3 weeks with no added sugar.

Wow — I actually tore through the kitchen looking for the odd candy bar. Luckily if it’s there (and I’m pretty sure it is) it’s hidden too well for me.

In other news I’m on day 4 of a hideous headache. And that’s why there haven’t been any of my regularly scheduled posts.

How are things going with you?  Are your commitments holding up?

 

Wednesday, I’m NOT a garbage can! (New Commitment: Day 1)

[Note: This post was originally written for my personal blog, Eat4Today, and is part of an ongoing discussion of using the power of Commitment and Daily Goals to create a successfully healthy lifestyle. ]

Just4Today, I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds. I’m also going to walk at least 3 miles, take my fiber supplement and drink 2 liters of water. And I’m going to think about my Commitment . . . .

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The sweet thing about that list is that each of those elements translate into broader goals without making things complicated. For example :

I happen to be very good at portion control with my meals. I know what servings are and I’ve got serving spoons in 1-cup & 1/2-cup sizes that make it easy to stay in control as I serve my meals. But it’s sooo tempting to take another little bite from the leftovers on the stove after dinner. Or (this is horrible) to rummage through the fridge and make a cheese sandwich in the mid-afternoon.

Those are my greatest weaknesses.

One of the great things about Eat4Today as a discussion group for Health Issues is that the discussion bursts out of the blog and into my real and virtual life all over the place. These issues are important to all of us — not just struggling fatties (believe me – I AM a struggling fattie) like me.

Yesterday I was chatting with one of my friends and, of course, I HAD to tell her what I’ve been doing here. And that brought up the topic of setting & keeping daily goals. She mentioned that she got in trouble by finishing her children’s food — which TOTALLY is either taking seconds or eating between meals. And she reminded me of my great breakthrough — I’m not a garbage can.

You see, it’s easy to wrap up a leftover serving or two & store it in the refrigerator. But, (for some of us) it goes against every instinct to throw way the dribs & drabs in the bottom of a pot — something that’s just going to go to waste if you don’t eat it now. And eating those last bites from a child’s plate is just as hard — just as tempting. (And it doesn’t help that very often parents have to eat from a child’s plate BEFORE they’ll eat, just to prove it’s good.)

This world is a complicated place full of conflicting temptations. The trick is for us to develop methods that help us negotiate those traps.

What are the traps in your life and what simple goal might help keep you from falling into it?