What I Did Today

The M&M cravings are brutal - and I knew they would be before I left home for work. So I made a plan and built it around "concious eating" - that is, making choices about whatever I put in my mouth with total awareness. When I give in to cravings or try to sooth my raging emotions with "bad" food, unhealthy food, I do so without awareness, do you know what I mean? For instance, when the craving**** for the M&M's, which is every day, very intense cravings - I just go on auto pilot and without thinking, just go to the woman's office and fill my fist full of M&M's - and once I start, I can't stop. This is unconscious eating and very harmful to my body and my head. So I made a plan this a.m. I told myself that when the craving**** I would CONSCIOUSLY walk myself down the 4 flights of stairs in my building and do some sort of exercise for 5 minutes in the quiet little area in the basement at the bottom of the stairs - no one is every around. So I did some step exercise until I was out of breath - and then took myself back to my office and concentrated on how I felt. The craving was gone AND my body felt stronger. Strategy number two was to buy a bag of sugar-free Hershey's minitures and allow myself ONE miniature a day. Other than that, I will stick to the three meal plan of healthy meals. For breakfast, I had a hard boiled egg and 4 strawberries; for lunch, a small tuna salad (no mayo) on a bed of greens; for dinner, I will have a small bowl of chili, and a SF popsicle. And I will be done eating for the day. So far, so good. I am going to beat these devils down before they swallow me whole. I have not done all this hard, hard, hard work for nothing! What about you, how is your day going? Love, Maureen

Yesterday I did okay, but today has been hard. Jean told me this morning when she called me to go ahead and eat something!! But, I only had an Atkins protien bar for breakfast, then for lunch Charles and I went to Cracker Barrel. I got chicken, pinto beans, green beans and cole slaw. Which I know there is too much fat and sugar in this stuff. I only ate the pinto beans and brought the rest of the stuff home with me. I'll eat the green beans and half of the chicken and give Charles the coleslaw and half of the chicken. I don't know if I can make it without eating something else or not. Last night I got so hungury I ate a teaspoon of peanut butter on four celery stalks!! My hardest time is at night because I don't sleep well and I'll eat after Charles goes to bed. But I'm trying harder. I got your e-mail and I tried to e-mail you back, but I must have wrote it down wrong. Judy

I'm so proud of you for having a plan and not giving up on this. You only fail when you quit and you are no quitter. So here's my totally unsolicited and possibly unwanted opinion on what you are eating otherwise. Where's the fat? Are you getting enough in your diet and could that be part of the reason that you are so seriously craving the M&Ms? You have to have fat in your diet to reach satiety or you'll continue to crave satisfaction. I'm also worried that you're not getting enough calories. I think your choices are very healthy, but I just think you need more, especially if you're exercising. Huge Love, Connie